Briarwood

Briarwood community is well-located near Sunnyvale downtown and the Caltrain station, offering great convenience. However, it has several downsides, including an older building, lack of gated security, and limited parking. While a recent exterior renovation improved its appearance, the rent feels high for what’s offered. Overall, the location is a plus, but the value may not justify the cost.

Water shutoffs happened many times throughout the last few months that I've lived here, sometimes without any notice and for hours at a time. Caltrain goes by many times per day and you can clearly hear the horn inside the apartment and it causes the floor to shake. Half the time I've made maintenance requests, they've been marked as completed even though no one has come by to do anything. Lots of car break ins and porch thefts reported on the community board. Thin walls, I can clearly hear my neighbors. AC unit barely works and is only in the living room so good luck getting any cold air in the bedrooms without getting a portable AC unit. And now they want to charge us for having guests park for a few hours!

This townhouse is a pretty good option for roommates. 2.5 bathrooms, spacious living room and the AC are among the advantages. The location is really nice, close to the downtown, expressways and highways. The apartment has a washer and dryer inside, the community is pet-friendly, and has a nice swimming pool area. The only downside is the noise, coming from the passing Caltrain, which is something to get used to.

Our two bed and two bath is very affordable, and overall has a great floor plan for roommates as the rooms are basically identical in size. However, the walls are thin, there are a lot of bugs and the building is old. That last point doesn't usually bug me, but seeing as this unit is RIGHT next to the train tracks (like, a wall, a parking lot and then the building), the building shakes when the trains pass by.

We picked this apartment because it was affordable, and had two very equally sized bedrooms, which is great for roommates and splitting rent. However, its an older building. That usually doesn't bother me, but this complex is right next to the train tracks. There's a brick wall, a parking lot, then your building. The walls shake at night when the train goes by. Takes some getting used to, but I still wake up every once in a while. After two years, the rent has increase substantially, and we're looking for nicer digs elsewhere for less.