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J1 Graduate Visa San Francisco

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  • 29-06-2015 12:09am
    #1
    Anila
    Registered Users Posts: 2 ✭


    Hi

    I am travelling to San Francisco in September to take part in the graduate visa. I am going with one other friend. was just wondering if anyone else was going at the same time and have you found accommodation yet? If you have been is there any tips/ advice you could give me?


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    #2
    C.D.
    Registered Users Posts: 670 ✭✭✭C.D.


    Some discussion on places to go in CA in general from another J1 person - http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?p=95310325


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    #3
    iusedtoknow
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,698 ✭✭✭iusedtoknow


    Anila wrote: »
    Hi

    I am travelling to San Francisco in September to take part in the graduate visa. I am going with one other friend. was just wondering if anyone else was going at the same time and have you found accommodation yet? If you have been is there any tips/ advice you could give me?

    renting here doesn't work like that. Apartments go within hours of going on the market - it's a landlords market, and no one is going to wait around for 2 months. Finding an apartment here is a full time job, and I would recommend renting a car to move quicker.

    The same for renting a room. I know someone went to an open house for a room, there were literally 12 people and there was a bidding war.

    We set aside 3 days, and fell in love with the place we are in now. We told the agent we would go think about - she called 30 minutes later and said there was more interest, and if we were serious we had to get back down there with a check. Normally my BS-o-meter would be going off, but it was serious, we found out as 3 days after we moved in, the other people called by to see if it had been taken.

    September is when the students come back, so there will be competition. My recommendation is to get an airbnb and start the hunt from there.


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    #4
    Anila
    Registered Users Posts: 2 ✭Anila


    iusedtoknow wrote: »
    renting here doesn't work like that. Apartments go within hours of going on the market - it's a landlords market, and no one is going to wait around for 2 months. Finding an apartment here is a full time job, and I would recommend renting a car to move quicker.

    The same for renting a room. I know someone went to an open house for a room, there were literally 12 people and there was a bidding war.

    We set aside 3 days, and fell in love with the place we are in now. We told the agent we would go think about - she called 30 minutes later and said there was more interest, and if we were serious we had to get back down there with a check. Normally my BS-o-meter would be going off, but it was serious, we found out as 3 days after we moved in, the other people called by to see if it had been taken.

    September is when the students come back, so there will be competition. My recommendation is to get an airbnb and start the hunt from there.

    Are you doing the graduate visa as well? Yeah I'm looking at booking into a hostel from about two weeks before I go just to cover myself! Are you on the grad visa awsell? What area are you in and what's the rent like? Did you go with a realtor? Thanks for the help :)


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    #5
    iusedtoknow
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,698 ✭✭✭iusedtoknow


    Anila wrote: »
    Are you doing the graduate visa as well? Yeah I'm looking at booking into a hostel from about two weeks before I go just to cover myself! Are you on the grad visa awsell? What area are you in and what's the rent like? Did you go with a realtor? Thanks for the help :)

    Nope - I am a permanent resident that moved over here on L1 visa.

    TBH, your best bet is to search craigslist for apartment shares as rent is through the roof. If you want to be in the 7x7 miles that is SF then you are going to be paying the following

    Studio:$1500
    1BR: $2400
    2BR:$3200

    A month - it is much easier to get a room in an apartment that is already leased. I live in the Inner Sunset district, rent a 2bd/2br house for $3200 a month. I look periodically at craigslist and the above prices are what I see.

    A room in the cheapest areas will go for around 800 a month, in the most expensive areas you could be looking at $2000+ a month

    Areas:

    Cheapest/safest areas are the outer parts of the city (Ingleside, Outer Sunset, Outer Richmond)
    The slightly more expensive areas are : Inner Sunset, Inner Richmond, Cole, Upper Haight/Lower Haight
    Most Expensive Areas: SOMA/ Mission District, Hayes Valley, Noe Valley, Castro, Nob Hill, Marina, North Beach
    Unsafe areas : Western Addition, Tenderloin, Bayview


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