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Ask HN: I got the job, but how do I get a place to live?

8 points by tylerlh ↗ HN
So I recently took a job with a startup headquartered in Mountain View. By and of itself, this is an awesome opportunity for me and I consider myself lucky to be in the position I'm in.

Then I woke up and realized taking a job in and moving to Silicon Valley means I have to find a new place to live near my office. I'm moving from Tennessee and while my landlord there was awesome to work with regarding my crappy credit, I'm having no such luck in the managed-property-metropolis of Mountain View and its surrounding areas.

Anyway, my question is this: how have you (if indeed there are any of you out there) who are now working in Silicon Valley with crappy credit been able to find a decent apartment and property manager that is actually willing to work with you? The people that surround me are either in a similar position as myself or just not willing to help, so finding a co-signer has proven to be a non-existant option for me.

Any tips would be greatly appreciated.

12 comments

[ 7.5 ms ] story [ 45.4 ms ] thread
anigbrowl
Sublet a room. If you're new here it well help to buffer you against the cost of living, plus at least part of your social circle should be from outside your workplace. You need about $2000 in your pocket when you arrive to get through month 1. On the upside, you can easily do without a car. Consider a bike, and don't forget to ask your employer for commuter checks if you end up taking a bus/train every day, because that's tax-deductible.
trance
Check out the Men's hostel.
tylerlh
Im being paid to relocate and my salary is sufficient to afford an apartment. Money isnt the concern here. I have 2 dogs and a girlfriend so rooms or hostels are not an option. Perhaps I should have been more clear... I'm simply interested in finding privately owned rentals in the area more or less.
gexla
I'm looking into similar logistical challenges with the possibility of moving to NYC. I will probably try starting out with a place from Airbnb so that I can bypass all the typical issues with landing a pad. For you, another possibility might be to locate a roommate with better credit.

ETA: Whoops, just saw in a reply that you have two dogs. Might be a problem for the options I mentioned.

Toph
I don't have bad credit so I can't relate but typically to solve this problem:

1. Talk to the agents/landlords/whoever and show proof of stable income. Some are willing to talk.

2. Alternatively, seek out roommates who have spare rooms to rent just to get your foot in the door. Craigslist comes to mind.

tylerlh
Those are both good suggestions. Thanks!
beatpanda
couchsurfing.org is a good place to start for temporary housing, or look at the "Rooms/Shares" section on Craigslist. I guess some people call this "subletting", but the point is it's easier to move into a room in someone else's house, without being on the lease, then to get your own apartment right out of the gate.
djb_hackernews
Money talks man. Offer to pay X months upfront. It's a tactic I've used twice to negotiate a rent discount. Be sure the upfront payment is documented.

Then again, how bad can you AND your girlfriends credit be that they won't even work with you?

tylerlh
That's not a bad idea, and I did offer to pay upfront when I was denied but the corporate managed properties seem to not be as flexible there.

Regarding the credit issue, long story short -- my girlfriend is Indian and her parents are rather 'traditional'.. so our relationship has for a number of years been on the down-low. That given, her signing on the lease isn't really much of an option right now. (i talked to my landlord in TN about this and he worked with us on it, so that's how I got my current apt)

My plan now is to either sublet a place or find a private property owner who is more willing. As you said, money talks.. and I'm definitely willing to put some down to get into a place at this point just to save my sanity.

BoydJones
I've also just moved to the Bay Area from Tennessee (well, after 21 years in Asia in the middle).

Do you have to live near the office? Can't you telecommute some days? Investigate cheaper apartments a little bit farther out -- e.g., Fremont.

Perhaps consider buying a house as well as prices will only go up here (again, a little or a lot farther out and telecommute and commute).

tylerlh
Cool! Maybe we could grab a coffee sometime next week if you're up for it.

It's funny you mention that..that's exactly what I'm thinking about doing now. I found a house a little further out (Los Gatos) owned by a nice lady that is willing to work with me.

My coworkers think I'm crazy for considering being so far away (20 miles, ~45 minutes with traffic?), but I really haven't had any luck finding anything similar that's closer to MV.