On Jul 1, 2006, at 7:47 AM, Jan Schaumann wrote:

> Also, I'd like to live in San Francisco and would appreciate any  
> advice
> on the current rental market there (Any websites besides craigslist?
> Are brokers actual humans on the westcoast?  How bad of a commute  
> is it
> into Silicon Valley?).

Rental market -- not sure... before we bought our first condo, we  
were living in Heather's rent-controlled apartment for $900/mo. -- so  
it was artificially low.

Craigslist is good... it's probably the only one that won't CHARGE  
you to find a place.  You could always opt for a short-term lease or  
a sublet or just an available room in a place, and then once you get  
here, have extra flexibility to look around.

Commute to Silly Valley isn't so bad.  Depending on where you work,  
you have options:

Some companies provide (free or very cheap) private busses or  
vanpools to/from SF.

Caltrain, if your work is near a Caltrain station.  Many companies  
provide shuttle service to/from the nearest/fastest Caltrain  
station.  Many companies also offer Commuter Checks as a way to  
subsidize your use of public transit.

Me, I drive, for various and sundry reasons.  I-280 is convenient to  
my house and it takes me right to Apple's front door.  SF -> Valley  
isn't too bad on I-280 because you're actually going in the opposite  
direction of the typical commute.  Trouble spots are typically near  
the I-380 connector to the airport, sometimes at CA-92, and once you  
get to Wolfe in Cupertino.  I can usually do my 49 mile drive in  
about 40 minutes -- plenty of time for Morning Edition and All Things  
Considered.

I carpool 2 days a week (and my carpool-mate and I alternate weeks  
driving).  If you opt for this, your company may do things like  
provide rock-star parking near the front door, or have a ride- 
matching service.

If you opt for the "drive" option, consider doing what I did -- buy  
an open-air Porsche (cab / Targa / Boxster are all acceptable :-)  
because the weather is almost ALWAYS great down the Peninsula and in  
the South Bay and this small step alone will make you forget all  
about any traffic you might encounter.

-- thorpej