Not luxurious, but convenient and a great value
From:
joe@joejarvis.org
Date posted:
5/9/2008
Years at this apartment:
2003
-
2007
Overall, good but not great. Definitely a value for what you pay, especially relative to neighbors. The residents are a mix of frequent-turnover yuppies and students and a dwindling number of older long-haul residents who lived in the building before the neighborhood gentrified. A couple babies/young children, but otherwise not many families. The bottom line is that this building is great at delivering the basics at a low cost.
Pros: Excellent location, low prices (relative to comparable units in the neighborhood), large apartments, very safe, excellent live-in manager
Cons: Dated building/fixtures, noise from 17th St. on street-facing units, limited parking, door not staffed 24-7, almost no community amenities, occasional pest problems
The building's long-time live-in manager died in March of 2007. The management company's replacement is seasoned and great at taking the initiative. There are occasional roach and mice problems in the building, but my impression is that there's been improvement with the new manager. However, I've seen mice in my apartment every winter for the last three years (2005-2007).
Note that a bunch of similar-sounding positive ratings appeared in July of 2007 that moved this building high in the ranks in DC. I'd love to think I was lucky enough to live in such a building, but in reality our new building manager solicited most of them (although they were completed by current or former tenants themselves). Given that context, take the ratings with a grain of salt, but also as proof of the improved/proactive management.
The management company has raised rents gently, about 1-2% per year. The building is owned by an absentee investment partnership of private owners. My impression is that they don't sink much money into the building's improvement.
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