You're off on several counts. For one thing, it does not take months to find an apartment. If you're willing to spend a month you can find a great deal (relatively of course), if you need an apartment in a week you can just pay a little more.
More generally, if you aren't tied down with family obligations, move to Silicon Valley.
OH really?
Renting is back to the dot boom craze levels.
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/10/18/...
....
Average monthly rents in the region's financial and high-tech hubs have jumped more than 10 percent in the last year, and occupancy rates hover around 95 percent, according to a quarterly rental survey by RealFacts.
The average rent for an apartment in San Francisco stood at $2,243 in the third quarter, up nearly 12 percent from one year ago; in San Jose, the average rent also jumped 12 percent to $1,622, said RealFacts of Novato, which tracks rents in mostly large buildings across the nation.
....
A few years ago, after the dot-com implosion, landlords welcomed pets if it meant filling a vacant apartment. But Fougner, in his mid-30s, said online apartment searches turn up few that allow pets. Even then, he said, prices are usually at the very high end of his range - around $2,500.
Meanwhile, he has stopped going to open houses; even when Fougner would show up 15 minutes early, he found five or six people waiting.
"We might just end up getting a spot for $2,400 or $2,500 (a month), which will just make me sick every month writing that check," Fougner said. "But if it's not a dump and has a patio, then we'll want to stay home more anyway."
More generally, if you aren't tied down with family obligations, move to Silicon Valley.