Hey guys!

I'll be moving to Berkeley from Gaithersburg MD in the next month or so due to the new gig.
Since I can not really walk around the neighborhoods and am not familiar with the area, it is really hard to pick the right place to live.
Can any of you recommend a good place to rent, or know anyone that is planning on renting a room out?

A bit about me,
I'm a mechanical engineer in my early 30s, Got into cars hardcore when I was 18. Went to school for automotive and actually worked as a master ASE tech for a couple of years before moving on to mechanical engineering and getting my undergrad and grad degrees. I'm also a race track junkie and go to our local track in MD quite often (Summit Point)
I am an instructor with SCCA there. I'm a chill guy overall and looking forward to explore some new tracks that you have in the area

 

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Do you need to live in Berkeley? Second to San Francisco, it's probably the least car-friendly town in the Bay Area, and certainly the most anti-car in terms of culture. If your job is anywhere near BART, I'd much prefer to live on the other side of the hill, towards the Walnut Creek/Pleasant Hill/Concord area.

Welcome to the area. We have a pretty solid group of tracked S2000's and everyone who tracks is pretty friendly and out to have a good time.

 

Car culture (or lack thereof) is not going to be the make-or-break, it's a question of how much you (the OP) are going to pay for housing, including "housing" the car (some places have parking, some don't). The benefits to thombrain's suggestion is that rent is probably a bit less in Walnut Creek, Pleasant Hill, or Concord. In general, that part of the Yay is a nice upper-middle-class suburb, so generally quiet.

Welcome to the Yay (and to your three "local-ish" tracks: Sonoma, Laguna Seca, and Thunderhill)!!

 

If budget allows I'd recommend trying Emeryville. It's right by Berkeley and I'd you get the right place there will be a nice apartment parking.

 

Thanks for the input on the areas! I'm searching places to rent now. My plan will be to arrive first and bring the car over a couple of months after, once I locate a good long term housing. I'm definitely looking forward to trying out new tracks

 

Walnut Creek is definitely a premium compared to Concord and PH...ask me how I know.

 

No, I won't. . . It is a bit of a no-brainer, if one has been here for any length of time.

That said, it is probably still cheaper than most of Berkeley. As with any rent hunt when supply is low, do the homework, and (try to) have fun. There again too, be aware of a few odd-ball things:
1. The economy around here is good == the traffic sucks, which means consider that into the cost of housing.
2. People ARE spending 40%+(+) of their take-home on housing, so your eyes are not deceiving you in terms of lunacy.
3. There is foreign money, stock grants/pre-stock-sells/ESPP/Prop13 swaps and all sorts of FunnyMunny priced into the housing market around here.
4. Your (the OP) looking for just a room is about the smartest reasonable place to aim. If you find some other working professionals to live with, start dancing in the streets AFAIC.

 

Trying to rent a room is proving to be difficult. Everyone wants to meet me in person before committing, and I don't blame them. The problem is that I'm still in MD :/

 

Skype/FaceTime/etc.