I have a few questions about San Fran

[sonarrat]

Originally Posted by gizmo980

Do you mean monthly income?? If so, do some landlords still require 3x the amount of rent? My current landlord didn't, but that's mostly because I have good credit & told them I'd be getting a roommate.

In my experience, if you have 3x they'll consider you but you'll probably be beaten by someone who makes 8x the rent amount because they'll be easier to collect from.

[gizmo980]

Originally Posted by sonarrat

In my experience, if you have 3x they'll consider you but you'll probably be beaten by someone who makes 8x the rent amount because they'll be easier to collect from.

True... but I wonder how many landlords REQUIRE 3x the amount these days? I guess it all depends on the neighborhood, and the quality of the unit/building. I didn't have much competition since we're in "Bayview," so my lack of picky-ness worked in my favor. Turned out to be a great neighborhood, so I have to say it - SUCKERS!!!

[aj2007]

I would love to move there but I'm deathly afraid of earthquakes. How does one get over this? I'm not up on earthquake history but is LA more at risk or SF? When one does hit what is the average damage,etc they produce?

[aj2007]

One last thing,
If you make 50,000 would they even consider you for an $1,300 or so a month apartment?

[oskarv]

Originally Posted by gizmo980

True... but I wonder how many landlords REQUIRE 3x the amount these days? I guess it all depends on the neighborhood, and the quality of the unit/building. I didn't have much competition since we're in "Bayview," so my lack of picky-ness worked in my favor. Turned out to be a great neighborhood, so I have to say it - SUCKERS!!!

I moved to my current apartment in the city about 9 months ago. I make LESS than double my monthly rent, and my landlord didn't seem to think it would be a problem (thankfully it hasn't been so far). That being said, I DO live in the tenderloin. Castro landlords might be a bit more picky.

[oskarv]

Originally Posted by aj2007

One last thing,
If you make 50,000 would they even consider you for an $1,300 or so a month apartment?

I have a friend who makes ~$40,000 and he has a nice (hardwood floors, laundry facility in the building, etc) spacious studio in lower nob hill (that's a neighborhood to look into, just make sure to get something north of Geary street if you mind the ghetto) and he pays $1300. I think a lot of landlords in SF are realistic about the cost of living in SF and aren't going to have the same regulations as others around the country would...

As for the earthquakes, yes, supposedly there's a big one coming at some point in the next 60 years. maybe in the next five minutes, maybe in 59 years, we don't really know, and it's not something i'm terribly worried about.


ONE thing to consider about living in SF.....FORGET about your bountiful suburban amenities. When I lived in Miami (a mostly suburban city) I had a dishwasher, washer/dryer, nice countertops, modern bathroom, etc etc etc.....at my apartment now I don't even have modern electrical outlets! seriously! i had to go out and buy converters, because my electrical outlets don't accept the triple pronged plugs whicha re the standard these days. also, i don't have an outlet (modern or not) in my bathroom! i don't have a dishwasher, and everything about my apartment is pretty antiquated -- it's not my apartment either, a lot of buildings here are OLD, which, of course, is part of the charm .

[aj2007]

One last question. If you had your pick, NYC or SF. Would you still pick SF? If so why.
Thanks so much you guys are a huge help.

[gizmo980]

Originally Posted by aj2007

One last thing,
If you make 50,000 would they even consider you for an $1,300 or so a month apartment?

I only make a little more than that (57K in a good year), and was approved for a $2200 house - with the understanding that I'd have a roommate, but they didn't even stress over that. So I guess it depends on the landlord or company, how stable your job is, credit ratings & references. And yeah, landlords here are realistic about the c.o.l.

To answer your other question (about earthquakes), there's not much I can say except get over it! Seriously, I don't mean that in a rude way, but it's all you can do when you're living here. If it makes you feel better, think of it like this - how many devastating earthquakes have you heard about in CA in your lifetime? Let's see......... the Loma Prieta which resulted in about 250 deaths, the Northridge which had 72 deaths, and a few random low/non-fatality quakes. Considering the amount of people who live in these areas, that's really not a huge number. How many people die in hurricanes, tornadoes, heatwaves & storms every year? A LOT more than we've lost in earthquakes!! So I guess that's the gist of it, and like I said earlier, just be prepared and don't stress beyond that. I've been here since 1983, and it simply isn't a daily worry for most of us.

[oskarv]

Originally Posted by aj2007

One last question. If you had your pick, NYC or SF. Would you still pick SF? If so why.
Thanks so much you guys are a huge help.

City comparisons? ohhh mannn. comparing cities is pointless. there will always be people who prefer one to the other for their own personal reasons...

if you're looking for a vibrant gay scene with hi-tech job opportunities, BOTH cities will offer that. you'll find that people in NYC will complain a lot about their public transit, and people here in SF sure as hell love to ***** about Muni (I think muni's fabulous) -- that being said it's probably easier to find a cab in NY than in SF in general, but it's really not so much of a hassle here either. NY is definitely more corporate than SF. in SF it's more common to see independently owned cafes than a Starbucks, whereas in NY the reverse is definitely true. NY probably has a more diverse population than SF in terms of race, political ideology, etc, but SF still has a couple of working class neighborhoods, so you find a little more diversity in terms of income here....both cities are word class dining destinations, and while NY has more restaurants, SF has more restaurants per capita - in other words you might have 4 restaurants on a block in SF compared to 3 restaurants on a block in NY. Also, you can go to restaurants in SF wearing jeans and a t-shirt..

you mentioned earlier that you wanted fashion stores. SF definitely has all of the big stores - even a Barney's New York and an Emporio Armani - but I find that those stores MUST cater to the tourists more than our actual inhabitants! MOST people in SF dress casually. you don't walk around the streets of SF - even in union square - to catch the latest trends as you can in NY. people are simply much more laid back about fashion in SF, and it's RARE to see someone in a stunning outfit walking around. me? i prefer it that way.

New York is also cleaner than SF and people have more of a sense of being "decent" in public there. Here people are more open and less concerned with decency in public. When I'm on muni (SF public transit) I often have conversations with my friends. When I visited NY last month my friend shusshed me for wanting to talk to her! shusshed me! she said that people in NY don't have as much patience for other people's conversations on public transit. hahahahah.........definitely A LOT of homeless people in SF. NY doesn't seem to have much of a problem with homelessness - I saw maybe one or two bums during my entire stay last month. in SF they're simply unavoidable. even in nice neighborhoods like the castro. also, it's not uncommon to see people walking around butt-naked in the castro. sometimes in SF you'll see some disturbing things on the streets like people smoking meth (not very uncommon at all on market street - which is the MAIN street), MASTURBATING (YES! there's this guy who always masturbates on Leavenworth near Golden Gate Ave.), urinating, etc...that's just a reality you'd have to deal with if you lived in SF. that being said, it's REALLY not so bad. it seems to annoy some other people more than it annoys me though, in fact i'm not really annoyed by it at all. they're usually minding their own business and i mind my own.

[ripley44mag]

Originally Posted by aj2007

Hello,
So I'm having a hard time deciding where I'm going to move. I have it narrowed down to San Francisco or LA. San Francisco has always been a choice because I'm gay and let's face it, San Fran is the gay haven in the US. What is the nightlife like for a young guy? How's the dating scene? Are they big name stores around, such as Nordstroms, D&G, etc? How are the grocery stores. As funny as the question is I know in NYC it's hard to find fresh produced in most stores. How is the rent? I would love to live in the Castro district. Are they places for rent for about 1,300 for a small studio? How much should I expect to pay if I can't find anything for that price. Are they a assortment of jobs in the IT/Computer field? Finally how huge is the earthquake risk? Are you all always paranoid about them? I know I've asked a ton of questions and I greatly appreciate your help. Who knows in about three years I may be your neighbor.

Moderator cut: InappropriateAs for big name stores, we have the S&M leather shop in the Castro. I am sure you will find something (someone) you like...he-he -he.... Ripley