Not Bad, But Could Be Better
From:
-Anonymous-
Date posted:
2/22/2008
Years at this apartment:
2005
-
2008
I've been a resident here for about 3 years now. The apartments are large and roomy and everything is close-by (mall, a small foodstore, etc). As these are fairly new buildings they are in relatively good condition, although the work-crew who constructed my apartment must have been having a bad day or something, because they cut out one of the light switch boxes near the door at probably a 20 degree angle (crooked, not straight). The front door is also extremely tight and thus hard to open/close. Minor quibbles, but for what I pay in rent each month I expect better quality craftsmanship.
Safety: The community seems safe for the most part. People walk their pets and jog at all hours of the day and night without incident. Although some of the tenants dogs are rather large and mean-looking I am not aware of any incidents involving dogs hurting other dogs, or of dogs hurting tenants. We did have a single major incident here this past July, but from what I read in the police reports the incident was largely due to a non-tenant, some guy from Sicklerville who decided to bring Sicklerville's high crime rate over here. I see it as an isolated (albeit unfortunate) incident and I do not feel any less safe living here as a result.
As evidenced by the cost of the rent the tenants of these apartmens are mostly white-collar and not the types to cause much trouble for other tenants. Tenants are generally friendly and respectful with the exception of one thing... they do not seem to properly clean up after their dogs while walking them outside. Management posts notices from time to time to all the tenants regarding cleaning up after their pets, but it seems that these notices go largely unheeded as you still need to watch where you step or else get a shoe-tread-full of doggie-doo to deal with.
Noise: As far as how quiet the apartments are... well... based on my own personal experiences here I'd recommend a few things:
First, try to get an apartment on the third floor, or one that's on the second floor and has a loft, so that you do not have upstairs neighbors above you... otherwise you will likely hear your upstairs neighbors seemingly "stomping around" all the time and will also be treated to a tremendous racket each time their washing machine enters its spin cycle when they are doing their laundry.
Second, if you choose not to live on the third floor I'd strongly recommend getting an apartment which DOES NOT have its living room wall adjacent to the outside wooden entry-way stairs. People have a tendency to run up and down them all the time effectively turning your adjacent living room into a boom-chamber. Believe me, it is very distracting and annoying.
Parking: Parking has become an issue of recent, with some residents opting to park in handicapped zones even though they are not handicapped and with people from other buildings using up parking spaces meant for residents of other buildings. Nonetheless it is never really a long walk to your apartment no matter where you park, although if it's grocery day you're gonna' hope that you manage to get one of the good spots to minimize the trouble.
Appliances: The appliance aren't bad, but they're actually a grade or two lower than my previous apartment had and my previous apartment was also $200 a month cheaper. The refrigerator works well although it seems a little on the small side. These apartments do not have over the counter microwaves (again, something my prior, cheaper apartment did have), so plan on bringing your own microwave with you. The kitchen is reasonably sized, although there is no separate pantry closet... something that I greatly miss from my last apartment.
Carpeting: Unfortunately, the carpeting is EXTREMELY cheap and offers almost no cushion. It also likely contributes greatly to the noise made by neighbors walking around (see above). My last apartment had much nicer carpeting despite being cheaper.
Upgrades: There are upgraded apartments available which address most of the problems above (higher-quality appliances, more cabinet space and lighting, better carpeting on the floor) but these upgraded apartments also cost an additional $25 more per month in rent. For what I pay in rent to begin with compared to my last apartment I strongly feel that the above "upgrades" should NOT carry additional cost, as they do.
So there you have it... all in all not a bad place to live... however I find myself yearning to move into a different unit that is on the 3rd floor, which has better appliances and carpeting, and which has a view of something other than a parking lot... but alas this would cost even more money on what is already a "hefty" rent.
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