We Finally Got an Apartment in SF!

Where do I begin with the saga of apartment hunting in San Francisco? It started over a month ago when I ventured down to the city by the bay, optimistically thinking it’d be so fun to adventure across the city in search of the perfect apartment. There were many clues that the process would prove much more challenging than I had ever imagined.

First, there was the Craigslist challenge. There were hundreds of apartments, many posted duplicates over and over every day, most without pictures, often lacking key details (parking?, laundry in the building? dishwasher?). Luckily Movity.com will be coming along soon to alleviate the web’s lack of tools for apartment hunters. In the meantime, I found padmapper.com and love the fact that it puts all craigslist postings on a map!

Then, there was the location challenge. We had to be within a few blocks of either Bart or the N-Judah (muni light rail/subway). We had to be very close to bars, restaurants, and a grocery store. Some of these criteria were Vaughn’s, some were mine. I cared more about the cleanliness and aesthetics of the interiors, he cared more about location. And, we searched for many weeks. And, we saw over 30 apartments. And, in the end I came back to Seattle unsuccessful; we had not found an apartment after three weeks of full time hunting.

But, we carried on the hunt. I poured over craigslist every day, setting up appointments for Vaughn and he tirelessly viewed more and more places (sending me detailed photos of every one).

I was about to settle for a ground floor unit in Cole Valley (mainly because I liked the location and it was spacious) despite the fact that it had no natural light, kitchen cabinetry was falling apart, rear courtyard was a weed pile, and the living room window looked right out onto the sidewalk….and then I saw the ad for a modern loft in SOMA. It had everything we wanted. I frantically arranged a meeting, Vaughn saw it and liked it, we made an offer, submitted the app…then we waited. And, finally, we got the news: it’s ours!

I’m so glad we got a place before I showed up in SF with a uhaul full of boxes and furniture. It was such a pain finding a place that I’ll appreciate this apartment more than any I’ve ever lived in. Hope you enjoy the pics.