Help me find a place (San Jose, Fremont: apartment complexes, rentals, house)

[shadowyman]

Hi, can anyone recommend me a place that suits my needs? I'll be commuting to Milpitas. Currently I don't have a car but planning to get one once there. I'm willing to sacrifice 30 minute drive one way. My budget is 1.5k max but can be 1.6k if that'd get me the best for the cheapest.

I'm 24 yo single male, LOVE nature, scenery but it's not required. I like rural places but still should be able to drive down to a downtown to have fun. I like all people but want to live in a diverse place where I can see all different of people, I don't want to feel like a minority (i'm white if that matters).

I'd love to get a 1BR-2BR house but I don't think with this budget it's reasonable. I'm ok with apartment complexes as well. I looked at evergreen, morgan hill but it's so expensive

I'd love to hear from people experienced about the area and went through the same process before.

Thanks a lot!

[ccm123]

To commute to Milpitas, Fremont or San Jose would be good choices, or Milpitas itself. You may need to increase your budget a little though.

[easybay]

When are you moving here or are you living here now?

When we moved here in 2010, I spent 3 full days looking at homes - the rental market was crazy then, and from what friends tell me it's worse now. I feel for you - I wouldn't want to replicate the experience.

Craigslist is your best method to finding a place, since you can narrow down the neighborhoods, and price points. Everything looks great on there - be forewarned, you will discover new definitions for "updated", "pristine", and "renovated". Be sure to leave your dog behind, and be prepared to pay up to double for a security deposit, and to move in immediately. When we were looking we saw 2 places where the tenants were in the process of moving out. I think 1 was being evicted, because they were PI$$ED at me being there looking at the place. I also went into several that the tenants were currently living in - so the places were filthy, people hanging around, and we walked into rooms where people were still sleeping in the bedrooms (thank goodness they were only sleeping!).

It's definitely a landlords market here, and they can totally dictate the terms because there are soooo many people looking for rentals here. I placed an ad on Craigslist and had numerous landlords email me. Good luck.

[Meowen]

so you want true diversity but you also dont want to be a minority?

[mysticaltyger]

Originally Posted by easybay

When are you moving here or are you living here now?

When we moved here in 2010, I spent 3 full days looking at homes - the rental market was crazy then, and from what friends tell me it's worse now. I feel for you - I wouldn't want to replicate the experience.

Craigslist is your best method to finding a place, since you can narrow down the neighborhoods, and price points. Everything looks great on there - be forewarned, you will discover new definitions for "updated", "pristine", and "renovated". Be sure to leave your dog behind, and be prepared to pay up to double for a security deposit, and to move in immediately. When we were looking we saw 2 places where the tenants were in the process of moving out. I think 1 was being evicted, because they were PI$$ED at me being there looking at the place. I also went into several that the tenants were currently living in - so the places were filthy, people hanging around, and we walked into rooms where people were still sleeping in the bedrooms (thank goodness they were only sleeping!).

It's definitely a landlords market here, and they can totally dictate the terms because there are soooo many people looking for rentals here. I placed an ad on Craigslist and had numerous landlords email me. Good luck.

^^This^^ is a typical story.

Right now there are a fair number of rentals avaialble in downtown San Jose becuase of the Winter Break. Google the number for Westwood Properties. They rent clean, but no frills apartments in older buildings in downtown SJ and I'm sure you could get something for $1500 from them. Although it's not overly lively by any stretch downtown SJ is more fun than Milpitas and not too far of a commute.

[mysticaltyger]

Originally Posted by Meowen

so you want true diversity but you also dont want to be a minority?

It's funny how so many people want opposite things .

[shadowyman]

Maybe my definition was wrong. I meant, equal number of people from different backgrounds. I know some places are like indian communities, chinese communities etc. By definition, they are diverse, to me where a majority of people live in one place, i can become a minority.

But thanks for the replies. It seems like the best option is creating a craigslist ad.

[shadowyman]

Any recommendations on what good regions would be convenient?

[80skeys]

Morgan Hill is one of the cheapest towns around here. You can also look at East Bay towns like Hayward or Castro Valley.

[mstnghu2]

Originally Posted by 80skeys

Morgan Hill is one of the cheapest towns around here. You can also look at East Bay towns like Hayward or Castro Valley.

Morgan Hill is really not cheap. It's slightly cheaper than some other South Bay cities, but is not even close to being one of the cheapest places to live in the Bay Area.