A very pleasant place to come home to
From:
wincazmd99
Date posted:
3/28/2007
Years at this apartment:
2005
-
2007
Avalon at Grosvenor is a bit pricey; but it is also lovely and very convienent for those who commute by Metro. The buildings are showing a bit of wear after several years of hard use by a mobile Washington DC tenants, but are holding up very well. The interior hallways are freshly painted, and the carpets are in good repair. Some settling of the buildings has occurred which created some problems with doors fitting properly, but the maintenance team has made great strides in addressing that. The one bedroom unit I occupy is bright and sunny, and has a nice layout. There are ample closets, although I have to say I could always use more. The grounds are well maintained, the pool and clubhouse are beautiful though I do not take advantage of them much. The complex is right down the street from Strathmore Music Hall and is very conviently located for shopping and dining with White Flint mall just down MD 355 a ways. The complex is just outside the I-495, I-270 beltways - with entrance ramps less than 1/2 mile away. I find the utilities to be very manageable and right in line with what I was told to expect when I leased. I have found that I have had more problems with noise coming from outside the apartment rather than from neighbors...I believe this is because of where my particular unit is located, and is due at least in part I think to the quality of the materials used in construction....the windows in particular are not insulated and when people are outside talking and laughing at full volume after a very late evening out, they sometimes sound like they are right in the room with me. Not much management can do about that short of major remodeling I don't believe....but it is not a major problem and is just one of the disadvantages of apartment living in general. All in all, I would recommend this complex highly. Especially for those who are new to the area, perhaps on a short-term assignment like I was, this is an extremely convenient location that makes commuting a breeze if your work location is on a Metro line. You pay more, but what you save in gas or parking fees makes that difference somewhat less significant.
Before closing - I think I want to respond to some of the other comments that have been posted on this site. About the prior management team that the authors of so many of the negative commentaries seem completely enamored with, I assure you they had some real problems as well. For example, the apartment I leased and paid the deposit for was rented to someone else anxious for his commission because someone in that exemplary management team forgot to record the fact that it had already been rented. The solution from management: allow me to rent another, more expensive apartment -- not to give me the apartment I leased even though I put down the first deposit. When I got into that more expensive apartment, I found the oven did not work, there was no sink stopper, no manuals for any of the appliances. Then, for more than 6 months after I first moved in, my apartment was loaded with ants: in the kitchen, on the balcony, in the bathroom, in the front hall closet for pete's sake. I called management and they sent in the exterminator -- he sprayed -- no difference. I called management, and they sent in the exterminator who sprayed again, same results. I called management, and was told to put everything in my kitchen in sealed containers. They called the exterminator, and they put bait down in the apartment. It got somewhat better, but at the rental rates I pay, I expect bug free. It wasn't until other tenants also complained and threatened to move out that the prior management team finally called in some experts. Those experts indicated that several of the apartment buildings were completely infested with a specific type of ants, and had to be completely treated. Once that was done, some 6 months after my problems started, we had results. 6 months is far too long to make people live with pest infestations.
So, I guess what I want to say, and what I think it is very fair to say, is that managing large apartment complexes is not an easy task. It is extremely difficult to keep so many units free of problems, and to keep so many people who come from so many different backgrounds and walks of life, happy and content. While they do get paid to do the job, it is by no means a king's ransom I'm sure, and they had to deal with so much, every day. Every management team has its strengths and weaknesses. The last team had their problems, but they were still very good. The team that is in place now, the team that has been rather viciously maligned by other writers, is doing an exceptionally good job. They respond to issues and problems with due haste and make concerted efforts to fix things as quickly as possible. I commend them, especially for their willingness to listen to the community and to take action in response to the feedback they receive. New parking policies for those who live on the first floor and were often unable to find spots, more temporary parking near the mailboxes, much improved management of the trash rooms (which before were unenterable at times for all the masses of garbage just tossed in by residents unwilling or unable to follow the community rules), and a new package tracking and alerting system are just a handful of examples of how this current management team listens and responds. For my money, I have to say that I will take efficient, capable management (who are also very nice and friendly) over extremely nice & friendly, but not so effective, any day.
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