After I had 20 long nights of debating the pros and cons of making a move to San Jose, I decided that it would be a no-brainer since we had everything to gain out of this experience, rather than staying on course on a rather conventional and redundant lifestyle. This was the time to take a risk and make a move!
So, the first phase of this move was House Hunting for 5 days. We did considerable amounts of packing at home in Dallas. The movers will not take any responsibility for things we pack! We had to make the best of the remaining time! This was the time to find an apartment.
We flew American via Santa Ana to San Jose. The flights were so closely spaced to one another that it almost felt like a direct flight, except we had the luxury of walking in and out of flight. The Chevy Monte Carlo was HUUUGE and was the apt rental car for some rough driving across the streets of the Bay Area and to hold immense amounts of luggage. It glided across Highway 101 in style as we landed in our Best Western Sunnyvale Hotel. This is where we would be put up for the next 5 days.
The place was pretty cool. The location was outstanding! In the heart of Sunnyvale with highways 101 and 237 cutting right across. Minutes from 880, and 85. So, without our knowing it (Priceline bid), we snatched the most ideal location for our house hunting.
We started BOOK SMART, and did good research over the internet as well as with the apartment guide hard copy that Rathish provided us with. There were tons of choices and an equal number of criteria to consider. Distance from work, distance from shops, distance from Desi adda, El Camino, distance from highways, safety, community, square footage, storage space etc.
There was one huge ad that caught our eye and this became the basis of our search in some ways, atleast to begin with. We began with the "Best of the Bay Area" Prometheus properties in Santa Clara. We started with Alderwood (good but pricey, not too big apartments, no washer dryer in unit).
Next as we started towards our next destination, another nearby property caught our eye, Laguna Clara. This was beautiful with tropical athmosphere, lagoons, etc. The apartments were also good, however, it was a little less quality and old, so although we did not rule it out, it was pretty much out of the equation.
Archstone Santa Clara was our next stop, near Rivermark area. This was a large and beautiful apartment complex! It was way too expensive and a little bit creepy as well. I really liked the maintainence though.
Nearby was Bella Vista and this was pretty expensive too! We also stopped at some low income housing, only to find out that we did not qualify for them! Hey.. I have never thought too high about my income, but to get rejected from low income housing was pretty unsettling! At this stage we got on the phone and called several properties including Mansion Grove and Olive West as it was getting late.
We continued the active hunt the following day. This was a better day and we got to see some good properties. Windsor Ridge, our first stop on Evelyn was a good property. Well maintained, but not gated. The location was a bit dicey with liquor bars nearby. Bristol Commons was a poor cousin of this one but didnt have any vacancies anyways.
We stopped at BoardWalk in Flora Vista Ave. We knew this community since Raghuvir stayed here. This was a good value for the money, however, we were concerned about the lack of A/C, the DMV nearby, not gated, and the age of the complex.
The next stop was Mansion Grove apartments. This is where Rathish and Sharmila lived. I knew this complex and had been impressed by it. We saw all the 3 floorplans. I was impressed by the 2 bedrooms and the specials. However, we would have to consider the construction going on inside and outside the apartment complex. This was certainly an eyesore.
I walked into my office briefly and was told about a few apartments including the Meadows on Mary and Central and also Fair Oaks West. I also found out that Sunnyvale and Mountain View were easily accessible from my workplace through 237-85 highways. So, I started considering this more seriously, but never went beyond that.
Then came the new dimension in terms of Craig's list! This gave us a ton of choices! This took us on a 500 mile drive around the streets within a 25 mile radius! It took us from Peacock Ct to Benton. From Wolf to Fox, from Steven's Creek to Alviso! We saw duplexes, homes, flats, condos and everything! These were decidedly lower quality and had lesser amenities than apartment complexes. After seeing about 40 properties, we decided that this was not good enough!
Another twist to the tale came just as we had shortlisted things. We had decided on Boardwalk if it was a one bedroom and either Windsor Ridge or Mansion Grove if it was two bedroom based on specials at the time we wanted. We went to www.apartmentratings.com and we blown away by the negativity on these properties. Mansion Grove fared decently due to management participation in the opinions!
So, we toured North Park, which was really impressive and modern! The construction was superb! However, we could see some privacy issues since there would be a 100 balconies overlooking the park if I were playing Cricket! This could be Eden Gardens on North First! We also liked Orchard Glen on Saratoga and San Tomas from the outside for the area. We didnt like things on Albany Dr on San Jose west.
The big twist came when they announced that TI SJ ws going to shut down and all of us were moving to Sunnyvale, near 101 and 237! I could have almost walked down to the lobby and asked the manager what a yearly lease would look like for one of his rooms ;-)
So, the path became clearer and clearer on Mansion Grove. We have a variety of options to choose from based on stage of construction, rent, location in the community, etc. Time to ponder and end of the hunt!
