We (me+wife+20month old) are moving to SF in 2 or 3 weeks from London. Has anyone got an advice that they can share with us? Particularly to do with housing / good|bad areas / commuting, or just anything else that you think would be helpful.<p>At the moment the plan is AirBnb it for 3 weeks while looking for a place to rent. I'm going to be working on Mission and 2nd.<p>Thanks so much!
Live in the East bay and pay half the rent and BART into the city. You won't find a 2 BR in SF that has a dishwasher for under 3 or 4k a month that isn't in a sketchy neighborhood. Depending on where you live it will be faster to BART from downtown Oakland to the Mission than it will be get from say North Beach to Mission.
Here is a fun little guide to SF that is for the most part accurate: <a href="http://www.thebolditalic.com/drewhoolhorst/stories/1958-moving-to-san-francisco" rel="nofollow">http://www.thebolditalic.com/drewhoolhorst/stories/1958-movi...</a><p>Here is part 2: <a href="http://www.thebolditalic.com/drewhoolhorst/stories/2138-moving-to-san-francisco-part-2" rel="nofollow">http://www.thebolditalic.com/drewhoolhorst/stories/2138-movi...</a><p>Best of luck with the move! I'm @danielpearson on twitter if you need anything else!
It's really difficult to get a rental in the city, especially as a foreigner with no credit history. All the best places are available only for minutes and usually have queues of people outside ready to take them ASAP. These people will be carrying their credit reports, references and the ability to place a down-payment instantly.<p>If you want to live in the nicer areas in the city, be prepared to pay minimum $3000 per month rent for a 1 bed place. If you're lucky, you might find an agency that won't require a credit report - instead they'll just want more deposit, maybe 2 months rent.<p>Seriously, get an AirBnb or cheap hotel sorted out and expect to be there a while during your search. Also, don't rule out Oakland/East bay because of all the bad stories you hear. It's not that bad and getting better.<p>I moved from the UK too so I know how hard it can be. Feel free to email me and I will do my best to help.