Selecting which apartment to rent is a daunting task. There are a hundred different variables that are important to each prospective resident. Here in the Bay Area, the proximity to BART is a very important factor. But an underrated BART location factor is it’s precise location on the BART line.

If you are commuting to San Francisco every day via BART, then riding BART is a big part of your life. Some people spend up to 3 hours per day on BART. As such, it is important to try and maximize your time on BART. The farther East on the BART line you get, the more available BART seats there are on weekday mornings. That means that you are much likelier to actually get a seat on BART, where you can spend an hour in the morning getting something done.

Think about it. If you start your day on the Eastern end of a BART line, you will always get a seat in the morning, and will always be able to read, work on your laptop, study, whatever for an extra hour every single day. That’s 5 more personal hours per week compared to someone that gets standing room only BART rides (which are more and more common as you move westward towards the city). Of course, your BART ride will be a bit longer, but the net gain will still be in your favor (assuming you will only live in East Bay).

So if you are planning to move into an apartment complex near BART, ask yourself what kind of daily BART experience are you looking for? Do you like to stand for 45 minutes? Or get personal work done for an hour? The choice is up to you.

You are probably aware that California is enduring a serious drought currently. As Californians, we all need to do our part to conserve the valuable resources. Most multifamily building residents do not pay for their own water, so it is easy to become complacent with water usage. There are several small things that tenants can do to reduce water use that are well documented, but here are a few things specific to multifamily buildings where you can help:

1. Always report a running toilet to your management. A running toilet consumes a lot more water than you would think.

2. Always report damaged sprinkler heads. This problem is a big water-waster.

3. Does your sink/tub drip? We can fix that. Just let us know.

4. We recommend taking brief showers in lieu of baths during this drought period.

If every tenant did these small tasks, California would stand to save a sizeable amount of water in 2015. Do your part to preserve our water.

Everything is starting to bud and bloom! What are you doing to enjoy this lovely change in weather?