We got a unit with a basement ("recreation room") that nearly doubled our square footage. For an extra $75 a month, it was a great deal. It's finished (tile, drywall) and has a half bath, but you won't want to use it as a bedroom. There are bars on the one small window and they'll probably fine you on inspections. Still, it gave us tons of storage space, we have a futon and tv, both of our computers, some workout equipment, etc. It's the one thing that's been keeping us here.

One big pro is that heat is included. When I lived off College Avenue, 3 of us would end up splitting a $300 heat bill every month. It's a huge savings, and the heat works quickly. Other utilities are average. We keep two computers and a few lights on all the time and spend about $80 on electricity. The wiring must be old, though, because we end up replacing low-wattage bulbs every month or two.

The location: You can't really walk anywhere, except on the bike path that runs through the park during the day (it's not lit at night and it's pitch black.) A major USPS center and DMV are up the road, so there are tons of tractor trailers that run up and down the road and it can get noisy. However, there is also a campus bus that's free and goes right to the train station and college avenue/livingston campuses. It runs less often on weekends and when school is out, and doesn't start running til 7 AM. Highland park is a nice little town, too, but we usually drive 2 miles to target/shop rite/walmart in south plainfield.

If you want a cat, just bring one. Maybe see if your neighbors are allergic first, to be nice. Maintenance has been in here and never said anything about our cat. We see a few roaming the complex, too. They won't be so kind to dog owners, though. And you'll be responsible for damage if the cat leaves any.

The kitchen is huge, which is a plus, but the cabinets are old and skanky and leave a woody smell on your dishes. The dishwasher is OK, and there are gas burners on the stove, but the oven is separate. They put it in the wall with cabinets, and it's an old gas range in the physical center of our apartment floorplan, so the whole apartment gets hot and you can't keep anything like chocolate in the cabinets near it. Plenty of counter and cabinet space, though.
The living room and dining room are spacious enough for two people, too.

One big con: the apartments are NOISY. The walls are paper thin, so if a neighbor has their TV or radio on, you'll hear it. Kids hang out in the parking lot with their music blasting, talking, honking horns. The management really doesn't do anything about noise. We complained about a neighbor who would blast hip hop at 6 AM and the most they would do was send him a letter telling him a neighbor complained, even though everyone signs a lease that says no amplified audio or instruments until 9.

You can also hear any conversations and footsteps in the hallway LOUD and CLEAR. The first few nights we woke up startled because we thought someone was walking around in our apartment.

We have hardwood floors, and they refinished them before we moved in, so they were shiny and nice. Our neighbor's, though, aren't as nice. The fixtures are really bland, too... yellow tile in the bathroom, baseboard heaters that make it hard to put furniture against the wall. The tub is fiberglass so you can't scour it, either.

We have seen a few baby cockroaches, but no bed bugs (yet.) My suspicion is that the roaches are coming in under the dishwasher, but it hasn't been enough of a problem for us to call. There are some stickers in our cabinets from 1992 saying to replace the RAID, so roaches seem to have always been a problem in these apartments. We also see those little harmless house centipedes a lot, especially in the basement.

The apartment itself is really bland. The cable wiring is sort of old and there are a lot of people on optimum's local hub, so we lose cable internet access a lot, especially during peak hours.

We got one parking spot, and having people park in it was only an issue once (and they moved it right after.)

The laundry rooms are absolutely filthy. Their signs also say that it's open til 9 PM, but if you're in there at 8:30, the lights will go off on you and it's up to you to get your clothes out in the dark and fumble your way to the door. There are washers that need to be serviced, filled with moldy water. The dryer won't get your clothes dry, either. And there are only four washers and two dryers for the whole two buildings. We just go to a laundromat.

The water is really hard, too, which is bad on our skin and hair. If you're not particular, it's not an issue.

Pretty much, it's livable, and a LOT less disgusting and a lot cleaner than living in New Brunswick. But if you can afford to splurge on a nicer complex, do so. We'll probably end up renting a townhouse when the lease expires... we can't deal with the noise and having laundry build up.

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