Clay's room

Note: June 15th or so is when the room is likely available. We may be able to make that a little earlier.

Hey everyone, this is one of those magical San Francisco deals you’re looking for especially is you are looking for a furnished room in an established household. I’m imagining a future of sharing my central Mission home starting around June 15, 2024, a little earlier may be possible if we plan ahead with the person who is here now.

The building was built around 1906. It’s the lower flat of a Victorian style, and there is a nice separation between front and back. I’ve been here so long (26 years!), I have a hard time describing it, but I’m told the place has a welcoming, colorful, artistic eclectic flair.

Your bedroom is a spacious 14x12ish, mostly furnished with a comfortable queen bed, dresser, mirror, shelves, small desk, and chair. There is a built-in cabinet unit that indicates that the room was once used as a dining room, and then a pretty large closet in the Hallway for hanging clothes, storing camping gear, and luggage. There is no other storage available, but if you are somewhat nomadic, it should suit you well!

Your room is on the garden-side of the flat where it is usually quiet, next to the kitchen, with tall windows overlooking a nice deck and garden (featured photo view). There is a peach tree as part of the view, which blossoms beautifully in spring, and is just now starting to bud. If you like plants, there are many on the deck and outside in the garden, and it’s very nice to sit and be in relative quiet compared to the expected sounds of the city.

We share one tidy bathroom, which was remodeled in the 00s and repainted a few years ago. It’s very basic tub & shower, and pretty easy to keep clean and uncluttered since there is no counter and limited storage.

There is also a shared washer and dryer downstairs in the garage, but no storage or parking included. (The garage belongs to the tenants upstairs, who are very cool and pretty quiet).

The location is AMAZING — close to BART, several bus routes, and a quick walk to ZSFGH. I’m told it’s easier to park here than in many parts of the city if you have a car. We’re right around the corner from the famous tree-lined Calle 24 (24th Street), where there are many restaurants, taquerias, cafes, and shops. I can get nearly everything I need for daily life within just a few blocks of walking or a short bus ride. It’s a culturally protected zone, so no mess of big corporate retail sites thanks to there being a restriction of such developments.

People who come to stay with me usually feel at home pretty quickly and hate to leave. One fellow who stayed a year and moved on came back and stayed for another two years! My current flatmate taught grade school for a year, and is now off to grad school. The previous roommate stayed for seven years, thanks to the pandemic, but also for the comforts.

I’ve been sharing the guest room in my flat since before there was Airbnb, and I am not interested in anything like that. I especially like to share with someone who is looking for a comfortable place to land to call home for a while, and it’s best for me if it’s a year or two… It’s truly one of those rare, magical deals in San Francisco that people talk about.

So as of April 21, 2024 (this writing), the room is being lived in, so I am showing it as the current fellow likes it. Luckily, he doesn’t like clutter.

The kitchen is the craziest room… before I moved in, I asked if I could paint the floor and it’s been a never-ending mural project! It’s worked out. But there is most everything here that you would need to prepare whatever you like: fairly decent espresso machine, AirFryer, VitaMix blender, KitchenAid mixer…almost everything ever invented minus the food processor and InstaPot. Also the kitchen is old-school and there is no dishwasher, which means that we are all dishwashers!

Also, kitchen-related, I have a cook come twice a week so instead of me being in the kitchen every night, it’s just him Tuesdays and Thursdays. He is about the sweetest man in the world… If you’re nice and an omnivore, he might invite you to have dinner with us.

There is also a comfortable shared room (with me and my “art-corner”) in the front of the flat with a big enough-to-see TV with most of the streaming channels. If you want a TV in your room, we can arrange for it. Most have preferred not to add it, but let me know.

Also, as much as I love animals, it’s a strickly no-pets situation. There is a cute dog upstairs that you might run into now and then, sometimes with the cute and friendly neighbors who feed him.

Thank you for reading this far. I took as many exclamation points out as I could before posting, but there were quite a few! I will come back to update this as we get closer to the date, should there still be a need. If interested, read the next part and hit me up!

I am a single, favorite gay uncle type of guy who has had some definable health challenges over the past several years, but I’m feeling way better now and up to the challenges of ordinary life and am committed to being friendly and welcoming.

People tend to like me and usually feel enlightened after a conversation with me. I am perpetually friendly, and I value connection without ever having to force it. I am mostly mellow. If I notice you needing a listener, I listen, but also lean toward letting you have your space. I make it a point to remain supportive and interested, but by no means would you need to “hang out” with me if you are busy with your own life.

My real job for the last 14 or so years has been to take care of myself. The health challenges were deep, but I am finally getting back to normal in many ways.

One could say that I now work from home as a life coach, but I don’t really like to call it that. I do officially coach a coach, but I am home most of the time. I go in and out, I leave periodically for about a week to visit family in Oregon.

Before, I worked as an advertising artist and was philanthropically involved with community development in Haiti from around 2000 to 2012, and I still have family in Haiti. I am on several calls with people during the week from my tiny storage/office under the stairs. I am trained to be a good listener, and things tend to work out around me. My bedroom is across the hall from the little office, and when on calls, I usually close the door so you don’t have to be a part of it.

I haven’t been dating much since the health issues set in, but if I did date someone, it’s fair to say it would likely be another gentleman around my early 60’s age — and I might!

Currently, my worst habit (after giving up lots of bad habits) is drinking one too many cups of coffee in the morning!

By now, I am pretty comfortable being a he/him, have done plenty of self-development work—a lot, really. I enjoy my own company, and have lots of conversations each week with family, friends, and community.

There are a couple of people with keys to come in to help me clean and cook, as I mentioned, on a regular basis. Cook is here Tuesday and Thursday evenings. Housekeeper is currently on hiatus for some deep medical treatments, but with or without her, I am always interested in keep things clean and tidy.

I anticipate medical professionals or educators to be my most likely flatmates… coming from another town to start a new life or get something happening career-wise. It works best if you are a responsible, capable person who enjoys life and relates to yourself as open minded and flexible.

To be fair, the few things I find hard to live with are things I’ve outgrown that I inherited from my family, like heavy drinking, smoking of cigarettes (though cannabis outdoors is fine), heavy cologne, and inviting guests over who overdo the above, or guests who have no home of their own.

If it sounds like you would like to set up a Zoom call, I am open to it and ready to give you a virtual walk- through! I will come back to update this part!