Possibly moving from MN to the Bay Area - looking for some advice on where to look for housing (San Jose: apartments)

[picklz]

So I may be accepting a position with Facebook (Menlo Park) in the near future, if I do - myself and my Girlfriend would be relocating from the Suburbs of Minneapolis/St Paul to the bay area. I'm looking for some advice on where you might suggest looking at to live.

We would likely be looking to rent an apartment or house for a year or so (give or take), possibly furnished, to make sure everything works out well with the new job and that we like living out there and everything. I'd prefer to find a 2-3 bedroom home or apartment in the $2000-3000 range, $3000-4000 would be do-able if necessary.

I'll have a car so certainly can commute, or taking the Caltrain / shuttles from SF are also nice options but not something I'm 100% set on.

Originally I was thinking San Francisco due to all the attractions and such there, as well as the free shuttle to and from Facebook - however we would probably be looking to buy a home after 12-18 months - with our budget (<$700,000) I wasn't a huge fan of what I saw available in the San Francisco area - it seemed moving further down the Peninsula towards San Jose offered better home options in our price range; that said I have no idea how good or bad the commute might be from various areas, as well as what neighboorhoods would be advised to say away from. Thought it might make sense to rent near where we might want to buy to get a better feel for the area rather than renting in SF then looking elsewhere to buy (though that is still an option).

Any advice you can share, especially specific apartments you may have had experience with near or in Menlo Park as well as where might be a good place to look for home rentals online it would be greatly appreciated.

[mayorhaggar]

I'd ask on the San Jose board since it sounds like you want Silicon Valley housing. I'd pick some town along 280 or 101 and just rent a basic apartment for a year and get to know the region better so you can make a good decision about where to buy a house. Public transit or the shuttle would be nice but I imagine working for Lord Zuckerberg you'll be working long hours so if you're up all night working you'll want to be able to hop in your car and go home when you want rather than being shackled by the vagaries of public transit or the shuttle--Caltrain really only runs frequently during rush hour during the week.

[fashionguy]

Actually because Facebook is right next to the bridge, north Fremont and Union City are also options to look at, if you are into suburban living, better bang for the buck than the Pennisula which are suburban as well. The commute is basically crossing the bridge, 15~20 minutes, very convenient.

Originally Posted by picklz

So I may be accepting a position with Facebook (Menlo Park) in the near future, if I do - myself and my Girlfriend would be relocating from the Suburbs of Minneapolis/St Paul to the bay area. I'm looking for some advice on where you might suggest looking at to live.

We would likely be looking to rent an apartment or house for a year or so (give or take), possibly furnished, to make sure everything works out well with the new job and that we like living out there and everything. I'd prefer to find a 2-3 bedroom home or apartment in the $2000-3000 range, $3000-4000 would be do-able if necessary.

I'll have a car so certainly can commute, or taking the Caltrain / shuttles from SF are also nice options but not something I'm 100% set on.

Originally I was thinking San Francisco due to all the attractions and such there, as well as the free shuttle to and from Facebook - however we would probably be looking to buy a home after 12-18 months - with our budget (<$700,000) I wasn't a huge fan of what I saw available in the San Francisco area - it seemed moving further down the Peninsula towards San Jose offered better home options in our price range; that said I have no idea how good or bad the commute might be from various areas, as well as what neighboorhoods would be advised to say away from. Thought it might make sense to rent near where we might want to buy to get a better feel for the area rather than renting in SF then looking elsewhere to buy (though that is still an option).

Any advice you can share, especially specific apartments you may have had experience with near or in Menlo Park as well as where might be a good place to look for home rentals online it would be greatly appreciated.