From the Palo Alto, California, United States community on Couchsurfing: Long term stay

Jakob R.

@JAKOB.ROTHKarlsruhe, Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany

Long term stay

Guten Tag, I'm planing to work and stay in Poalo Alto for 6 months. From the first of September until the the 28th of February 2017. As I'm a student from EU Germany you might understand that it's quite expansive to stay with you guys :) (accommodation specifically). I was wondering if you could help me finding a place. Any advise is warmly welcome. I'm also looking into buying a car or motorcycle as I don't prefer a special city or area. Thank you so much in advance.

Jakob

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Jennifer I.

@IAJSan Francisco, California, United States

You can try supost.com. Sometimes, they have some reasonable listings for both housing and cars. Good luck!

Jakob R.

@JAKOB.ROTHKarlsruhe, Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany

Thanks for your fast answer Jennifer - much appreciated

Jennifer I.

@IAJSan Francisco, California, United States

No problem! I was actually looking around on CS to try to find housing options for myself when I saw your post.

In addition to supost.com, there is always craigslist. I have also signed up for some San Francisco Bay area housing-related Facebook groups, in the hopes that one of them turns up some leads. The latter has worked for me in other parts of the world, but I am not sure yet how things work here.

Jakob R.

@JAKOB.ROTHKarlsruhe, Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany

Resources for Finding Housing:  Craigslist.org Has many listings. Look under SF bay area/peninsula  SUpost.com On-line bulletin board. Not run by Stanford  Walkscore.com Map-based site that includes the Walkscore for listed units  Trulia.com Includes houses and apt. complexes, large and small  Apartments.com Includes mostly large complexes  Rent.com Includes mostly large complexes  Padmapper.com Map-based housing search site  Hotpads.com Map-based housing search site  YourHomeSuite.com Furnished short term rentals  Vrbo.com Furnished short term rentals  Airbnb.com Furnished short term rentals  Sabbaticalhomes.com Furnished short term rentals  Roommates.com Search for a roommate in the area  Room.me Search for a roommate in the area  Department and group distribution lists  Friends on Facebook and other social media sites

Jakob R.

@JAKOB.ROTHKarlsruhe, Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany

Apartment and House Hunting Tips:  Familiarize yourself with landlord-tenant laws. Landlordology.com/state-laws/ is a website devoted to easy to understand summaries of landlord-tenant law. Select the state you’re interested in. Understanding your rights as a tenant can only help you.  Create a tenant resume, including all information needed to complete a housing application. Include the current contact information for any previous landlords, dates of occupancy for each previous residence, income and expense information, etc. Some landlords will allow you to submit this in place of an application, or you may use the information to complete an application.  Make a list of questions to ask (or a matrix for comparing properties) o Length of agreement o Security deposit amount o Which utilities are included in the rent o Laundry facilities o Parking and storage House rules (including quiet hours, guest policy, etc.) o Pet policy o Procedure for applying, details on any application fees and/or deposits needed to apply Updated March 29, 2016 o Length of time it would take for them to review your application and make a decision  Arrive on time to viewing appointments. If you will be late, call to let them know  If you view a rental and wish to rent it, complete an application immediately (at the open house, if possible). Do not assume that other people have submitted applications  If setting up viewing appointments before arriving at Stanford, use Google maps and the street view feature to get a sense of the neighborhood

Vanessa A.

@vanessaaguayoSan Pablo, California, United States

Zillow also has housing listings :)

Mari-Lyn H.

@MARI.LYN.H.HARRISFremont, California, United States

If you could find someone who lives in Palo Alto and get them to post your request on Next Door it's a local social network.. You have to confirm you live there. They mail out a postcard and you fill out the code to verify. The locals there would know if there are openings in a shared living arrangement.