Moving from NJ to work in SSF. advice on area's to live (San Francisco: apartments)

[ChrisDNA]

Hi, I have looked around and found these forums to be of great help.

I am in the process of accepting an offer to work in South City, and don't really know the area. I am hoping to be able to find a place in SF proper that is new(er), meaning that it has w/d, d/w etc. Also, I would like to live in a part that is considered sunny. I will be making a bit over 100k a year. Having little or no familiarity with the city, does it make sense to rent short term until I find an area I love ( i know the Archstone in SSF offers flex term leases)?

So, i.e., is there an area of the city that is easily commutable to South City that would have apartments with newer fixtures and features and be warmer/less foggy? I'm 29 y/o and my gf will be moving out with me in a few months and anticpates making around 140k, but that is not set yet, so id rather not count those chickens before the hatch. id rather not commute longer than 40 mins

Thanks for any/all advice.

[mayorhaggar]

If you care more about having a newer unit than about living in a nice traditional San Francisco neighborhood, you should probably check out the eastern end of SOMA which has a lot of new buildings which would be more likely to be, well, new, and to have w/d and a dishwasher in the unit. Elsewhere in SF most buildings are older, like 20 to 100 years old, most of them at least have w/d in the building but it's rare to see them in a unit. Dishwashers are kind of rare in an older building but if you pay more and get a nicer unit you're more likely to see them.

There are newer condo-style buildings all over SF though. There are some around Potrero Hill and the Dogpatch area, and scattered around all over the city. SOMA just has the biggest concentration because it's one of the few parts of SF that has had a lot of new development in the last 20 years. There are probably new condo-type buildings down around San Bruno and South City too. SOMA is near the ballpark so it can be noisy, also parking can be tough if you don't want to pay extra for an indoors space. Overall the eastern end of SOMA, where the main collection of new buildings is, feels really sterile compared to the rest of SF but again if you want a new building more than anything, look there. The rest of SOMA doesn't have as many new buildings, and it's kind of desolate feeling, but there are some new buildings and there.

If SOMA isn't for you, anywhere in the eastern and central parts of SF should be good because they'll give you good access to the highways to get to SSF. Could look at Noe Valley, Potrero Hill, Bernal Heights, Glen Park, the area around Dolores Park, etc. Again these will be mostly old buildings with some new buildings.

[ChrisDNA]

Thanks Mayorhaggar, I appreciate the quick response and helpful info. I don't care so much about a newer apartment bldg. I am not looking for modern stlying, as opposed to something that may be redone with some modern amenities. I currently live in a 300 yr old house, so modern is not my thing neccessarily, its just that id like to have w/d etc... It sounds like Potrero Hill, Bernal is a good fit, - access to the highways, but still a neighborhood and not sterile/soulless like SOMA....I think I will look in those area's and have to judge based on individual apts. Thanks again.

[mayorhaggar]

It's pretty common to find older buildings with renovated units, but that generally means you have to pay more for a place that would have things like a dishwasher, but with a combined income of 200K you should be able to sweat it. It might be hard to find units in an older building with a w/d in the unit but like I said it's very common for buildings to have coin-op w/d in the building which is still better than a laundromat.

Potrero Hill and Bernal Hill are, well, hillier than a lot of the rest of SF, especially Bernal. There's less restaurants and bars than places like the Mission or Noe Valley, so they're less walkable, but that means they're quieter and it's easier to find parking which is useful if you have to drive a lot to work every day.