r/SFBayHousing

Hello! My family & I are relocating from AZ to the Bay Area for my husband’s job:) His office is in Santa Clara but he does not need to go in often at all. We have a 2 yr old & I am due in Sept with baby 2! We don’t know much about the area so also looking for guidance. Not looking to be in a “city” we are moreso into a laid back family area. Think daily walks, park dates, etc.

We are hoping to rent a home but having trouble finding anything on Zillow! If anyone knows of anything - please let me know! We are looking as North as Walnut Creek (or Pacifica if considering the west side) and as South as Santa Cruz. Hoping for 3 or 4 bedrooms. Prepared to spend up to 7k in rent per month.

Thanks!

Hello! I will be relocating to San Francisco, hopefully by June or mid June. I live about 1.5 hours away and am not able to go view places as often as I’d like to. Main reasons being work and my family who have absolutely no idea about my plans and have placed an air tag in my car to keep track of me.

Anyways I’ve been thinking that I should get an airbnb in SF once my son gets out of school and reside there while I search for a place. It seems like possibly a good plan, but I also don’t want to be using up money that I can save towards renting an apartment. I’m taking into account that I don’t know how long it would take me to secure a spot and that everything is very expensive right now and will only keep getting more expensive.

Has anyone done this before and how did it work out for you?

Hi everyone! I know that the rental market is crazy right now. But I wanted to start a thread where people could share positive rental experiences that counter the doom and gloom! Not as a way to invalidate the struggle but as a way to give people some hope! It really is rough out there and I’m planning on moving back next year, late spring.

Don’t tomato me, I know they’re out there! I have two sisters who have consistently found excellent/reasonably priced apartments across the past decade… one via social connections and the other simply via Zillow and FB. I like to share these to remind people that it can be done! I’m not a huge law of attraction person but I do believe that success stories can be super helpful/motivating in times of crisis!!

Think we are all armed with PLENTY of warnings and horror stories and that’s good and helpful. Let’s hear some moments where it all worked out!!

we’re applying for apartments and obviously everyone is super qualified and makes enough money, great references and credit the whole shabang. but still, the apartments go to other people. it’s like based on the length of your hair or the color of your aura upon entering the open house swarming with 150 other people at this point i guess. i guess i’ll just have to start sobbing in command for the next one and i’ll see how that goes. many of the leasing agents have asked us to write a letter to “stand out”. like this is a place to live not a toddler beauty pageant oh my god. i’m asking for a chance to be even in the running to be able to pay an exorbitant amount of money each month for a room directly facing a wall. goodnight

In late May, I'll be moving to the Bay Area (from the East Coast) for work. I'm 22, single, no kids. I've been looking for an apartment and having no luck. Every place that looks good seems to have terrible reviews. Zillow listings aren't helping.

My budget is 3700 for rent. I don't care for amenities, I just need the appliances and bathroom to look new. I strongly prefer the place to be renovated.

I love San Francisco as a city so I would ideally want to live there, but I know the quality and costs are probably a lot worse. San Mateo, Foster City, and Redwood City are also very nice.

Any suggestions for 1BR or Studio apartments to look into?

Been planning to move from Oakland to San Mateo next month and I’m starting to realize my plan to rent a U-Haul and ask friends for help plan might be a very terrible idea.

Third floor apartment, narrow stairs, and my couch barely made it in the first time

I’m really curious if there could be some recs from real experiences

Appreciate all the suggestions here btw. I’ve been comparing a few options people mentioned and californiamoversusa is probably the one I’m leaning toward right now. Mostly because they’ve actually been responsive and didn’t make the scheduling part even more confusing.

Hi, late 20s female planning to move from South Bay to sf soon. Would 5th Harrison street safe area to live? (Closer to 6th, not 4th) I have an experience living a bit sketchy area in Seattle before and pretty familiar with SF neighborhoods as well. I don’t think that area is too unsafe like market & vanness, but just a bit concerned with actual living. The main reasons of consideration are commute to South Bay and price. Any advice would be appreciated!

I also looked around Harrison & Langton st but even more unsure about this area …

+ also I don’t have a car so I need to Caltrain & areas I felt uncomfy were civic center/overall 7th street

Hey everyone I'm do this San Francisco I just got here two weeks ago I'm originally from New York. I spontaneously decided to leave and start a new life with a limited amount of money. I'm almost at the end of my money and I have been staying in the motel and I no longer can afford it. I'm still looking for a job but having trouble. If anyone could help me with a room I would greatly appreciate it I don't mind helping out cleaning etc I have some what of a small budget right now. if anyone could help I would greatly appreciate it

Looking for a co-tenant to find a place together in San Francisco — my budget is $2,500/month.

A bit about me: I'm 48, work from home in IT, and am an animal rights activist. I keep a very clean, organized home — here's a walkthrough video from my last apartment so you can see exactly what I mean (dogs make a cameo at the end).

I've been in a suburb long enough and am ready to get back to city life. Before that I lived in Hollywood for five years with a roommate and loved it.

I have two small dogs, 10 and 15 lbs. They're well-behaved and part of the deal.

I have all the common space furniture covered — living room, dining area, and kitchen gear.

I'm very progressive and have lived with gay and trans roommates — identity is a non-issue for me. Looking for a mature adult who's comfortable with dogs.

The important one — as a vegan animal rights activist, I'll be upfront to save us both time: shared spaces — kitchen, fridge, and common areas — must remain 100% plant-based, no animal products. Cooking meat in the kitchen is a hard no. What you eat in your own room is your business.

Most SF neighborhoods are fine — though not Tenderloin, Downtown/Union Square, Bayview, or Hunters Point.

I'm looking for a 2bd/2ba minimum — a 3rd bedroom would be great for storage or a workshop. A reserved parking space is required; coming from SoCal, my car isn't optional.

I have a general idea of what I'm after — something like a 3bd/2ba house or apartment, around 1,200 sqft, in the $4,500–$5,000 range split two ways. Here's an example listing to give you a sense of what I have in mind (photos here).

https://preview.redd.it/6phfkyv1vfzg1.jpg?width=896&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=6837434f109086776654107f69865c29c69653d5

https://preview.redd.it/ndd4mmx5vfzg1.jpg?width=2026&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=1311e64c09f816b87c046115e26b6811ced9346a

Hi, I'm a new grad software engineer moving to the Bay Area. Looking for somewhere to stay June 5-August 2 (flexible on end date). Planning on signing a lease with a friend but waiting for his current lease to end, so just looking for a place to stay for a couple months as I get used to the area. Happy with a sublet, ADU, etc. as long as I have some private space.

Type of rental: Studio/1BD

Budget: $3000 (but preferably less!)

Necessary amenities:

- Parking

- Washer/Dryer

- Kitchen (unless the rent is really cheap)

- AC

- Furnished

Hi All,

My husband willl be commuting to work at Montgomery Bart station. We’re a family of 4 with a 5 months old baby.

Which area should we look for housing rental? My husband looked at Oakland but I heard not so good things.

We’re open to anywhere within half an hour commute.

My summer housing for my internship I had lined up there just fell through and I'm urgently looking for housing in SF with less than a month until my start date in June 1. If anyone has any leads for a room or sublet in SF, Berkeley, etc. please let me know!

My search has been a struggle, to say the least...I've been actively looking since February and have probably reached out to more than 100+ places by now. I've only been getting replies from 15 or so places max, and I've been looking everywhere: Furnished Finder, Facebook groups (joined 13 of them), Craigslist, Whatsapp groups, Reddit, Discord, and Instagram. At this point, I'm very scared and know the market for summer internship housing is more competitive than ever, and I don't want to have to terminate my employment with my firm...

Please let me know if you have any leads!