Finding apartments in Berkeley, CA: transfer student edition
July 9, 2013 11:15 AM Subscribe
A friend is trying to find an apartment in or around Berkeley, CA - he will be transferring to grad school at Cal. He is currently not in town (wrapping up being a student elsewhere and all), and has a shoestring budget for everything, including travel. Do you have any tips for securing an apartment IN Berkeley FROM out of town?
I feel silly asking this since I LIVE in the Bay Area, but that actually prevents me from knowing about this specific local situation.
I am trying to help a friend find an apartment WITHOUT coming to town a bunch of times just to meet n' greet landlords and attend open houses. Since he is a grad student, this repeated cross-country travel is financially prohibitive.
He is checking Craig's List religiously, and responds via email or phone (as preferred in the post) to every ad he considers feasible in terms of price and location. Nearly the only response he ever receives is "oh, great, pop in to the open house" or "well, let us know when you get to town." But he is moving his whole damn life across the country with him, so understandably wants to have something nailed down BEFORE he comes out here! We both suspect that, apartment demand being what it is in the Bay Area, every place gets like a dozen applicants who just walk in to the open house and so the landlord does not need to bother with long-distance applicants who have to mail & fax things.
Is there any way around this? If you are a landlord in the area, what would make you seriously consider an out-of-town applicant? If you have been in this situation, what worked? Are apartment brokers even a thing in the Bay Area? I mean, I know there are google results for "Bay Area Apartment Brokers," but how are they received in Berkeley? Thanks for any advice!
I feel silly asking this since I LIVE in the Bay Area, but that actually prevents me from knowing about this specific local situation.
I am trying to help a friend find an apartment WITHOUT coming to town a bunch of times just to meet n' greet landlords and attend open houses. Since he is a grad student, this repeated cross-country travel is financially prohibitive.
He is checking Craig's List religiously, and responds via email or phone (as preferred in the post) to every ad he considers feasible in terms of price and location. Nearly the only response he ever receives is "oh, great, pop in to the open house" or "well, let us know when you get to town." But he is moving his whole damn life across the country with him, so understandably wants to have something nailed down BEFORE he comes out here! We both suspect that, apartment demand being what it is in the Bay Area, every place gets like a dozen applicants who just walk in to the open house and so the landlord does not need to bother with long-distance applicants who have to mail & fax things.
Is there any way around this? If you are a landlord in the area, what would make you seriously consider an out-of-town applicant? If you have been in this situation, what worked? Are apartment brokers even a thing in the Bay Area? I mean, I know there are google results for "Bay Area Apartment Brokers," but how are they received in Berkeley? Thanks for any advice!
Agree best bet is working his personal and academic network. After almost 40 years I have literally never heard of someone using an apartment broker here although I know it apparently exists. Finding a place in Berkeley is extremely competitive.
posted by latkes at 11:50 AM on July 9, 2013
posted by latkes at 11:50 AM on July 9, 2013
He could try to get a long term sublet instead. Might turn into permanent too.
posted by latkes at 11:51 AM on July 9, 2013
posted by latkes at 11:51 AM on July 9, 2013
I did this by taking a short term, 2 weeks, rental from Craigslist with the plan of finding something longer term once in Berkeley. (In my case it turned out I could stay for two years at the short-term place after all.)
posted by meijusa at 11:52 AM on July 9, 2013
posted by meijusa at 11:52 AM on July 9, 2013
I did the "show up with all your stuff" at a sight-unseen apartment at Stanford three years ago for an internship, and I would imagine that the Palo Alto area has similarly competitive housing. I got lucky and ended up in a partitioned living room 'houseshare' with a relatively dotty retired dude landlord who had about a dozen people living in a 4 bedroom house (some in sheds in the backyard). We all felt very grateful to live there, sadly.
I think your friend's best bet is to do what he can to find a place sight-unseen (he might get lucky), and if he feels too weird about that, rent an AirBnB in the area and find a place as soon as possible after he gets there. If he really has a shoestring budget, he probably isn't moving that much Stuff with him, but if he is he can rent a temporary storage locker for furniture and whatnot while he finds a place. Also seconding using contacts at the University. In my grad department, all the shared grad student houses contact incoming students if they will have spaces open or opening up in the fall. It might be that there is some website or e-mail list that he's just not on yet.
posted by permiechickie at 12:36 PM on July 9, 2013
I think your friend's best bet is to do what he can to find a place sight-unseen (he might get lucky), and if he feels too weird about that, rent an AirBnB in the area and find a place as soon as possible after he gets there. If he really has a shoestring budget, he probably isn't moving that much Stuff with him, but if he is he can rent a temporary storage locker for furniture and whatnot while he finds a place. Also seconding using contacts at the University. In my grad department, all the shared grad student houses contact incoming students if they will have spaces open or opening up in the fall. It might be that there is some website or e-mail list that he's just not on yet.
posted by permiechickie at 12:36 PM on July 9, 2013
First, whatever he's going to do, he should do it ASAP. As we get closer to August and the start of the new semester, the competition for apartments will get worse.
Second, he should check with the University. They used to have a student- or faculty-only list of rentals that was not open to the public.
posted by mikeand1 at 12:46 PM on July 9, 2013 [1 favorite]
Second, he should check with the University. They used to have a student- or faculty-only list of rentals that was not open to the public.
posted by mikeand1 at 12:46 PM on July 9, 2013 [1 favorite]
Has he contacted his department manager or student advisor? They might be able to get him access to department email lists or other resources.
And has he checked UC Berkeley's housing office or the Cal Rentals service?
posted by expialidocious at 12:51 PM on July 9, 2013 [2 favorites]
And has he checked UC Berkeley's housing office or the Cal Rentals service?
posted by expialidocious at 12:51 PM on July 9, 2013 [2 favorites]
Response by poster: Thanks for the suggestions so far. I am checking to see how much he has already tried to work with the University resources.
I think your friend's best bet is to do what he can to find a place sight-unseen...
Thanks. To be clear, he is entirely comfortable with renting something sight unseen, the question is, HOW to do that exactly when the landlords are focused on the potential tenants who actually show up at open houses?
posted by Joey Buttafoucault at 1:03 PM on July 9, 2013
I think your friend's best bet is to do what he can to find a place sight-unseen...
Thanks. To be clear, he is entirely comfortable with renting something sight unseen, the question is, HOW to do that exactly when the landlords are focused on the potential tenants who actually show up at open houses?
posted by Joey Buttafoucault at 1:03 PM on July 9, 2013
Nthing check with the department. Our lab generally has a few flyers posted at any given moment saying something along the lines of, "Post-doc X from Elbonia starting on (date a few weeks away) and will be here for six months. If anyone is looking for a roommate or has a spare room, please contact Doris." They always seem to work out some kind of living situation.
If friend is really on a shoestring, might want to look around Albany or Oakland near bus lines. Getting a place actually IN Berkeley is pretty expensive. If a 45-minute bus ride is manageable, could find a place that costs half as much in surrounding areas.
posted by jraenar at 1:54 PM on July 9, 2013
If friend is really on a shoestring, might want to look around Albany or Oakland near bus lines. Getting a place actually IN Berkeley is pretty expensive. If a 45-minute bus ride is manageable, could find a place that costs half as much in surrounding areas.
posted by jraenar at 1:54 PM on July 9, 2013
I'm a Cal alum who has done the Berkeley apartment hunt, and I have to say, it's tough to get a place without physically being in Berkeley. In my experience, people spend a weekend going around looking at apartments, and then the landlord/roommate contacts you later that weekend or a couple of days later to offer you the place. It's not so much whether your friend is comfortable renting sight unseen as it is that the majority of people offering rooms/apartments to rent want to meet the person they're renting to first to avoid scams and creepers. He'll probably need to work his personal and/or academic network to find a place to rent without physically being there first.
If it's really not feasible to spend even one weekend in Berkeley apartment hunting, then I nth the suggestion to get a short term sublet or rental (which is more likely to be available without an in-person meeting), then look for a more permanent place. Whatever he ends up doing, he needs to really get on it now since August is coming up so soon. I did my apartment hunt at around this time and wasn't lacking for options, but you don't want to leave it too long.
Also, I will second that living in Berkeley itself is expensive, so he should consider nearby BART or AC Transit accessible cities like Albany, Oakland, Emeryville and Richmond. I would really recommend against anything much further than 45 mins by BART, because a longer commute gets really tedious, really fast, and limits your social life.
posted by yasaman at 2:27 PM on July 9, 2013
If it's really not feasible to spend even one weekend in Berkeley apartment hunting, then I nth the suggestion to get a short term sublet or rental (which is more likely to be available without an in-person meeting), then look for a more permanent place. Whatever he ends up doing, he needs to really get on it now since August is coming up so soon. I did my apartment hunt at around this time and wasn't lacking for options, but you don't want to leave it too long.
Also, I will second that living in Berkeley itself is expensive, so he should consider nearby BART or AC Transit accessible cities like Albany, Oakland, Emeryville and Richmond. I would really recommend against anything much further than 45 mins by BART, because a longer commute gets really tedious, really fast, and limits your social life.
posted by yasaman at 2:27 PM on July 9, 2013
yup, there really is no incentive for a landlord to do anything out of the ordinary, because the rental market is so incredibly tight right now.
The absolute best option is to contact the department secretary (probably the same person who has been managing his transfer) who can send out an email blast to the department listservs. If your friend has friends in OTHER departments, contact them and have them send an email blast to their listservs too.
posted by rockindata at 3:15 PM on July 9, 2013
The absolute best option is to contact the department secretary (probably the same person who has been managing his transfer) who can send out an email blast to the department listservs. If your friend has friends in OTHER departments, contact them and have them send an email blast to their listservs too.
posted by rockindata at 3:15 PM on July 9, 2013
Oh, just realized, for roommate situations I have done skype interviews.
posted by latkes at 3:36 PM on July 9, 2013
posted by latkes at 3:36 PM on July 9, 2013
In 2007 when I paid for it, Cal Rentals didn't have anything that wasn't also on Craig's List - I would be surprised if anything has changed since then. I would nth e-mailing people in your future department.
posted by one_bean at 6:49 PM on July 9, 2013
posted by one_bean at 6:49 PM on July 9, 2013
My family owns a property management company in Berkeley. Memail me for contact information. People do rent sight unseen but it is very risky and not advisable.
I am not there so will not speculate on prices for a studio or one bedroom but think you will pay anywhere from $800 to $1300 depending on the neighbors. You may pay more living in a private home because the LL typically is not subject to tenant rights law.
Now is the time to rent. there will be a lot less available in August. The downtown YMCA is nice and has a great swimming pool and handball courts.
posted by parmanparman at 3:14 AM on July 10, 2013
I am not there so will not speculate on prices for a studio or one bedroom but think you will pay anywhere from $800 to $1300 depending on the neighbors. You may pay more living in a private home because the LL typically is not subject to tenant rights law.
Now is the time to rent. there will be a lot less available in August. The downtown YMCA is nice and has a great swimming pool and handball courts.
posted by parmanparman at 3:14 AM on July 10, 2013
He can apply at the Berkeley Student Co-ops. I lived there for six years in grad school and it was amazing. Rent is low relative to Bay Area standards, food and utilities are all included, and there is an amazing community of interesting people. There are two graduate student houses: Hillegass-Parker and The Convent. Hillegass-Parker is nicer, and closer to campus, but harder to get into.
posted by number9dream at 6:20 AM on July 10, 2013 [1 favorite]
posted by number9dream at 6:20 AM on July 10, 2013 [1 favorite]
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posted by twblalock at 11:45 AM on July 9, 2013