Be aware of what you are getting into with apartments in Jacksonville! I write this because I wish someone would have when I first moved here and it would have saved me from making mistakes. This area isn't like other places I've lived in. I've never been in a position of eviction or not paying my rent.

There are many apartments in Jacksonville, Jacksonville Beach, Pointe Vedra, and etc. Once you are locked-in by one here, it's the strangest thing, you thought you made a choice, and they make it clear that your choice is really their choice for the right amount of money on their terms. You DO HAVE CHOICES but you will have to seek out carefully where the right place is to live for you.

Make sure to have at least $500-2000 in fees and extra for application and 'administration fees' so you can look at different places (So when looking at rent amounts factor that in). Some office staff are masters at locking you in and making sure you know you are locked-in once you are. The gratitude you will feel, perhaps, is when you pay your monthly rent. That's the only real acknowledgement you get is when you hand a check to them. Usually not with a smile from them just that you exist and you owe them. So be grateful you pay your rent. Getting the picture yet' Keep reading...

Gated-community does not mean security, just a gate here and there. A swimming pool doesn't mean you want to swim in it after you see endless numbers of complete strangers from who knows where using it. Heron is right next door, 2-3 times larger than Pointe Sienna, and some of them like to use the facilities too, and I guess, since we might pay a little more in rent, they may like to do things to your auto, to get things that are inside your car (even if smashing a window to get it), and to hit their fist on it to leave a dent in it, and to lounge around on the grounds.

Yesterday 6 rapid rounds of gunshots went off from a handgun at the Heron. Two other residents asked me if I heard it too and rushed into their autos and took off.

I'll paint the picture a little more about Jacksonville corporate-owned apartments (not Jacksonville itself). Again, I wish someone had told me.

"It could be worse." Pointe Sienna living is o.k. for Jacksonville (it reminds me of a motel), the maintenance staff are hard-working keeping things together, picking up people's thoughtless garbage they drop everywhere everyday and making it work with no budget for upgrades. The staff's efforts have made it o.k. The last property manager did a good job of the landscaping and outside image and 'front office' of the complex.

The maintenance staff and office staff are two different stories. Another warning for you in the next paragraph.

If moving to Jacksonville, you don't want to be trapped into something you thought you had a choice about. Don't be surprised if you are not wanted in the front office because they want you out of their 'front' office! So amenities might be just to get you signing a lease.

Regarding apartment renting in Jacksonville corporate-owned apartments, we've learned that you must PUT EVERYTHING IN WRITING TO THE FRONT OFFICE and probably WITH A NOTARY (notarization is free from your bank/credit union) and keep a file for yourself and if you can, send a copy to the Mayor of The City of Jacksonville. If they made any kind of 'promise' to you, it better be in writing too or chances are it means nothing.

I think you can take the reasoning from here and put it all together what's happening in lots of places and to be aware.

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