It's no secret that housing in San Francisco is so expensive even people drawing fairly nice incomes -- such as non-Facebook, non-Google and non-Silicon Valley-type professionals -- can't afford to live there. In 2017, median rents for a one-bedroom apartment in the city by the bay ran from $3,333 (according to Abodo) to Zumper's $3,400 monthly.
For comparison, the median rent nationwide in 2017 was $845 month split between Houston, Texas and Anchorage, Alaska. San Fran landlords also typically demand a relatively high credit score (north of 730 FICO) plus first and last month's rent and a security deposit up front before they'll even consider handing over the keys to one of their apartments. So even if you're making some decent coin as a professional and you need to live in the city, good luck finding a place you can afford.
To answer that increasingly common problem, communes of a sort -- or what the New York Times calls "dorm living for professionals" -- have begun appearing in town and they're geared toward professionals who aren't pulling down Google or Facebook level salaries:
"Shared bathrooms at the end of the hall and having no individual kitchen or living room is becoming less weird for some of the city’s workers thanks to Starcity, a new development company that is expressly creating dorms for many of the non-tech population. . .
Starcity residents get a bedroom of 130 square feet to 220 square feet. Many of the buildings will feature some units with a private bath for a higher rent. But Jon Dishotsky, Starcity’s co-founder and chief executive, said a ratio of one bathroom for every two to three bedrooms makes the most sense for large-scale affordability. The average one-bedroom apartment in San Francisco rents for $3,300 a month, but Starcity rooms go for $1,400 to $2,400 a month fully furnished, with utilities and Wi-Fi included."
One side of me celebrates this move. It seems like it's a market-based solution to San Francisco's glaring housing problem, one that's increasing in seriousness every year, from all appearances.
The other side of me, however, is saying "This is going to end well." ;-)
"Politics is just show business for ugly people."
For comparison, the median rent nationwide in 2017 was $845 month split between Houston, Texas and Anchorage, Alaska. San Fran landlords also typically demand a relatively high credit score (north of 730 FICO) plus first and last month's rent and a security deposit up front before they'll even consider handing over the keys to one of their apartments. So even if you're making some decent coin as a professional and you need to live in the city, good luck finding a place you can afford.
To answer that increasingly common problem, communes of a sort -- or what the New York Times calls "dorm living for professionals" -- have begun appearing in town and they're geared toward professionals who aren't pulling down Google or Facebook level salaries:
"Shared bathrooms at the end of the hall and having no individual kitchen or living room is becoming less weird for some of the city’s workers thanks to Starcity, a new development company that is expressly creating dorms for many of the non-tech population. . .
Starcity residents get a bedroom of 130 square feet to 220 square feet. Many of the buildings will feature some units with a private bath for a higher rent. But Jon Dishotsky, Starcity’s co-founder and chief executive, said a ratio of one bathroom for every two to three bedrooms makes the most sense for large-scale affordability. The average one-bedroom apartment in San Francisco rents for $3,300 a month, but Starcity rooms go for $1,400 to $2,400 a month fully furnished, with utilities and Wi-Fi included."
One side of me celebrates this move. It seems like it's a market-based solution to San Francisco's glaring housing problem, one that's increasing in seriousness every year, from all appearances.
The other side of me, however, is saying "This is going to end well." ;-)
"Politics is just show business for ugly people."
