I posted a couple weeks ago about the lawn care and plowing in the winter at Deer Valley and stated that it wasn't as good as it used to be. Other than that, I can't see why people complain about living here, and I talk to many of my neighbors who are equally satisfied and feel this is a good place to live for the money.

What makes this a good deal:
1. Location - we are in a nice wooded area that makes you feel like you're away from it all yet we are 5 minutes from Crossgates, the Northway, and 15 minutes from Downtown Albany

2. Heat and hot water are included - with rising fuel costs not many landlords or complexes are offering heat and hot water (we do pay for electricity, but it's not a lot, and if you are mindful of turning off lights when you leave a room, keeping appliances unplugged when you're not using them, and changing over all your light bulbs to CFLs then you save quite a bit- I pay about $35 a month to National Grid)

3. The management and maintenance team are responsive to our needs - this complex is probably about 40 years old and so it's not state-of-the-art, but it's by no means a dump and whenever there are maintenance issues the team responds as quickly as they can. Keep in mind that whatever complex you might live in, there are far more residents than maintenance staff. Here at Deer Valley we have about 250 units, so they have to prioritize maintenance issues. You might have to wait two weeks for a repair, but there is a 24-hour emergency number in case you have an immediate need. As far as I have seen in my nearly 6 years living here, maintenance responds to repairs in the order of what needs to be fixed first, which is just common sense.

4. Deer Valley is one of few landlords and complexes that allow pets, and if you follow the basic rules of cleaning up after your pet then you won't have any problems.

5. While I also don't have brand new appliances, what I do have is adequate for my needs. The apartments here are clean. If you want to move in and you find that the apartment you are moving into wasn't cleaned well before you got here, then make sure you call the office and talk to Jamie or Mary. I am certain they would address your needs and concerns. Glitches happen everywhere, in all areas of our lives. It is NOT a pattern here at Deer Valley that you move in to an apartment that has not been thoroughly cleaned. I see the cleaning and maintenance crews prepping apartments that become vacant.

6. Off-street parking in front of your apartment. There is adequate parking here. Some of the lots are small but everyone generally has a space right in front of their apartment.

7. Deer Valley is scenic- the grounds aren't spectacular, but certainly you get your money's worth being surrounded by trees, flowers, and various types of bushes landscaping the area even in front of the apartments.

8. It is true that some complexes offer laundry facilities in each building and some offer hook-ups in each apartment... but those complexes are far more expensive than here. If you don't like the laundry room here, you can drive less than a mile to the nearest laundry in the Price Chopper Plaza at the corner of Western Ave and Johnston Road.

9. Amenities- we have a weight room, an exercise room, a pool, tennis courts, picnic tables, a small playground, a very nice recreational room that you can reserve for parties and other occasions.

10. We have a sense of community here- for the most part, neighbors here smile and say hello to each other. We are racially and culturally diverse. We have families with kids, singles, couples and people from all backgrounds. Two of my neighbors are college professors, two others are law students, many are young professionals, and some are families. Some of us have become friends, and most of us enjoy at least the feeling of saying "hi" to each other even if we don't know each other well. That's priceless. How many neighborhoods are like that these days'

I have read others who have posted that it is loud here with "paper thin walls." This baffles me. If you are concerned with a neighbor being loud, which happens rarely, we usually just knock on that neighbor's door and ask them to please be considerate. People respond to that well. On rare occasions I have seen people being louder than is acceptable and a neighbor has complained to the office. The management here does not tolerate tenants who cannot adhere to common courtesies that make living here pleasant for everyone. In other words, they aren't in it for the money, allowing whomever wants to live here come in and then allowing people to do whatever they want.

And if Deer Valley is really so bad, then why is there usually a waiting list to get in'

No apartment complex is perfect, and usually no one plans on living in a complex their entire lives. We want to eventually buy homes, or move to other parts of the area or elsewhere. But as far as apartment living goes, this place is not bad at all.

The worst thing I have ever said about Deer Valley is that I don't think the lawn care and plowing in the winter are as good as they used to be, or as good as they should be. I hope to see this improve this winter. Already I have seen improvements since my past two weeks ago- our hedges have all been trimmed and the crew was much better about cleaning up afterward.

As far as people writing nasty remarks about Jamie, our property manager, I certainly can't judge what their individual experiences were with her. I can only say that I have always been treated with respect and courtesy when talking to anyone in the office or from the maintenance team. I have not seen anyone who wasn't breaking several rules that are laid out in the lease and explained before you move in have a problem with Jamie. I don't know the others who have posted on this site. But I have lived here a long time, know many of my neighbors who live here now and have seen some go, and I don't know anyone who has had a difficult time getting along with Jamie other than one person who had to be evicted.

Lastly, if you are able to then come check out the place for yourself before moving in and talk to some of the people who live here to ask what their experiences are. That's the best way for you to get a sense of whether you would like it here or not.

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