Moving to San Francisco

[Sun Tzu]

I'm expecting an offer from a start-up in downtown SF, and thus will be moving from Sacramento back to the Bay Area. This time, however, I will be living in the city of San Francisco.

Do we have any FOFC'ers that live in the city? If so, any recommendations on areas to seek a 2BR apartment? The things that are at the top of my list are:

Safety
Restaurants
Walk-ability
Transportation (Muni/BART)
Bars (less on the seedy side)

Most of you know how liberal I am, so I could care less how many rainbow flags are flying next to my window, or hipsters walking around with dark-rimmed glasses and low-rider pants.

Thanks in advance!

[DaddyTorgo]

LIKE!!

[Masked]

It all depends on how much you are willing to pay in rent. You're probably looking at $2.5k/month (or more) in rent for a 2br in the more desirable areas that meet your criteria.

Good luck.

[Sun Tzu]

Originally Posted by Masked

It all depends on how much you are willing to pay in rent. You're probably looking at $2.5k/month (or more) in rent for a 2br in the more desirable areas that meet your criteria.

Good luck.

Money isn't really an issue here. I could go as high as $3.5k for the right place.

[JediKooter]

The Marina district is pretty nice. Not too far from the financial district, the ballpark, the wharf, Golden Gate. I have a couple of friends that I used to work with that live there right off of Lombard. Nice area, plus it's just a couple of blocks away from Chestnut St which has a bunch of nice places to eat and drink.

[Sun Tzu]

I've actually looked into the Marina, but unfortunately most of the places there are $4.5+, and *very* few of them allow pets. We have a kitty that is part of the family. That's the only area that I've actually heard a lot about. I know *of* the Mission and a few other sections, but I don't really know much about them...living-wise.

I think my only chances of getting into the Marina would be post-IPO (crosses fingers) when we buy a place.

[JediKooter]

Originally Posted by Sun Tzu

I've actually looked into the Marina, but unfortunately most of the places there are $4.5+, and *very* few of them allow pets. We have a kitty that is part of the family. That's the only area that I've actually heard a lot about. I know *of* the Mission and a few other sections, but I don't really know much about them...living-wise.

I think my only chances of getting into the Marina would be post-IPO (crosses fingers) when we buy a place.

Ah got it. I'm not sure how much they pay for rent to be honest. Every time I see or hear about places in the bay area not allowing pets just seems so...anti-bay area. Anyway, stay away from the Tenderloin area, as I'm sure you've already heard. Castro area is nice in some parts, but, to me looks run down in most parts. I've heard the Mission district is nice and so is the Nob Hill area. Don't know what kind of prices you'd be looking at though for those areas. Just move to Sausalito, it's just on the other side of the Golden Gate and you won't have problems finding a parking spot.

[Peregrine]

Wow that seems like a lot of money for rent, but I've always heard it was pricy out there. Love to visit SF but I guess not live there.

[MacroGuru]

So wait, didn't you just buy up in Sacramento?

Did the Startup lure you away?

Congrats as well.

When I worked for Macromedia I was amazed at the pricing of housing in the area. I always hate living in the cities but I SF is one area I could actually live in.

[Buccaneer]

Good luck, my favorite city, I'm sure my brother, who has lived in the city for 17 years now, will chime in here,

[Crapshoot]

I would not live in the Marina. I think the places you'd like are probably more akin to Noe Valley, SOMA (though a little bit more "older crowd" - 30's monied) and the Mission (startup central and hipster central right now). Feel free to PM me where your exact location is / which startup it is, can figure out accordingly. I assume no car, using BART?

And Peregine, yup. I pay ~1.6K for a studio outside the city - can't get a reasonable 1B in the city for less than 2K.

[Mr. Sparkle]

Yeah, it depends on a few things: where your offices are, how far you are willing to commute within the city to get there, how close to the "action" you're willing to be (I'm 28 and while I like Noe Valley, I would never want to live there unless I had kids). I currently live in the Pac Heights area and like it. I work downtown and it's about a 15-20 min bus ride, nice area, clean, safe, plenty of good bars/restaurants, and it doesn't take too long to get to other areas like SOMA, Mission, Marina, etc. Very centrally located. I also do like the SOMA, although the quality of that area can vary greatly.

The rental market is a GD nightmare right now, so yeah, it's going to be a struggle. You could always go with a broker if you were willing to pay for it, which might not be a bad idea since you have a cat. Cats aren't as much of a dealbreaker as dogs can be, but with things as competitive as it is, landlords might be more inclined to just take the person/people who are without furry little friends. That is where the broker could come in handy.

Holler with any questions. Lived here for over 8 years now. I know some thangs.

[Sun Tzu]

I did buy a house in Sac (Jan 2011) but thankfully the housing market has gone up since then. We're expecting to sell for about 10% higher than we bought. A house with an identical floor plan about a half block away just sold for slightly over that.

I wouldn't say they lured me away. I've been heavily recruited in the Bay for some time now. Ever since I moved away at the end of 2009, I've been getting offers from random companies up and down the Peninsula/Silicon Valley. The job market in and around Sac is dead, and I eventually just decided that enough was enough. I could be putting thousands in the bank every month if I took one of these offers, even with the high cost of living in SF. Plus, you all know me...it's pretty safe to say that SF is much more of a "Sun Tzu Friendly" city compared to republican/conservative Sacramento.

The office that I would be working out of is downtown. I'm fine with a commute up to 30 minutes each way. I've taken public transportation before, and while I'll probably keep my Prius, I don't intend on using that to get to and from the office.

The Wife and I will probably start "trying" again shortly after this move is done. We're perfectly happy having a kid in San Francisco, and if schools become an issue...well at least that's something we won't have to worry about for 6+ years.

Crapshoot: I'll PM you later. Thanks for the offer.

Sparkle: What do you mean by "the rental market is a nightmare" exactly?

Macro: Thanks

[DanGarion]

Maybe this group of tagged posts from Justinsomnia might give you some insight on areas of interest. Heck maybe you can bug him for some input, he's a pretty cool guy when I've interacted with him.

Home - Justinsomnia

[Desnudo]

Originally Posted by Sun Tzu

I'm expecting an offer from a start-up in downtown SF, and thus will be moving from Sacramento back to the Bay Area. This time, however, I will be living in the city of San Francisco.

Do we have any FOFC'ers that live in the city? If so, any recommendations on areas to seek a 2BR apartment? The things that are at the top of my list are:

Safety
Restaurants
Walk-ability
Transportation (Muni/BART)
Bars (less on the seedy side)

Most of you know how liberal I am, so I could care less how many rainbow flags are flying next to my window, or hipsters walking around with dark-rimmed glasses and low-rider pants.

Thanks in advance!

What about assless chaps? Good luck I love SF.

[Mr. Sparkle]

Crazy in the sense that there are a few dozen people at every open house, all clamoring for the apartment. There's just way more people looking than places available. This was before my time, but from people I know who were around then, it has a similar feeling to the first tech boom. Not quite as crazy, but in the vicinity. Rents have gone up significantly over the past year. Just be ready to sign on the dotted line the moment you walk through a place. Bring your credit report (don't be surprised if places make you pay cash or whatever to run their own, anyway) and your offer letter/pay stubs, etc. References can't hurt, either. You also may find people are offering to pay above asking price or pay for a few months right upfront. It's that cray.

[Crapshoot]

Definitely on the credit report. Money is flowing in the Bay Area right now.

[Izulde]

Hmm.

[AENeuman]

3.5k sounds about right. Rents have gone up 20% in past year.... Too many out of town dinks coming in with their tech jobs

One important thing on your priorities should be parking. Most places in your price range should include 1 spot, but street parking for any others. If it has no parking then your location is key. For example, I would not live in the mission or north beach without a space.

The open house craziness is true. Expect about 20 people, all willing to pay on the spot. We got our last place because we paid 6 months in advance.

As far as locations, the more center the better. I have lived in 9 places over the last 17 years and my favorites have all been in the middle. I really like nopa, upper Castro, lower pacific heights. From these places, downtown is about 15 min away. there are also lots of great bars, restaurants, and parks to walk to.

[Buccaneer]

Originally Posted by AENeuman

As far as locations, the more center the better. I have lived in 9 places over the last 17 years and my favorites have all been in the middle. I really like nopa, upper Castro, lower pacific heights. From these places, downtown is about 15 min away. there are also lots of great bars, restaurants, and parks to walk to.

Yeah, I've spent time in 7 of your 9 places and the best ones were the places that had nearby bars and restaurants. But as much as I love going there and spending time in city, it is still mind-boggling to me how much one has to pay for the privilege to live there. I think I got the best of both worlds - I live in an incredibly beautiful, reasonable priced spot in Colorado but make frequent trips to SF and California.

[Sun Tzu]

Originally Posted by AENeuman

3.5k sounds about right. Rents have gone up 20% in past year.... Too many out of town dinks coming in with their tech jobs

Hey! I'm a local that only recently moved *away* from the Bay Area. Pffff.

Actually, I was born in the city of San Francisco, something none of my friends can claim. My parents didn't live in SF when they were pregnant, which means (I can only assume) they wanted to say they brought me into the world in SF.

Great advice all the way around. I appreciate the heads up. I don't know that I'm going to be willing to give anyone 6 months pay up front, regardless of who they are or how nice the apartment is. My Wife and I do have great credit scores though (high 700's) which hopefully will help. I have a hipster buddy that said he absolutely LOVES the Mission district, and he highly recommend I check it out based on my temperament/personality/taste. I looked around on Craigslist and found a place in the Marina for 3.5k with a view of the Golden Gate. Not bad

[xjayex]

I just want to know what you do to be able to afford 3.5k a month in rent.

[Crapshoot]

XJ, Tech is really booming and then some. If you're a top notch programmer / designer, you're going to make 6 figures here comfortably. There's a steep drop off if you're not elite, but if you are, the world is your oyster.


Sun, no doubt for me (only seeing you on this board) that you'll like the Mission; Noe Valley is nice because its basically "up the hill", so you can interact with Mission Hipsters until you get sick of them. If you guys are going to have a family, Noe Valley is probably better long term, but Mission is probably better now.

[Sun Tzu]

Indeed, tech is booming. I'm neither a programmer or designer, though. I've done ok for myself in sales management. As you probably are well aware, sales Directors/VP's generally have it ok. I attribute half of my success to luck of growing up smack dab in the middle of Silicon Valley. I also impressed the right people at the right time, which means (and this is, IMO, the best part) I don't have to go job searching, I just have to call a few friends.

[MacroGuru]

Originally Posted by Sun Tzu

Indeed, tech is booming. I'm neither a programmer or designer, though. I've done ok for myself in sales management. As you probably are well aware, sales Directors/VP's generally have it ok. I attribute half of my success to luck of growing up smack dab in the middle of Silicon Valley. I also impressed the right people at the right time, which means (and this is, IMO, the best part) I don't have to go job searching, I just have to call a few friends.

It's where I used to be, now all my friends have retired or moved out of the area and are running their own consulting gig.

[Sun Tzu]

Offer (eventually) accepted. A lot went down between the start of this thread and the written offer, but...better late than never, right?

[AENeuman]

Welcome, time to break out the rice a roni, where you at?

[Crapshoot]

Congrats! Given our worlds, we probably run into each other at some level.

[Sun Tzu]

Thanks!

I'll be staying in a short-term vacation rental in Cole Valley for a little over a month while we do some apartment shopping. Should be fun!

Let me know if you guys want to grab a drink sometime.

[Buccaneer]

That would be interesting if you guys get together.

[Sun Tzu]

As anyone who has met me knows, I walk around with pictures of naked women draped across my torso, and every 30 seconds I shout anti-USA obscenities.

[finketr]

my brother and family are also moving to the SF area.

[Crapshoot]

Originally Posted by Buccaneer

That would be interesting if you guys get together.

how so?

[Icy]

Congrats!

I'll visit SF soon (March 25-29), as i'm attending this year the Game Developers Conference.

[Desnudo]

Originally Posted by Sun Tzu

As anyone who has met me knows, I walk around with pictures of naked women draped across my torso, and every 30 seconds I shout anti-USA obscenities.

I remember that parade

[Subby]

This is a long way from the Best Buy days!

[Passacaglia]

Aren't you also baking cookies in German or something?

[Sun Tzu]

Originally Posted by Subby

This is a long way from the Best Buy days!

this