Apartments

• If you are new to the US, check these things out.
• If you are moving to a new place in California, then you will need these resources.
• Simply looking for an apartment? Hunt for them in these web-sites. You can look for specific features you want and have brochures mailed to you from the rental properties that you like.
• Some resources useful when apartment hunting.
• Features to look for and things to consider.

Newbie Section:

• Read this guide (from the Tripod web-site) from start to finish making notes along the way.
• Find rental magazines outside a supermarket (like Lucky or Safeway) or fast food restaurant or bus-stop. These magazines are usually free. Apartment For Rent is one such magazine which is also available online.
• Check out these web-sites carefully.
• Consider your requirements.
• Consider your requirement of these features.
• Buy maps and study them to understand the layout of the city. You can create some maps here.
• Check out the web-site of the city you plan to move to to see if there is any interesting information.
• Drive or walk around in the neighborhood to find out how you feel about the place.

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Moving:

• SpringStreet is a really comprehensive web-site that looks at finding an apartment as a move from your current apartment and works as a starting point for a full range of moving services like booking movers, renting moving vans, finding auto insurance in the place that you are moving to, etc. Also if you register, you will get reminders at appropriate times telling what you need to do next in advance of your move. For good measure, they offer a few special discounts too.
• Rent.Net is another such resource that provides information on truck rentals, furniture rentals, insurance information, city guides, etc.
• The United States Postal Service (USPS) has a service called MoversNet. This is their web-site where they give comprehensive information on planning your move. You could also go to your nearest post-office to get this movers package for free.

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Web-sites:

• apartments.com
• For Rent Magazine
• Rent.Net
• SpringStreet
• SF/Bay Area specific
  • Bay Area 4 Rent
  • MetroRent
  • WeRENT.COM

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Resources:

• San Jose Mercury News classifieds is THE resource for finding really current Bay Area rental properties (choose Rental Housing on the left hand side hyper-linked list of options on the classifieds page). Try San Francisco Examiner/San Francisco Chronicle for San Francisco listings.
• Apartment Ratings is a useful web-site where you can find ratings and reviews for apartments in the area. Apartments are rated by tenants themselves.
• Looking for room-mates? Check out the bulletin board of the Network of Indian Professionals. Also check our classifieds page for room-mate classifieds. The classifieds in JustIndian.com may be useful. This web-site may help.
• Read independent reviews of various apartments in the Bay Area by people who are living or have lived in them.
• Take a print-out of this handy checklist for use when you are apartment hunting.
• To find a suitable neighborhood based on crime-rates, school district, demographics and cost of living information, check out Microsoft's MSN HomeAdvisor web-site. Click on the link to "neighborhood" and follow the three steps there to find an appropriate neighborhood. You could use the HomeAdvisor's services to find your apartment too.
• California is earthquake country. Read more about earthquake preparedness here.

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Your Requirements:

• Type of apartment. Studio (smaller than a single bedroom apartment usually suitable only for a single person), one bedroom, two bedroom or bigger. California has a requirement that children have their own room. So if you have kids, you may require a two bedroom or higher apartment.
• School district. If you have kids, then you want to look for apartments in areas that have good schools. Talk to a few people with children before you make any decision on this. Check the web-site SchoolMatch which for a fee provides comprehensive school reports and will also help you find schools for specially gifted children or for children with special needs. The site has some free information too. Going through Microsoft MSN's HomeAdvisor site will get you some additional free information provided by SchoolMatch (see resources section above).
• How much are you prepared to pay as rent? Rents in the San Francisco/Bay Area are pretty high in the range of about $1200 - $1400 for a unfurnished single bedroom apartment of about 800 sq. ft. in the heart of Silicon Valley.
• Do you want a furnished apartment?
• Features you are looking for. See below.

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Features to Consider:

• Basics
  • Rent & initial deposit.
  • Lease type - monthly, semi-annual, annual. The rent differences with the different types of lease.
  • Type. Studio, one bedroom, two bedroom or higher?
  • Baths. One, one and a half, two?
  • Covered parking.
  • Security (Gated community). Some apartment complexes have gates and fences so that unauthorized people can't simply enter the apartment complex.
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  • Handicapped access.
  • Allow pets? Most apartments do not allow pets. Some allow cats and small dogs.
  • On-site maintenance facilities available?
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  • Air-conditioning: The weather is usually good in the SF/Bay Area, but an air-conditioner on hot summer days and nights is a definite plus.
  • Dishwasher
  • Washer/Dryer facilities. Is washer/dryer in the apartment itself? Will the rent be lesser if you don't take the feature?
  • Closet space.
  • Extra storage space.
  • Fans.
  • Heaters in the living room, bedrooms and restrooms?
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  • Cable TV. Does the property provide it's own cable TV service? Is the service free? What other companies provide cable TV service.
  • Utilities. Are utilities (water, electricity, gas) included in the rent?

• Extras
  • Gym.
  • Spa, swimming pool. Swimming instructors? Is the pool heated in the winter? Is it a indoor pool?
  • Recreation facilities like pool tables, tennis courts, racquet-ball courts, etc. Any charges for the use of these facilities?
  • Fireplace.
  • Clubhouse. Rental charges for use of the clubhouse
  • Balcony/Deck/Patio/Porch.
  • Microwave.
  • Humidifier.
  • Internet access services like T1 link, etc.
  • Whether cable modem or DSL services are available in the area.
  • Guest parking space.
  • In-sink-erators. These are attached to the kitchen sink and you can dispose most perishable food waste in this. Useful feature to have.
  • How is garbage managed? Are there recycling facilities for newspaper, cans and bottles?

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Other Things to Consider:

• Neighborhood. Are supermarkets or grocery stores available nearby? Are there bus services to the area and bus stops nearby? How close is the place to suburban train stations?
• Are showers, bath-tubs, wash-basins, sinks in good condition? Is the layout of these convenient to you?
• Is the carpet in good condition?
• Is the layout of the apartment suitable for the furniture that you have?
• Is the property well-maintained?
• Is the apartment too close to a busy road? Or too close to a public place?
• Is there provision for more than one phone connection?
• What emergency facilities exist? Like, if you are locked out of your apartment (which happens more often than you think), is there any number you can call for help?
• Is rent control available in the area?

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Interesting Link:
California is earthquake country. Check this page to see a map of recent earthquakes in the San Francisco/Bay Area region. This map is updated within 5 minutes of an earthquake or once an hour!!!