I've been at this apartment probably longer than just about anyone - through two apartments and 3 owners. While the first owners (Trammel Crow) provided the best experience, the current owners have not been a problem.

Northland has actually gone and removed some fees, like the amenities fee. Unfor- tunately, they haven't removed all the fees Avalon instituted, but they have stopped increasing the rent at 5 to 7% per year. You still have to pay for water, and the billing company (MINOL-MTR) is pretty haphazard and not very professional.

The apartment is pretty safe from a crime standpoint, but people drive into and within the complex way too fast. Plus the complex has quite a few blind spots on the roadways and parking lots. I'm always afraid I'll hit some poor kid some summer's evening.

Traffic is heavy because of the mall, especially on weekends and holidays. During the Christmas shopping rush, they have added a policeman to direct traffic. I still think it's easier to go over to the traffic light and exit there. The West Side apartments are considerably closer to this entrance.

Noise between adjacent apartments is not a problem. I have never heard my adjacent neighbors. I almost never hear the traffic on Buckland Hills Drive. However, I do hear major impacts in the apartment above me, like 100 lb objects being dropped from 3 ft up. This started happening with my new neighbors; Lord knows what they are doing upstairs.

Try to get a second floor apartment. That will decrease the noise, the bugs, and the heating bill, because you benefit from heating in adjacent apartments. Getting a southwest-facing apartment will help too.

The bugs are a problem mainly if you live near the woods on the first floor. No roaches or anything disgusting, but spiders do come in. Mostly they came under the door. Since they resealed the door, that problem has mostly gone away. Other things like snakes, raccoons, and strange rodents (NOT rats or mice) come out of those woods too, so if these things bother you, pick an apartment away from the central woods and the pond.

Maintenance has been good. I've never had an emergency problem, so I can't comment on that. However, they've typically responded on the day of the request or the next business day after. They've always been polite. So have the leasing office staff.

Two bedroom apartments there were nice but don't have enough storage space. The large one bedroom apartment I moved into in 1996 has considerably more storage space than the two bedroom unit, because of the large walk-in closets. Otherwise, the two bedroom apartments are well-designed for a roommate situation. They have a bed and bath either side of the living/dining/kitchen area.

The apartments do have washer/dryer connections. Buy a washer and dryer unless you are staying short-term. The washer/dryer rentals are ripoffs - very expensive and bad equipment.

The other appliances are fine, except for the water heater and the stove/oven. The water heater is outside and has trouble providing adequate hot water in winter. It's not the water heater's fault. The apartment designers should never have placed it outdoors (What were they smoking'!). The gas oven does not have an automatic cut-off if the flame goes out, so it requires supervision when in use. My roommate almost blew us up once when she was cooking late at night and fell asleep.

The place is nicely landscaped. The pools, tennis courts, and the raquetball courts are nice, too. They also have an indoor half-basketball court and a dance studio.

Overall, I do like the place. It's apartment living, and it does have hassles, and it's not cheap, but it's considerably better than any of the other complexes I've lived in. You should take a look, though, at the two garden apartment complexes on the other side of I-84, too.

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