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What is the best way to find affordable housing in Palo Alto/Mountain View?

I am looking for a 1/2 br apartment and I don't know what the best way to find an apartment is where I am not from cali. Please answer only with relevant experiences.

Public Comments

1. I might suggest looking on craiglist on the web and see what you can find there. Hope this can be of help.
2. Try Rent.net or craigslist.com. Just so you know, apartments are going to be fairly pricey in that area. Even low-end apartments are going to be up near $1000/mo. If you really need to save money, you are going to want to either rent a room from someone or get a roommate (check newspaper or online classifieds, or craigslist.com). If you don't mind a bit of driving, you can find cheaper places to stay in San Jose, Fremont, or Union City (all are about a 20 minute drive away).
3. I would just go there and walk around. Alot of advertised places are dressed up and overhyped especially in Mountain View. Many of those condos were run-down ghettos only 10 years ago and your'e only going to be living next to a run-down ghetto or the railroad tracks. When using Craigslist, you literally have to be outside the door with credit check in hand before you call them, the competition is fierce.