Living in Westwood Part #3 - City of "Goodbyes"

At Zuma Housing we've been blogging and marketing about how many apartments we have rented, how many are still available, etc.. From our perspective, Move-In and Move-Out period at the end of each month is a hectic process in which we strive to make all of our tenants happy.  We are constantly busy and stressed about filling in all the spots, scheduling cleaning on time, finishing the touch-ups before the new person moves in, arranging parking spots, and many other details.

However, as someone who has lived in Zuma Housing for more than a year, and experienced the student life in Westwood, I know that there is a whole story going on behind the move ins/outs.   

In Westwood, big memories fit in small time periods. When time is limited, everything you experience gets "intense".  Friendships, love affairs, parties, finals...  You can call someone your best friend in 3 days! Even if you are here temporary as an international student, making new friends won't be difficult. You will be amazed how close you feel with the new friends you make in such short time. 

So this intense and amazing connection with people around you has a bad side to it: Every month you have to say farewell to another best friend of yours! And believe me that is difficult! 

Yesterday, I found myself crying at the airport after saying goodbye for a very dear friend of mine. It's the feeling of "end of an era" or "not knowing what to do without him/her" that hurts the most. And that feeling lead the title of my article today... 

So dear newcomers: Prepare yourself for an intense journey which you'll create some of the best memories you'll ever have!

Hurry Up and get your room for September!

Dear Zuma Housing Followers:

As of today, we have passed the HALF-WAY mark!
41 out of 80 available beds are GONE!

So if you don't want to start this FALL homeless(!), call us now to book your spot..

(424) 8323024

Fall is Coming Early This Year!

As Zuma Housing we are so excited to have started renting our September apartments for 2012. 15 out 80 beds have been rented since August 2nd. So this ratio shows that if you still didn't start your apartment search for September, you better stop being lazy and knock our office door.

In previous months many times I had to say "sorry guys no more available apartments" after the 20th of the month, and then I used to add my favorite line: "I told you to come earlier!...!.." This month I'am saying it and I am writing it in advance! So there is no excuses.  

Insider News:   

We proudly present...

After we started our marketing campaign in UCLA campus, more and more students have been reaching out to us on a daily basis. So we made it our mission to get new apartments in Westwood not to let our customers down. The result: Zuma Housing got 10 more apartments!! Currently, they are under construction to be ready for you starting from August 15th. Here is some pictures from our new apartments :)

Living In Westwood Part #2 - Which Bank to Choose

No! Having, saving, spending money is not a game anymore! If you have left the comfort of your fancy room in your parents' house to survive on your own, you will need to learn to manage your finances.
So lesson #1, open up a bank account as soon as you arrive:

If you don't want to rush in openning an account in a US bank, it's okay, but don't forget you'll be paying a lot of extra commision while withdrawing your money. Also, you might be charged more for your credit card payments due to unsteady exchange rates.  (To get a better idea on how to open a bank account you might want to read John Dicken's article on Santa Barbara Community-International Student Guide (http://bit.ly/MXMA08))

A little bit of personal story here: I went to Citibank on March 2010, to open a bank account. I brought my documents, some money to start the account and opened a saving+checking account. That was the easy and fast part. However, my hopes went down the drain, as I got declined for my credit card application. In my home country, noone gets rejected for a credit card application! So it was kind of a shock at first, however looking back at those days, I am very glad that they didn't let me have one. As I said, it's not a game anymore, and credit cards are much harder to handle. 

The reason I chose Citibank, is because I already have a Citibank account in my home country, and I don't pay commision when I withdraw money from Citibank or 7-Eleven ATM's. Here, the focus is on "7-Eleven" because they are present in almost EVERY corner in LA and it's a great privilage to withdraw money without paying commision. As you may already know 7-Eleven is an international convenience store and their famous logo is on the right as a reminder :)

Here is a usual complaint that we hear a lot from our tenants:
"I need to withdraw $800 for my rent. Since the ATM doesn't allow me to do it at once, I need to take it as 2 payments. This means I need to pay 2 times the commission ($2.50 each)."
Paying $5.00 extra might not sound too much of a deal, but believe me every single penny counts in this town.  

If you are not a Citibank fan, other popular options are Bank of America, Chase Bank, and Wells Fargo. However I don't have one-to-one experience with these banks.
Once you are done with saving your money in a safe bank, you can just relax in the streets of Westwood just like we did...

Please email your ideas/questions about Living in Westwood to deni@zumahousing.com

Thank you and see you next Monday!

Zuma Housing Invades UCLA Campus!

After hearing so many complaints from UCLA students about the difficulty of finding a nice and cheap apartment around UCLA, we decided to increase our advertisements within the campus! 



We proudly announce that starting from August 1st, Zuma Housing will be advertised on the kiosks by Wooden, Franz/MS, Dodd buildings. 

Zuma Housing Calls out to Landlords in Westwood

Dear landlords of Westwood, CA;

Over the last 3 years Zuma Housing has been successfully playing the role of building bridges between the landlords and tenants. The fact that we are getting more and more phone calls from different landlords requesting our service proves us right. 

          


Here are some reasons why the landlords we currently work with have chosen Zuma Housing: 

• ·        We come highly referred by those who work with us, and UCLA has ranked us as the #1 company in short-term housing.
• ·         We commit to a one-year lease with our vendors and often have multiple apartments in each building, solving vacancy issues for your company. Currently, we have lease agreements with more than 100 apartment units, serving to more than 500 residents.
• ·         We take full financial responsibility during our tenure and give a personal guarantee that payments will be made on time and in full.
• ·         We maintain the apartment’s condition with frequent inspections, cleanings and timely response to any maintenance needs.
• ·         We provide the managers with legal documentation for each tenant upon request. We make sure the legal documents such as a Passport, U.S Visa, and an I-20 are valid and approved by the U.S government.
• ·         Our contract includes strictly enforced Rules and Regulations, such as:

o   No smoking

o   No pets

o   No illegal drugs

o   No excessive noise

o   Cleanliness in the apartment (enforced by inspection)

So let us worry about finding the best tenants for your unit while you can enjoy the rest of your summer!

To get information about our references please call:

424-832-3024

Zuma Housing is #1 in Short Term Rentals

             

                                                                                                                                                                                    

3 years of hard-work and dedication pays off: 

**Zuma Housing is listed #1 at UCLA Short Term Housing Resources website**

Check it yourself @ http://map.ais.ucla.edu/portal/site/UCLA