I've a 3 bedroom in north San Mateo for $1800. It's a nice place, the cars are parked underneath the building in a covered but not enclosed environment. I get 2 spaces plus a little storage closet.

I say you should try to live within biking distance (5mi)!

The thing about living far away or across the bay is obviously the traffic/commute times, and definitely take into account the toll costs. $3k is more than generous to rent a house here in San Mateo.

 

My buddy used to work at GoPro. Hopefully you're guy will enjoy it.

There's a few good solid meets around here. It's a good place to live!

Welcome to the state of Smog Law *****.

 

My two votes would be San Bruno or Mt. View. Maybe Palo Alto. Can be spendy but you can find some dope places on the outskirts. Just stay out of EPA.

DO NOT move anywhere that you'll need a bridge to get to work. It can be a complete nightmare.

Mt. View is a cool place to be but the downside is you have to drive through Redwood City. Some days it's smooth some days it sucks.



A lot of it depends on what you're looking for. Do you want to be close to restaurants, night life, public transportation or do you want a little more space and a little mellower life style.





Payment for my information.... a new gopro.







(someone had to do it. welcome. you'll probably hear from me in oh... 4 months or so... )

 

^^^ Totally 100% agreed on the bridge!!!! People do it every day, and I have talked to several about that and it just makes it even farther from something I would want to do. Totally completely depends on the lifestyle as you can save a little money living out of the central area, but if you are spending that back to come into town all the time - that doesn't work. I have lived in lots of places from Los Gatos to San Francisco and every single area has it's set of pros and cons. If you talk to someone who says one area is the best and do not consider any others, talk to someone else.

Rent in this area has gone pretty nuts in the last couple years to the point where anyone who has not had to move in the last 2 years won't really know what's up. Looking for a 2br detached house w/ 2 car garage that is not trashed in a nicer part of San Mateo you are looking at a bare minimum of $3500/mo. Seeing places like houses 3br/2ba w/ garage and laundry hookups getting up to the $5k range. Some landlords are asking for 1st/last plus deposit which I thought was illegal, but if you do the math on a place like I mentioned, you are looking at around $10k to move into your rental, not including deposits to all utilities.

In 2009, I was renting a 1br apartment w/ laundry and a 2 car garage in San Carlos for $900/mo. In 2011 I was paying $1800 for a 2/2 house w/ yard and 2 car garage in Half Moon Bay. Came back in 2012 and the landlord laughed at us saying that place has gone for $2600/mo and she has nothing to rent. Moved into a 3/1 apartment after looking at loads of crap for $3k+ from San Mateo to San Bruno. Rent was $2200 and they took it up to $2800 after 1 year, we talked them down to $2600 if we signed another lease.

Not sure what is up. Been hearing things about this on the radio in the mornings, and actually investors are starting up the Ellis Act evictions in SF again. A friend is concerned as they have a rent-controlled place where they are paying around half market value. Some of the prices they were reading off like $3700/mo for a 2br in SF. If you ever lived in SF you know that place is most likely about to fall into the ground.

Rent has always been bad here, but now it's just crazy. It was funny too on the last radio report - they had people calling in saying that this was not true because they have a 2br for $1800/mo in SSF or whatever and in every case these people had rented prior to 2011. Eventually she was just telling people to stop it. Heh.

I have rented here in the Bay Area off and on sine 1997. It's always been stupid, but now it's on another level. They said on the radio that Manhattan was the last city in the US that was worse than the entire San Francisco Bay Area.

I have left the area, but always end up coming back - usually because of work. My goal is to go some place and not come back some time. Some place like... Portland! Yeah!!

 

part of that is because so many people went... man the housing market is going off. I'll take a second on this house and buy another house. We'll live in that one and rent this one... pay both mortgages... etc.

Then the market took a dump and they're paying a $5700 mortgage on a house that they'd be paying $3200 on if they bought right now.

But they don't want to loose both houses so they jack up the rent on the other one to help pay for the one they're in.

Poor investing covered by sky high rent market.

it's like that EVERYWHERE. The house two houses down from me... their rent is about $800 a month more than my mortgage is. same freakin house.

That's why I'd look on the outskirts of some of these places and live a little bit farther from public transportation and the restaurants and stuff.

You live anywhere near the bart line or caltrain line and you're gonna pay extra... commuter mark up.

I've got some friends in San Bruno. You can find some pretty sweet houses in their price range there.

What about this place?
Remodeled Home in Rollingwood Area

 

I have no clue what you two are on about. The bridge is fine, especially the San Mateo, the only time its been bad is when some retard wipes out. Happens about 2 times a year. Other than that, its 80+ no stops.

Hell in the mornings I am doing 80...and I get passed by everyone including the CHP.

 

You reverse commute?

Getting to the bay bridge is a joke. EVERYTHING stops as soon as you get close to the first bridge and it stays all the way through the next 2 bridges.

All the traffic binding up AROUND the bridges.

Toss in the increased cost of using the bridge. Hell I just paid a $20 toll a week ago... screw that noise. LOL!

And if ANYTHING happens anywhere near the bridges you're hosed. Dead stop traffic. I don't commute over there anymore so maybe it's changed but I used to. Bridge is usually fine once you're on it... it's getting on it that's the problem.

I used to commute from Watsonville to S.F.. Commuted from Milpitas to S.F. Hayward. Castro Valley. Etc. Hayward is the last place in the bay area I'd tell someone to move. LOL!

 

LOL that is exactly where I want to live, could walk to work, just saw that one today. I have two dogs so that removes about 85% of the listings for me, including this one. Two teeny Boston Terriers, but they are treated as though I have a dog-sled team. The last place in San Bruno wanted an additional $3k pet deposit from us. The last place we were close to moving on was a 3/2 w/ 2 car and massive storage for $2600. Move-in was going to be just under $8500 when they totalled it out. We were thinking, keep saving and we have a down - just that - we really don't want to own.

Let me just say that if we found a house that was exactly like the one that you posted, but allowed pets, we would be living there right now. We are constantly looking.

 

See, that I don't get. How are people "afraid" when they live in someone elses property? I am all for the Ellis Act evictions, rent control costs owners far too much, and limits their rights.

 

Nope, I just go in at 5am and go home at 3pm, flex schedules rock!

 

welcome to the bay

 

You are absolutely incorrect, and on your own there. 80+ no stops, that just does not happen during commute hours - that is not possible. There are rare occasions when the bridge is moving nicely, but never during or around commute hours.

Everyone I work with drives across the San Mateo, the Bay or the Dumbarton every single day. One in Fremont, one in Alameda, another guy in Dublin, my boss in San Ramon. Another in San Leandro. About five other people here as well from Hayward to Berkeley. Everyone I work with is over there and we are CONSTANTLY talking about how one or three of them cannot come into work or they are here until 9PM and cannot get home because the bridge is stopped, which we can literally see from our office. There are meetings about commute issues for the folks that live in the East Bay. When my boss needs to be back in his area (San Ramon) to pick up his kids, he leaves around 2:30 to get there before 5PM and sometimes makes it on time.

You can look out the window any day of the week and see the San Mateo bridge jammed up. I commute on 92 E and often cannot get to my exit because the bridge is so jammed up several miles away. Every single night.

Anyone can also take a peek at Google Maps any day of the week to confirm this.

Agreed.

Sigh. I am pretty sure no one is talking about driving at those hours.

 

Shoot... takes me about 40 minutes to get home from Fremont... at 2am.

 

Oi.. I'm really not looking forward to the traffic now! Ideally, we'd love to stay on the outskirts and keep it mellow. We've been somewhat 'in the action' here in Portland and it isn't necessary anymore. Plus, we REALLY need to cook more often, haha!

Some friends mentioned keeping an eye on Pacifica and Half Moon Bay as options as well. After reading all your posts, it sounds like we should steer clear of the East Bay! I can't thank you all enough for the input!

(I'll do my best for GoPro freebies!)

 

yeah when we moved down to San Mateo last year from SF we got into our 2 bedroom Dup with shared 2 car garage for $1950/mo. It was a bit on the high side of what we were looking at but its on the nice side of town by foster city/hilsdale and the neighbors are quite and chill so we dig it, and Im sure if it was back on the market now it would be $2200 at least. Things have gotten nuts in just the last year alone.

Ya Bast, since your work is here in San Mateo you'd just be better off looking for something around here. Once you get further south than redwood city prices start going way up, and the 101 is a real PITA during commute hours.

Ya the rent control in SF is an absolute joke, I had people in my building that had lived there since the 70s that were only paying $125/month for places that would be going for 3k nowadays, and that just means the landlords have to gouge the prices on the new tenants to make up for the difference. Worse yet, nowadays with sites like airBnB its easier than ever for these people to sublet their apartments and make thousands a month while they pay pennies on the dollar and just move somewhere else cheaper. Theres thousands of people doing this right now in SF which totally jacks up the price for everyone else, total BS.