I thought I would give a newbie perspective on the Gateway Apt place as a pre-applicant. My bf and I are moving from the midwest to boston and spent 3 days of craziness looking for apartments. Many of our leads came from craigslist and we saw apartments from south boston, sommerville, chinatown, cambridge, harvard square, boston common, and beacon hill. We saw some wonderful to very poor apartments. The strangest was an apartment with a sagging floor and the landlord seem not to even notice the uneven flooring. We left right after the viewing of the apartment. We also saw many apartments that were the same price as the Gateway that were very small--with rooms that give you enough space for a bed and a dresser--and tiny closets. We also saw apartments that still had tenants--and the worst part is you could see the type of carryover (cigarette smoke, untended kitty litter boxes, dirty molding kitchens and bathrooms) that could easily be covered up for a day or two--but the carryover effect would be too great and it really turned us off. We felt that we needed a place where the residents actually took pride in their living space. So finally, we took a chance and walked to Gateway to check it out and WHEW, let me say the facilities are modern, there is a wonderful gym, sauna, steam room, and the place is clean clean clean clean and tidy. There are washer and dryers in the rooms, carpeted floors, large kitchens, and a very nice lobby. They also require we get rental insurance which we thought was a plus because it means the apartments are also protecting our interests as well (example: just in case the top floor apartment floods and water leaks down to our place--we are covered). In addition, we saw many young professional looking people walking around and looking quite happy. We also worked with the assistant manager who was very very friendly (and easy to talk to and answered all our questions). She was extraordinarily professional and was very attentive to our needs. We know this may not last but lets just say after meeting 10 other landlords and apartment managers--its a relief that there is a level of service and professionalism that exists in the boston area. Our apartment hunting encountered so many folks who you feel are trying to pull a quick one. The main tradeoff for us is the location from Malden to South Station. We are okay with taking a train into Boston since we are seeking a nice hideaway from the city, especially since we are homebodies. The neighborhood of Malden is a very neighborhood like place. The grocery store is in walking distance and the subway station. The neighborhood is very diverse and everyone is very polite. There is also a blockbuster, a walgreens, dunkin donuts, an applebees restaurant and and very nice popular bar and grill restaurant down the street. We also talked to people at all these places and they all were helpful and welcoming. The good thing about Malden is that you don't deal with the suffocating aspects of the city and there is lots of space to walk and park. We are looking forward to our final move to Boston and we will keep you posted on our experience as we move into the place and spend the next part of our life there...

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