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When I moved to SF, I was shocked to find out most 3000+$/month apartments didn't have their own washing machine.

• almost_usual 9y ago
  Some people are also surprised to find out they pay 3000+$/month to be in Norteno/Sureno gang territory.
• refurb 9y ago
  That's the real kicker in SF. Ok, housing is expensive and I need a $800K mortgage. If your income is high enough you can swing that. But then you look at what $1.5M gets you! It's bottom of the barrel housing most other cities. You need to move up to $3M to get something modern that has things like double-paned windows and a decent kitchen.
  • kelnos 9y ago
    The thing that baffles me, though, is that you can take a $1.5M house and update it for much, much less than another $1.5M. Sure, it's annoying: it takes time, and you either have to pay for two residences or live with the dust and noise while the renovation is in progress. And finding reliable contractors in the bay area has been getting harder and harder given the level of demand there as well, but it seems crazy to ignore the ability to do even some simple, targeted renovation when you purchase a new home.
    • dingo_bat 9y ago
      You can't renovate the neighborhood though.
    • refurb 9y ago
      Is renovation that affordable in SF? I had a friend do relatively major renovations (add another floor) and I was shocked when he told me it cost him $800k. Is he adding more than $800k to the value of his home? Probably, but it's not as much as one would expect.
      • kelnos 9y ago
        It's certainly not cheap, but if you're doing things like replacing appliances, countertops, sinks, and windows, I can't imagine it costing anywhere near as much as what your friend experienced. But I'm just getting this from talking to friends who have done it; no first-hand experience here yet.