Thanks again for the tips. I’ve passed them along to a couple of my friends who just started their apartment hunting in SF.

Just offering some tips from my apartment search. I’m sure you’re experienced enough to have tried most of this stuff already, but just in case any of these are helpful:

1. When you see an apartment on Craigslist you like, IMMEDIATELY call the landlord. Don’t email, unless they request email responses only.
2. Once you’ve reached the landlord, explain what a good fit the apartment seems to be and ask if s/he is willing to show the apartment to you in advance of the open house. Indicate that you’re immediately ready to put down a deposit or draw a cashier’s check if it’s the right place. Also, be available to see the place the same night, at the very latest.
3. When you go to see an apartment, have copies of the following with you, preferably placed in a nice folde, with your business card if you have one: credit report, two most recent pay stubs, new job offer letter (if relevant), resume (no, really – it’s a good way to provide “background information” to the landlord while tacitly selling him/her on why you are a good tenant), and if you want to go all out, a brief cover letter describing your background, reason for moving to SF, and interest in the apt/neighborhood/etc. I also found that it helps to state in writing, if true, that you do not smoke, throw loud parties, or have pets.
4. Particularly if there is an open house with lots of people, express to the landlord politely, but not over-effusively, how much you like the apartment and believe it to be a good fit. Authenticity is key – some people launch into an obviously over-done act which alienates landlords.

I SO sympathize with your frustration, because I’d never had a comparable apartment hunting experience before. I’m in San Jose right now, and here, you pick the complex that YOU want and move in within the week. I hated every minute of having to treat the SF apartment search like a job interview – trying to sell the landlord on why YOU are the best tenant. But that is the game, so we must play it, unfortunately.

Good luck! I hope we’ll be neighbors up in San Francisco soon.

I’m actually going to see an apartment in Mountain View tomorrow evening.

It worked really well for us when we were looking in the Baltimore area. And, they gave us a $100 visa card hen we picked a place found on their site. Bribery, it works every time.

My issue with the Craigslist UI is that I can’t drill down – show me only non ground floor apartments with dishwashers, laundry facilities, parking, in xyz neighborhoods, and within x price range.