Category: Housing (20)

How We Make Affordable Housing in San Francisco Real

May 06, 2020

The challenges of the San Francisco housing market are known to many of us. Required long term leases, large move-in costs, bad housing conditions, and much more have made finding the perfect spot in the city so much harder. How many times did you have to give up a great location for cheaper prices and better conditions? Let’s say too many. Affordable housing in San Francisco is real but it has a new face.

An obvious solution would be to rent shared housing and many of us have stuck with it. Urbanests takes community living to the next level. Here is how we do it.

Don’t ruin. Repurpose

Affordable Housing in San Francisco

Instead of tearing down the old buildings, we renovate and repurpose them. Yes, to battle the housing crisis we do need to build more housing but it’s not that easy. It takes time and patience. Preserving the San Francisco character in each neighborhood is also important. Renovating allows us to promote sustainable living and build communities around it.

We value the charm of San Francisco architecture and believe that the neighborhoods of this beautiful city should welcome more talented individuals through affordable housing. We make it real through the restoration of older residential buildings and remodeling them so they are more appropriate for the needs of modern tenants. Our buildings are focused on comfortable community living.

One price pays for all

Single room at affordable price in San Francisco

Renting one big apartment with others is a good solution to battle high pricing. Although it does not necessarily mean more convenience. With Urbanests affordable housing truly is affordable. One rate covers utilities, WiFi, cleaning, and basic furnishings.

It becomes especially beneficial when you are a student or moving to a new city. The headache of buying and delivering furniture, researching, and setting up utilities can be daunting when tackled at once. We are here to help.

You sign the lease with Urbanests and all you need is a suitcase. It’s that easy.

Large move-in cost? Eliminated

Single furnished room in Financial District of San Francisco at the best price

Imagine you’re signing the lease for a 1-bedroom apartment in San Francisco. The average price is about $3,000 a month. Upon move-in, you also have to pay the security deposit which sometimes can be 20% higher than monthly rent. The internet provider and utilities might add to that list too. All that makes your move-in cost $6,500+.

A security deposit is normal and usually required by landlords in San Francisco, Urbanests included, but we think it should be affordable and reasonable.

Our deposit is equal to the monthly rate and does not exceed it. You also can forget about utilities, WiFi, supplies, and furniture because it’s all included.

Smart usage of space

Single room for rent in South of Market of San Francisco

With limited space in San Francisco it is important to make the most out of it. Before arranging the room we think of maximizing existing space while enhancing it with essential furniture. Every room in our residences comes furnished with a full-sized bed along with fresh bedding, study area, spacious closet, mini-refrigerator, sink, and mirror. It is simple yet functional.

Same principle with shared areas. All of our kitchens, bathrooms, living areas were designed with community living in mind. Common areas are places of meeting and interaction with your peers. In case you are not focusing on meeting new people at the moment, we make sure to add quiet areas outside of your room.

Access to prime San Francisco locations

All of our residences have strategic locations close to major businesses, corporations, and city infrastructure. This makes city living much more convenient and affordable. Without long commutes and constant transportation expenses, you can fully focus on what brought you to San Francisco in the first place

Urbanests is a housing solution perfect for someone in need of an affordable room for rent in San Francisco and a community-focused mindset. Through our efforts we are steps closer to the affordable living options in the tech capital of the world. If you would like to connect with our leasing team to learn more about our current availability and how our leasing process works, feel free to fill out the form.

Latest COVID-19 Updates and Measures

Mar 14, 2020

Update: Urbanests and Latitude 38 properties have no reported cases of COVID-19 in our residences.

The safety and wellbeing of our residents is our biggest priority.

We want to let you know that we are closely monitoring the situation with COVID-19 and listening carefully to any concerns from our tenants. Here are the answers to some common questions:

How do you address the situation with COVID-19?

In response to the COVID-19 outbreak, we are following the protocol provided by the Health Officer of the City and County of San Francisco. In order to ensure a safe and clean environment during this time we follow precautionary and response measures throughout every property of Urbanests and Latitude 38. Regular sanitation of all common areas is performed by our housekeeping crew and closely monitored by Residences Managers.

How do you keep residents and staff protected?

We ensure regular cleaning routine of all common areas and highly touched surfaces in the residences. Our residents take this situation very seriously and follow all of the guidelines. All of our tenants and staff use hand sanitizer upon entering the building and follow the social distancing order indoors as much as possible.

Do you provide household supplies?

Our Residences Managers ensure that the residences have enough household supplies at all times to accommodate all of our tenants accordingly. It includes toilet paper, soap, paper towels, hand sanitizer, etc.

Will I be able to book the room and move in during the shelter-in-place order of the City of San Francisco?

Yes, housing is a necessity. We are open for bookings during these uncertain times. If you are in need of immediate and affordable housing, feel free to reach out. In order to make the leasing process even easier, we will review cases with lease terms shorter than 3 months.

How can I view the property during the shelter-in-place order of the City of San Francisco?

Live virtual tours with our Residences Managers will be provided upon request.

Will I be able to work or study from home?

Absolutely. High-speed WiFi and study area equipped with desk and a chair in every room will make your WFH experience easy and seamless.

Find attached documents provided by the Health Officer of the City and County of San Francisco that include guidance on the current situation with COVID-19 here COVID-19 Guidance.

If you have any questions, please fill out the form below and we will get back to you.

San Francisco Housing Explores: Tips to Make Your Rental Feel Like Home!

Aug 21, 2019

Renting a home is a common practice, especially in big cities such as San Francisco. Whether you are a student, intern, or worker in the city, sometimes it is the best choice to rent a place while you are here. Luckily, Urbanests offers the most affordable San Francisco rentals that are located in the best parts of the city. That only that, we also want to make sure you have the best experience possible while you are with us. Here are some of our favorite room decorating tips to make your temporary room rental in San Francisco feel more like home! Adding or Changing the Lighting

Don’t have enough lighting or want to change the mood of your home with different colored lights? Add your own personal lamps, plug-ins, string lights, or anything that suits your taste to spice up the lighting of your living space! These lights can easily be purchased at places such as Home Depot, Target, or basically any department store you can imagine. Go and brighten up your room with your favorite lights! Temporary Wallpapers

If you really want to make your room feel more personal, try adding a removable wallpaper to it! Many people dream of painting their rooms with the favorite decorations or patterns, but can’t do so because they are renting a place. That’s where removable wallpapers come in handy, and with just a little extra bit of effort, you can have your walls covered with beautiful patterns that are catered to your own liking! Just make sure to clean up after yourself when it’s move-out time! Hang things up with removable hooks

Sometimes renting a place might make you feel like you are not getting enough space to put all your belongings. If that’s the case, maybe it’s time to start thinking vertical and hanging things up with hangers or floating shelves that can be placed right on your walls! Not only is it awesome for organization and creating new space in your room, you can also show off your decoration skills by placing the hooks or shelves on places that you think will look the best. You can also hang up your favorite pictures or memories to tell a story and make your room feel more comfortable. Decorate your floors with rugs

Not that into the color, condition, or style of your rental flooring? Invest in a colorful decorative rug to add some spice to your floor! Here’s a secret, just because you already have carpet doesn’t mean you can’t add more to it! In fact, we’ve seen many great results with layering beautiful mats on top of carpeted floors, so here’s your chance to show off your home-decorating skills! Add some life to your home

Bring nature home with you and add some greens to your San Francisco room! You don’t always need to have a backyard to satisfy your gardening needs when you can bring some planters and window boxes home with you. Place these indoor plants next to the window for some natural lighting and watch your room come to life! We hope these ideas helped you make your space feel more like home. If you liked this blog and want to learn more about room decorating tips, check out our other blog here! If you are still looking for that perfect room to put these decorating tips into action, Urbanests is your go-to place! Check out our available properties on our website!

SF Spots That Locals Love

Jun 21, 2019

There are many sights to see around San Francisco such as Lombard Street, The Golden Gate Bridge, Fisherman’s Wharf, and Coit Tower, but those places are always crowded with tourists. Sometimes you need to explore the places that many people haven’t heard of. Whether it’s a restaurant or an amazing view, there are locations around the city that will give you a new perspective on what it’s like to be a local.

Mission Dolores Park This amazing park resides within the Mission District and is a great location for relaxing, getting some work done, or having a picnic. Dolores Park is one of the most famous parks in the city since it is large and is in one of the more festive sides of town. On nice days, the park will attract many people who are looking to share the sun and enjoy the vendors who go around with food and drinks. There are also many great restaurants and bars surrounding the park so you’ll never run out of things to do on that side of SF.

Chestnut street This long stretch of shops and restaurants is in the Marina district and it is always full of life. There are many great lunch spots such as Super Duper Burger, Squat & Gobble, or Glaze. These restaurants plus many more great dinner spots are all within a couple block radius and offer delicious, cost friendly meals. During the evening or night, this street is full of locals visiting all the great bars and different nightlife scenes.

The Palace of Fine Arts This masterpiece of architecture opened in 1915 and sits within the Marina. There is a big lawn in front of the building where you will see people having a picnic or just enjoying the scenery. This is another place where you can get some work done in peace while also being very close to Chestnut Street to get a bite to eat. The Palace offers tours throughout the week if you want the whole experience to see some stunning murals on the top of the dome. Otherwise, it is a great spot to hang out.

Golden Boy Pizza For some of the best pizza San Francisco has to offer, slide over to Golden Boy. This little pizza joint has been serving square slices since 1978 and it has made a name for itself. It’s located in North Beach area and usually has a a bit of a crowd during the night hours but it is definitely worth the visit if you need a quality slice of pizza.

Ocean Beach Another great place that many locals go is on the west side of San Francisco. There are many activities to do during the day such as relaxing, surfing, or any sports but it becomes very cold when the sun goes down. At night, a specific part of the beach lights up with many bonfires and it an amazing sight to see. It usually happens on weekends but it is a great outing to have with friends if you want to bring some firewood, blankets, and some food for a couple hours.

Farmers Market The final spot many locals go to on the weekends is located at the Ferry Building. This is a great event to buy fresh produce and eat amazing food from all the different local businesses and farmers. You can make a day out of going to the Farmer’s Market since it is so close to the bustling downtown with all the shops and restaurants close by.

San Francisco is growing rapidly due to the tech industry and other new developments so it may be hard to find peaceful places in the city or even housing nowadays. Moreover, it can be hard to deal with the stress of so many people coming to visit San Francisco. Luckily, Urbanests offers rooms for students and interns in completely furnished apartments or room shares in San Francisco for the best co-living experience. If you haven’t found a place to stay in this amazing city, check us out on our website! After you get settled in your cozy San Francisco rental, check out the spots above to get the full SF experience.

San Francisco Housing Explores: Music and Street Festivals during the Summer!

Jun 06, 2019

Hello June! In the blink of an eye, Summer is already upon us. The rainy weeks are over and the weather is starting to warm up, which means it is time to get out there and have some fun in sunny San Francisco! Lucky for you, you are living in one of the best cities when it comes down to the amount of diverse activities around the area. San Francisco is also the center for co-living or community housing, which means that if you choose to live in our affordable San Francisco rooms, you are sure to meet new friends and buddies that are happy to go on some Summer adventures with you! Without further ado, here are some of our hand-picked activities that are going to be happening in San Francisco this Summer!

Music Festivals

San Francisco is known for its diverse population and therefore has a wide variety of music all around the city. If you are a Jazz lover, the Fillmore Jazz Festival will be taking place on July 6th and July 7th this year covering twelve blocks in the Pacific Heights district. If you are an opera fan, the famous SF Opera will be having several shows both in June and July at the War Memorial Opera House. This year, there will be performances including Don Giovanni, Rigoletto, and many more!

There will also be several live music festivals featuring bands, singers, and more throughout the summer. One of the festivals is the Stern Grove Festival at the Stern Grove Park. These concerts will be happening every week starting in the middle of June all the way to August, and will have many popular singers and a different theme every single week! Best of all, admission is completely free! Another one of the biggest San Francisco music festivals is the Outside Lands Music Festival that will be happening during August 9th to August 11th. There will be over 70 bands performing for 3 days, including Twenty One Pilots, Childish Gambino, and blink-182!

Street Festivals

When we talk about festivals, we can’t forget about all the amazing street festivals that San Francisco has that features all different kinds of food and entertainment. The North Beach Festival is one of the biggest street fairs that has been taking place taking place for more than sixty years. This year, it will be happening on June 15th-16th and will have more than 20 food vendors, over 100 arts and crafts vendors, a kid’s chalk area, and Italian street painting. There will also be live music and entertainment at four different stages at the festival.

If you fall in love with North Beach and would like to have a place to stay, don’t forget we have many single rooms and double co-living rooms available in North Beach today, and you can check them out on our website!

3-1 New Hardwood Floors — 371 Columbus Residences at North Beach -provided by Urbanests

6.4 Big Windows for Natural Light — 524 Columbus Residences of North Beach -provided by Urbanests

If you are more of a fan of Union City, then head over to Union Square Live, which is happening now until October! The diverse street fair will be featuring free dance, theater, music, and other performances and entertainments in San Francisco’s Union Square Plaza every Wednesday at 6pm and Sunday at 2pm. Since this part of the city is close to all public transit, the fair is only a bus or BART ride away! Urbanests also has many housing options available near Union Square, check out these rooms!

8 Double Room - New Hardwood Floors — 1010 Bust St, walking distance to Union Square -provided by Urbanests

IMG_6608_1 — Pyramid Residences, walking distance to Union Square -provided by Urbanests

Another fun and diverse festival is the Haight Street Fair of San Francisco! This year marks the 41st Anniversary of a festival that celebrates the diversity and history of the Haight-Ashbury District and will be happening on June 9th. There will be more than 200 booths with food and crafts for sale as well as live music for everyone to enjoy while at the fair.

Fill you Summer with fun from all around San Francisco this year by checking out some of these amazing fairs and festivals! Whether you want to go somewhere with live music, food vendors, or just a place to hang out with your friends, San Francisco definitely has it all!