I have lived in this apartment since May 2006 and will be moving out in October 2007. Overall, the rent is reasonable. Mine is $720 (went up from $699) for a 3 Bedroom, 2 Bath. Split, between 3 people, that's only $240 a month. Another perk is the neutral decor. No tacky brass chandelier, no blue carpet, no out of date cabinet hardware or bathroom light fixtures. The whole apartment is pretty much a blank canvas. The grounds are pretty. The historic Pizitz house is the welcome center and there is always a landscaping crew working every morning. The neighborhood behind the complex is cute and a good place to walk. You can also walk at the Vestavia High School track or the ballpark across the highway and Ladies Riviera Fitness is across the street.

We did have roaches when we first moved in. Maintenance said there is no routine service, but if you call, they'll come spray. And they did whenever we wanted (I think they came twice) and the bugs are gone. I never had a problem that maintenance wouldn't come fix. Even little picky things like spraying foam around the pipes under our sinks to keep out the curry stench from the neighbors below, which worked.

The main problems for me were the other residents and the location. This is a family apartment complex. If you are a young person thinking you're moving to a fun place, you will be disappointed. People live here just to get in the Vestavia school system, so you have constant children playing in the breezeway and being very loud. They also lounge on the stairs and don't seem to notice that you are walking by with an armful of groceries. Children play and ride their bikes in the parking lot as opposed to the playground, which is bizarre to me. And families stroll their children through the parking lot at night--also bizarre. I guess this isn't a problem so much as annoying.

Also, there is not a lot of parking. This is a relative statement, since compared to most apartments downtown or in Homewood, this place would seem to have TONS of parking. But for how many people live in one building, the parking seems very full, almost as if every resident has two or more cars.

But the worst thing is the location. Vestavia Hills is a long drive from downtown Birmingham, where I work. It doesn't seem like it on the Saturday when you go look at the apartment. And although it's just a few miles from downtown, the traffic is always slow. The redlights are annoying. The slow-moving old people and soccer moms are rampant. It takes me 20 minutes or more to get to work. That's pretty bad for what mapquest shows is a 12 minute drive.

All in all, if I could pick it up and set it in downtown Homewood, I would probably keep living there for a little while longer.

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