San Francisco is an awfully large city, so if you are new to the area you might not want to jump right in and sign a long lease. By choosing from sublets in San Francisco, you can find a shorter term to commit to, which will give you time to find a home in your ideal neighborhood. This is especially beneficial if you are relocating before you have secured a job. If you find a sublet available for 60 days, you will only have a long commute for a short time, if you find a job on the other side of the city. Renting sublets may not be a popular practice in other cities, but it certainly is in San Francisco.
Popular Areas
As an increasing number of people have relocated to the city in recent years to take advantage of the thriving job market, the short term rental market has become extremely valuable. The most popular neighborhoods for sublets include SoMa, Nob Hill, Marina, Cow Hollow, Pacific Heights, and North Beach.
These areas are all relatively close to the Financial District. If you are on a tighter budget or need a home more accommodating to a large family, neighborhoods a little further west are ideal. Sunset and Richmond are recommended. This area may have a longer commute into the heart of the city, but homes will come with a smaller price tag on average.
Avoid Craigslist
Your first instinct might be to check out what is available on Craigslist. Unfortunately, this once-helpful site has become filled with endless scams. Sure, there are still legit and fantastic listings to be found, but you have to filter through a lot of garbage to find them. Plus, you never know if they are legitimate listings until you actually visit in person, which can be dangerous.
Recommended Options
- Sublet.com – There are pretty much always San Francisco sublets to be found on Sublet.com. The site is super easy to navigate, and you can browse specifically by the neighborhood if you choose.
- Hotpads.com – Occasionally, you can get lucky and find a sublet on Hotpads.com. The cool thing about this site is you can search according to neighborhood and school.
- San Francisco Chronicle – This online publication has an extensive classified section. You can search according to the neighborhood, price, bedroom, etc. It actually has quite a sophisticated search tool.
- SabbaticalHomes.com – This company has a ton of options in San Francisco. The listings are beautifully arranged, and clearly tell you the minimum length of time you can stay.
- Bay Rentals – If you can’t find a sublet, you are interested in, perhaps a short term rental would do for now. Bay Rentals has the properties you might be interested in. You can also check out corporate rental companies, such as Execustay.com, Bridgestreet.com, and Oakwood.com
- Easy Roommate – If you need a sublet but also need a roommate to share the expenses, then you might be thinking this is an impossible order to fill. Check out Easy Roommate! There is a good chance you will find someone else also looking for the same thing, or you still stumble across someone who already has the rental, but is now looking for a roommate.
We Go Look
If you are relocating to San Francisco, it is not always possible to visit the city, check places out, and then return with your belongings. One of the scariest things about a long distance move is fearing you will become a victim of a scam or the place you find online to rent turns out to be a total dump. We GO Look is the perfect solution. For a reasonable fee, an inspector will go look at the property, and provide you with photos and a report.
