Review History for anonymous

Crestmont at Ballantyne


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anonymous

Resident 2008

10/17/2009

My situation: I came to Charlotte on an internship and called around asking for three-month leases on furnished apartments. Very few gave me the time of day, and most that did wanted exorbitant furniture rental rates and slapped on short-term lease surcharges to boot. Crestmont was the exception: rent was high ($870 for a one-bedroom), but there were no surcharges (unless they were built in without my knowledge). They also only charged $170 per month for furnishings, whereas most places wanted roughly $500. Since nobody else would cut me a deal that was close to that, Crestmont got the deal. They waived half of the pre-lease fees and only asked for a small deposit. On top of that, since I was leaving halfway through the third month, they even shaved about ten days off the lease during the time I wouldn't be there. Or so I thought. The Good: It's a nice-looking place. Adequate parking, well-landscaped, and pretty safe given that it's in the Ballantyne area. Inside it is, for the most part, very nice-looking. There are gas logs and stoves, linen and coat closets, and good-sized rooms in the apartments. There are washer and dryer hookups and an on-site laundry room if you don't have your own appliances and don't want to rent them ($40/mo. when I was there). There are two shopping centers within a mile or two, and it's close to 485 (exit 61). It's also about 4 miles from SC, where gas is 15-20 cents cheaper, making it worth the trip across state lines. The Bad: There are a few minor inconveniences. One of them is the fact that it's a few miles away from a sewage treatment plant. You don't always smell it, but I'd say about half the time it's noticeable, particularly at night. It's not so bad that you cough and gag when you smell it, but it's still unpleasant. Noise carries very well here. Also, the kitchen is not well-built. It's visually appealing, but the cabinet doors are flimsy and starting to come apart. There's also, in my apartment at least, a gap between the pantry and the wall that's about a square inch around and who-knows-how-deep. What's the problem with that, you ask? Bugs. Rush hour traffic is also a bit of an issue in this particular area. At 7:45am it takes two light cycles to make a right onto Johnston Rd. from Ballantyne Commons, only to wait in a mile-long line to get on westbound 485. All told it'll take about 15 minutes just to get to 485 in rush hour. Then once you're on 485 it's anybody's guess as to how long you'll need to get to 77 on any given morning, since it's the most congested and unpredictable section of the beltway. Anyone from Charlotte probably knows that, but if you're moving here from out of town, keep that in mind for any place you look at in Ballantyne or Pineville. Consider taking the train if you're working downtown. There was also no ceiling light in my bedroom. There was a place for one, but it was covered up by a plastic plate. When I asked about getting one installed, I was told they wouldn't do it because I was on a short-term lease and it would cost about $70. Not sure why that bothers them when they made over $2500 off of me, and I'd be leaving it there when I left. The only light in the room was from a 60-watt bulb in the lamp on the nightstand, meaning it was very, very dim in there. I probably could have put one in and pointed to a tenant improvement clause in the lease, but never got around to it. My biggest complaint, however, is with the office. The only agent I ever dealt with was Brian, who is a nice guy and did his job well. But one day I got a call from him asking me to come into the office sometime and sign a piece of paperwork. That piece of paperwork amounted to a mandatory extension of the lease. When I signed, it was to run through the 22nd of the last month, but later they unilaterally decided it was to run through the end of the month. The only reason I signed the paper was, as an employee of a CPA firm during busy season, I simply did not have time in the coming weeks to fight about it. The bottom line: It looks nice, but it's not worth it. I didn't live there long enough to get a good feel for the management, but regardless I will not be back after wrongly being forced out of $300. Reading other reviews on here, it looks like it went under new management a couple of years ago and they haven't been good about keeping the place up, so who knows how long it'll stay in good condition. Look elsewhere. 10/17 Edit: Someone please tell the residents that you don't make left turns into a traffic circle.

    Review 25 out of 71

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    Crestmont at Ballantyne

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