Moving to SF area -- need pointers!
 

Hey Guys,

Moving out your way from DC for new job.

a.) How do you afford housing :to_order::to_order::to_order: I thought DC was bad. Getting a real garage looks difficult to impossible.

b.) Where can a guy store a trailer/racecar? Indy shop best bet? I'd probably stay away from Self-Storage places as they're usually pretty shiesty in my experience. Who rents warehouse space?

Thanks!
Henry

Club autosport provides high security and great setting for storage. It is in SJ

If ur in north bay or sf proper, classic storage is a good place too.

For housing, look at craigslist. I have a townhouse available next year in San Mateo hills but that's a bit away still

Welcome to sf Bay Area. We have many groups of car guys and gals. Pm me if u want to know more

Exactly the kind of info I was looking for :) Many thanks.

Will PM once I get my rigs out there :)

Lots of NorCal track guys on the 997 gt3 board who will point you right. What city will you be working as the Bay Area is a pretty big place and traffic sucks. Well the beltway is probably worse....

Where will your worksite be? SF and specific neighborhoods of other BA cities are more expensive than others.

I'm actually gonna be in Mountain View -- trying to stay close, and/or ride the shuttles... So far Santa Clara or parts of San Jose look pretty good.

Thanks for all the input!

When you get settled, let us know, and we'll have a get-together. Also, join Yahoo group Bay Area Rennlist for local info.

There was just an article in our local paper about the housing shortage in Mountain View (and surrounding areas) created by companies like Google and LinkedIn. Jobs are growing much faster than the housing stock.

http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/place/...to-5519893.php

San Jose or further south, like Gilroy and Morgan Hill, may be a better bet for both housing and storage.

Traffic can be a killer around here. Especially going South on 101 in the evening (unless you can drive in the carpool lane).

If you can commute during off-hours then you can save a ton of time.
If you're close to a station Caltrain that might be an option.
Rent on the East bay side can be cheaper.

Good luck with your rental search and welcome to the Bay Area.

I moved to Sunnyvale (from Ft Lauderdale) this March.
Live as close to work (in proximity) as you can afford. Best. Advice. Ever. I'm 5 miles from the office and take 15min door to door, reverse traffic. Otherwise, if you live where you will travel with traffic, expect to spend ~45min to go 10 - 15 miles. If you can work from home 3 or 4 days/week... living further out and commute may be more bearable.
Rush hour starts around 3:30pm and runs to 7:30-ish on 101. Morning rush hour starts ~8am to 9:30/10am.

In terms of cost of housing... Mountain View is a little more expensive than Sunnyvale. If you're buying, expect $750/sqft & up (average) for "nicer" TH/condo in MV + monthly HOA. In Sunnyvale, you pay $50 - $75 less per sqft. Newer condos/TH will have garages, older places have car ports only. If you plan to buy, offering asking price will only frustrate you. I am seeing sales price coming in at least 10% over asking - still a seller's market. So, I decided to put my money in stock market and rent for a year. I'm paying $1900/mo for 700sqft 1bdrm apt in Sunnyvale - about 5min drive from downtown MV. The price includes water, cable & internet + carport for 1 car. If you are looking for a place to live... download the padmapper app.

Good luck with the move. There are lots of fun roads... for me, no regrets on moving... even if now I have to pay 9% in state income tax (I had no state income tax in FL). Plenty of tracks within couple hrs drive... need to consider noise ordinance at the tracks. Laguna Seca has 93db (or is it 92?) limit, Sonoma and Thunderhill now have 103db limits. Outside of that, plenty of fun backroads within a short drive.

Feel free to PM if you have any questions.

^ have you signed up for the Bay Area Renngroup at Yahoo! We're planning a Coastside loop drive on June 22.

Lithium,

Thanks for the details -- I'm really trying to stay close to work or combo the house next to one of the corporate shuttle stops. I wouldn't mind a 30min ride if I weren't driving, I don't think.

ltcjmramos -- I'll be out there fully moved in like mid july? maybe late. I'll be sure to sign up and get ready for some cruises :)

Sure you wouldn't be ready for this, but a few of us are off on a roadtrip July 18-25, here to Yellowstone, 3-4 days driving the area, and return.

https://rennlist.com/forums/west-us-...8-24-25-a.html

^^ that sounds AWEsome but, I will have likely just driven 2800 miles w/ trailer.. Probably want to take a break for a month :D

Looks like we're landing in San Anselmo -- I'll be taking the ferry into city for work commute... (that'll be a helluva change, hah).

How's Sear's Point??? Pretty close by