Increase in H1/B's - ask your employer about Silicon Valley housing

Just today the US Senate passed a bill for increase in H1/B visas. The bill should come into effect soon.

What this means is that more professionals will be coming to USA and many of them into the Silicon Valley in CA. Welcome! but before you take a piece of the pie, here is what you need to think about :

I have been in the Valley now for some time, but what I have seen - especially over the last 18 months - is that the rents for apartments have sky-rocketed. Many counties here do not have a rent control act so the rents go up by 200 to 400 dollars.

Second problem is availability. Apartments are just not available even if you are willing to pay half or more of your monthly pay-check towards rent.

So all you guys out there in India and awaiting a H1 to come specifically to the Silcion Valley, ask your employer about housing. Ask whether your employer can help to book an apartment even before you land here.

And dont forget to ask for a hike of atleast 10K in your salary so that you can pay the ever rising rent! ;)

[sachin]

I agree !

I just went through the process of finding an apartment myself. And I must tell you that it is very very difficult to get an apartment in Silicon Valley.

For single bedroom apt, the rent ranges anywhere between 1500 to 2000 in Sunnyvale. I guess you can get it a bit cheaper in San Jose (which seems to have to rent control but I am not sure) but the apts will be old and probably you won't get some ameneties like inhouse washer dryer or air conditioning which new apts tend to have.

Anyway, even if you are ready to sacrifice that, you won't be able to find an apartment. In addition to that apt managers are becoming more and more arrogant.

According to me there are only few ways to resolve this problem :

1. Salary Hike - So that the companies that hire us pay for the rent hike.

2. Go farther - Stay in some outskirts like Fremont, South San Jose, Livermore or even further down.

3. Move out - Move out of this place to some less expensive places. I know few friends who pay just $400/$500 for some lavish townhomes in some other places like Colorado. For that matter you can even afford to buy houses over there.

4. Share - Share an apartment/house with someone else.

My .02 cents

-Sachin

The housing and rental crunch will continue unless companies move out of the Silicon Valley.

It is really pathetic to pay 2000 dollars for a small single bedroom apt. The mortgage payment for a house is about 2500 a month, but then housing is not easily available and the asking prices are too high. Its a Catch-22 situtaion for most new comer Indians to the Valley.