| You posed some simple-sounding questions, but the Bay Area is a very complex real estate market to understand. So I'll just give you some simple answers. If you don't already own a house, it's not a functioning area for families, or those wanting to own a house, aka "priced out forever." Commuting farther is an option in other parts of the USA, but not the Bay Area, since it's constrained by hills and the Bay. The non-owners living here need a gaffe of some kind: * shared accommodation * fly into a city airport with a private plane * know a Prop 13 owner (ultra-low property tax) who wants to rent to a friend * find an in-law unit coming onto the rental market * navigate the Sunset area flop houses * connections to ethnic communities with below-market asks * get employer to chip in * homestead a sketchy area of Oakland * be a multi-unit superintendent (those used to offer a free apt. on-site, but recently I heard of almost market rent being charged) |