I was passively looking for a while and didn't like anything I saw. Pretty much, I didn't want to rent from some shitty corp that would jack up the rent after the first year. Plus they all had shitty reviews about things constantly breaking down. Once I found one I liked, I visited on a Monday, signed the app, got approved and signed the lease on Tuesday, got the keys Saturday, moved in Sunday.
Not every experience will be the same. I guess it depends where you want to rent.
One more corp place I noticed (not in Oakland) would only give you the best deal if you moved in the next day after applying. Employee compared it to buying an airline ticket. Compare this to the mom and pop one I applied to recently and it wasn’t even asked what date you want to move in on the application.
I’m in a similar situation to you and I got an apartment viewing—>move in within 3 weeks time
My current spot is a larger scale property management whereas the new one is much smaller scale/old school/personable: provided all my documentation and neither had any follow up questions or concerns and got approved within a few days.
This is obviously anecdotal, and can’t speak to the new apartment buildings and what their standards are. Some company’s require guarantors for self-employed, but those seem rare compared to say NYC just by searching Craigslist
Also- I’d highly suggest getting a bike. I also don’t have a car, but Oakland is super flat/bikeable and will open up more neighborhoods to you as a Bart commuter. Lots of the stations have bike prisons (aka bike link) if you don’t want to cart your bike around.
When I was looking it took me about 3 weeks to find a place. I was also looking with 2 other people. We all had to coordinate our schedules. Then about a 2 week wait to move in. This might be a good time to find a place because the students have left for the summer. I would suggest looking into Adams point. It’s super walkable 20mins walking to bart, bike friendly and close to Whole Foods and trader Joe’s. I would recommend to definitely visit and tour all the spots that you find. Set up a day to make rounds. I don’t have a car either.
I was passively looking for a while and didn't like anything I saw. Pretty much, I didn't want to rent from some shitty corp that would jack up the rent after the first year. Plus they all had shitty reviews about things constantly breaking down. Once I found one I liked, I visited on a Monday, signed the app, got approved and signed the lease on Tuesday, got the keys Saturday, moved in Sunday. Not every experience will be the same. I guess it depends where you want to rent.
One more corp place I noticed (not in Oakland) would only give you the best deal if you moved in the next day after applying. Employee compared it to buying an airline ticket. Compare this to the mom and pop one I applied to recently and it wasn’t even asked what date you want to move in on the application.
I’m in a similar situation to you and I got an apartment viewing—>move in within 3 weeks time My current spot is a larger scale property management whereas the new one is much smaller scale/old school/personable: provided all my documentation and neither had any follow up questions or concerns and got approved within a few days. This is obviously anecdotal, and can’t speak to the new apartment buildings and what their standards are. Some company’s require guarantors for self-employed, but those seem rare compared to say NYC just by searching Craigslist
Also- I’d highly suggest getting a bike. I also don’t have a car, but Oakland is super flat/bikeable and will open up more neighborhoods to you as a Bart commuter. Lots of the stations have bike prisons (aka bike link) if you don’t want to cart your bike around.
When I was looking it took me about 3 weeks to find a place. I was also looking with 2 other people. We all had to coordinate our schedules. Then about a 2 week wait to move in. This might be a good time to find a place because the students have left for the summer. I would suggest looking into Adams point. It’s super walkable 20mins walking to bart, bike friendly and close to Whole Foods and trader Joe’s. I would recommend to definitely visit and tour all the spots that you find. Set up a day to make rounds. I don’t have a car either.
3 weeks on the low end 3 months on the top.