When I moved to West Des Moines from a total dump on the south side I was amazed at this place, it was clean, didn't smell, and the neighbors spoke English.
The buildings are about 40 years old and the show some signs of upkeep by people that don't care too much. Counters are noticeably not level, the patio door opened about 1.5 feet in the winter, mystery stains in the hallway, and light and cold air leaked in through the front door.
Windows IN the shower, who thought that was a good idea'!
After a year and a half some Latin immigrant families moved in and thought that the courtyard was their dumping ground for soiled bed sheets and beer cans. They threw food out the window onto cars. They thought drinking a case of beer out in the parking lot was perfectly acceptable. A few of their cars were broken into, but only expensive stereo equipment was stolen, so the thieves knew what they were looking for.
We averaged twice a year for sewer line backups. They were taken care of quickly.
Everything is white, the ceiling, walls, doors, cabinets (which are poorly built), appliances, everything. The exception being the fireplace mantel.
Utility bills can be high. If you install a programable thermostat yourself, you'll save about $100 a month in the winter on your heating bill.
One super bad thing I saw. The upstairs neighbor had a water line freeze and the cut a section of drywall out to thaw it out. There was black mold all over the inside of the wall.
The pool is big, the workout room is convenient, interstate access is three blocks away, many businesses are just across the bridge. It was convenient working three block from home, but in the end I found a more economical place to live.

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