Ask HN: Apartment hunting in Mountain View | Hacker News Reader

Ask HN: Apartment hunting in Mountain View

5 pointsmrburton6 comments

Recently, I asked about places to code, network and relax in Mountain View. I'm going to be looking at places to rent next month, and I wanted to see what areas I should consider?

Things I would consider a huge plus:

a) Living close to a supermarket and coffee shops b) not far from the Caltrain

I enjoy living in a studio; so having around 600sq feet would work.

Thank you for sharing your thoughts.

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What is your price range? Will you have a car? Where is your employer located? Do you prefer newer construction, or are you OK with older, garden-style units? Any "must-haves"? (i.e., in-unit washer-dryer)

Sorry, to pepper you with questions. I live in the area, and am very picky about where I live. These are all factors I considered when looking for an apartment.

Price - I was considering something reasonably cheap around $1,500 to $2,000 for a studio.

Driving - I never drove a car in my life. I'll get an electric scooter. I'm sure people would love to see me scooting while listening to "They see me rollin" by Chamillionaire..

Style - I'm not very selective really. Just as long as the roof holds up during an earthquake :)

Must Haves: Wash-Dryer In-Unit or in the "building". Outside of that, just something near places to code and network with down to earth people; Social scene of geeks I guess.

No need to apologize! Pepper away like I'm an overcooked steak :)

> Price - I was considering something reasonably cheap around $1,500 to $2,000 for a studio.

It's next to impossible to find a studio in MTV in that price range. Anyway, you will have better luck searching on Craigslist or apartments.com with the appropriate filters than asking here.

I don't think what you're asking for is too unrealistic if you're willing to adjust your price range a bit. This one looks like it would fit the bill:

https://sfbay.craigslist.org/pen/apa/d/only-1-studio-availab...

It's just across the train tracks from downtown, Safeway and a Mexican supermarket are close by.

It's also worth mentioning that MV has two Caltrain stations, though the other one (San Antonio) isn't served as much by the bullet trains I believe?

https://sfbay.craigslist.org/sby/apa/d/jr-1bd-1ba-hardwood-f...

With this one you would have Whole Foods, Safeway, Trader Joe's, Starbucks etc. within walking distance, but not as many restaurants as on Castro St.

On the plus side, you'd also be closer to Palo Alto.

Have you considered looking at room rentals on Craigslist? If you're within walking distance of Castro (downtown), you may not even be at home that much, because you'll be steps away from the library, coffee shops, restaurants, etc. In a way, I think shared living can often be a form of networking, because so many people here work in tech.

I mention it only because in my experience, cheap studio rentals in MV are not worth the paper their leases are printed upon. They have thin walls, which are my biggest pet peeve. When you can hear everything your neighbors are doing (or conversely, have to walk around on tip toes to avoid irritating them), any privacy-related benefit of having your own place kinda goes out the window. Again, that's just my experience. When I first moved to MV in early 2016, I rented a studio for $1900 (a decision I ultimately regretted because of noisy neighbors/thin walls). In hindsight, I wish I'd just rented a room in a house from someone with a personality similar to mine (quiet introvert). Good luck with your search:)

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