House Rental in Monterey/Santa Cruz (Los Angeles, San Jose: apartment, rentals, crime)

[SmoothBBQ]

Should I focus my search on craigslist/online listing or out driving street by street looking for rental signs? I've been looking all day online and have not found much.

[jaijai]

O.k. ... you might be tired of hearing from me but truly, there is no better way to find a rental (at least in S.C. county) than craigslist.
It's hard to imagine a landlord these days who won't go immediately to craigslist to post their ad.
However, i do see "for rent" signs now in then.
But yeah, i was just looking at craigslist for S.C. county and it does look rather bleak right now.
I don't know what you can afford but i do see a place in Rio Del Mar (Aptos) for $999 .
Most of Rio Del Mar is quite nice (yes foggy, but fog "season" is ending now) and that apartment actually looks like a good one.
charming 1br apartment in Rio Del Mar (http://sfbay.craigslist.org/scz/apa/2609237438.html - broken link)
If it looks like it's at all what you're looking for, jump on it.
That will go quickly i imagine.

[SmoothBBQ]

haha nope not tired of you. I'm brand spanking new to the forum. So you guys will get tired of my newbie questions. I figured CL would be the best bet. I also use a site called padmapper. It stickies rentals onto a map, most being from CL.
I'm looking for a 2 bdrm / 1.5 or 2 bath house. Not many are showing up in my price range. I may need to talk to my company and make them pay all the difference.

[jaijai]

Is your rental budget a secret?
And what's CL?

[MtnSurfer]

Originally Posted by SmoothBBQ

haha nope not tired of you. I'm brand spanking new to the forum. So you guys will get tired of my newbie questions. I figured CL would be the best bet. I also use a site called padmapper. It stickies rentals onto a map, most being from CL.
I'm looking for a 2 bdrm / 1.5 or 2 bath house. Not many are showing up in my price range. I may need to talk to my company and make them pay all the difference.

Yep, Jaijai is correct. Craigslist (CL) is the place to look. Where are you coming from and what price range are you looking for?

Most ppl moving from out of state have the same experience you face - sticker shock. CA coastal rentals are generally more $$ than most states. Always has been, probably always will be. So you will ultimately need to readjust your expectations for the area. Secondly you can look into frindge areas - on the outskirts of Monterey or Santa Cruz. These areas can also border good/not so good locations like Seaside or Marina.

Derek

[jaijai]

Ah, not to interfere with the o.p.'s posting process but he was wondering (on the San Jose forum) why Seaside was less expensive and was concerned about crime and i told him that you'd be the one to inform him about Seaside and what areas may be o.k..

[SmoothBBQ]

I'd be comfortable paying up to 1900 which is quite a bit more than what I'm paying now 1500. The company I work for said they would cover the difference into a comparable home. So if I were to find a 1900 home, they would cover the difference via a raise. My best guess is that they wouldn't think twice about a 400 difference, but some of the houses I've seen are 2k plus and that worries me.

[SmoothBBQ]

Originally Posted by MtnSurfer

Yep, Jaijai is correct. Craigslist (CL) is the place to look. Where are you coming from and what price range are you looking for?

Most ppl moving from out of state have the same experience you face - sticker shock. CA coastal rentals are generally more $$ than most states. Always has been, probably always will be. So you will ultimately need to readjust your expectations for the area. Secondly you can look into frindge areas - on the outskirts of Monterey or Santa Cruz. These areas can also border good/not so good locations like Seaside or Marina.

Derek

I live in Los Angeles. I'm hearing is is best to avoid Salinas and Marina. I've been living up here 4 months out of the year from a hotel while on business. The areas I've liked for sure are Capitola. Aptos, Soquel, most parts of Santa Cruz, Monterey and Pacific Grove. I may end up avoiding looking altogether at PG because of the big fog that I hear. I saw a map earlier that detailed Monterey's sunbelt area. That is where I'm focusing my search along with Aptos/Capitola areas.

[MtnSurfer]

Originally Posted by SmoothBBQ

I'd be comfortable paying up to 1900 which is quite a bit more than what I'm paying now 1500. The company I work for said they would cover the difference into a comparable home. So if I were to find a 1900 home, they would cover the difference via a raise. My best guess is that they wouldn't think twice about a 400 difference, but some of the houses I've seen are 2k plus and that worries me.

Well, that's great then. Most ppl pay a premium to live here bottom line. So if your company will help with that you're already ahead. That being the case I woudn't worry too much about it. I mean if you only end up paying a few hundreds bucks more out of pocket than where you currently live then its not much more really, especially in the nicer areas. It will really come back to how low you try to go and then if you regret it for saving ~$100 +/-.

Rental prices in the area vary greatly from one home owner to the other. Some are simply more greedy than others. We found two good homes below market rent in Pacific Grove and Monterey since moving here through CL. We almost signed a lease in Marina for a house for several hundred more than one which we ended up getting in PG. Also renting directly from the owner is typically better vs. property mgmt. co. They tend to jack the rents up to cover their fees.

You also didn't mention if you have a family/children. If so the nicer, safer neighborhoods with better schools are well worth whatever difference you may pay.

One more thing. If you are working for the DoD you can rent on base at Fort Ord. The prices are pretty reasonable.

Derek

[SmoothBBQ]

Originally Posted by MtnSurfer

Well, that's great then. Most ppl pay a premium to live here bottom line. So if your company will help with that you're already ahead. That being the case I woudn't worry too much about it. I mean if you only end up paying a few hundreds bucks more out of pocket than where you currently live then its not much more really. It will really come back to how low you try to go and then if you regret it for saving ~$100 +/-.

Rental prices in the area vary greatly from one home owner to the other. Some are simply more greedy than others. We found two good homes below market rent in Pacific Grove and Monterey since moving here through CL. We almost signed a lease in Marina for a house for several hundred more than one which we ended up getting in PG. Also renting directly from the owner is typically better vs. property mgmt. co. They tend to jack the rents up to cover their fees.

You also didn't mention if you have a family/children. If so the nicer, safer neighborhoods with better schools are worth whatever difference you may pay.

One more thing. If you are working for the DoD you can rent on base at Fort Ord. The prices are pretty reasonable.

Derek

You know what, you're absolutely right. I shouldn't let 100 or 200 be much of a factor if the company is already willing to take care of me. I guess the biggest thing I need to square away is how much are they willing to take care of me. I'll be sure to get that squared away by the weekend. And if I have to add a 100 or so more per month, so be it. At least I'll be happy in a good area living without regrets. Thanks for opening my eyes a bit! BTW, it's just my wife and I. I'm not part of the military.

Last year I precipitated the thought of moving up here before it became official and I saw a lot more homes I liked. A few on David ave in New Monterey. Now, CL seems rather bleak.

ps, I've read a bunch of your posts on Monterey, great job, beautiful pictures too.