Ask HN: Ways to find good deals on rent besides Craigslist?
Suggestions for any location are welcome, but if you're going to be specific, SF or NY would be great.
For the SF Bay Area, where rents are outrageous, house or apartment sharing is really the only way to cut your monthly rent. So get a place but continue to network to get a line on a better place, once you are in the area you want to live.
I do know a guy who would posts ads in CL asking for a room for rent, or in-law units, etc. He has found some nice places for pretty cheap because some of these in-law units are not exactly legal or perhaps the income is not reported and the owner doesn't want ads floating around as evidence.