Hey everyone I'm thinking about moving in a little over a week to SF and I wanted some advice. First I've never visited SF but I've driven to Tahoe from Seattle and it was awesome, was first considering L.A. living and then I talked to a lot of people here and they all pretty much suggested SF over LA.

1.What is the cheapest and safest place to live if I have a car. Ideally I'd like free parking with whatever I rent, I am thinking of just renting a room in someones place? What is the cheapest monthly parking I've seen 150 in a few buildings but there has to be 100 dollars or below in some building.

2.Is the job market better than the job market in L.A.? I don't have a job yet just money saved up and I was wondering what the job market was like, I mean I'm not looking for I.T. I'd be willing to do just any old job as long as I could pay my bills.

3.How do I figure out what neighborhood fits me best, I don't think even if I visit S.F. I'd have that idea because generally you have to live somewhere to know what the people are like from a local perspective, is there any website that does this? Matches you to the neighborhood.

I think the Richmond, Sunset are good for lower cost rent.  The down side to living out there though is that you have to drive places, and for me that defeats the purpose of living in SF.

The job market for law is more difficult than in LA.   It probably depends on what field you're in.  I feel like you usually have to leave the city for IT jobs.  I don't know.

I think you could get a good idea of the stereotypes associated with an area through wikipedia.  For example, the Marina and it's reputation for being full of superficial breeders.   However, I'd argue that it's not really good to judge a neighborhood by it's stereotype.   For example, if you have a dog, maybe you'd like to live near marina green or the presidio, even if you self-identify as a hipster.

I'd say rent a room somewhere for a month from someone on CL, and explore the city.   Hayes Valley is a relatively central area.

You are moving to an area that has one of the most competitive housing markets  /  highest cost of living margins after NYC.

Since you are pressed for time, I suggest going to CraigsList and finding what fits into your budget. Depending on the neighborhood a studio can range from $900 ( for tiny & in Tenderloin) to +$2,000 ( for posh and in the Marina / Nob Hill). Renting a room is a crap-shoot. So many factors contribute to that experience. Your best bet (if you're super desperate) is to find a group of people who are trying to get a room filled ASAP.

Since you've never lived here before avoid the words "BAYVIEW / HUNTERS POINT". These are not places for you.

Please note, many (reputable) professional property managers will NOT let you move into a unit 'sight unseen', so you better plan on coming down for a day or 2 and doing a blitz of apartment shopping. Also, because the housing market is so competitive, it would greatly help your approval process if you brought the following:

1.) a check book so you can write a check for 1st month/ last month (security deposit) and or any additional fees for pet (if you have any) up front.

2.) a copy of your credit report, lest you want to write a check for the $25.00 fee they charge to run it.

3.) Any written references from former landlords / property managers. (property managers love these and they make a good impression that you are organized and serious)

SF is not a very car-friendly city so unless your building has an assigned garage space for you (for an additional fee, of course.) the only free parking you'll find is STREET PARKING. I suggest you prepare yourself for circling around a 1-mile radius about 6-7 times before you find a spot about 4-8 blocks away from where you live. Large cars (ie anything bigger than a hatchback) is

The job market is what it is. If you don't care what you do for the time being, then resign yourself to temping till you figure it out.

I've lived in SF for 20 years and the idea of 'finding a neighborhood that fits me best' is absurd. Neighborhoods are not sparkly accessories you coordinate with your purse, so if you are trying to find where all the 'artsy' / 'cool' / 'hipster' kids live, then stay where you are and don't bother because you are missing the point of moving. Sorry if that sounds harsh, but I'm assuming you are moving to San Francisco because you want to experience new and different things. Sometimes you broaden your horizons by going out of your comfort zone and exposing yourself to different elements you normally would not encounter wherever it is you're moving from.

Ok, i've rambled enough. Feel free to ask anymore questions. Good Luck!

Cheap living / Parking, Jobs???????????????????

Move to Oakland or Berkeley and get familiar with "BART"

I agree to visit, get a job, and find a place to live before you move here.  If not, you might end up blowing through all your money.  Reasonably priced apartments (relative for SF) will take a long time to find, especially if you have pets.  The job market here is very tough right now as well.  It'll help us a lot to know what kind of job you'd be looking for.
Eh, I like LA.  I almost moved there, but I like not driving.

But Salty, where in the city is cheap AND safe?

For cheap & safe parking, I would say Sunset... Plenty of wide open street with parking and I haven't had any issues in my 25+ years living here...  

As for rent & jobs, cant help you out much...  My company is hiring, but many companies are definitely cutting back or putting a freeze on new hires..

oh and depending where in the sunset, you have pretty decent access to public transit...

I think I'm moving to Nob Hill, I found someone who wants to rent me a room there possibly.

It seems like unless they are looking to hire people from around the country I don't think they are going to go out of their way to do more than one interview in the time I'm here visiting. Plus I don't think visiting really proves much, I mean I've been around northern CA in the summer when it was really hot in Sacremento and I still thought it was a great place to live if I was closer to the coast.

I don't think by visiting a city it gives you any idea of how long it takes to get bored of a city which is IMO a question people tend to agree upon after living there a while. In Seattle I got bored of the city because there's really not that many interesting restaurants, not much going on, the weather is gloomy all the time so people just make excuses to stay at home, and people aren't that social with people that they don't know whether you're at a dive bar, a fancy martini bar, or a singles bar. I also don't think it really matters how fast or slow a city is, it's really about the people in the city.

nob hill is great...clean and safe...street parking sucks...but being in the middle of everything and roof top views are worth every penny =)

You can forget parking in Nob Hill.  There's none to be had & certainly not for cheap!

I found parking for 150 in nob hill by Tenderloin

So I'll be paying 950 for a room and parking. Considering the building I'm parking in wanted 1400 for a studio and parking averages 300-400 dollars I think I've found a pretty good deal overall.

nob hill vs. Tender-nob...very different....i guess your best bet is to google maps street view everything if you're not gonna visit

You want to move to one of the most expensive places to live in America, and you've not even visited to know if you like the city AND you don't have a job to pay for said relocation?  I don't want to be a wet blanket or anything, but that seems like a whole bucket load of fail to me.

Anyway, as far as "cheap" places to live with somewhat easy street parking, look out in the sunset.  Hell I'm looking to relocate out there now.  It's kinda far out, but if you can get a place near the N-Judah muni line, getting around wouldn't be that much of a pain in the ass.

pretty sure this whole thing is a joke. or at least i hope so. if not, someone is going to have some, um, learning experiences.

?op, you sound more than a little naive...and you haven't done your homework, so be ready to get "schooled".

LA is a VERY car friendly city.  SF is not.  Oakland can be both okay and treacherous, depending on where you live.  Berkeley may be easiest.  

if you are very lucky, everything will fall into place just as you are romanticizing it will.

nothing like learning from the school o' hard knocks...i genuinely hope it works out for you~

*"schooled" once you get here.

There are some suburbs that are a lot cheaper than being in town, and ample parking.  Even within the city there are some marginal sections, mostly in the south half of town.  Some of them are good solid lower middle class single family house areas, with driveways, parking, backyards.... just a little farther out, possibly higher crime.  Still, it's all expensive.  Your best bet is to find a good roommate situation where say 5 people can share a $2,500 to $3,000 monthly rental.

Yes, the job market is better here than LA.  It kind of depends what you do though.  And the cost of living is higher here too.  Overall SF is pretty safe, safer than LA for personal safety, and nothing dangerous like an East Coast city.  Probably it's about like Seattle.  There is a lot of property crime here - stolen stuff, car break-ins, swindles and scams.  If you leave anything in your car, even a blanket, it will eventually get broken into, anywhere in the city.  

It's a bold move to come here with a car and no job - that might end up being where you live.  But who cares?  SF is full of people who moved here on a complete whim or at the far end of a road trip - Harvey Milk, for example.  Or Michel Suas, the French baker who commercialized the SF artisan read revolution, a bunch of French winemakers who settled in Napa Valley, Jack Keroac, ....

Garage spaces in the Tenderloin are about $200 to $250 a month.  It's a pain to keep a car in the center city, and you really don't need a car for most things.  Use public transit, bike, or get a scooter / motorcycle, and join zipcar if you frequently need short rentals.

N "Iheartcities" A. says:

Plus I don't think visiting really proves much, I mean I've been around northern CA in the summer when it was really hot in Sacremento and I still thought it was a great place to live if I was closer to the coast. I don't think by visiting a city it gives you any idea of how long it takes to get bored of a city which is IMO a question people tend to agree upon after living there a while.

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N.A. you are missing the point. Its not about boredom. Visiting a city before moving is about getting a basic geographic idea of all these places in the city people (or ads on Craigs List) are referring to. Northern California is composed of different micro-climates. SF is no exception. If you are leaving Seattle because "not much going on, the weather is gloomy all the time so people just make excuses to stay at home" why would you want to live in the Sunset where its mostly residential, perpetually cold, foggy and far removed from city nightlife. (unless you live around Irving and REALLY like Chinese food.) $950 for a room in the Tenderloin is dicey at best. Have you ever SEEN the Tenderloin, at NIGHT? Totally different from TL during the day.

Perhaps your optimism is the product of living a charmed sort of life, but as many others have said in this post, you are in for some real harsh realities...

Try parking at the new garage on Mason use to be Hertz, its 24 hour, valet, clean....very important and cheaper than other places. I think it is ran by Ace Parking who has many others in SF but I only tried this one and was impressed.

Is that what the construction was all about?

people break into cars in nob hill don't leave valuables in the car that give them the excuse to break in even Kleenex , u will have to move ur car around alot because of street cleaning and the parking signs