Last week, On the Block’s  Jenny Pisillo asked if it isn’t cheaper these days to buy in the Bay Area than rent. Today, we revisit the topic. More proof that the rental market in SF is crazy? Trulia’s Rent Monitor report offers plenty.

First, a smattering of available rentals in popular SF neighborhoods.

Lower Pac Heights

How about this: a 1 bed, 1 bath apartment on Gough in the lower Pac Heights area for $3,100 a month? Wait: isn’t that the price for the actual Pac Heights, like where Danielle Steel lives? Yes, this unit allows pets and yes, boasts not 1 but 2 walk-in closets you could potentially house roommates in; but still: $3,100 a month for a one bedroom is steep.

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SoMa

The SoMa is all the rage now, thanks to tech boom 2.0, aided also by Twitter setting up camp in a less than savory South of Market area in exchange for a tax break. Suddenly the ‘loin is looking more tender and folks are shelling out what used to be Upper-Fillmore prices for anything near the “Multimedia Gulch.”

Example? Here’s a 2 bed, 2 bath 1,200 square foot loft on Sumner. Price: $3,800 a month.

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South Beach

Remember the days when South Beach was little more than industrial buildings and tumbleweeds? Now South Beach is hailed as “up and coming,” though by the looks of this listing, it has fully arrived. Here we have a 2 bed, 2 bath condo on Main Street for $6,800 a month.

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Russian Hill

The stately neighborhood only gets more so, it seems.  Rents here, always dear, have now reached rather astounding levels, such as evidenced by this 3 bed, 2 bath single-family home (address undisclosed but there’s a Van Ness address listed on one of the photos in the listing linked here) for $11,000 per month.

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If these rents seem (still, again, once more!) higher than ever, that’s because they are, according to Trulia’s study, The Trulia Price Monitor and the Trulia Rent Monitor adjust for the changing mix of listed homes to accurately describe and predict rents. Says Trulia: “Because asking prices lead sales prices by approximately two or more months, the Monitors reveal trends before other price indexes do.”

Highlights from the report

In August, asking prices rose 2.3% year over year, the largest annual jump reported yet by the Trulia Price Monitor and the largest year-over-year increases since before the recession. Excluding foreclosures, asking prices rose nationally 3.8% year over year. The month-over-month increase of 0.8% was the seventh consecutive monthly increase.

Among the largest 25 rental markets, rents rose the most in Houston andSeattle, where they climbed more than 10% year over year in August. Rents are no longer rising so quickly in Denver, San Francisco, Miami, Oakland and Boston, but that may not be much comfot: these hot rental markets are still seeing annual rent increases of 8% or more.

SF’s most popular ‘nabes

In a city with such an uber-popular rental market, which neighborhoods get the most attention? Trulia tracks the most searched for neighborhoods on its site, and here they are.

Can the madness continue?

What do you say, readers? The holidays and general real estate slow down are coming. Are lower rents– or at least an end to higher ones– coming too?

Anna Marie Erwert writes from both the renter and new buyer perspective, having (finally) achieved both statuses. She focuses on national real estate trends, specializing in the San Francisco Bay Area and Pacific Northwest. Follow Anna on Twitter: @AnnaMarieErwert

Article source: http://blog.sfgate.com/ontheblock/2012/09/27/sfs-most-popular-neighborhoods-fetch-dear-rent-indeed/