Leasing Agent Angelica was very helpful in keeping me up to date about on going offers, quickly responding over text about availability and offers and helped me get the best offer for the apartment i had been looking out for. Thank you so much Angelica :) Appreciate your help.
Bhargava Badariprasad
Oct 22, 2024
I lived in three other places in the South Bay, and Villa Granada (I've been living here two years now) has been my favorite so far. It is not the best quality (the Irvine apartments are a bit nicer), but it is the best value: i.e. the quality is pretty good, and the price is lower than Irvine apartments (but Essex, don't get any bad idea: there's still plenty of competition!).
I will go into details of what I liked and didn't like:
- đź‘Ť The apartment itself is pretty nice. The walls are in pretty good condition. The heating/cooling from the HVAC works well. My apartment has a bit of a weird shape, because it's a corner apartment, but I got used to it.
The kitchen and bathroom are alright; the countertops, bathtub and oven-tops feel a bit cheap, but they're still functional.
- đź‘Ž Package theft is an issue here. Packages are usually delivered in front of the apartment doors: over two years, I've had around 30 packages delivered to my door, and 2 of them got stolen. So, for anything expensive enough, I deliver it to an Amazon Locker (there's one that is 10 minutes driving away). I wish that the property had a locker room for packages, like the Monticello apartments do.
- đź‘Ť Maintenance has been great. I've had lights and the washing machine fixed in a day or two. No complaints there.
- đź‘Ž The second issue here, is that the only internet service provider that provides more than 200Mb/s is Xfinity, through cable. There is no other choice. I really wish that they installed optic fiber eventually. There's a few months where the internet would go out almost half a day per week; I think that it's unacceptable, especially if you work from home. Luckily, that hasn't happened recently.
- đź‘Ť My apartment windows face the inside court (not the swimming pool, the other one). It is a nice view and it is pretty quiet. I can hear birds in the morning, which is nice. And I get good sunlight in the morning. I'm on the 4th floor.
- đź‘Ť The underground parking garage is convenient. Even though the lease says that we have an assigned spot, no one respects that; but it's fine because there's always spots available. And my guests usually have a free spot too.
- The area is pretty boring (between the Lawrence expressway and the DMV), unless you drive away, but that's the case in most of the South Bay. I usually take a 20min walk to the Big Mug Coffee shop, through residential housing; or drive 10-20 minutes to somewhere else. There's "Central Park", that is a ~35min walk, going east; it's a nice little park (it takes ~15min to walk around it).
- đź‘Ť I haven't had much noise issues, compared to other places. I never hear my neighbors (but I live on the top floor), aside from hearing the TV from my downstairs neighbors (I only hear the bass).
- There's a few months where fire alarms happened almost every week, sometimes very late. But we haven't had any in months (unless it was during the day, because I rarely work from home). So I would be optimistic about this.
- đź‘Ž A 3rd (small) issue, but I think that's an issue in all of Santa Clara (it was an issue in Monticello too), is that the water is "hard". I.e. it contains a ton of minerals. That's an issue, because the water leaves some white stains over time (i.e. mineral residues) on dishes from the dishwasher, or on faucets and mirrors in the bathroom. But you can remove those residues with white vinegar, every once in a while.
- My apartment is right next to the trash room. The hallway often smells bad, but luckily the smell never went into my apartment, so it's not an issue.
- The common areas are pretty small here, especially compared to Monticello. But it's fine, I don't use them much anyway. The gym is pretty small, and I don't have cellular network there. So you might want to rely on another gym place instead.
So, all in all, I recommend Villa Granada! The experience might be different for other apartments in the complex, but my experience on the 4th floor, facing inward, has been good!
It is not perfect, but there has been no major issue; and I've felt well at home here!
Olivier Pinon
Jan 22, 2025
Had a fantastic living experience staying in this community for one and half years. Throughout our stay, Kristin Kavaldjiev the leasing specialist and the maintenance team took good care of us with prompt communication and resolving our questions, requests. Kristin is a superstar professional in addressing any questions regarding the leasing. The maintenance team almost always resolved the request within 1-2 days of filing.
The move out procedures were extremely smooth and hassle free. We had to terminate our lease early and inquired the options available. We went ahead with the option to remain rent responsible until a new tenant signs the lease for our unit. We were pleasantly surprised when the unit went off the market within a week or so after our move out date. This experience affirms the demand for staying at Villa Granada which is conveniently located near Lawrence expressway, Apple Park campus, etc.
The only negative I recall is there were a few months in between when smoke alarms and fire alarms used to go out frequently. In every case, Sean Dickson was prompt in the communication emails explaining what happened and how to avoid such incidents. This helped reduce the frequency in such incidents based on my observations.
Overall, a great place to stay. Recommend!
Sharan Naribole
Aug 22, 2024
I had a great experience touring multiple Essex properties with the guidance of leasing manager Riley. Riley did an excellent job recommending additional apartments that fit our needs, and provided clear instructions with how to access the facilities for our self-guided tours. He was very accommodating and made time for us, even though the tours were fully booked for that day. Overall, I had a great experience with Essex Apartment Homes. Thanks, Riley!
Stephen Hunter
May 10, 2024
We just moved into Villa Granada apartment a few months ago. This review is for the most recent experience with the management team. I received help from Kristin Kavaldjiev from the management team regarding to switching a reserved parking space and she was amazing, fast, efficient, and super friendly. I would recommend Kristin anytime and her awesome customer service!
Armando and Chris have truly been outstanding maintenance persons! Their responsiveness and skills in addressing issues around the apartments are commendable. weather its a leaky faucet or a faulty electric problem, they handle it with a smile and get the job done efficiently. Kudos to them for their hard work and dedication!
Sandra Fonseca
Dec 06, 2023
I want to give a special thanks to Chris and Armando. Always Professional, Kind and Efficient are words that come to mind during my interactions with them. It also helps that they smile and greet me like a human being. I know it can be tough managing all these apartments, so being able to complete my maintenance request in an efficient and timely manner is much appreciated!
Sincerely,
Erika K
Sincere thanks
We moved into this complex a month ago. The complex and apartments are very modern, clean and well maintained. Good and convenient parking. The moving process was easy and pleasant. Thanks to the staff of this complex for this. Special thanks to manager Kristin Kavaldjiev. She was always quick to answer all questions, answer calls and was helpful from start to finish. Also many thanks to the Maintenance department, to Christopher and his team! All work on the apartment is carried out quickly and efficiently, no requests are ignored. Many thanks to the new house, we really love it!
Artem Mirochnik
Nov 28, 2023
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