NO PLACE LIKE HOME: Advice for navigating the wild world of renting apartments in San Francisco

BY DAVIDE GUALANDI
Contributing Writer

Jillian Misrack, 28, unpacks at her new apartment in the Castro. SARAH THEISS / GUARDSMAN

Finding a place to crash in San Francisco can be a challenging and exciting journey. But dealing with rent rates and numbers in general can lead you right out of the city.

We all know that in the past 10 years San Francisco has become the most expensive city in the United States.

And it has become one of the three most expensive cities in the world. San Francisco costs more to live in than Paris, London, Rome and Sydney, but do not despair. 

How do you think all the freaks, artists and students manage to survive in one of the most culturally enriched cities in the world?

Well, most of them logged on at craigslist.org’s housing section to find roommates. If your dream is to live in central San Francisco with a bunch of artsy hipsters for a monthly rent that doesn’t go above $600 a month, craigslist might put a smile on your face and give you some hopeful results. Check for new listings everyday, at every hour and be ready to write meaningful e-mails to those you want to share an apartment with.

They might ask you to be funny, but not too much. They might reject your pet or disapprove of your meat-based diet. Be advised, interviews with potential roommates can be as stressful as job interviews.

You have several options beside craigslist, but City College, like most community colleges across the country, won’t be able to effectively help you through your journey.

“Faculty staff and City College employees will tell you to go to the Student Union,” said Marsha Shelton, secretary to Skip Fotch, the associate dean of student activities. “We have one designated bulletin board and everyone will direct you there and to the Student Activities office.” Putting up flyers is routine procedure, according to Shelton.

Flyers can also be found on the board outside Science Hall or pretty much all over campus, but don’t rely exclusively on these campus facilities. Hundreds of rooms don’t make the cut on these boards.

“It’s hard, especially when people come from other states,” Shelton said. “I had mothers calling me up to help their child.”

International students receive a little more help.

“During our student services workshops, planned during the mandatory student orientation that takes place before the semester starts, everyone receives an international student guidebook that contains a resource list I developed to find off-campus housing,” said Natasha Maresca, international student services coordinator.

Check for resources offered by other universities if you want to share with other students.

San Francisco State University offers a board visible by anyone on their website, as does the University of California.

They both have Roommate Finder forms that guide you through the quest of finding people who share your habits, needs and characteristics. More than anywhere else, you’ll find the cheap rooms here.

Metro Rent, a rental and roommate listing service that has been running in the city for over 20 years, can be another very important resource. Their advanced services, including instant e-mail updates and a manageable personal account, are worth the price.

There’s one more free Web site worth checking: Roommates.com seems to collect a lot of postings, more than other services which now require a fee.

Still, it is advisable to talk to people you know. Let all your classmates know that you are looking for a room to rent, how much you are willing to pay and what neighborhoods you’ve fallen in love with.

The Bay Area Rentals community on the LiveJournal website might help you meet other students dealing with the same problems. It’s a good way to learn how other new-in-town folks are approaching their search and to find humane and unconventional solutions (like free rent in exchange for repair work) that wouldn’t make the cut on other Web sites.