I had the same problem except compounded by the fact that I have a dog! Basically, hammer the emails and phone calls and eventually you will find something (cra

I had the same problem except compounded by the fact that I have a dog! Basically, hammer the emails and phone calls and eventually you will find something (craigslist). I moved here from LA so I was looking for a place without actually being here. I found a handfull of places that accepted dogs and were within my price range, flew up here for a weekend and ran all over the city like a madman. I finally found a place that worked. You may have more luck looking for an apartment without a roomie, if you can afford that. Feel free to shoot me an email (address located in my profile) and I will help in any way I can. Also, yes, SF is especially hard to find apartments.