markhaggis

Hi, Anyone recommend a good letting agencies that has properties for long lets/leases that doesn't involve sending a large amount of money via Western Union to Africa, as they are very busy doing Missionary work???
I'm lookoing for a 2 bed property within 1 hour commute of Palo Alto. Price around $2k per month. Only respond with genuine advice and assists, Please.
Thanks.

Pulaski

Many rents are now done through zillow, trulia, padmapper, rent,com, etc. there are many others, often localized) even if there is a letting agency involved.

Personally I wouldn't recommend craigslist for the reasons you are obviously aware of, but others here swear by it, including IIRC, someone who rented in SF.

BTW there is additional information for you in your other thread, and some related questions.

N1cky

Your best bet is to use Craigslist, even properties listed with letting agencies advertise on there. We've done 3 rentals through Craigslist adverts, and all have been with agencies.

For $2k within an hour of PA, you're going to be looking out Fremont way, South San Jose, or you might get something in Daly City area.

markhaggis

Thanks

markhaggis

Thanks, I've looked on Craigslist but so far everything I've enquired about is owned by a Missionary. They must be very busy doing missionary work in Africa.

N1cky

Without trying to be rude, your budget is extremely low for the area. I'm going to guess you're picking out things on CL that you would like to live in but seem unusually cheap, these will be scams.

Things like this, are what you can expect for your budget. These were the first two I picked at random with a search on 2 bed, max $2,400 in San Jose. Both are with an agency.

FOR RENT BEAUTIFUL LAKE ALMADEN CONDO
Cute 2 Bedroom Duplex Available August 5th at 2073 Lynnhaven Dr

Giantaxe

San Bruno if you don't mind aircraft taking off over your head. Pacifica perhaps (but maybe more than an hour from Palo Alto). $2k is not going to be easy with those parameters.

Pulaski

The OP is trying to work out if he can support his family on a net income of under $50k and with apparently little prospect of his wife being able to work. We tried to help him on his other thread, but without more information it is hard for us to be hopeful about his prospects.

I am not sure if he is aware that he is trying to move to one of the most expensive areas in the entire US.

N1cky

Oh wow!!! I wouldn't want to be trying to do that living around here. It's a great place to live, but I bet it's pretty damn miserable on such a low income.

md95065

Also worth noting that what constitutes a "1 hour commute" from Palo Alto will depend on the time of day.

My 40 mile commute from Santa Cruz to Mountain View takes me about 50 minutes in the best case (typically about 10am and 7pm), can easily take up to 70 or 80 minutes on a bad day (still at around those times), and really isn't worth attempting during "normal" commute hours (ie between 6am and 9am, and between 4pm and 7pm). Sometimes the freeway traffic isn't too bad but you can spend 20 minutes stuck in traffic on surface streets for the last mile or two.

It also occurs to me that the OP may have been looking at rentals in East Palo Alto. While East Palo Alto isn't as bad as it used to be (the murder rate is now down from what Wikipedia describes as "the highest in the country" in 1992 to "typical urban levels") it still isn't somewhere that I would recommend to anyone who didn't have very detailed local knowledge (and, probably, not even then).