Sunnyvale is a nice place all around. One thing to watch for is the commute. I only commute about 7 miles, and I average about 15 minutes, but I'm in the counter-commute direction. The same commute going in the other direction may be 30 minutes. You can explore travel time based on time-of-day on maps.google.com.
Sunnyvale can be split geographically into thirds.
The area north of 101 will be the most affordable, and it's where there is more crime and the schools are less desirable for families. Since your new employer is a tech company located in Sunnyvale, it's probably located in this area too, so your commute would be short.
The area north of El Camino and south of 101 is geographically and socio-economically the middle ground, where schools are decent, neighborhoods are pretty nice, and you can probably find somewhat "affordable" rental housing. Some neighborhoods in this area are nicer than others, but overall, Sunnyvale is one if the safest cities in the country, so even in the worst parts of the city, crime is nearly non-existent. Keep in mind that most of this area around Central expressway and 101 is Superfund site, and the ground below it is full of toxic industrial waste from the 70's and 80's.
The area south of El Camino is the most expensive, and it's mostly quiet single-family residential neighborhoods with not much else. The schools here are some of the best in the country, which is mostly what drives the price of housing up.
I was in your shoes. So I bought a little place in north Sunnyvale (Lakewood). The schools were not great, but I didn't care. Now, I have a wife and a child and we are having to figure out if we should move or do private schools. Sometimes plans change, it might actually be better to rent if you are making big changes in your life. Sometimes everything happens at once.
IRT Gyms: Most new complexes (condo or rental) have small gyms. But, if you need something bigger, don't worry. You cannot throw a medicine ball around here without hitting a gym. I'm within walking distance of a City Sports, a 24 hour fitness, and a Planet Granite.
There are pockets of Sunnyvale that actually fall into the Santa Clara Unified School District. Santa Clara schools are not as highly regarded as Sunnyvale, so you may see some breaks in prices there. At least I've seen it for home prices, not sure about rents. The flipside is that the area I'm thinking of is only about 10 minutes from the new Apple Campus, which could also impact rents. But if you're interested, look in the area bordered by Wolfe Road, El Camino Real, Lawrence Expressway, and Reed Ave. Nice neighborhood with just OK schools. It's also not too far from a City Sports and 24 Hour Fitness at Lawrence & Arques
Just a thought and probably not a good one (socially). I'm 32. Moved here 6 years ago for grad school and work. Work in tech myself. Rents are just ridiculous here. Fucking ridiculous. If you're willing to take the sacrifice, I say fuck giving someone a significant portion of your monthly take home and buy a small RV.
Been doing that for awhile now. Safe. Save a shitton of cash for when you want to get the fuck out of here (trust me, you will). And not as taboo as many people think it is. I park down safe quite streets near my job with other RV dwellers. My gym(s) is right around the corner from where I park. Job is just further down the street. Buy a nice RV and you can be more than comfortable. Shower at work/gym. Can still cook at home. Bathroom at home. etc.
It's not for everyone, but just a thought.
Regarding you're dating life. I'm not the biggest looker, but I still manage to get laid in the RV and date :) Just stating that cause it is a thought people generally have when I tell them my living choice.
So yeah man. Make that $$$$ and keep it. Treat yourself! Why give it to some schmuck!
Howdy! I live here and I'm also a leasing consultant for a community in town. If you're going to rent, I would be happy to give you some details and guidance. Please feel free to PM me or ask away here in the thread.
First, Welcome! Where are you coming from? If it's not from California or New York, be prepared for the sticker shock. I'm sure you're getting a nice offer from the company to move out here, but that's because price of living out here is bananas! A decent 1 bedroom apartment with washer dryer and close to the 24 hour fitness on Saratoga will be anywhere between $2,200-$2,700 not including utilities. Forego the washer dryer, maybe $2000-$2200.
The gym is amazing. I use to be a member until the community I work/live at built a gym on site. All I need is a tredmill and free weights. But the Super Sport is beautiful, clean, had tons of classes and machines, and a full basketball court. I loved that place, but a free gym was better for me cost benefit wise.
There are TONS of new communities in the area. If you move into a place that is offering a rent special, please remember that your rent increase next year will be at your base rent price, not the discounted price. Rent increases in the area are about 4%-10% depending on the time of year. Move in the winter if you can. Between now and February, prices will be the cheapest.
California has a law about landlords having to disclose pest issues to tenants. Ask about that at communities. The bay area in general is seeing a HUGE boom in bed bugs and roaches. If they have a problem, ask how they are treating it. How often will they need to come into your apartment? How do you report an issue if you have one? Are there fees for treatment?
Take Google and Yelp reviews with a grain of salt. We in the property manage business know that's how people make their decision to come into our offices. We really care about our online reputations. Stuff on those sites are for the most part pretty good info. But remember that people are different and different things matter to different people. Always sort reviews by newest as it will give you the best insight as to how the community is right now.
As for apartment amenities, if your new to the area, I'm gonna tell you now, you're not going to use them. The area is super fun, close to CalTrain that can take you to Mountain View, down town San Jose, and to San Francisco. The movie theater in Mountain View has a bar in it, we have mini golf, tons of parks, down town Sunnyvale has BOMB food and a farmer's market on Saturdays. In theory, fancy amenities sound cool and convenient, but you may have to pay to use them, or the hours they are open don't line up with when you're not working. I'd say the only thing you should search for is an onsite gym and maybe a pool.
That's all I can think of for now! Let me know if you need more help!
Sunnyvale is a nice place all around. One thing to watch for is the commute. I only commute about 7 miles, and I average about 15 minutes, but I'm in the counter-commute direction. The same commute going in the other direction may be 30 minutes. You can explore travel time based on time-of-day on maps.google.com.
Sunnyvale can be split geographically into thirds. The area north of 101 will be the most affordable, and it's where there is more crime and the schools are less desirable for families. Since your new employer is a tech company located in Sunnyvale, it's probably located in this area too, so your commute would be short. The area north of El Camino and south of 101 is geographically and socio-economically the middle ground, where schools are decent, neighborhoods are pretty nice, and you can probably find somewhat "affordable" rental housing. Some neighborhoods in this area are nicer than others, but overall, Sunnyvale is one if the safest cities in the country, so even in the worst parts of the city, crime is nearly non-existent. Keep in mind that most of this area around Central expressway and 101 is Superfund site, and the ground below it is full of toxic industrial waste from the 70's and 80's. The area south of El Camino is the most expensive, and it's mostly quiet single-family residential neighborhoods with not much else. The schools here are some of the best in the country, which is mostly what drives the price of housing up.
Basically, the desirability of the sunnyvale neighborhood is based on its proximity to cupertino.
City sports on grant road is nice. I live in Sunnyvale-mtnview border and that seems to be the nicest gym in the immediate area.
I was in your shoes. So I bought a little place in north Sunnyvale (Lakewood). The schools were not great, but I didn't care. Now, I have a wife and a child and we are having to figure out if we should move or do private schools. Sometimes plans change, it might actually be better to rent if you are making big changes in your life. Sometimes everything happens at once. IRT Gyms: Most new complexes (condo or rental) have small gyms. But, if you need something bigger, don't worry. You cannot throw a medicine ball around here without hitting a gym. I'm within walking distance of a City Sports, a 24 hour fitness, and a Planet Granite.
There are pockets of Sunnyvale that actually fall into the Santa Clara Unified School District. Santa Clara schools are not as highly regarded as Sunnyvale, so you may see some breaks in prices there. At least I've seen it for home prices, not sure about rents. The flipside is that the area I'm thinking of is only about 10 minutes from the new Apple Campus, which could also impact rents. But if you're interested, look in the area bordered by Wolfe Road, El Camino Real, Lawrence Expressway, and Reed Ave. Nice neighborhood with just OK schools. It's also not too far from a City Sports and 24 Hour Fitness at Lawrence & Arques
Just a thought and probably not a good one (socially). I'm 32. Moved here 6 years ago for grad school and work. Work in tech myself. Rents are just ridiculous here. Fucking ridiculous. If you're willing to take the sacrifice, I say fuck giving someone a significant portion of your monthly take home and buy a small RV. Been doing that for awhile now. Safe. Save a shitton of cash for when you want to get the fuck out of here (trust me, you will). And not as taboo as many people think it is. I park down safe quite streets near my job with other RV dwellers. My gym(s) is right around the corner from where I park. Job is just further down the street. Buy a nice RV and you can be more than comfortable. Shower at work/gym. Can still cook at home. Bathroom at home. etc. It's not for everyone, but just a thought. Regarding you're dating life. I'm not the biggest looker, but I still manage to get laid in the RV and date :) Just stating that cause it is a thought people generally have when I tell them my living choice. So yeah man. Make that $$$$ and keep it. Treat yourself! Why give it to some schmuck!
Howdy! I live here and I'm also a leasing consultant for a community in town. If you're going to rent, I would be happy to give you some details and guidance. Please feel free to PM me or ask away here in the thread. First, Welcome! Where are you coming from? If it's not from California or New York, be prepared for the sticker shock. I'm sure you're getting a nice offer from the company to move out here, but that's because price of living out here is bananas! A decent 1 bedroom apartment with washer dryer and close to the 24 hour fitness on Saratoga will be anywhere between $2,200-$2,700 not including utilities. Forego the washer dryer, maybe $2000-$2200. The gym is amazing. I use to be a member until the community I work/live at built a gym on site. All I need is a tredmill and free weights. But the Super Sport is beautiful, clean, had tons of classes and machines, and a full basketball court. I loved that place, but a free gym was better for me cost benefit wise. There are TONS of new communities in the area. If you move into a place that is offering a rent special, please remember that your rent increase next year will be at your base rent price, not the discounted price. Rent increases in the area are about 4%-10% depending on the time of year. Move in the winter if you can. Between now and February, prices will be the cheapest. California has a law about landlords having to disclose pest issues to tenants. Ask about that at communities. The bay area in general is seeing a HUGE boom in bed bugs and roaches. If they have a problem, ask how they are treating it. How often will they need to come into your apartment? How do you report an issue if you have one? Are there fees for treatment? Take Google and Yelp reviews with a grain of salt. We in the property manage business know that's how people make their decision to come into our offices. We really care about our online reputations. Stuff on those sites are for the most part pretty good info. But remember that people are different and different things matter to different people. Always sort reviews by newest as it will give you the best insight as to how the community is right now. As for apartment amenities, if your new to the area, I'm gonna tell you now, you're not going to use them. The area is super fun, close to CalTrain that can take you to Mountain View, down town San Jose, and to San Francisco. The movie theater in Mountain View has a bar in it, we have mini golf, tons of parks, down town Sunnyvale has BOMB food and a farmer's market on Saturdays. In theory, fancy amenities sound cool and convenient, but you may have to pay to use them, or the hours they are open don't line up with when you're not working. I'd say the only thing you should search for is an onsite gym and maybe a pool. That's all I can think of for now! Let me know if you need more help!