I visited the area in mid-June and took a tour of the campus, and also tried to look for apartments. I'm not familiar with the area either, but I learned a few things that might be helpful for others.
I visited three apartment "complexes":
1. City View - I called about a week before my visit to schedule a tour. I was sent an email with a link to the leasing application (
https://www.on-site.com/web/online_...operty_id=1427&lease_id=0&unit_id=0&required=). When I got there, I met with a leasing agent and she explained how their rental process works. I don't know about anyone else who has looked into their apartments, but I was confused as h*ll. Their "prices" are CONSTANTLY fluctuating, so for example even if I saw an apartment listed online as $1,082, that apartment might be $1,250 the next day or the next week or whenever they "decide to change the value of the apartment". And even if their website says a certain price, she said to call because they don't always "updated the prices in a timely manner". The apartments that I lived in during undergrad all just had one set price, and that was that. I have no idea why City View has this system, but even the leasing agent didn't seem 100% confident in her explanation. Since it was June, the leasing agent said my options were to either "hold" the apartment until September, or press my luck looking again in August (might not be available). The other downside was that even though they are "flexible" with the leases, I did the math and it worked out that having a 11 or 12 month lease was often times cheaper than a 9 month lease (for those only in the program for 3 quarters) because the rent goes up with a shorter lease (typical).
Next I was given a tour of the entire property and a few empty apartments. I was only looking for 1-bedroom apartments. The first apartment was an older one, pretty basic (white appliances, older-style wood cabinets, updated bathroom fixtures & tile, carpeting in bedroom and living room) but still more than enough room for 1 person (in my opinion). The bedroom had a huge closet (enough for 2 people), and I'm sure you could fit 2 twin beds in the one bedroom.
The second apartment was one of their "upgraded" versions (black appliances, laminate/fake granite countertops, updated bathroom fixtures & tile, carpeting in bedroom and living room). It also had a "view", so they said the price would be higher. Don't be fooled by their website though, because in buildings with 3 floors: the "2nd floor" is actually the "ground level" with the cars, the "1st floor" is actually "underground" and the "3rd floor" is actually just one small flight of stairs above the 2nd floor. The leasing agent said most people prefer the 2nd floor if it was in a building with 3 floors. In the buildings with 2 floors: the 1st floor is actually even with the "ground level" and the 2nd floor is one flight of stairs up (but w/ no one above you). Since I'm not too picky, I didn't see the need to pay more for a semi-nicer looking apartment or a view (we're already paying enough for tuition!!
).
The upstairs of their clubhouse had a gym (one room for cardio, one room for weights), pool tables, kitchen, couches, and one meeting room. Next to the clubhouse is a pool, spa, and BBQ area. There was also a cute pond with greenery. Living there, you would have access to the Hidden Hills Racquet Club, which has an insane number of tennis courts if that's your thing. The property itself is pretty huge (maybe 300+ apartments?). Parking seemed convenient, and you're assigned a spot hopefully near your apartment.
2. My next stop was to Sunhill apartments. I had tried calling a week ahead, but a man on the phone told me that they only had 3 bedroom apartments (not even 2 or 1 bedrooms as advertised). I decided to visit anyways just in case. Long story short, it was a weird and awkward experience. I tried to get into their main building, but it was locked (during the day??). This random guy was able to open it for me. I walked in and found a man who appeared to be a manager, sitting in a room no bigger than a closet, papers and clutter everywhere and very disorganized. The master keys were just thrown into an open drawer (um, is that legal? or safe?). I told the man I was interested in leasing an apartment. He initially brushed me off, saying there was no room. I told him I needed it for September. He then asked what I was looking for, and I told him a 1 bedroom. His reply: "you'll have to wait 10 years for that, we only have one 1-bedroom in this complex". Uh, okay. So I asked about 2 bedrooms, and he said "maybe" but to call back in July or August. I asked if he had a leasing application, and first he said no. But then as I was about to leave (I had had enough of this nonsense) he said, wait wait I can write your name down. So he took my name down on some sheet of paper (which is probably now lost in his tornado of an office), and then hesitantly handed me an application. The price was going to be much more than City View, for what seemed like a pretty run-down place to live. No thanks.
3. I had found an ad on Craigslist about "University Village" housing. I had their address, and it happened to be right next to City View. The only catch? Um, construction had not even started. Their leasing agent I spoke to on the phone said they are currently making a list of "interested renters" and you can send in the application. I tried to get a glimpse of the property (it's surrounded by overgrown trees), which looked like the old "dorms" of CSU East Bay. Apparently they are renovating these abandoned dorms and turning them into apartment-style housing. I think it's something like $900/month for a 1-bedroom (maybe studio?) apartment. It's said to be finished by September, but I have my doubts. And since I wanted to secure a place before moving up there, it wasn't going to work out for me.
In the end, I ended up finding a house in the Hayward Hills very close to campus that was renting out a room. I suggest looking around for these types of deals, as they tend to 1) be cheaper than renting your own apartment ($500-700), 2) be in a home that is already furnished (if you don't have your own furniture), and 3) somewhat closer to campus than other places in Hayward or near the BART (though the hills are so steep that you might still need a car to get to campus if you end up in a house at the very top).
