In my two and a half years at the Pointe, I've probably experienced more than a handful of issues with my apartment. I'd like to start by saying that maintenance fixed most issues the same day and within days if they needed to order parts. The buildings were built in the early 90's I think and I don't think most of the appliances have ever been replaced and the windows have never been resealed. My washer, diswasher, refridgerator, water heater, and heater have all broken to some extent. The heater was the only one that completely stopped working, but luckily it wasn't freezing outside yet, so that wasn't a major issue at the time and they fixed the problem that day.





BAIT AND SWITCH


After seeing other reviews, I do believe they like to do the bait and switch and show you a super nice looking model and the appliances/paint aren't nearly as nice as in the model. They actually did show me my unit after I signed my lease, but I didn't pressure them to see it before either. I'm not that picky about the looks of appliances, and they were clean, but they looked like they were from the 80's and were all a delicious cream color.





NOISY CEILINGS


My absolute biggest gripe I have about these apartments is that when people upstairs walk, it is so noisy and the ceiling squeeks like they are stomping and angry no matter how small the person is. I had somebody above me that weighed 130 pounds and she sounded like she was 400 I swear. The new couple that lives above me is even worse and I am often woken up in the morning 30 min before my alarm goes off because that's when they wake up. I've never had a guest over that didn't comment on how loud the stomping upstairs was. So my nickname for all my upstairs neighbors are "Stompy" I like to call my newest neighbor "Stompy 2.0" It's fun hearing your neigbors bed squeak in the middle of the night too, well not really. But I rarely hear voices, so that is nice.





HIGH UTILITY BILLS


The other comments about the high utility bills are completely accurate. this winter my total combined gas and electric bill was $197. After getting a brand new non leaking water heater, the water is plenty hot for 1 shower or so, it doesn't last that long some days in the winter because the water in the apartment is close to 33 degrees. You can't set the heat on the newer water heater, so you can't turn it up or down. Sometimes it feels burning hot, but the hot water doesn't last longer than 15 minutes when the temperature outside is below 40 degrees. I don't know why my electricity bill is so high either since I have a gas heater and gas water heater.





DRAFTS AND LEAKS


My second biggest complaint is the draft in the winter. My thermostat is still broken even after they fixed it supposedly, but the heater would heat to about 78 degrees when I set it to 72 and within 10 minutes the air would be around 69 degrees on cold days. I tested this with a digital thermometer. Sitting near the outside wall in the living room is almost unbearable and if you put your hand a foot off the ground the air will be about 20 degrees colder. I'm not exaggerating. They claim this only happens to some apartments, but I fear there may be more people experiencing this than are reporting it. They eventually did fix the problem after my apartment sprung a huge leak in the ceiling which soaked 1/4 of the ceiling and around some power outlets on the wall. The draft is not nearly as bad as it was, but they also had to replace the carpet and repaint the wall and ceiling because of this one leak. They also resolved all of this within a few days. Maintenance really gets all the points in my review, but the building and appliances get none!





CAR BREAK-INS


Even though the apartments look nice on the outside, you will be living next to some really low income apartments just across highway 53. and it is very common to have your car broken into if you leave valuables inside. Don't leave anything inside that looks shiny or like a laptop bag or briefcase and you should be fine. But some of my friends had their cars broken into, one guy twice. The police say it is some sort of gang initiation ritual, because the stuff they steal is pretty useless half of the time. They got my girlfriend's makeup case once. Maybe they're letting in girls to the gangs now'





THE GOOD


Now for some good. There is always ample parking. And they won't tow your friends when they spend the night. The buildings' exteriors look modern and very "luxury" The staff was always friendly and maintenance worked hard to fix any problems as quickly as possible. In-unit washers and dryers are very nice, even though they are so small you can't wash a twin sized comforter. The kitchen has an exterior venting range hood. You get an in sink disposal for those times you forget to completely clean your plate. And most importantly, I never had any stuff stolen from my apartment even though I lived on the first floor! Well, I worried about that with all the car break ins, but, renter's insurance gave me peace of mind there. They also have garages available for around $100/mo as of 2006. The garages are all open to one another though so if somebody leaves the door open, potential thieves have access to all the garages, but I never saw any doors left open overnight, so that's good.





OVERALL RATING: MEH...


But seriously, overall, because of maintenance, the place isn't terrible to live at. But be prepared for your appliances to break, noisy ceilings, drafts, and theft if you leave stuff in your car. I've lived in worse apartments though. So if you want friendly staff and a nice looking exterior, the Pointe may be worth the headache due to the age of the building.

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