Alright, I have lived at Core Riverbend for about 3.3 years. Let me explain my living situation first, I picked a one bedroom apt on the first floor on malaga drive, nice view of the lake, close to the pool with the waterfall. This apartment only cost about $550 when I moved in, which seemed alright. Eventually I moved out and was going to move to a new complex that was cheaper - River Road (OMG DO NOT LIVE THERE), they basically screwed me over and I had a couple days till my lease was up with CORE so I signed up for a different apartment(The staff was very nice about the whole thing - probably because they knew they would get my money again) - so I ended up with a SMALLER apartment at a much higher rate(on East 86th st), but I was really out of time so I had to go with it. There are good & bad things about this place, so I hope this helps in making a decision for people.

Here are the good things about CORE RIVERBEND:

*SOME of the floor plans - like the Barcelona is small in sq ft. but it makes WONDERFUL use of it. nice big open space with huge windows and the updated kitchen appliances are good (make sure u get one that has been updated). Just make sure your apartment is getting sunlight. In the first apartment I had here I think it was a Cannes, had NO light and was VERY depressing. I recommend the second floor, it seems to get a great amount of light and make sure you're facing the sun at some point during the day ( it will cost you more but it's WORTH it ).

*A decent workout room which is open 24 hrs so that is also a really big plus if you like to workout at weird hours. The tennis courts are well maintained, and the landscape is pretty to go on walks around the place.

*Clean carpet - no stains when you move in and most get replaced I think. I know that is weird to list as a plus but if you had seen the places I have walked into (RIVER ROAD) then you would understand that this is indeed a plus.

*The updated wall color in some of the apartments, it is a WONDERFUL addition, so much better than the white.

*Having washers and dryers in each building, yeah they fill up but you can go to the next building and it's not that far of a walk which is nice.

*The referral, it's fluctuated over the years but 500$ right now is pretty nice to get. Also they have a 1000$ move-in special, that u get to spread out over the first 6 months making rent 450$, which rocks.

The bad things:

*The bugs (this really applies to the first floor) You will have a serious spider problem including brown recluses. VERY scary, thank goodness I have a bf to take care of them. The second floor where I live now has only seen 1 spider in about 3 weeks so I guess that is WAY better because at one point there was 25 spiders in 1 week at the apartment on the first floor. We're not talking small spiders either - the wolf spiders are huge like the size of my hand. I had a huge ant problem once a year, and the weird thing was it began in the laundry room so beware if you have one, they can get through the cracks there bad. I have had some ants on my new balcony on the second floor but they haven't come inside yet so hopefully that's how it stays. I had a bunch of weird beetle looking bugs as well every time I'd mop the floor they would come out. Overall, if you really hate bugs do not get on the first floor.

*Peeping toms. Yeah, there have been 2 incidents since I lived here, both happening at the first apartment about a year ago. I was watching a movie and glanced at the reflection in the window from the tv because I thought I saw something. I look closer and there is some dude watching me. Talk about freaky as hell. I called the cops but of course the guy ran off so who knows. The next incident occurred a couple months after and involved a really fat guy. It was winter and I heard crunching of snow(that's how thin the walls are) but anyway I followed the crunching of snow to the window on my patio. The guy is peering right at me as I slowly lift one of the blinds. Then he proceeds to piss all over my patio with his ---- hanging out. I called the police and followed the footsteps in the snow and discovered that he is a resident over in the next building. They caught him, or so the office says. I hope they did. ------- psychos.

*Maintenance men. I will keep this brief, they do a half-assed job at fixing anything in the bathroom, like my vent fan which they tried to explain to me that they had to seal off completely. I complained that it smelled of smoke every time I turned it on - they couldn't figure it out so they decided to just close it up, probably not good for mold issues. So then there is the disgusting bath tubs. They all have problems here - let me assure you, I have seen several. The grout just falls right off and the tiles are buckling. This is also a mold issue, once water gets back there it's over. I complained over and over, since I had moved in. wow, 3 years and you ignore my phone calls' The new place I requested the grout touched up. It's been about 3 weeks now - nothing. But this time I'm going to keep calling - everyday if I have to. One of the maintenance men made comments to me about my work, since I'm a photographer. He asked if I could edit some of his photos, and needing the money I thought okay, he is creepy but I mean we'll see. So he comes out a couple days later with his files. Most of the pictures are women that are bound/tied up. Shocked, confused and disgusted I told him to leave. He offered to get me empty apartments to use for photo shoots. Yeah- right, so he can tie me up too' He didn't contact me since, but I see him around driving about in his little golf cart. CREEP. The man is bald, and creepy - only way to describe him. I should have reported the guy but I didn't want further incident. My sink has broke twice since moving into the new place but whatever.

*Parking can be a problem depending where you live, but I guess it doesn't hurt to walk ;)

*The pools. They get shut down constantly because people throw glass bottles around in there and half of the bastards don't even live here. The waterfall pool hasn't opened yet and it's 4th of July. Alot of the residents bring their boom-boxes that crackle and are kind of annoying.

*The utility bills. Watch your water bill, they tried to charge me for 3 people. When I complained I got the run-around. no one wanted to admit they are in control of the billing. Finally I snapped and talked to management. They credited my account. The gas bill runs about 70$, and the electric 50$ that is a TON of money. The problem is the walls are poorly insulated so it's going to run higher. I recommend the 2nd floor once again. But keep the utility in mind, because you could find something cheaper elsewhere.

So that is my novel on CORE RIVERBEND. I hope this helps people make a decision, this place has a lot more bad things than good.

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