Our situation definitely has a unique twist on it. If it were not unique, then I am really surprised that people still live here. With that said...

When we moved in, our apartment had 15 dead flies scattered amongst the apartment, the garbage disposal didn't work, and the apartment stank like some kind of 99 cent air freshener from the thrift shop and the stench wafted for a good two weeks after move in. The carpet had paint stains all over it. Cobwebs in numerous places inside the apartment. Not a good start. The apartment just simply wasn't ready. The property manager had called me the day before to say it was all set and it wasn't. I don't think it was his fault though. I'm pretty convinced that his staff didn't even do a walk through as they should have. I'm not sure what person, rational or not, would find dead flies and live insects on the carpet acceptable.

Making long stories short, the maintenance staff is very friendly but slow to respond to tickets you file with them. The 24 hour guarantee isn't fulfilled very often.

The residents here are very nice and the only issue we've had is with the people whom live directly above us. Apparently their three year old has permission to jump up and down all night and move furniture' I'm not buying it...

Yes, there have been a couple fire alarm pulls that were false. For what its worth, I don't mind because the weather is warm and it was an opportunity to meet some neighbors.

The neighborhood dogs are very friendly and playful - for the most part. Just be careful with your dog around any dogs acting aggressive. Some people just don't train their dogs well. Its a fact of life.

Anyways, the office staff is good depending on whom you deal with. The property manager is very good to work with and will try to go above and beyond to accommodate you. For example, our first month's rent was compensated for because of the bug problem and with the other issues we've had here, was willing to let us break our lease without penalty and provided it in writing, blah blah blah (so those of you who comment that I'll get burned, save it). The other office staff can range from friendly to attitude problem. The office staff is getting slowly replaced with more competent people, so hopefully the attitude problem people go first.

Had we not had the bug and apartment not ready issues, we'd probably be staying. But since that was a rough start to our time living in a new area, its best for us to have a fresh start. That certainly doesn't mean you can't have a good stay here.

Pros:
- Excellent metro access.
- Excellent bus access.
- Reasonable rent prices. But be aware that the prices can change daily and with the market. For example, our apartment is right now listing for $200 less than our ground level unit for a unit on a higher floor with a skyline view.
- Dunkin' Donuts nearby. (I'm from Boston, its an addiction.)
- Unique property layout. The common areas are all outdoors sans the area near the leasing office. This is awesome as the hallways don't have a nasty stench that other apartment complexes can get in the hallways.
- Pet friendly - Dogs up to 65 lbs!
- Friendly neighbors.
- Wheaton Regional Park is very close. A short 5 minute drive.
- Parking is almost never an issue. Occasionally, when coming home late, we'll need to park on a higher floor. No biggie.
- Washer and Dryer in unit.

Cons:
- Flies and bugs can be an issue on the lower floors.
- The dumpster stinks and can be smelled in the vicinity from time to time.
- The parking garage doors are never 100% operational for any given 30 day stretch at a time.
- As stated above, maintenance can be slow just to even stop by to look at something.
- Not in the best neighborhood, but not in the worst. I'm sure the gentrification will continue though with the addition of Metro Pointe. (And no, this is not an approval of gentrification. So save trying to start a flamewar on that one.)
- Office staff can have an attitude. I'd name names, but I haven't moved out yet and frankly don't trust the individuals after moving out...
- Noise coming from people on the street on the Cobble Hill Terrace side of the building can be a problem. I've had to call the police a couple times to lodge noise complaints for people bumping there ghetto-blasters and hanging out on the street after 11PM.
- Cheap hardware used in the windows. They do indeed shrink but we've only seen it with the screens. I'm sure if I put a ticket in, they'd eventually get replaced with better windows within a week or so.
- Inefficient AC resulting in high utility bills. Now - take this with a grain of salt as I could be wrong here. All sarcasm aside, a $400 electric bill might be common in the summer around here with the AC on 24/7 and 3 PCs running 50% of the time. So take that for what it's worth.
- Not wired for FiOS. The rumor is it will be by January. I'm not buying that either.
- Comcast frequently audits this apartment building and if your cable is not tagged properly in the cable room, make sure to be prepared for frequent outages in service.

All in all, a place with potential, its just not for us due to the issues we ran in to.

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