How to find affordable housing in SF

Beck Sea
Beck Sea
Jul 25, 2017 · 2 min read

(Sage advice that I’ve been asked to reiterate to fellow transplants)

It’s almost August-September, which means… The flight of entry-level interns/full-timers/contractors, whom individually will be making more than the average American household (times 2+), will be flooding through Silicon Valley.

But with this saturated market, how does one find a decent yet economical abode?

Step 1: Take action.

  • Peruse Craigslist.com every other hour daily
  • On the every other hour, make sure to scroll through the infinite feed of Facebook Housing Groups
  • Make sure to create a blurb or a template accessible with practical information mixed with a few cute personal tidbits. Ie. My FICO score is 790 and on the weekends I like to hike, cook, read, and listen to music. (because not only do you appeal by using logos (no one can argue with facts!), by throwing in some ethos, that guarantees other humans to really relate to you)
  • Invest in TextExpander and let this auto-populate all of the hundreds of outgoing emails.

Step 2: Be open-minded.

  • Have multiple contingency plans. Don’t commit to one type of living arrangement, look for houses with friends, look at one room openings, consider trekking to any of the other bays (north bay is lush and has great views, east bay is fun grungy and upcoming, south bay is sunny)
  • Be open to living in a converted common space- such as: a living room, dining room, laundry room, garage, cupboard
  • Be open to living with anywhere up to 11 roommates!! Bunk beds are fun, brings back fond childhood memories or it feels like you are staying at a hostel someplace foreign and cool

Step 3: Embrace this experience.

  • Everyone here goes through this process. Harness your thoughts and let it become a great, unifying icebreaker. “Looking for housing here is ridiculous” “I know, it sucks!!” Solid conversation for any company-wide hackweek or all-hands bonding events.

Once you accept the fact that rent can be one whole paycheck, enjoy your new stomping grounds! SF is filled with coffeeshops, parks and taquerias that cramped people retreat too.

Essentially the only way to find “affordable” housing here is dependent on your sense of boundaries. The easiest way for financial savings is to live in a house with people you wouldn’t mind simultaneously using the bathroom with and not having proper doors to block off your once intended common space. Good luck with your search, and may the odds be ever in your favor.

Beck Sea

Written by

Beck Sea

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