Reader Mail: Finding an Apartment in SF – The Cold Hard Facts

So many people rent in San Francisco, so anything rental housing-related catches many people’s eye. Reader Ethan, who, like me was/is confounded at finding a decent apartment at a good price, decided to take a look at the SF housing market through the prism of Google Maps and Craigslist ads. CraigsStats is the end result of his work.
There is a lot of information here, all presented using data from Craigslist and combined with Google maps in a way to make it easier to understand. If you’ve ever had to look for a new place in the last year or so, it’s worth looking at and see what you’ve been dealing with in terms of the ways rents go up and down around town. If you’re about to start looking for a new place, it’s also worth looking at to see how things have been going as of the last year or so.
I’ve been meaning to do a mashup of Google Maps and MUNI stops and Craigslist rental ads, but I’m not as proficient in programming as others, and Real Life keeps interrupting my time to spend on developing the site (as it has this week). For now, check out Ethan’s hard work and learn something new today!