For rent

For rent, originally uploaded by Itinerant.

One indicator I use for the health of an area are 'for rent/for lease' signs.

I'm seeing a LOT of for rent signs going up and staying up in San Francisco in the past few months.

However, as a native once told me, that is often misleading, for as she pointed out - the apartments would be rented out if they dropped rental rate.

Still, for awhile, including last year - for rent signs werent common and usually didnt stay up long when they appeared. Now, Im seeing more, in every neighborhood, from nosebleed rich to grubbily poor. And theyre not coming down.