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Another honest review...from yours truly
From:
revelated
Date posted:
5/29/2008
Years at this apartment:
2008
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2008
2 responses
OK.
You all know the drill - I'm a prospective tenant on the search for a new place to live. I do not and have not lived at this complex, but I have visited and toured extensively; therefore, my review will be based on my experience.
First, if you didn't already know, this is actually the "rental" half of a larger complex called Villa Taviana. Bernardo Hills was purchased for condo conversion some years back; they've been spending the time renovating the units in preparation for sale. Some of the units have already been sold, but when you approach the complex it's easy to tell that things are definitely different from before. The exterior has been completely redone, and the interiors...well, they're small, but look impressive overall.
First, the rental side. Yes, they will rent an apartment to you right now if you choose. What's happening is they're doing the conversions in a phased approach, currently on "Phase 5", with one additional phase remaining until completion. The complex is half and half - you have to keep driving past Villa Taviana to get to Bernardo Hills, and even then it doesn't stand out, so you're likely to miss it, which is what I did a year and a half ago when I was looking for a new place. The rental office might as well be a closet, for as small as it was. I didn't notice the Middle Eastern dominance mentioned in another review, but they could have all been at work. I did notice a lot of Mex-icans though. When I talked to the gentleman and explained the situation, he was very nice and mentioned very clearly that if I chose to rent, it would only be month-to-month and I could get a 60-day notice at any time requiring me to vacate or purchase. I decided to at least see the units to make sure I wasn't completely wasting my time.
I noticed quite the disparity between the different floor plans. The lowest 1bedroom is only a measly 544 square feet - might be sufficient for a college kid with no belongings, but for someone who's been on their own and is established, barely tolerable. There's also a 2bedroom which is 943 square feet, but only has 1 shared bathroom with two sinks - suitable for a couple, I suppose, not so great for someone with children. The floor plan that caught my attention was the "La Paz" plan - a townhouse design with two floors, corner unit. Very nicely laid out and seemed right up my alley, but as I mentioned, the rooms are quite small indeed. The combination of the living room and dining room is smaller than just my current living room alone. The newly remodeled kitchen was quite nice though, with some glass-front cabinets, stainless steel GE appliances, and very nice tiling. The-now-standard granite countertops rounded out what was quite honestly a masterpiece, and different shades are available in different units: some units focus on light color and pastels, while others focus on darker colors and darker granite. Pricing was just right too - no more than $1450 for an apartment this nice seemed like a steal. Also, you get one covered and one uncovered parking place, which is nice - but not a replacement for a garage, in my opinion.
At that point I was sold - but nervous about renting in light of possibly being kicked out. The gentlemen mentioned that prices were continuing to go down on the Villa Taviana condos, and I might want to consider just going that route if I liked the floor plan. For the record, I've never held a mortgage, never purchased a home, never tried to purchase a home. I did attempt a loan from Citi, but didn't go through with it, as their down payment requirements were rather steep at the time. But I figured, I had nothing to lose but being denied (which I fully expected to be), so I cruised over to Villa Taviana (now the "condo" part of the review).
The first thing I noticed, was that it seemed a much nicer front office, spacious and welcoming. The lady who welcomed me at the front was absolutely a pleasure to talk to and work with, although a little too "hand holding" for my taste (yes, I understand that you would need to pull a credit report - I just wanted to know what criteria on a credit review would result in an auto denial, if any). The same floor plans were in effect here, just renamed with an Italian motif rather than a Spanish one. The plan that I was interested in was now called the "Fortuna" plan - exact same plan, just for sale and not for rent. She was assisting another customer who apparently had gotten final approval - she mentioned something about taking the apartment "off reserve" - and then came and sat with me and talked about the complex. I filled out the pre-qual, she faxed it over, then I went on the tour to see the model (I already saw it, but might as well see it furnished).
It was even smaller with furniture, which frightened me at first, but I have to realize that designers are not as adept with how they design these types of complexes - they'd rather make fitness rooms and masseuses and concierges and multiple pools and whatnot rather than make the unit itself livable, but whatever.
The complex itself, by the way, had a very peaceful feel to it. There weren't many people present at the time, probably all at work during the hour I went, and it was easy to navigate. Views seem to be at a premium, as the majority of complexes just face each other. One thing that really did concern me was the parking - because this is an older complex that was converted, garages were not part of the scope. You'll receive a carport for your trouble, which seemed rather confusing...if you're going to renovate an older complex to make it condo-worthy, why not just create some detached garaging while you're at it' The grounds seemed very well kept, and grass was lush and plentiful. There's also a tennis court right smack in the center of the complex.
If you do choose to go the condo route, you'll have a tough decision to make. A few years ago these units were estimated to average $210,000 each. That's about where they are right now, but evident on their pricing sheets, the unit prices were recently reduced by about $80,000 - $95,000. That might indicate a good thing (affordability) or a bad thing (negative equity). The default finance company is Chase - and they're offering a 5% incentive if you're approved which can be applied any way you please. So you can use it to cover some of your closing costs or part of your down payment, or if you have your own down payment, you can use it towards the principal. A nice incentive...but what's ambiguous is the qualification requirements. After faxing the application, you'll need to wait for a call back from an agent who will question you about your background and potential for paying back a loan given. Reportedly, you might have to settle for a smaller unit if you're not eligible for the larger one, but I didn't get to that point.
In short - you CAN rent here, and they will accept you - but know that you could get kicked out within a week, a month, even a day...it's just unknown. If you choose to do the rental, it's a nice place, just small. I'm going to say NO, I don't recommend it, but only because of the condo conversion. If that weren't happening I would absolutely support moving here.
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User Responses
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From:
Nasdaqthecat
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Date:
07/16/2008
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Thank you sooooo much for your indepth review. I loved the fact you gave both sides rent/buy. Do you have other reviews on San Diego apartments? You're great!
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From:
revelated
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Date:
07/16/2008
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Thanks for your interest. I actually have reviewed a few apartments in San Diego county; not too many, just the ones that I've either lived at or was at least considering. The ones I've reviewed: Villas at Camino Bernardo, Ventana Luxury Condominiums (they're apartments), Reserve at 4S Ranch, Ridgewood Village, Bernardo Crest, and Village Grove Apartments.
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Disclaimer: No attempt has been made to verify or assure the accuracy of the claims made by the author of this opinion or responses. You must judge the truthfulness of any review and accept responsibility for your use of this information.
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