Moving Safety

Please keep safety in mind when you're moving in.  Don't take unsafe shortcuts.

B16

B16 has rented and is no longer available. It's in a great location on the second floor, on the corner of the building so there is very little foot traffic past the unit, and it has great views of the Saratoga Mountains.

C10

This unit is no longer available. It is on the second floor, faces East, and is located on the corner of the building.

This is a great unit because not only is it located on a corner (less neighbors, less foot traffic infront of your apartment) but it's also located over a garage, so you'll never have anyone living below you.

Get it while you still can, it should rent quickly.

Good advice, no matter where you live...

Daylight savings time ended this morning....

Security Deposit Change

The Security Deposit requirement for November 2012 rental will be as follows:

$800 refundable deposit + $1000 surety bond OR $1800 refundable deposit, your choice.  Click here for more information on surety bonds and how they work.

San Jose Public Library in October

 San José Public Library has a treat for you ...

Plenty of fun and spooky events await you this month at a library near you. Check the list below for a quick preview of a few of the events you can expect this month.  

All events and exhibits are open to the public and FREE of charge. Enjoy!

Fri, Oct. 26 - Halloween Parade - Join us for our annual Halloween Parade. We will parade throughout the library up to the fourth floor. Come in costume and be prepared to get some nice Halloween treats. This is a fun program for the whole family. 3:30-5:30 p.m. - Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Library (Children's Room)

Sat, Oct. 27 - 6th Annual Harvest Festival & Holiday Boutique - You won't want to miss this "Spooktacular Family Fun" event! There will be costume parades throughout the day, a haunted hallway, pumpkin patch, story times, bake sale, carnival games, holiday gift shopping and a spooky in Transylvania Town.  11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. - Almaden Branch Library and Community Center

Sat, Oct. 29 - Spooky Halloween Science - Get ready for Spooky Halloween Science Fun! In this workshop, you will handle slimy worms and learn about their role in decomposition, turn your lab partner into a "mummy", make a witch's potion, concoct Ogre boogers, create a skull mask, and observe a real sheep's brain.   For children ages 5-12.  4 p.m. - Evergreen Branch Library

Tues, Oct. 30 - Halloween Parade - Children wear your Halloween costumes and join us for a fun treat-filled parade through the library. We'll have a balloon artist here to make you a cool balloon animal too! 4 p.m. - Cambrian Branch Library

Wed, Oct. 31 - Halloween Party - Join us for some freaky and exciting carnival games, spooky fun in the Haunted House, a Costume Contest, and a Halloween Sock Puppet craft. Plus, Balloon Artist Marc Gemellos, will be creating fun ballon designs kids can take home. Don't miss out! 4:00 p.m. - Tully Community Branch

For a more extensive list of events visit sjpl.org/calendar and type in keyword "Halloween"

Did you know? San Jose is among the top 5 best cities in the country for trick or treating- According to Zillow, a real estate marketplace website.

Floor Plan

Total area = approx 400 sq ft

New Hotel coming to Cupertino, Summer 2013

Starwood Hotels & Resorts 
Worldwide announced its new 
destination sensation brand, 
Aloft® Hotels, will open a new 
property in Cupertino, 
California in early 2013. Aloft Cupertino will be the third Aloft to 
open in California and its second in Silicon Valley, following the 
opening of Aloft San Francisco Airport in 2012. Owned by a 
venture between Shashi Corporation and Somera Capital 
Management, Aloft Cupertino will deliver style at a steal with 123 
spacious, loft-like rooms, forward-thinking technology and a 
vibrant, social atmosphere.

“The Aloft brand is perfectly suited for Cupertino, one of the most dynamic cities in Silicon Valley,” said 
Allison Reid, Senior Vice President of North American Development for Starwood. “Aloft is now 55 plus hotels 
and, fueled by the brand’s popularity among savvy travelers, we continue to aggressively grow the brand 
across North America and around the world.”

Islands Restaurant Update

Islands Restaurant tweeted a photo of the progress building their new restaurant in Cupertino.  I asked them when they expected to open the store and they responded "mid-December."  I can't wait either!!

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@IslandsBurgers:  @bluehillssj The #Cupertino store will be opening in mid-December. We can't wait! #Stoked
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Open House Tomrrow!

Open House tomorrow 10/06/12, 11 am to 3 pm! Stop by and see for yourself that the Blue Hills Studios is the best value in the Cupertino area!!

I'm down to my last two vacancies of the summer.  I expect they will both rent at the open house tomorrow, so if you were hoping to get one, get here early with your application complete and a cashiers check/money order for your holding deposit!

What is a surety bond?

Many people have not heard of surety bonds and seem confused when I mention them, so I thought I'd provide some information about them that you can read at your leisure.

The surety bonds we use are provided by SureDeposit.  A surety bond is an insurance product that protects our community like a security deposit would.  We use the surety bond to enable us to allow you to to move in with a smaller security deposit.

Happy Halloween!

We don't seem to get many "trick or treaters" here on Halloween, so if this is a holiday you enjoy, you may just want to go for a nice walk through the neighborhood to enjoy all the costumes and to see the families enjoying the holiday.

It's tough here, because the outside lights can't be controlled individually, so you can't turn your light off if you don't want to participate, and having a light that's on doesn't necessarily mean you want to.

If you want to take your chances and try to lure in the little ghosts and gobblins on their quest for more candy, I recommend putting out a door mat or a sign that lets everyone know you're participating.  Likewise, if you don't wish to have trick or treaters visiting your door, I would recommend not putting any decorations that are visible outside your home.

Here are some halloween decorating ideas for apartment dwellers from ehow.com.

1. • 1
     Buy Halloween dish and bath towels. These take up no extra room as they merely replace your normal dish and bath towels.
   • 2
     Place orange decorative lights around your windows. These lights are the same as Christmas lights except that they are orange instead of red, green or white. Find these lights at craft, department and grocery stores during Halloween season.
   • 3
     Find Halloween stickers and decals and place them directly on your window. Place them inward so that you and guests can see them while in your small apartment, or outward so those passing by can enjoy your decorations.
   • 4
     Purchase a Halloween rug. If you have carpeting, consider a Halloween bath mat instead. Find these decorative rugs at department stores as Halloween approaches.
   • 5
     Hang Halloween buckets and “trick or treat” bags on the walls, as a child-like way to decorate for Halloween.
   • 6
     Light orange, Halloween and fall scented and colored candles. Scented candles are for more than aesthetic value. Certain smells can bring back memories of childhood. Light these throughout the month of October to give your entire apartment the feel of Halloween.  Be very careful using any candles in your home, and never leave them unattended while they are burning.

D14

This unit has rented and is no longer available.

Located on the second floor facing East, this unit gets lots of morning sun, and is shaded from afternoon sun by neighboring buildings.

Price Change

As of this morning, the prices for rent and for security deposits have changed as follows:

September 2012 Leases $1245
October 2012 Leases $1265 

The security deposit is $500 + a surety bond (Value of surety bond is $1000)  

Refundable Security deposit = $500
Non refundable Premium for surety bond = $175
Total needed for deposit and bond (not including rent) = $675

Total needed to move in = 1 month of rent + security deposit + bond

You don't have to use a surety bond!  If you'd rather not use a surety bond, you can elect to replace the $1000 value of the bond by adding $1000 to your deposit for a total refundable deposit of $1500.

Garages will continue to be $225 (month to month) and $200 per month for a 12 month lease that accompanies a 12 month lease for a studio.

Great news for veterans!

Students collecting the GI Bill will see an modest increase in GI Bill payments next month.

Full Story

Make Paper Clay "Barnicles" to decorate your home

If momentos of the ocean, coast, or boating are things you like to decorate your home with, you'll love these "Barnicles" made from paper clay.  Cheap, organic, and fun to make!

Here are the instructions on how to make them yourself!

Price Change

As of this morning, the prices for rent and for security deposits have changed as follows:

September 2012 Leases $1175
October 2012 Leases $1205

The security deposit is $500 + a surety bond (Value of surety bond is $1000)  

Refundable Security deposit = $500
Non refundable Premium for surety bond = $175
Total needed for deposit and bond (not including rent) = $675

Total needed to move in = 1 month of rent + security deposit + bond

You don't have to use a surety bond!  If you'd rather not use a surety bond, you can elect to replace the $1000 value of the bond by adding $1000 to your deposit for a total refundable deposit of $1500.

Garages will continue to be $225 (month to month) and $200 per month for a 12 month lease that accompanies a 12 month lease for a studio.

Price Adjustment

As of 8/21/12, prices for new leases is $1105 per month for all applications submitted before 9/1/12.  For all applications submitted after 9/1/12, leases will be $1115 per month.

How to Make an All-Natural Air Freshener at Home

Purify your air!

NASA conducted a study to find the best plants for cleaning the air in buildings.  Below is a list of the best plants for cleaning the air in your home.  All of these can be easily obtained at your local nursery or online and they are easily maintained.


Fill your home with these beautiful plants, and breath and sleep better!


1. Bamboo Palm: removes formaldahyde and is also said to act as a natural humidifier.

2. Snake Plant: Found by NASA to absorb nitrogen oxides and formaldahyde.

3. Areca Palm: One of the best air purifying plants for general air cleanliness.

4. Spider Plant: Great indoor plant for removing carbon monoxide and other toxins or impurities. Spider plants are one of three plants NASA deems best at removing formaldahyde from the air.

5. Peace Lily: Peace lilies could be called the “clean-all.” They’re often placed in bathrooms or laundry rooms because they’re known for removing mold spores. Also know to remove formaldahyde and trichloroethylene.

6. Gerbera Daisy: Not only do these gorgeous flowers remove benzene from the air, they’re known to improve sleep by absorbing carbon dioxide and giving off more oxygen over night.


More plant data from the NASA Clean Air Study.

Price adjustment

As of 7/6/12 at 1:30 pm, July vacancies will rent for $1095.  Get yours while you still can at this amazing price!!

Video Tour 1

FAQ

What happensif I break my lease?
     While I do require a 12 month lease for all new residents, there is no "early termination penalty" if you're forced to move early.  You are simply obligated to pay the monthly rent until your apartment is re-rented to someone else.  Once the new resident's lease begins, yours ends and your obligation to pay continuing rent ends with it.  The lease prohibits you from subleasing or subletting the apartment.  You can certainly refer renters to me, but I'll be renting the apartment to the new resident.

The reason for the 12 month lease term is because I want to avoid short term tenancies as much as I can.  I wish to rent to people who plan to stay for at least 12 months, but I also realize stuff happens which is out of your control that may force you to leave early, which is why I have crafted these lease terms the way I have, to help protect my residents, and my property. 

What utilities or other expense are covered?
     The property pays for your water, and for the energy that heats your hot water, as well as the dumpster pick up.  Please keep in mind the dumpsters are available for you to use for regular weekly household trash. If you have a large amount of garbage to throw away (enough to prevent us from making it to the next pick up without filling up completely), or items that are not allowed to be placed in the dumpsters, you'll need to pay for the disposal of those items yourself.

Residents must pay for their own video/internet/phone services, their own electric service, as well as anything else they'll need.  There is no gas in your apartment, so you wont need to worry about that.

How do I transfer the PGE account to my name, or initiate new service if I don't already have an account with PGE?
     Simply visit PGE's website to transfer the service here to your own account, and to stop service at your old address.  If you moving from out of the area and don't already a PGE account for your old address, you can also initiate new service at that website.  If you can't access the internet or if you need help, you can call them at 800-743-5000 and they'll help you get it squared away.

A16

This unit is rented and is no longer available.

It's located on the second floor, near the laundry room, with a great view of the pool and the Saratoga mountains.

Balcony Construction Update

The balcony construction is finally finished. Can't wait for paint!! Stay tuned for more information about our plans for a fresh coat of paint!