3 ms·
This thread & the thread yesterday on cost of living in SF miss some vital, real-world data. Most people simply don't live like this. I worked 4 years in Goldma
by dxbydt 14y ago
This thread & the thread yesterday on cost of living in SF miss some vital, real-world data. Most people simply don't live like this. I worked 4 years in Goldman Sachs, downtown Manhattan. One thing every MD consistently told me was that only fools live in Manhattan proper. Every one of these MDs had multi-million net-worth, liquid even, & still took either LIRR or NJ Transit or lived in Brooklyn/Queens/Jersey City/Hoboken/across GWB & took the Path & A train & whatnot. I lived in Fort Lee in a comfy gated $900 1-bdrm & took a bus + the A train - very adequate.
Now I live in the Bay Area & take the BART & am able to land $1.5K 2-bdrm houses in the east bay very easily, stone's throw from the bart. When I hear my colleagues complain about the insane $3K studio rents in Nob Hill SF, I don't know what to say. Live in the burbs, wake up an hour earlier & take the BART. Nob Hill can wait.
Your best friend is the local realtor. Talk to her over a starbucks latte & she will tell you how the locals hack real estate.
- Domenic_S 14y ago> am able to land $1.5K 2-bdrm houses in the east bay very easily Unless you're talking Oakland/Concord or the hwy 4 corridor, I call shenanigans.
- dxbydt 14y agoIf you want walking distance to Bart, I'm talking concord, walnut creek, pleasant hill. on a lucky day, orinda or lafayette even. If you have a family & want a nice large 3 bdrm with small yard, you can get one for under 2K in nearby San Ramon and take the BART commute bus to the actual BART...I know tons of people who do this everyday. I actually considered doing that myself but was able to land a nice albeit small 2brm with walking distance to bart. If you don't mind an additional 30 minutes of car commute time to the actual BART station, it dramatically opens up possibilities...Danville is very nice.
- lifeguard 14y agoYou forgot Alameda, Berkley, Rockridge, San Leadro, Pleasanton, Dublin, etc etc.
- Domenic_S 14y agoI dare you to find a 2br+ single family home in Pleasanton for $1.5k.
- lifeguard 14y agohttp://sfbay.craigslist.org/search/apa?srchType=A&zoomToPosting=&query=Pleasanton&minAsk=&maxAsk=1600&bedrooms=2 http://sfbay.craigslist.org/search/apa?srchType=A&zoomTo... Three listed today. I am sure there are issues with most of those. But still.
- Domenic_S 14y agoAll three of those are apartments, and one of them is $1600, above our $1500 limit. Here's the link at a $1500 limit: http://sfbay.craigslist.org/search/apa?srchType=A&zoomToPosting=&query=Pleasanton&minAsk=&maxAsk=1500&bedrooms=2 http://sfbay.craigslist.org/search/apa?srchType=A&zoomTo... 8 results. Total. All are apartments (one is a duet, a couple aren't actually in P-town but are apartments nonetheless). (edit: I'm not trying to dick with you here. I've just been searching for valley housing for a long time and have a good idea where certain cities land price-wise.)
- lifeguard 14y agoAh, I wasn't sure what you meant by "single family home". Of course renting houses is more expensive than apartments. I am sure you will find something that makes you happy. I have had a few house search adventures in the Bay Area. Best of luck to you!
- cbs 14y agoPeople are happy to ignore questioning if living in the highest-demand locations in the entire country is really a reasonable and responsible use of money. Apparently, irresponsible spending is only when others spend on things I don't value.
- emmett 14y agoThat's generally speaking, a bad tradeoff. But one that most people make. Yes, the rents in the city are high. But long commutes are one of the main things correlated with unhappiness. I'd rather live in a smaller place, or with roommates, than quadruple my commute time.