My wife and I lived in Philadelphia prior to moving to the Marchwood Apts. We had such a horrible experience in Philadelphia, coming to Marchwood seemed like a dream: clean carpet, a level bathroom (yes, I mean our last bathroom literally tilted away from the house), fresh paint, no mice or cockroaches, garbage in a dumpster instead of on my front steps, grass, no homeless on my front stoop, cheaper rent. Things are the Marchwood really are amazing compared to some places you can live in the area.

To speak to some of the reviews we read here before moving in.

'The laundry room is dirty' - This is partially true. The cleaning crew seems to come in every 2 weeks. However, people are dirty and make a mess of this public room. They keep the windows open so that bugs can fly in, they don't empty the lint filters and some people smoke in the rooms leaving a fowl smell (probably why the windows get pushed open so often). But, if you come a day or so after the cleaning crew; you are golden.

The machines themselves all seem to work fine and for 1 wash or 1 dry. I've had 1 bad experience when a dryer broke, but was able to call the dryer company to get a refund for my $1.50 of dryer sadness.

'Things in the apt break, maintenance doesn't come fix them' - When we first moved in, I called about every little thing that I felt was broken. From the oven knob breaking to the sliding screen door off the frame to the bathroom seat not being installed right. The maintenance guys were out to fix every single thing within 1 week. I haven't had an urgent request like a water leak, but I would imagine they would go even faster for that.

We did have an ant problem the first few weeks near the kitchen window. The exterminator came by 3 visits in a row and the problem was solved.

'Lynn is a witch' - As I said, I've called for maintenance problems a ton and have spoken to Lynn numerous times. She is nice as can be. She is the office manager though and comes off as a strong, intelligent woman. Maybe some people are intimidated by that. My experience with her is good, but I pay the rent on time and haven't thrown anything through a window or wall.

'Thin walls: noisy neighbors and electric bill' - The walls are a little thin. I can hear my neighbors music if they have it turned up fairly loud and can hear my neighbor above me walking around. My neighbor, that just moved out, had a kid that jumped a lot. Having said both of those things, I have only heard the kid jumping before 8 pm at night and the music on the weekends during the day. I have never heard anything from my neighbors after dusk unless a big game is on and everyone (us included) has our windows open to hear people screaming at the tv.

The electric bill is a tad high. I had Peco in Philly as well but had gas for heat, water and oven. Both gas and electric combined out there was around $130 per month even during the peak AC times. I think in August last year we hit $200 total for both but that was an extremely hot month. In May of this year, I hit $185 for electric. That is everything though. Our air seems to run constantly and just can't get caught up. I keep it at 74. Still, the rent is cheaper than in Philly so it evens out quite well for me. Compared to the prices in similar apts locally, the rent is cheaper than other places and I am fine with a slightly higher electric bill.

Last bit that I am going to add, but wasn't covered that I am aware of.

'The pool' - the summer hours are pretty crappy. 11 AM to 7 PM Tuesday through Sunday. The water is frigid, which can't be helped I guess due to all the rain lately. The pool is dirty with bugs and the lifeguard doesn't seem interested in cleaning them out at all during their shift. It might be hard to clean again because of the rain we have had. Though, if you move into an apt just because of the pool; you are kind of dumb. But, it is a nice feature that is advertised so I have to bring up the down sides. Upside, they have a life guard on duty during hours. Also, free to use and has a kid pool.

Overall, the Marchwood apts and staff are great. There are quite a few families with young children around, so I've felt nothing but safe since moving here. The price is right. Plenty of parking. Can't go wrong with this place. At least you won't have a mice invasion like you would in Philly.

User Responses
From: exhaustedparents	Date: 07/14/2009
"I've practially kissed her fat arse. Sheesh." I can see that you speak with the highest respect. How dare I! Resent away, but I was just voicing my opinion of the complex and speaking to the points that I read prior to moving into the Marchwood.
From: Anonymous	Date: 11/18/2009
Yes, how dare you state that anyone who has had a problem with Lynn must resent her. You could have voiced your opinion without disparaging other people. That isn't exactly showing others "the highest respect", so you're one to talk! It was completely unnecessary to discount other people's opinions. Don't you even care that other tenants have been treated like dirt? Are you the only one that counts? I guess so then!

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