
Ask HN: Finding a sublease or temporary office space in the Bay Area - timcederman
We&#x27;re a team of 3, working full time on our bootstrapped startup, and need to find some office space either close to Caltrain in San Francisco, or along the peninsula (also near Caltrain).<p>What are some of the strategies folks use for finding subleases or temporary spaces? Since it&#x27;s just 3 of us, we only need 150-250 sq ft, which is proving difficult to find.
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dhruvkar
If specific areas of the Bay Area aren't important, look for local, small
business parks in smaller cities. Often times they aren't advertised very
well, or at all. I've found interesting deals driving around and calling the
realtor's number. In one case, I talked to an existing resident at the office
park and he was able to connect me with the owner, who offered to build out
office space (essentially put up a wall) based on how much space I needed,
ending up to be a better deal than the realtor offered.

E.g. In Alameda, I found a place for $1.80/sqft for a 70 sqft place. It was
enough office space for just myself. Adding internet/utilities, still under
$200. In San Leandro, found a 100sqft office space including
internet/utilities for $250/month.

Also, another resource I found useful LiquidSpace.
[http://www.liquidspace.com](http://www.liquidspace.com)

Edit: just saw your location requirements. My experience is mostly in the East
Bay. Near BART, but a long ride to the peninsula.

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MalcolmDiggs
First, I'd really ask yourself if you need an office.

* San Francisco Public Library has fast wifi, private meeting rooms, etc. I worked there for months after I got sick of giving Regus all my money.

* WorkShop Cafe ([http://www.workshopcafe.com/](http://www.workshopcafe.com/)) is awesome, and charges you 2 - 3 bucks an hour to work from their space.

* There are lots of free cafes, hotel lobbies, bookstores, parks with free-wifi, and other places to work.

If none of those work for you, check out WeWork, RocketSpace, NextSpace,
Sandbox Suites, etc. There are so many co-working spaces available, that I'm
sure you'll be able to find one. They typically have a waiting list for
private offices, but there's enough turnover on the open-desk areas that you
can normally squeeze in.

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mchannon
Regus will do in a pinch; they have one on Folsom Street near Caltrain.

Don't expect it to be cheap, but they're usually not full. They (and others
like them) have spaces areawide; you may find some discounts closer to
Burlingame or San Mateo, as there's slightly less demand outside the twin
orbits of San Francisco and Palo Alto.

If you're bootstrapping, you should defend why you're in San Francisco to
begin with. Your runway is far shorter in SF; unless what you're working on
will only work if you're there in person, or you're square dancing with
funders each day, focusing on working almost anywhere else in the world would
be smarter.

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grok2
[http://sunnyvale.thesatellitecenters.com/office-space-for-
le...](http://sunnyvale.thesatellitecenters.com/office-space-for-lease/) \--
very close to Sunnyvale CalTrain.

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tedmiston
This may be unrealistic for a bootstrapped budget, but have you considered
WeWork?

[https://www.wework.com/locations/san-
francisco](https://www.wework.com/locations/san-francisco)

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hijinks
Get emails of a lot of companies and just email them asking if they'd lease
space in their office to you

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VertexRed
I'd say try Airbnb and work your way from there by contacting the owner.

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tedmiston
Does Airbnb offer office space rental in SF?

