European moving to San Diego (Solana Beach, Del Mar: rental car, apartment, rentals)

[0barra1]

Hello people, first timer here, straight from Paris (though I was born and raised in Italy). Glad to join the community!
Last month, I accepted a job offer at Salk Institute, in La Jolla, as a postdoc, starting on the 1st of November. Unlike UCSD, my employer hasn't a housing plan for newcomers, hence I have to look for accommodation on my own. I'm thinking of looking for a home-stay, at least for the first month or so in San Diego, since I won't be able to reach the city before October 24th. What do you think about the homestay idea? Airbnb is just too expensive in my opinion. Does any other housing option come to your minds for my initial stay in SD?


How bad are my chances of finding a legit room in a shared flat / studio on my own in my first week? I was told that credit card rating is pivotal for convincing landlords that you are a trustworthy tenant. It goes without saying that coming from abroad I don't have a credt card score at all, how badly will this "handicap" affect my application for a place to stay? Btw, any suggestions about where to open my bank account and how long does it take?



Thanks a lot,


Matteo


Additional info:

- annual income before taxes: 48k;
- I plan to buy a car since it seems the only way around the city.

[loveautumn]

First of all, it will be difficult to afford to live here on $48k before taxes. You'll definitely need to find a house or apartment share situation. Housing here is basically in a crisis situation. Although coming from Europe you may be used to high rents and high taxes.

[0barra1]

As you surmised, taxes are high in France, plus I was used to devolve 55% of my salary during my first years as a PhD student in Paris. What would be a decent range of price rent?
Plus: any advice on the questions above would be more than welcome

[someguy10]

Welcome!

First, I would check with Salk to see if they have any additional resources to help those new to the country.

I'm not very familiar with the home stay world so I cannot comment except to say that it could be a good introduction to living in the US.

Now, in terms of longer-term living. La Jolla is a very well-off and expensive area in an already-expensive city. That said, I still recommend trying to live as close to Salk as possible so you don't spend too much time in bad traffic. The areas around the big universities have a lot of students, many of whom will have little to no credit history. So it will probably be easier for you to get a rental in these areas with no credit history. You may be able to get by without a car if you get a place in the right area so that is something to think about.

Zillow.com and sandiego.craigslist.com are two good web sites to look for rentals. For a studio or 1 BR apartment, you are probably looking at $1,400/month minimum and realistically $1500-$2000 for most. If you split a 2 BR, your half is probably $1000-$1200/mo.

In terms of banking, perhaps other foreign visitors can comment on that angle. Since 9/11, banks are required to verify their customers more so I don't know what that means for you. For a US Citizen, you can very quickly and easily open an account, including doing it online.

One other thing to keep in mind is health insurance. There is no universal/socialized health care here, so most get it through their employer and most have to pay anywhere from $100-$1000/mo for it, plus sometimes more for certain services.

[RosieSD]

Originally Posted by 0barra1

What would be a decent range of price rent?

Congratulations on your new position. Salk is an exciting place to work!

For a room in a shared apartment or house, expect starting rents to be between $850 and $1100 U.S. a month plus utilities, although some locations will be more expensive. If you want to rent an apartment by yourself, plan on $1500 and up for a studio or one bedroom anywhere close to Salk.

Are you planning to get a car, or will you be relying on public transportation? A car will give you more workable options by allowing you to live in more areas than if you have to rely on public transportation. While a car obviously has its own costs, having access to one will likely give you a better shot at more reasonably priced (for SD) rents.

Salk does have a lot of people in similar situations as yours, so I'd be willing to bet that there is an employer bulletin board or email list group somewhere at the Salk Institute where you might be able to connect with other post-docs looking to share a living space. I'd start there.

Also, UCSD has a list of off campus short term stay options for graduate students that you can access on their website -- that may give you a starting point for your first month as well. You can find that list here (scroll towards the bottom of the page, under off campus housing):
Graduate Living – UC San Diego Grad Life

UCSD has a closed listserv for graduate students seeking shared housing. You might try emailing the moderators of that list to ask if a post-doc at Salk could be included in the list. The link to the list is on the page I gave above.

UCSD extension hosts many international students for short term stays. On their website, you'll find information and links to SD area homestay programs and other accommodations that you can access without being associated with UCSD. The site also has a link to information about public transportation that you might find helpful Here's the link to that page: UCSD Extension International Students Housing

Craigslist is also a good resource for finding roommate situations. However, you'll need to use more caution with Craigslist; don't send any money without seeing the place (and meeting prospective roommates) first. But if nothing else, doing a few searches on Craigslist will give you a general overview of what you should expect to pay in different areas here. Here's the Craigslist SD housing site: https://sandiego.craigslist.org/d/housing/search/hhh

[0barra1]

I am just about to have dinner, so I can't reply as thoroughly as I'd like to.
Shortly, first of all, thanks for all the quick replies.
I'd like to set some points straight in order to avoid further misunderstandings: unfortunately as a Salk postdoc I won't benefit of the services, such as housing, granted to UCSD students and scholars. Actually, there is no housing plan for Salk scholars, too bad.
Indeed, I don't plan to live in La Jolla, I've already acknowledge that it would be just too expensive. A future colleague of mine I am in touch with suggested Pacific Beach, Solana Beach and Del Mar as good neighborhood not far from La Jolla. In addition, I don't mind sharing a flat, I've done it many time in Italy and Paris, I believe it would actually be pretty rewarding, getting to know new people. Especially for a foreigner as me.

[RosieSD]

I wanted to add something in response to your comment about needing a credit card to rent in San Diego. Actually, that's not quite true. What landlords look at is the prospective tenants credit history, which includes more than whether or not you have a credit card.

You can help reassure landlords that your credit history is sound by being able to provide at least some of the following:

- A letter from a landlord that you have previously rented from stating that you are a reliable tenant. The original letter can be in French, but have it translated into English and attach the English copy to the French one.

- A letter from your bank in France indicating your current assets. You may have to provide something similar as part of your U.S. visa application. If so, get two copies.

- A letter from Salk's h.r. department stating your salary during your stay here in the U.S. Again, this may be something you'll need to provide when you apply for your Visa anyhow, so it should be easy to arrange.

- Bank statement from a U.S. bank showing that you have enough money in a U.S. account to cover the first few months of your rent. (You'd obviously need to set up an account here to get this)

With the exception of the last, you probably can arrange all of the above before you land in the U.S.

Getting back to credit cards, I'm assuming that you DO have a credit card from a bank or company in France? If not, you should try to get one before you come, as you'll need one for your initial stay in a hotel as well as for other pieces of getting settled, such as arranging for a mobile phone, renting a car, etc. But, you probably already have a credit card, which means you also already have a "credit history."

[RosieSD]

Originally Posted by 0barra1

I'd like to set some points straight in order to avoid further misunderstandings: unfortunately as a Salk postdoc I won't benefit of the services, such as housing, granted to UCSD students and scholars.

I understand. You can't live in housing owned by UCSD.

But, the UCSD links I gave above also information about off campus privately-owned companies that provide short term housing in San Diego.

Those off-campus options are open to anyone. You do not have to be a UCSD student or employee to live in those off-campus places or take advantage of the non-UCSD resources provided. They are not owned by UCSD or limited to UCSD students/employees.

Access to the links is publicly available on the links above. You don't have to be a UCSD student to access the pages.

So, check each of the links for off campus options on the two UCSD sites (grad housing and UCSD extension) that I gave above, and perhaps contact some of those companies before you arrive.

That will at least give you a starting point for connecting with some reputable companies who may be able to help you with housing.

[RosieSD]

For example, here is one of the companies listed on the UCSD extension site:

http://www.ac-housing.com/

You don't have to be a UCSD student to live in one of their properties. The options under "international students" are good deals, and include benefits like rental cars and free transportation from the airport. But business people staying in San Diego for short term assignments also stay in their properties.

There are other companies and resources that may be helpful to you listed on both of the links I gave as well. You do not have to be a UCSD student to work with those companies or take advantage of the resources UCSD has listed under off-campus housing.

[someguy10]

Originally Posted by 0barra1

I am just about to have dinner, so I can't reply as thoroughly as I'd like to.
Shortly, first of all, thanks for all the quick replies.
I'd like to set some points straight in order to avoid further misunderstandings: unfortunately as a Salk postdoc I won't benefit of the services, such as housing, granted to UCSD students and scholars. Actually, there is no housing plan for Salk scholars, too bad.
Indeed, I don't plan to live in La Jolla, I've already acknowledge that it would be just too expensive. A future colleague of mine I am in touch with suggested Pacific Beach, Solana Beach and Del Mar as good neighborhood not far from La Jolla. In addition, I don't mind sharing a flat, I've done it many time in Italy and Paris, I believe it would actually be pretty rewarding, getting to know new people. Especially for a foreigner as me.

To clarify, I wasn't thinking of services, just information. Or even putting you in contact with some Salk people who have done your path before.

Pacific Beach has been gentrifying but may save you a little bit. The core areas of Pacific Beach tend to be oriented toward the 20-something party crowd. If that is not your thing, you'll want to avoid the Grand and Garnet Ave area (both are East-West streets). Versus the area immediately around Salk, I would expect Del Mar and Solana Beach to be priced similarly or even higher. They are more family-oriented areas with good schools -- these features you don't need and command a premium. Of course, you might be able to find a home owner with a spare room in one of those areas. Something similar to: https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/5696748...tes&s=G3KArgX7