Once Kenn Zuniga moved into a spacious, sunny one-bedroom apartment in Central Berkeley in 2019, he couldn’t imagine wanting to live anywhere else.
Then he was notified that the pizza joint behind him would be razed to make way for an eight-story apartment building.
“I was not interested in staying there during construction,” said Zuniga, 46, who works in marketing for an assisted living facility in San Francisco. “Otherwise, I would’ve never moved.”
As he considered a move, Zuniga realized rents around the East Bay were softening, and he wondered if he’d be able to find a spot for less than the $2,190 he paid each month for his Berkeley pad. According to data from Apartment List, rents in Oakland were down 12.2% year-over-year in June, and 8.2% in Berkeley.
“It seemed like the moment to save a little bit of money,” he said.
Local housing experts say several market-rate apartment towers coming online in Oakland at the same time are helping drive rents down. The oversupply, even if temporary, has had a knock-on effect on prices in other sectors of the market that must compete with the concessions and prices offered at these new buildings.
Zuniga set his budget at $2,000 a month and began to look at neighborhoods beyond Berkeley. His cap excluded most apartments in San Francisco, especially ones with an in-unit washer and dryer, which was at the top of his wishlist. To lessen his commute, he also wanted to be near a BART station.
He quickly discovered that Oakland had the most options within his budget — the median rent for a one-bedroom is $1,960 — so he focused there. Here are the options he considered:
Vintage charmer in Temescal
(Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)
This one-bedroom apartment in a 40-unit building has a shared backyard. It came with hardwood floors, a clawfoot bathtub, and vintage woodwork throughout. The location came with pluses and minuses — at just two blocks from the MacArthur BART station, it would be an easy commute for Zuniga. But it was also right next to the highway, making the area somewhat noisy. It was listed at $2,050 a month.
A recent remodel near Grand Lake
(Shae Hammond/Bay Area News Group)
Located in a duplex, this 700-square-foot unit had been recently renovated by the owner, who lived in the neighboring unit. It came with new floors, an in-unit washer and dryer, a dishwasher, as well as central heat and air conditioning. The building was just up the hill from the Grand Lake neighborhood, about a 10-minute walk from a nearby movie theater. It was the farthest from any transit station — a 30-minute walk to either the MacArthur or 19th Street BART stations or a nine-minute ride on the bus. It was listed at $2,400 a month.
Close to everything in Oakland’s Uptown
(Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)
Kenn Zuniga considered this unit in downtown Oakland. (Photo courtesy of Sheri Castilyn)
Located just north of Oakland City Hall and two blocks from the 19th Street BART station, this 463-square-foot one-bedroom in the Wagner Building featured an open kitchen with a microwave and dishwasher, plus an in-unit washer and dryer. The kitchen had recently been renovated with a farmhouse-style kitchen sink, subway backsplash and new fixtures. It was listed at $1,825 a month. Garage parking was available two blocks away for an additional $260 per month.
Since Zuniga wasn’t facing an expiring lease or deadlines from his landlord, he gave himself time to look. Six months into perusing listings on Zillow and Trulia, he gained a better idea of what he wanted.
After touring the Uptown apartment, he realized he wasn’t open to living in a multi-unit building.
“It was a very eclectic, nice building, but it was definitely smaller than what I wanted,” he said.
The unit in Temescal caught his eye with its charming woodwork details, but he didn’t feel the neighborhood was safe enough.
He was drawn to the duplex in the Grand Lake neighborhood, but at $2,400 a month, it was outside of his price range. For months, though, the unit continued to appear in his searches: In March, the owner lowered the price to $2,300. Then, in May, he lowered it to $2,000.
Immediately, Zuniga reached out. Apparently, he wasn’t the only one.
“The owner told me that as soon as he put the price at $2,000, he had a ton of bites,” Zuniga said.
Ultimately, though, Zuniga landed the spot. He started slowly moving in earlier this month.
Kenn Zuniga shows a mover where to put his belongings inside his new home in Oakland, Calif., Thursday, June 6, 2024. (Shae Hammond/Bay Area News Group)
He can’t believe he’s found a place with central air — something that Zuniga hasn’t ever had in a Bay Area apartment since he moved here eight years ago from Austin, Texas.
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“It’s so rare — it’s like something I would find there,” he said.
While he had to make a compromise on his commute, Zuniga is feeling good about his new neighborhood. Close friends live just a few minutes up the street in Adams Point, and he’s close to plenty of restaurants and bars that he’s been meaning to try.
He’s excited to return to some familiar places, too.
“I’m two blocks over from the Rose Garden, which is one of my favorite spots,” he said. “I’m planning to go over there with my blanket all the time.”
Timing, Zuniga said, couldn’t have been better.
“Based on the research I’ve been doing the past six months, I feel like the market has definitely softened,” he said. “I was lucky to be looking now.”
Kenn Zuniga walks through his new home in Oakland, Calif., Thursday, June 6, 2024. (Shae Hammond/Bay Area News Group)