San Fran Real Estate Agents Worth the Hire?

September 14, 2006 2:39 PM

Is a real estate agent really worth hiring for finding a rental in San Francisco?

My gay boy friend tells me it's WAY worth it to hire a real estate agent to find a place for my likely relocation to San Francisco. I have been planning to come out for a few days and hoof it all over town to find a place. I'm told that I'll get a nicer place for my money than I would be able to do on my own. Yet, all indications from MeFi seem to indicate that Craigslist really is the holy grail. What's the skinny?

For what it's worth, I'm seeking:

1br or decent sized studio, hardwood floors, more than 4 square feet of countertop space in the kitchen, not too far from transit. I would prefer to live north of Silver and east of Market/Masonic/Presidio. I'd love to spend $1200 or less per month (yes, I realize that's a challenge).

Think I'll be fine on my own or should I pony up the cash for a pro? If I should go for a pro, how/where do I find one?

posted by FlamingBore to Home & Garden (14 answers total)

For what it's worth, everyone I've known here (including myself, natch) has found their apartment through CL.
posted by logic vs love at 2:44 PM on September 14, 2006

Buying? Yes.
Renting? No.

Craigslist, Apartments.com, SF Gate Online... those are the only "agents" you need.
posted by bamassippi at 2:45 PM on September 14, 2006

You always get less with an agent. After all, you have to pay them AND the landlord. You're paying for convenience - theoretically they can save you from some hoofing around the city.

If you have:

more time than money: do it yourself
more money than time: hire an agent
posted by jellicle at 2:56 PM on September 14, 2006

50 Craigslist 1 BR apartments for $1200 and under.
posted by jasper411 at 2:56 PM on September 14, 2006

I've lived all my life in San Francisco, and never known anyone who's used a real estate agent to find a rental. It's not a big city. Figure out where you want to live and hoof it.
posted by YoungAmerican at 2:59 PM on September 14, 2006

Even in the dot com hey day when we were looking, we never needed an agent. SF is very renter friendly for looking for a place, especially when compared to NYC. (My friend there had to get a broker to get a shitty single room apt.)
posted by smallerdemon at 3:33 PM on September 14, 2006

Ditto on all of the above. I think an agent for rentals is only good when you're very unfamiliar with the city and have no contacts here who could fill you in. But since you're a MeFite, you do have contacts!

Neighborhoods are very distinct from each other here and you should find the one that best suits you. If you need the skinny on them, ask you SF friends, or us here.
posted by lunarboy at 3:43 PM on September 14, 2006

Response by poster: Thanks guys. My particular gay boy is a little prone to throwing money away needlessly, but I figured I'd ask.

lunarboy - thanks, I've been to SF a couple times and I've read up enough to know that I want to be close in, but there are a few places I should steer clear of.
posted by FlamingBore at 3:50 PM on September 14, 2006

Response by poster: Oh hey - if anyone knows a clean/cheap hotel or hostel to stay at while I look - do mention it.
posted by FlamingBore at 3:51 PM on September 14, 2006

I've been renting here since the late 1980s and have never used an agent nor known anyone who used an agent. Everyone uses CL. Besides CL -- keep an an eye out for signs posted if you are interested in a particular neighborhood.
posted by ClaudiaCenter at 4:28 PM on September 14, 2006

When I moved to SF in the boom years of the mid-90's it was pretty common to use an agent to find the cheapest possible place to lease. Finding a shared situation is a whole other story, but Realtors know when their tenants have actually vacated a property, and if you can become friendly, they can get you first dibs.
posted by mzurer at 5:49 PM on September 14, 2006

Coupla inexpensive hostels in my beloved Mission:

Elements Hotel

Hotel Tropicana (& poke around on that site - there's lots more)

Fun-looking alternative:

Balmy Casa
posted by rdc at 11:46 AM on September 15, 2006

Response by poster: OMG rdc, thanks for that link on Elements. I was at 12 Galaxies and wondering what the heck that place was. Seemed kind of out of place. Grazie.
posted by FlamingBore at 5:14 PM on September 15, 2006

I used an agent when I relocated to Los Angeles, simply because I didn't know the city at all, so it was worth it just to have someone local who could identify areas that might fit my needs. Having said that, I wasn't paying her since my job covered it as part of relocation costs, so no idea how much it cost them. If you already have friends and mefites to help you with city info, then it seems unnecessary to pay extra for that.
posted by Joh at 6:34 PM on September 16, 2006