Avalon Willow Glen

I just recently moved to the Avalon willow glen and I have had a pretty horrible first week so far! We decided to get a third floor unit because it was a cheaper one and since we were moving from a house to an apartment, we just wanted something fast and cheap. Mind you this three story building is so out dated, it doesn’t have a freakin elevator! So I lug my infant in her car seat up the FOUR flights of stairs everyday (I know, poor choice on my part…) any who! Soon after we started living here, we found out the parking situation is Aweful! My car was hit on the second night we were here, and the third or fourth night I had to park in the streets OUTSIDE of the gates! We ended up buying a second garage so I don’t have to deal with lugging the baby down the stairs & all the way to the street. Then, we have had to come back to the office three times to have our key fobs reprogrammed because apparently that’s difficult to do (or remember to do). Then the other day I was told my service dog’s certificate isn’t good enough and they asked me to provide a doctors note saying WHY I have the dog and that I NEED the dog to live with me… This is illegal. Anywho! I could go on… But I’ll give that another few months!
****UPDATE****
So! Since its been a month and one week since we moved in, & you’d think I’d be updating that I LOVE it now and I’m settling in nicely, but I’m NOT! Things that have happened since the last time I wrote:
— I had to have my water heater replaced. If I didn’t call Sierra directly, it would’ve taken them three days to answer my request. How do I know? Oh, let me tell you! (Btw, the maintenance guys came out the next day with a different water heater, didn’t ask questions, just replaced it! Thank you!)
— that’d be because my dryer went out! And instead of being a nag (I feel like I’m calling a lot and complaining a lot since moving in.) I just put in a simple service request online. They called my boyfriend at work asking if something was wrong with the dryer… Like he would know anything is wrong with the dryer… So he called me then had to call them back (he’s a middle man service, I told him to tell them to CALL ME and he gave them my number) they came out 10 min after that call and he did his thing, made sure it wasn’t working said «You’re right! It’s not working I’ll have to order this part and come back tomorrow» ok. *tmrw comes* nothing. Not a call, not a show up… Two days pass then I have to do laundry again and realize (I have pregnancy brain, forgive me!) MY DRYER ISNT FIXED YET!!! So I call down and ask Breanne if someone is coming or what’s going on? She sends someone out. New guy, has to check and see what’s wrong. I told him «The other guy said he ordered a part, is it not here»?? Oh no I have to check and see what’s wrong… K. 5 min later; «nothing’s wrong, everything looks fine». Um, no! Had to explain to him wtf the problem was myself because the last guy wasn’t even a maintenance guy!!! He was a painter or some bull shit?!! Ugh, so I convince this guy finally to just get me a new dryer, he said «ok, we will do that». Saw him later that day and he confirmed it’ll be there that Thursday and they’d come at 10am. Guess what, Thursday 10am comes, not a call nothing! 11,11:30… I finally called around 11:30 and said um… They coming with my dryer?! Oh yea, sorry we were looking for one. Mmmhmm, just hurry up I have things to do. Got that replaced FINALLY.
— now we come to today. 5÷25÷16. My boyfriend goes down to his work van parked inside the gates of this very nice looking complex, and his AT&T work van was broken into. What.the.EFF AVALON WILLOW GLEN!!! I just want to know how much it’s going to cost us to break the lease because as soon as we find a house, we are OUT OF HERE! Save yourself the agony! Stay away!!!

We have been here for a few months now and couldn’t be more happy. From the time we came in to look at apartments, Jonathan was so awesome and patient helping us find the best one for us. Truly everyone in the office has been great.
Before moving in we heard parking could be an issue so we took the chance and got a garage along with a car port. Let me tell you, it’s worth it! Depending on your schedule, the parking could be a down side.
Any time we’ve needed something fixed we have gotten immediate responses with great service.
So far we are loving it here. We’re on the top so noise is limited, or we just have great neighbors. Either way, we’re very happy here!

Hi, they came towards our needs and increased the lease only by 300. Thankful for that.

I have friends that live in other apartment complexes and they have had several issues. I have lived here for a few years now and the repairs are taken care in a timely manner. The staff is wonderful and very helpful. I enjoy living at Avalon Willow Glen within its safe community.

After living in a few other places, I really miss living at Avalon Willow Glen. The parking can be rough, but if you just lease a spot you’ll be fine. Parking is an issue at most apartment complexes in the San Jose area, so get used to it. The complex I’m in now is supposed to be «luxury», and the management staff is so inept they can’t even correct the simplest of issues — which makes me really miss the folks at Avalon.
The staff is responsive and keeps on top of packages and anything you need. As far as apartment complexes, Avalon does a good job even during times of transition. There were issues, as with every large scale complex — but they were addressed immediately and didn’t become major problems. The place is relatively quiet and close to a few shopping centers for the essentials. If you can afford it, this place is a solid place to live.

We spent weeks looking for an apartment in San Jose while living in Las Vegas. Not knowing San Jose at all, we relied on Unilocal and Google for reviews and info on the neighborhoods in San Jose as well as the apartment communities. I was immediately drawn to Avalon Willow Glen, and called in to find out pricing and availability. Jonathan took my call, and was so friendly and helpful in describing the area around the apartment as well as the general layout and demographic. I flew in to town a few weeks later, met him and walked the vacant apartment and knew this was the one for us. Once we moved in, we really enjoyed the area and convenience to everything. Jonathan became more of a friend to us, rather than someone just getting you to sign a lease and then was over it. He treated us like guests in his own home until the day we left. We only spent a year, as I travel for work often and found myself back in Pittsburgh PA this year, but this is a great apartment community to live in.
We read in a review that you should plan on purchasing a garage or carport as parking gets sparse after 6pm, so we did so and I am so happy we did. If you read this, make sure to do the same thing, it’s worth the extra money.
Overall, I had a wonderful year in Avalon Willow Glen and want to thank Jonathan for all of his help, guidance and generosity. He made our move stress free and our stay nice and cozy. I would highly recommend this community.

PI wish we never moved here. If im paying almost 3000.00 dollars for apartment i should have right to park in my complex. Theres never parking for not one of my vihacles. Your apartment will begin to fall apart after a month. If your late on your rent in less than 5 days you will have
letter posted on your door, so everyone can see your a loser. Dog doo doo everywhere. The only thing keeping me here is lease and this place full racists who think im the landscaper. This is the truth.

We have lived here for one year and have greatly enjoyed our time living here. The layout of our two bedroom apartment is much better than any other we have loved in. The apartment has a nice flow, and plenty of closet space. It is a quiet complex and our baby is never disturbed by neighbor noise. The office staff is always considerate, puts on events often, and is great about addressing resident concerns and making sure resident rules are followed. We also love the neighborhood and believe that the neighborhood and the layout and spaciousness of our apt is worth every penny we pay to live here. There is a loop in the neighborhood where we walk our dog, and a park near by for our child to play. The community also has two pools which are kept clean and are kid friendly, and a gym! The location of this apartment is also great for families as it is near Oakridge, Almaden Plaza, and Downtown Willow Glen. We love it here.

Avalon Willow Glen is a great place to live if you are looking for a quiet, well run, clean, safe, maintained and enjoyable housing group. The staff are friendly and super competent from the director Breanne to our incredibly awesome consultant Sierra. Questions, requests, email, and phone messages are answered in a very timely manner. It is hard to find a better staff. Our three maintenance requests were handled quickly and done correctly the 1^st time. Great place.

I have been living in this community for 2 years. This is a good place, if you are looking for 12 month stay. My apartment rent has increased by $ 400 which is very steep and beats the purpose of staying far away from office.

I’ve lived here a number of years. My assessment should mean something then, I hope. Let me first say the company is run by a board that reports to share holders… Hmm if your somewhat intelligent you know where this segment is gonna go. The rent is outrageous and each year they will raise it $ 300.00 and will not stop. I am a nurse in this area and with two kids, I can barely survive and save any money due to these investment brokers running away with my money. The Federal Government recently was concerned because people cant save to buy homes anymore. Well thanks government for saying something after I’ve been ripped off with high rent costs and sticking up for me. Thank you? I guess. Crooks to the right and crooks to the left. About the apartment, they don’t replace carpeting, they allow loud music and disruptive neighbors. Their security is non-​existent because if you call them they don’t come or respond. I’ve met many families during my time here and all moved out (over 7 families playing with my kids), they couldn’t keep up with the rent. They will bring you in at 2400 a month and will skyrocket it to over 3000 before you know it, well over the 8% per year rate as stipulated by law. As of the apartment, its old, cmon, really old. The cheapest paint, cheapest appliances that break frequently. I’ve had my car keyed once, yea my 44,000 car and they put out a pamphlet warning of people breaking into cars and i have seen the glass outside on about 5 cars in a row all broken windows, wow, I mean I feel really bad for those people. Don’t mean to be so negative but for 2500 – 3200 a month I’d expect a little more from my property owner and investors. Oh and one more thing, there is no sense of community here, none at all. neighbors are always new, then leave, in and out, actually I am out finally I paid the increase 5 times, sorry I have other things in my life I need to spend that money on, our economy needs it, America needs it.

I had the worst experience at this apartment. While the grounds are beautiful, the apartments are cheaply made and feel like it.
The carpets were not cleaned prior to moving in, the garbage disposal was weak, and the walls and flooring are paper thin. As a result of the paper thin walls and floors we frequently had issues with a neighbor who was convinced that we were the source of the problem and would harass us daily. The front office was disinclined to do anything about it and pretty much let us know that we needed to deal with the issue ourselves. Which was ridiculous as the front office staff is supposed to deal with these types of things — that is what they’re paid to do. They seemed to be more worried about getting new tenants in than dealing with the existing people who were paying an arm and a leg for rent.
While living there I saw a lot of crime — an officer had to borrow my keys in order to get into the back pool so that he could continue chasing down a suspect. Our mailbox was broken into on several occasions, and we often had people who would come door to door to ‘sell’ things. When we complained about the crime we were told that «Crime happens everywhere». Gosh, thanks.
There was never enough parking — I don’t feel like they could be bothered to actually tow people who weren’t supposed to be there. That was a theme here — no one on staff really cared about addressing issues that popped up in the community.
And finally our rent went up by 500/​month. That’s when we finally decided to leave. I wouldn’t recommend this complex to anyone — it’s not in a super awesome area and you can find better deals out there in San Jose.

I have lived here for two years now but now its the time to move (due to rent increase and I cannot justify this increase given the location and incredibly bad parking situation). Although, overall I liked this place. Its quiet and close to stores and markets but its away from my work as I have to take 87 and 101 (for a few miles) which makes my commute a nightmare. Finding an open parking spot is again painful, (I have parked on the streets so many times). Its supposed to be a gated community but I have seen people tailgaiting in pretty easily!).
Now, for the increased rent I can easily find a place up north where I can stay closer to work, get an assigned parking and avoid the 87 and 101 traffic. Just paying an extra $ 200 and still staying here doesnt make sense.
This is a good place if you are ok with traffic on 87 and 101 and pay extra for an assigned parking spot.

The Manager, Stephanie, and her staff are wonderful. They are compassionate, caring and helpful. This is one of many reasons I love living at Avalon.

TL;DR? — Avalon Willow Glen is a great place to live! Awesome, friendly staff made living there a blast.
I moved into Avalon Willow Glen and lived there from 2013 — 2015. The first unit I moved into was located in Building 10 on the first floor. I knew moving in I was going to pay for assigned parking, since I read on Unilocal (thanks!!) that parking is tough! (This is not unique to Avalon! Just read other Unilocal reviews!) I lived in the first unit for a year with no issues directly related to the complex (great neighbors, amazing staff, friendly maintenance around the complex! — there were some fireworks being shot off every so often, but the issue was completely out of Avalon Willow Glen’s hands…)
In 2014, I moved to Building 00, living on the third floor. I faced Rubino Circle and was right next to a community access gate. Pro-​tip: If you’re looking to address the tough parking, get a unit near an access gate! Many residents seem to park on Rubino Cir, which can be easier than hunting for a spot in the complex after a certain time.
Similar to my first year, the unit in Building 00 was great. The views (those sunsets!) were amazing! Again, we had quiet neighbors and the staff (name dropping here — Carrie, Sara, Jonathan are great!) continued being awesome. During the year, we added a new member to our lease — a puppy! One thing I wasn’t aware of was a pet fee in addition to a pet deposit. In my search, I’ve found some apartments charge this and others don’t. Personally, the «poop» stations located around the complex were convenient enough to justify the prices. But, something to consider if you’re bringing a four legged roommate with you! Plus, there were «WAG» events, which were a nice touch for us pet owners!
One thing I must touch upon: A lot of Unilocalers complain about the rent increase, but let’s not kid ourselves here — rent increases are not unique to Avalon Willow Glen. It’s a Bay Area problem. The way Avalon determines their prices will determine the «shock» value when the increase comes up. Depending on a variety of factors, you could move in during a «high» time or «low» time. My first year, I moved in during a «low» time, where there were a glut of apartments, so prices were much more affordable then. With the increase came the «correction» (or, «shock») and I decided to move into a more appropriate unit for the second year.
Unfortunately, I did have one issue that again, seems to be a Bay Area issue: I had two bikes stolen. They were chained to the stair railing outside my complex. I don’t blame Avalon for this, but it’s something to be aware of — the complex is located near an area which isn’t the best. (Fireworks…) Especially when compared to the nicer residential area of Rubino Cir. — On a side note, GEICO renters insurance totally had my back (that’s another review, though…)
Overall, nice apartments, good amenities (I didn’t hit the gym, so I can’t comment on it, BUT HEY FOOD TRUCKS!!), and a friendly staff made Avalon Willow Glen a great place to live! If you personally hate the malls during Black Friday because of the horrendous parking, definitely get a garage or carport! (Or live near Rubino Cir with a gate access!) And finally, if you have a pet — pick up after them! There are poop stations all around the complex you’re paying for. Be a good pet owner (and a decent human being).
Rating: 4.5 Stars, rounded up!

would put negative stars if I could. getting kicked out of the pool after not making any noise. after the bullshit of selling my parking spot and barging into apartment. do not live here. horrible experience.

Well, so far I am happy with this place. I have been living here for almost 5 months and so far so good. Of course, it is not perfect, but I would say that it is pretty good compared to complaints I have seen from friends who live in more expensive complexes. The price, actually, was one of the main factors why we chose to move in here, leaving the more central area of San Jose, close to Santa Clara, Sunnyvale, where we used to live. Our contract is of $ 1925 for 1 Bed. For the same price, we visited a lot of horrible places in Sunnyvale, Santa Clara, Cupertino.
What I mostly like here:
The patio: Depending on the location of the apartment, you may get a patio instead of the balcony. We got the patio and I have to say that this space is amazing. The patio also gives you a lot of privacy because your door is not on the corridor, but inside your patio, and there is a little gate to get in.
Close to the stores: Seriously, we are close to every single store you may need. We have the mall 6 – 7 minutes away (Target, Macys etc), Costco, Trader Joes, Produce, Whole Foods, TJ Max are also 7 – 9 minutes away. You basically do not need to go anyplace else, ever again. We are also 6 – 7 minutes away from downtown Willow Glen, which is very charming and also have some restaurants, cafes. I like Crepeville a lot!
The neighborhood: our surroundings are very nice! We are on Rubino Drive, which is a circle with town houses, very clean and calm. Not a lot of cars passing by, and you can walk, jog on the sidewalk. I love it!
It is quiet, good neighbors: We have not had any problems with neighbors so far. Everyone is respectful, there are good families here. I have not seen a lot of little kids running around, so I guess this is a more «adult» complex.
The staff: The staff here is very nice and I have to say that I never felt mistreated in any way. Actually, one of the reasons we liked here so much when we came to see the apartment for the first time was the customer associate, Jonathan. He explained everything with details, and there was not a moment when we felt like he was bored or in a hurry to get back to his desk, like we have felt in other places we visited. Besides, every time I go to the office to ask something or to get a package, they never make you wait and they are always polite.
The complex is new: Oh, this is so important to us! This buildings were built in 2004 (I believe), which is pretty good in comparison to places that we saw in more expensive cities around the bay. The buildings are nice, the landscape too. Inside, the carpets do not have big stains (we have some little ones in ours, that we documented when we came in) and everything has been working pretty good. The kitchen cabinets are great. there is a lot of them and, even though the material is not wood, but some kind of synthetic material, it is new and does not smell, like the old wood cabinets usually do.
The not so good points:
Parking: Yes, I think parking should be included in the price you are paying for rent, but it is not. If you want to have your assigned parking spot, you have to pay $ 50 for the open one and $ 100 monthly for the garage. This is very expensive. I complain because I always have things in the car to bring in, usually heavy stuff, and sometimes, depending on the time you get home, you will park far from your building entrance or outside, on the street. I have parked 5 or 6 times on the street, in days that I got home after 11:00 pm. However, if you get here around 7, 8PM, you can still get a decent spot.
Dirty corridors: This is something that has bothered me a lot. The corridors are never cleaned (I, at least, have never seen them do it), so it is always full of leaves, spider webs, and gross dust. I think this is important because it is the entrance of your home. The day I had visitors, I swept the entrance of my apartment, because it was very dirty.
Dump divers: We had some problem with that for the first month or so, right when we moved in. We were desperate, we thought we were gonna have this problem repeatedly. It was usually late in the night and they made a lot of noise. We called security, but they never got here in time to catch them. I do not know if the security improved its system or what happened, but I have not seen the dump divers lately. Lets see what happens… (It is for one side a good point)
Summing up everything I said, I would recommend this place if you are tired of paying super high prices for horrible places in the more central area of San Jose. I would also recommend it, if you like a quiet neighborhood and a nice looking complex with a friendly staff.

I’ve lived here, in two different apartments over the course of 5 years. I’ll start with the positive:
— I’ve always found the staff accommodating, friendly, and easy to work with. They were very patient with me on a few personal issues I had while living here when I needed to move from a 2 bedroom to a 1 bedroom. They were extremely helpful in making the process as painless as possible.
— Maintenance is fast, good, and friendly. I always prefer to be here for any repairs and they are able to work around my busy schedule.
— Easy-​to-​use online payment and appointment scheduling system.
— Relatively quiet for apartment living — there is a good amount of space between you and your neighbor’s front door.
— Clean, somewhat contemporary fixtures and flooring. They are also really forgiving on the customization of your apartment and offer to paint it prior to move-​in for an extra fee. I have always chosen this as I’m not a fan of all-​white, plus it almost guarantees anything you’ve done to the walls won’t come out of your deposit.
— If you like to go for walks or runs, Rubino circle is actually a really nice place to do that. Rubino park is cute, clean and almost never crowded.
— Clean pool and gym facilities. Their equipment is actually fairly new but nothing amazing. It gets the job done with the basics though.
— The staff will always sign for your packages at the front office. More than once, I’ve asked them to drop it off in front of my apartment if I knew I wouldn’t make it home during their office hours, and they’ve even called me a couple times to offer when I had obviously ordered something perishable. This can be a life saver.
–Pet friendly (for a price).
— Close to virtually anything you could need, though it’s not walkable. You have Safeway, Lucky’s, Sprouts, Whole Foods, Trader Joes, Costco, Walmart right up the street. It’s also just a few minutes to Almaden Lake which is another great running trail. Downtown Willow Glen is fun too, it’s just a bit sleepy in the evening for my tastes and you’d still need to drive.
— CENTRAL air conditioning and heating. It’s awesome and not horribly expensive, and I feel like I run it quite a bit in the summer, and in December/​January. Full-​size washer and dryer too.
And now for the negative:
— Parking. As others have said, it can be tough. It used to be easier, because I lived in the back right corner of the complex facing Foxworthy. I now live in the first building facing Rubino Circle and it’s tougher on this side. I think $ 50 – 75 a month extra just to park is crazy-​talk. I’m lucky in that I have a key to the walk-​in gates so I just park right outside my building if I can’t find a spot inside. I’d say that happens to me about 30% of the time I park. For me personally, it’s not a big deal, but I could see that being really irritating for someone living on the interior of the community. They also really tightened up the regulations recently and so far, it’s made no difference as I can tell.
— Pet friendly. I don’t have a pet, but the concept of pet rent has always been stupid to me. I completely understand the extra deposit because animals can be a mess to clean up after, but rent? Last time I checked the dogs and cats aren’t out bringing in any income to contribute to their living expenses. This seems like an «everyone else is doing it» kind of policy that would be a really nice perk for pet owners if it wasn’t there. I love animals so I don’t mind the occasional bark but if you don’t, I’d think twice before moving in.
— This is a nit pick since it only happened once while I was here, but the brief period of time where they were updating the gate system was chaotic. They had every resident coming in under pretty short notice and only over the course of a couple days to turn in their gate keys, sign a form and get new ones that then had to be programmed. I made the mistake of coming after work and it took a REALLY long time. I get that the gate needs to be maintained but I felt like they probably could have given each building an assigned period to do it or something so you didn’t have everyone clamoring to get it done at the same time. On top of that, the update was delayed anyway. I felt bad for the staff dealing with all the angry people who waited in their office for hours.
— Price. It ain’t cheap, and your rent will always go up. Their month-​to-​month rates are a joke. Another «everyone else is doing it» policy, so it’s hard for me to blame the staff. Unfortunately we live in a landscape where renters can easily be replaced at the highest bidder so I’ve found the lease re-​signing experience more and more painful as time goes on. It’s about on par with the competition and all the other places I looked at told me they were doing the same to their current residents, and sounds like it’s a domino effect from SF. Certainly makes being a renter right now tough and depressing!
Overall, I’ve had a good experience living here and have always felt safe.

I came in to ask about availability and pricing and the agent (I think his name was Jonathan Nguyen) refused to give me any information. He told me I needed to go to the website and that they do not show apartments to walk-​ins. There was another agent sitting there doing nothing and neither of them would help me.
One of the residents let me in and I walked around and there seems to be very little parking (all full on Saturday at 10AM). Apparently the one-​bedrooms run about $ 2000 and the two bedrooms start around $ 2500.
If this is how they treat people BEFORE they rent here, I’m sure they’re much more rude and incompetent AFTER they’ve gotten you to sign the lease. I will not be renting here!

We began our lease about a month ago (beginning of December 2013), and so far we really like it! We’re renting an 870 square foot 2 bed/​2 bath that feels MUCH larger due to the raised ceilings in the living room/​dining are and kitchen. This was the only high-​rated place on Unilocal (3.5 stars plus with multiple reviews) that would actually tell me what the REAL price was for the unit (just call Elements and etc. and you’ll see what I mean! «Come in tomorrow and we can tell you, it’s between 2200 and 2600,» lol!!!). This place was also significantly lower than the competition with the same offerings… full-​sized washer and dryer in unit, gym on site (24 hours!!!), heated pool, spa. We’ve really been enjoying all of the amenities at this place, especially since we have an infant and a toddler.
Our newest discovery… a fantastic park only 2 blocks walking distance away! If you’re a runner/​jogger, there’s plenty of space in this nice neighborhood as well to go for a spin. I’m looking forward to taking our double stroller around this area!
The downside… not walking distance from cafes/​stores/​major hang-​out areas, other than Rubino Park. We’ve loved that it’s central to the freeways but at the same time QUIET! Except for our screaming toddler. Sorry about that neighbors! ;) Actually, our neighbors next door also have a noisy toddler that we NEVER hear. Now you know that the construction is good on these places! Some of the gym equipment is broken too, but maintenance here seems to fix things pretty quickly after you file a work order. Parking is also sparse if you are trying to find it late at night, as garages and carports cost an additional 50 to 75 $ a month (as opposed to the general parking which is free).