This could easily be a #runandrant but instead I write this cozily from bed on a Sunday morning looking up at the Cupertino hills. A deer roams in the backyard (canyon) and I take a second to pause and enjoy this moment because I know it’ll soon be gone. The short term rental with “mountain living” feel comes to a close when the lease is up in two weeks.
In a Housing Pickle- Worth the Risk?
In baseball, a pickle (also known as a “rundown”) is when a player is trapped between two bases. They may have the intention of running to 2nd, only to find that it’s safer to run back to 1st. The Bay Area housing situation is like being trapped in a “pickle” wanting to try to move on up to a nicer place, only to realize what you can afford is back where you came from.
Many people I know are faced with housing and job decisions every day in the pricey Bay Area, and it’s not just teachers. My roommate, a UX designer, is moving to Seattle for better job prospects there. My boyfriend, a personal trainer, is currently on the housing search only to be disappointed by the 4,000+ views on a single bedroom rental posting on Facebook marketplace or the strict living conditions laid out on a Craigslist housing post. Tech workers and teachers alike are moving out of the Bay Area due to the rising cost of living (According to this USA Today article from April 4th, 2019, San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA TOPPED the list of “America’s Most Expensive Cities”)
San Jose – Sunnyvale – Santa Clara TOP the list of America’s Most Expensive CitiesWhen I moved to Silicon Valley 10 years ago to start my teaching career, I knew I’d have to be smart about how I spent my money. That first salary of $45,000 a year would need to stretch across rent, utilities, food, and a few local adventures. But in my early 20s, living with a roommate and living modestly was never an issue. It was simply an extension of college living. Fast forward ten years later, having moved 5 times to keep up with housing prices/appropriate commutes, I’ve had 8+ roommates and have kept the dream alive of one day being able to rent my very own 1 bedroom apartment. Any time my lease is about to renew, I check the local listings to see if “this year” it is possible to have my own space, and once again, the dangling carrot just gets further out of reach.
According to RentJungle.com, an average 1 BEDROOM apartment in Mountain View goes for $3,063 a month (April 2019). That’s $1,572 MORE a month than the average price 8 years ago of ($1,491- April 2011), or over double the earlier rent. Yes- we are in a tech boom. Yes- there is inflation. But the reality is people are not actually getting richer, they just have to spend more for a worse quality of living.
April 2019 Average Monthly Rents for Mountain View, CA- RentJungle.comAs my boyfriend is looking for a place to move to, we decided to do some investigating of what’s available for about $1,000. We came across some interesting finds…
An unfurnished converted living room space, complete with a 6 foot divider for privacy. Hope the ideal candidate is a heavy sleeper and can ignore the 4 other roommates coming to and fro throughout the apartment!
This is not uncommon… many people are trying to squeeze too many people into one home, as in this 2 bedroom apartment with 5 people.
Or this “one bedroom” complete with twin bed furnishings:
This setup may work for 10 year old girls, but professionals in their 30’s… not so much.
Or my favorite… the shared living space with the following limitations, including but not limited to:
- No cooking
- No guests
- No alcohol
So much for “adulting.”
So… what do we do about it?
Through this whole search, I don’t have a solution to the problem or an answer for “how to make it” in the Bay Area. But this is my home, it is where I was born and raised, and for at least the time being I’d like to make the most of living here.
Instead of trying to “steal second base” and splurge on a 1 room apartment that cuts into a significant amount of my take home paycheck, I’ll head back to “first” and settle for roommate living, just like most other single or unmarried professionals in this area.
Hopefully those extra pennies I’m saving at the end of the day by having “cheaper” rent can be put to good use in being able to enjoy this beautiful place I get to call home. Thanks to all my easy-going roommates and accommodating landlords that have helped keep me in the Bay Area for the time being.
Will the housing bubble “pop” ?? Possibly. But now it’s simply a waiting game.
For now, I simply wait and enjoy the moment each day.
And I can’t complain… while other parts of the country are suffering from crazy heat or wild thunderstorms, blue sunny skies shine into my room on this moderate 65 degree day. Should I head to the City (San Francisco)? Or the beach? Hike in the redwoods? Maybe even visit wine country? Decisions. Decisions.
Oh yeah… that’s the real reason we pay the big bucks to live here.
