Sea Biscuit Ct, Santa Rosa. (Image courtesy of Jennifer Hetherington)
Generally, renting a home is an expensive prospect. Because of the rising real estate prices, some residents have been turning to social network apps like Nextdoor to find out from their neighbors what may be available for rent in the neighborhood at the price they’d prefer (or are able) to pay.
I’ve averaged out the amount requested over the past six months of postings; the median rent people would like to pay is between $1100 to $1800 a month, for an entire home. I did a search for all of Sonoma County, and only found rental homes at these prices in Santa Rosa and Sonoma (…and one in Petaluma, but it was just a room for rent, so no go on that.)
Here’s what’s currently on the market for $1500/month or less:
384A Piezzi Rd, Santa Rosa – $1,400/month
1 bed, 1 bath, 600 square feet.
Exterior of cottage. (Image courtesy of Dede’s Rentals & Property Mgmt, Inc.)
This small home is a backyard ‘granny unit’, but it is a complete home that has water, sewer & PG&E.
Kitchen in the cottage. (Image courtesy of Dede’s Rentals & Property Mgmt, Inc.)
Besides a full kitchen, there’s a stacked washer and dryer for laundry day. The benefit to it being so self-contained, with its own meters, is that the utilities paid will be only for what you actually use.
960 Frazier Ave, Santa Rosa – $1,450/month
1 bed, 1 bath, 512 square feet.
Exterior of home. (Image courtesy of RealtorMug)
This small house will be available starting December 1st, but it appears that they already have applications pending though it’s only been listed for ten days. There’s a detached garage, laundry unit in the house, and pets are allowed. Though small (really small) it has all the amenities one expects when renting a home.
Backyard. (Image courtesy of RealtorMug)
These amenities include things like a small, private yard and the ability to have a small pet.
17351 Hillcrest Ave, Sonoma – $1,500/month
1 bed, 1 bath 892 square feet.
Front of cottage. (Image courtesy of SonomaProperties)
This is another granny-unit deal, but it’s on such a large property that it feels like its own house. Though small, it’s very well set up, and I dare say I’ve rented worse for far more a month.
Interior. Front of cottage. (Image courtesy of SonomaProperties)
This cottage includes wood flooring, a large, private yard with trees, as well as off-street parking. If you’ve been to/lived in Sonoma, you’ll know the rent for this unit is fairly reasonable.
2107 Montgomery Dr # B, Santa Rosa – $1,050/month
Studio, 1 bath, 400 square feet.
Exterior of cottage. (Image courtesy of Dede’s Rentals & Property Mgmt, Inc.)
Here we have another backyard cottage – I’m seeing a pattern, here. Though the listing has posted this as a ‘Townhome’ – it’s a granny unit. The upside is that while the house is small, the amount charged for rent is too.
Kitchen. (Image courtesy of Dede’s Rentals & Property Mgmt, Inc.)
Everything is small, including the kitchen. However, as a short-term living situation, they could be just what someone needs as they save money, pay off bills, or in preparation to move somewhere bigger.
Sea Biscuit Ct, Santa Rosa – $1,500 /month
Studio, 1 bath.
Kitchen. (Image courtesy of Jennifer Hetherington)
This studio home is, once again, a backyard cottage. It would seem that anyone who’s ever expressed a desire to try out tiny home living need do nothing more than look in this price range in Sonoma County. On the upside, there’s a pool in the backyard that the tenant would have access to, and basic utilities (PG&E, water, sewer, garbage) are included in the rent.
View from bedroom into the living room. (Image courtesy of Jennifer Hetherington)
For a small space, this cottage doesn’t feel as cramped as some of the others. Though we’re heading into winter, a pool is always a welcome amenity.
1214 Morgan St, Sant Rosa – $1,500/month
1 bed, 1 bath, 500 square feet.
Exterior of duplex. (Image courtesy of Dede’s Rentals & Property Mgmt, Inc.)
Originally, I had another cottage for this space, but I couldn’t do it again. As a happy medium, I found this Santa Rosa duplex that’s a neutral middle ground between being not-an-apartment, though not-really-a house. It’s located close to downtown, and close to the Junior College, so students may find this a manageable rental if they work downtown attending school.
Interior of duplex. (Image courtesy of Dede’s Rentals & Property Mgmt, Inc.)
This tiny duplex is bare bones; whereas it appeared that many of the cottages seemed to have a more personal, home-like feeling. At these price points, location and perks like having the utilities bundled into the price of the rent may be the deciding factors.
