sanfranjones

Have you considered Dublin , Pleasanton, San Ramon or Danville? Commute may be a bind but factor in the lower rent and the cost of the toll lane and you might still be better off.

sanfranjones

Nicky rent on our 3 bed town house in Dublin is circa 25% of my salary.

N1cky

Even though it's only 30 miles or so, it would feel like starting again, again. I'm sick of moving to new areas. Plus as our daughter starts her last year in elementary next year we've told her she can stay at her current school until the end of the year. That's too much of a commute for the school run.

Thanks for that.

Bink

Ditto ^^^ If we're talking gross salary (mine's a mortgage) and this is in Houston

When I was renting it was more like 20% of my gross monthly salary.

WEBlue

Yes, we lucked into one of these rental situations where the landlord was grateful to find someone willing to rent long-term. We're in a New England beach town, where summer renters are fairly easy to find, but they're short-term. We took the place the minute it went empty in October & will stay till June, when the landlord will once again find tenants easily.

We offered to pay well below the rental list price, then we & the landlord bargained back & forth. In the end we got a really good rent price (for this area). Part of that was due to the fact that we're living with tatty shingles outside, whereas other potential tenants usually wanted the house painted & spiffed up outside BEFORE they moved in.

Is this a possibility, Nicky? Can you find a slightly tatty rental in the school cachement area & bargain the owner down on rent? Some renters we've heard about even volunteer to do some easy (inside) painting in exchange for lower rent payments.

N1cky

Unfortunately, things just needing a lick of paint don't exist, landlords know that if that is all that is needed, if they do it they can get another $1k per month.

You either gets ones needing lots of work, or really nice remodels.

I have viewed houses that when I have got there have had, no heat or air $4,500, a great big crack in the ceiling and it bowing as if it's about to fall in $4,200, 4 with kitchens that have been in since orginal build over 50 years ago and falling apart, ranging from $3,700-$4,500.

Add to this the fact that I work from home so am in the house all day we need something that is fairly nice and comfortable. I don't mind doing work myself, I repainted lots of rooms in our last rental, no discount on rent though.

Jscl

Which area are you in? Silicon Valley is huge. I'm not sure why you're having such a different experience (re: rent price/quality) than us.

N1cky

Mountain View/Los Altos

I know we could get something cheaper in San Jose, but as I've already said, we don't want to move down there.

Jscl

Ah right, Los Altos is scary prices. To get lower you'd have to move out of the really competitive areas, but I realise not everyone wants to do that.

I would honestly suggest though, assuming cost is an issue for you, that you look at school ratings all over the South Bay/South Peninsula and use craigslist to set a more reasonable price ($3500 maybe) and spend an afternoon driving around looking at those rentals that look promising, wherever they are, if they're near performing schools. There are a lot of little pockets of nice safe housing in the area, with good schools.

N1cky

Thanks I realize that. We are just trying desperately hard to stay in the area, my poor daughter is only 10, has already been to 4 different schools, and lived in 5 different houses, our priority is to keep her with her friends and see out elementary school where she is.

rebs

How did it go with the one you found the other day and applied for? Any luck?

I get what you say about keeping your daughter in the same school - that seems a smart priority. Might you have to make some hard decisions about moving to something really small for a while, or maybe re-homing the dog if that would open up further options? something turns up soon...

N1cky

Still waiting to hear on the house we applied for. Really, how long can it take, just say yes or no.

Yes, going smaller than what we actually need is our next option. We are currently in 2,900 sq ft which is way bigger than we need and are looking for a house around 1,900 sq ft. There are lots of houses around 1,500 sq ft which means we would have to put lots of furniture into storage, so there is that to weigh up. Plus I work full time from home, so need a dedicated office space.

Re-homing the dog is not an option. She was the compensation to our daughter for having to relocate from LA last time, it would break her heart if we didn't take her with us. Plus we had to leave our very old dog with friends when we left England, so I know how painful that is and we promised her that would never happen again.

rebs

Oh yeah, the last thing you want to do in that situation then is re-home the dog! talk about adding insult to injury!

Fingers crossed then that the one you applied from comes through - must be so unsettling for you all...

N1cky

Between this, still not having green cards, and another visa renewal coming around very quickly I feel constantly unsettled. You would think I could easily lose the 10lbs I'm trying to shift, the way I feel stressed all the time

Jscl

A lot of stress! Hope something works itself out!