Let's Talk San Francisco - Taking Questions Forum

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Re: Let's Talk San Francisco - Taking Questions

Post by Anonymous User » Tue Sep 20, 2016 9:17 pm

Associates, how much do you spend on an apartment? Is 3000 doable for a studio? Considering accepting an SF offer that's about to expire, but also have an LA offer and a ton of debt. Saving 1K per month extra is hard to say no to right now.

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Re: Let's Talk San Francisco - Taking Questions

Post by Anonymous User » Tue Sep 20, 2016 9:21 pm

Anonymous User wrote:Associates, how much do you spend on an apartment? Is 3000 doable for a studio? Considering accepting an SF offer that's about to expire, but also have an LA offer and a ton of debt. Saving 1K per month extra is hard to say no to right now.
I'm just a 2L. Having lived in both cities, if the firms are comparable and you don't have some compelling reason to live in SF (like a SO or family obligations) I would go with LA. This is pretty personal though.

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Re: Let's Talk San Francisco - Taking Questions

Post by Anonymous User » Wed Sep 21, 2016 12:22 am

Anonymous User wrote:Associates, how much do you spend on an apartment? Is 3000 doable for a studio? Considering accepting an SF offer that's about to expire, but also have an LA offer and a ton of debt. Saving 1K per month extra is hard to say no to right now.
If you are flexible about which neighborhood, I have friends that live in SF in a studio for around/under $3000

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Re: Let's Talk San Francisco - Taking Questions

Post by Anonymous User » Wed Sep 21, 2016 12:26 am

Anonymous User wrote:
Anonymous User wrote:Associates, how much do you spend on an apartment? Is 3000 doable for a studio? Considering accepting an SF offer that's about to expire, but also have an LA offer and a ton of debt. Saving 1K per month extra is hard to say no to right now.
I'm just a 2L. Having lived in both cities, if the firms are comparable and you don't have some compelling reason to live in SF (like a SO or family obligations) I would go with LA. This is pretty personal though.
I prefer SF as a city, but firms are quite comparable in terms of prestige and work culture. Family is located in non-LA/SF region, and not a huge consideration tbh. I'd like SF, but anything above 3K is stretching it.

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Re: Let's Talk San Francisco - Taking Questions

Post by Anonymous User » Wed Sep 21, 2016 12:27 am

Anonymous User wrote:
Anonymous User wrote:Associates, how much do you spend on an apartment? Is 3000 doable for a studio? Considering accepting an SF offer that's about to expire, but also have an LA offer and a ton of debt. Saving 1K per month extra is hard to say no to right now.
If you are flexible about which neighborhood, I have friends that live in SF in a studio for around/under $3000
Thanks. What would be good neighborhoods to check out?

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ilovesf

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Re: Let's Talk San Francisco - Taking Questions

Post by ilovesf » Wed Sep 21, 2016 12:56 am

You can have a nice 1 BR for under 3k. You just have to put in some work looking. I live in a big 2 BR now for 3.3k. As to neighborhoods, it totally depends on what you want -- like more residential, more like you can walk out and find 3 bars, etc. Most neighborhoods have express buses downtown where you can easily get to work.

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Re: Let's Talk San Francisco - Taking Questions

Post by El Pollito » Wed Sep 21, 2016 2:00 am

2550 but i don't live alone. 1BRs are a huge ripoff except on the super expensive end, in which case they're not really 1BRs. they're just huge apartments without two actual bedrooms.

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Re: Let's Talk San Francisco - Taking Questions

Post by rpupkin » Wed Sep 21, 2016 2:05 am

ilovesf wrote:You can have a nice 1 BR for under 3k.
Agreed.

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Re: Let's Talk San Francisco - Taking Questions

Post by Anonymous User » Wed Sep 21, 2016 2:50 am

Anonymous User wrote:
Anonymous User wrote:Associates, how much do you spend on an apartment? Is 3000 doable for a studio? Considering accepting an SF offer that's about to expire, but also have an LA offer and a ton of debt. Saving 1K per month extra is hard to say no to right now.
If you are flexible about which neighborhood, I have friends that live in SF in a studio for around/under $3000
Probably anywhere besides the Marina or Pac Heights. I really like Dogpatch, North Beach, the Sunset, and the Richmond.

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Re: Let's Talk San Francisco - Taking Questions

Post by Anonymous User » Wed Sep 21, 2016 3:54 pm

As someone who has recently lived in both SF and LA, I'd keep in mind that the overall cost of living in SF is just going to be higher-not just rent. It is likely you'll have pay for a parking space with your SF apartment (hundreds of dollars), and that is not going to happen in the vast majority of LA. Going out to eat in SF tends to be more expensive, and I know others will disagree, but SF really lacks the variety LA has.

Something else that shocked me was how shitty stuff was in SF. It is so hard to find something without having to make tradeoffs. Like, oh this place doesn't have AC, but it has a dishwasher; or this place has AC, but my car won't fit in the tiny-ass parking space; or this place is modern and awesome, but there is coin-operated laundry in the garage. Stuff like that. You can easily get a place in a desirable, conveniently-located, clean neighborhood in LA without making tradeoffs like that. My spouse and I have a huge 2 bedroom-2 bath, with two parking spaces, big patio, AC, in-unit laundry, up-to-date kitchen and bathrooms with all modern amenities for under 3k. That just isn't going to happen in SF.

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Re: Let's Talk San Francisco - Taking Questions

Post by ilovesf » Wed Sep 21, 2016 3:57 pm

The above is probably true but Lol at needing AC in Sf

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Re: Let's Talk San Francisco - Taking Questions

Post by Anonymous User » Wed Sep 21, 2016 3:58 pm

KiltedKicker wrote:Would my chances of getting into Bay Area biglaw be much worse at Duke (I would also have an LLM in entrepreneurship) than at other T-10 schools?
An LLM in entrepreneurship? That sounds like a waste of time and money. Not to mention, a very non-entrepreneurial thing to pursue. I'd do dual-JD/MBA or just JD.

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Re: Let's Talk San Francisco - Taking Questions

Post by Anonymous User » Wed Sep 21, 2016 4:01 pm

ilovesf wrote:The above is probably true but Lol at needing AC in Sf
This may be true for some parts of the city. We had this attitude, and then we had to break a lease over this after suffering for a few months. Our apartment was rarely below 85 degrees. We even stopped eating hot food and took only cold showers to avoid building up heat in the 4.2k/mo 1BR. Fairly ridic. I know others who have had to do the same, or really suffered without AC. If you are in a sunny neighborhood and can't get a good draft going through your apartment, it is really a problem.

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Re: Let's Talk San Francisco - Taking Questions

Post by ilovesf » Wed Sep 21, 2016 4:09 pm

Where the fuck were you living?

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Re: Let's Talk San Francisco - Taking Questions

Post by ilovesf » Wed Sep 21, 2016 4:10 pm

If you were paying 4.2k for a one bedroom is it safe to assume it was for some shitty new development?

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Re: Let's Talk San Francisco - Taking Questions

Post by Anonymous User » Wed Sep 21, 2016 4:15 pm

ilovesf wrote:If you were paying 4.2k for a one bedroom is it safe to assume it was for some shitty new development?
I guess one-bedroom isn't fair, i guess more like one bedroom with a loft and 2 bathrooms. So maybe more like a two bedroom-ish. But whatever, yeah, one of the newer developments and drastically over-priced. Only lived in that neighborhood to be close to Caltrain and the freeways going south. Otherwise sucked.

Before that, my spouse and I were trying to share ~2.5k+parking and indescribably crappy <500 sq foot one-bedroom in pac heights. We would have kept doing it to save money, but the commute was ridiculous for my spouse and the space was getting to be too cramped. Housing in SF is rough man.

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Re: Let's Talk San Francisco - Taking Questions

Post by Anonymous User » Wed Sep 21, 2016 6:42 pm

Anonymous User wrote:
KiltedKicker wrote:Would my chances of getting into Bay Area biglaw be much worse at Duke (I would also have an LLM in entrepreneurship) than at other T-10 schools?
An LLM in entrepreneurship? That sounds like a waste of time and money. Not to mention, a very non-entrepreneurial thing to pursue. I'd do dual-JD/MBA or just JD.
As a Duke student/alum, I'll give my two cents: everyone I know who wanted Biglaw in SF/SV got it, with the exception of one person who had no ties to the area. The caveat is that you might end up in Palo Alto/Menlo Park/Redwood Shores or other less interesting cities than SF (a substantial portion of my classmates got Palo Alto). And, contrary to what has been said on TLS, some of those people included slightly below/at median students.

It's not impossible at all, and certainly not much worse than at other T-10 schools. Duke has a big network in the Bay Area. I got the impression Michigan is also well represented, while UVA lagged behind. No idea about other schools like Cornell and Georgetown. But the TLS community seems to believe that all T14 schools except HYSCCN + B hold about equal sway in California.

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Re: Let's Talk San Francisco - Taking Questions

Post by Anonymous User » Thu Sep 22, 2016 1:56 am

Anonymous User wrote:
Anonymous User wrote:
Anonymous User wrote:Associates, how much do you spend on an apartment? Is 3000 doable for a studio? Considering accepting an SF offer that's about to expire, but also have an LA offer and a ton of debt. Saving 1K per month extra is hard to say no to right now.
If you are flexible about which neighborhood, I have friends that live in SF in a studio for around/under $3000
Probably anywhere besides the Marina or Pac Heights. I really like Dogpatch, North Beach, the Sunset, and the Richmond.
Thanks. Do you know anything about the Civic Center area? Namely, is the Tenderloin really as horrible to live in as people say it is? Because there are some sweet deals there.

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Re: Let's Talk San Francisco - Taking Questions

Post by El Pollito » Thu Sep 22, 2016 2:00 am

Anonymous User wrote:As someone who has recently lived in both SF and LA, I'd keep in mind that the overall cost of living in SF is just going to be higher-not just rent. It is likely you'll have pay for a parking space with your SF apartment (hundreds of dollars), and that is not going to happen in the vast majority of LA. Going out to eat in SF tends to be more expensive, and I know others will disagree, but SF really lacks the variety LA has.

Something else that shocked me was how shitty stuff was in SF. It is so hard to find something without having to make tradeoffs. Like, oh this place doesn't have AC, but it has a dishwasher; or this place has AC, but my car won't fit in the tiny-ass parking space; or this place is modern and awesome, but there is coin-operated laundry in the garage. Stuff like that. You can easily get a place in a desirable, conveniently-located, clean neighborhood in LA without making tradeoffs like that. My spouse and I have a huge 2 bedroom-2 bath, with two parking spaces, big patio, AC, in-unit laundry, up-to-date kitchen and bathrooms with all modern amenities for under 3k. That just isn't going to happen in SF.
we street park with an SF city permit and its $127 a year. not possible everywhere, but is definitely possible in many neighborhoods in SF.

also why would you need AC In SF?

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Re: Let's Talk San Francisco - Taking Questions

Post by El Pollito » Thu Sep 22, 2016 2:01 am

Anonymous User wrote:
Anonymous User wrote:
Anonymous User wrote:
Anonymous User wrote:Associates, how much do you spend on an apartment? Is 3000 doable for a studio? Considering accepting an SF offer that's about to expire, but also have an LA offer and a ton of debt. Saving 1K per month extra is hard to say no to right now.
If you are flexible about which neighborhood, I have friends that live in SF in a studio for around/under $3000
Probably anywhere besides the Marina or Pac Heights. I really like Dogpatch, North Beach, the Sunset, and the Richmond.
Thanks. Do you know anything about the Civic Center area? Namely, is the Tenderloin really as horrible to live in as people say it is? Because there are some sweet deals there.
yes

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Re: Let's Talk San Francisco - Taking Questions

Post by Anonymous User » Thu Sep 22, 2016 11:57 am

El Pollito wrote:
Anonymous User wrote:As someone who has recently lived in both SF and LA, I'd keep in mind that the overall cost of living in SF is just going to be higher-not just rent. It is likely you'll have pay for a parking space with your SF apartment (hundreds of dollars), and that is not going to happen in the vast majority of LA. Going out to eat in SF tends to be more expensive, and I know others will disagree, but SF really lacks the variety LA has.

Something else that shocked me was how shitty stuff was in SF. It is so hard to find something without having to make tradeoffs. Like, oh this place doesn't have AC, but it has a dishwasher; or this place has AC, but my car won't fit in the tiny-ass parking space; or this place is modern and awesome, but there is coin-operated laundry in the garage. Stuff like that. You can easily get a place in a desirable, conveniently-located, clean neighborhood in LA without making tradeoffs like that. My spouse and I have a huge 2 bedroom-2 bath, with two parking spaces, big patio, AC, in-unit laundry, up-to-date kitchen and bathrooms with all modern amenities for under 3k. That just isn't going to happen in SF.
we street park with an SF city permit and its $127 a year. not possible everywhere, but is definitely possible in many neighborhoods in SF.

also why would you need AC In SF?
Yeah, I am sure this depends on neighborhood, but where i lived, street parking was basically impossible, unless you enjoy driving around for 45 minutes to find a spot. Also, high rates of property crime=broken glass, and careless drivers=scratched bumpers.

Please see above about how my spouse and I had to break a lease over this issue. I know others who have had similar problems.
Last edited by Anonymous User on Thu Sep 22, 2016 12:00 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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Re: Let's Talk San Francisco - Taking Questions

Post by Anonymous User » Thu Sep 22, 2016 11:59 am

Anonymous User wrote:
El Pollito wrote:
Anonymous User wrote:As someone who has recently lived in both SF and LA, I'd keep in mind that the overall cost of living in SF is just going to be higher-not just rent. It is likely you'll have pay for a parking space with your SF apartment (hundreds of dollars), and that is not going to happen in the vast majority of LA. Going out to eat in SF tends to be more expensive, and I know others will disagree, but SF really lacks the variety LA has.

Something else that shocked me was how shitty stuff was in SF. It is so hard to find something without having to make tradeoffs. Like, oh this place doesn't have AC, but it has a dishwasher; or this place has AC, but my car won't fit in the tiny-ass parking space; or this place is modern and awesome, but there is coin-operated laundry in the garage. Stuff like that. You can easily get a place in a desirable, conveniently-located, clean neighborhood in LA without making tradeoffs like that. My spouse and I have a huge 2 bedroom-2 bath, with two parking spaces, big patio, AC, in-unit laundry, up-to-date kitchen and bathrooms with all modern amenities for under 3k. That just isn't going to happen in SF.
we street park with an SF city permit and its $127 a year. not possible everywhere, but is definitely possible in many neighborhoods in SF.

also why would you need AC In SF?

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Re: Let's Talk San Francisco - Taking Questions

Post by dabigchina » Thu Sep 22, 2016 12:46 pm

If you're going to live in Sunset/Richmond you might as well look at the East Bay. Temescal/Lake Merritt are both more affordable and a relatively short Bart ride away.

I've never understood why people circle jerk over being in San Francisco. Sure there is more stuff to do, but nobody is stopping you from going into the city.

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Re: Let's Talk San Francisco - Taking Questions

Post by ilovesf » Thu Sep 22, 2016 1:25 pm

dabigchina wrote:If you're going to live in Sunset/Richmond you might as well look at the East Bay. Temescal/Lake Merritt are both more affordable and a relatively short Bart ride away.

I've never understood why people circle jerk over being in San Francisco. Sure there is more stuff to do, but nobody is stopping you from going into the city.
I see your point as far as commuting goes, but, for example, all my friends live in SF and it would be much less convenient to ever see them or hang out if I had to take Bart since Bart only accesses a very limited part of the city. Staying out late at night is also more annoying because it becomes more expensive to take an uber home, etc.

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Re: Let's Talk San Francisco - Taking Questions

Post by ilovesf » Thu Sep 22, 2016 1:27 pm

Anonymous User wrote:
El Pollito wrote:
Anonymous User wrote:As someone who has recently lived in both SF and LA, I'd keep in mind that the overall cost of living in SF is just going to be higher-not just rent. It is likely you'll have pay for a parking space with your SF apartment (hundreds of dollars), and that is not going to happen in the vast majority of LA. Going out to eat in SF tends to be more expensive, and I know others will disagree, but SF really lacks the variety LA has.

Something else that shocked me was how shitty stuff was in SF. It is so hard to find something without having to make tradeoffs. Like, oh this place doesn't have AC, but it has a dishwasher; or this place has AC, but my car won't fit in the tiny-ass parking space; or this place is modern and awesome, but there is coin-operated laundry in the garage. Stuff like that. You can easily get a place in a desirable, conveniently-located, clean neighborhood in LA without making tradeoffs like that. My spouse and I have a huge 2 bedroom-2 bath, with two parking spaces, big patio, AC, in-unit laundry, up-to-date kitchen and bathrooms with all modern amenities for under 3k. That just isn't going to happen in SF.
we street park with an SF city permit and its $127 a year. not possible everywhere, but is definitely possible in many neighborhoods in SF.

also why would you need AC In SF?
Yeah, I am sure this depends on neighborhood, but where i lived, street parking was basically impossible, unless you enjoy driving around for 45 minutes to find a spot. Also, high rates of property crime=broken glass, and careless drivers=scratched bumpers.

Please see above about how my spouse and I had to break a lease over this issue. I know others who have had similar problems.
Honestly based on everything you said I get the impression you didn't do much research at all into where you lived. I've always parked in the street and it's been fine (a break in, yeah, in the last 6 years). I was fine parking even living in mob hill.

Seriously? What are you waiting for?

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