Fairway Plaza has large apartments with parking for tenants in a good section of Wynnefield not far from the SJU campus. The grounds are neatly kept. There are security cameras in multiple locations. The windows are in the process of being replaced throughout the building. Rent for 2-BR is $1025 plus $30 energy surcharge per month.

The lobby is attractive and appears to have been recently redecorated. Apartments are accessed through a keyed lobby door. Hallways have new carpet which has been kept vacuumed over several visits the past 6 weeks. Surprisingly modern-and-clean-looking laundry area in basement. Service entrance and stairs are not as well kept but I wish they were.

Apartment doors could be sturdier. In my son's apartment, the living areas are old and show their age. Parquet floors are attractive but not entirely seamless. There are some significant gaps in the molding at the floor to wall interface. Radiator covers appear to have many layers of paint.

The bathroom is small. The toilet and sink are updated. The sink cabinet adjacent to the tub creates a floor area that cannot be accessed for cleaning between the cabinet and tub. It will also be difficult to retrieve the inevitable bar of soap or whatever that will fall in that crevice. Piping that is exterior to the walls has built up grime on the ceramic-tiled wall behind it. There are several cracks in the oddly-colored blue and pink wall tile. The cold water shower faucet was not functioning at move-in, but this was promptly addressed when I reported it via the online maintenance form. The over-sink light fixture needs cleaning but the shade is not easy to remove to permit this. The exhaust fan turns on with the light fixture and makes noise, but does not seem to be very effective.

The kitchen has new vinyl flooring, new cabinets, new counter. The faucet may also be new, but the stainless steel sink does not appear to be as new because it had several dings in it upon move-in. The sink was missing a cover for the soap dispenser hole at move-in, but this was promptly addressed when I reported it.

There is no exhaust fan over the stove. I cleaned up the small pile of dust/construction debris that was still present on the floor several days after lease-signing. I did not clean the crudded-over stove burners from the previous tenants, but this was addressed promptly the second time I reported it via the online form. I have now just reported a non-functioning and partially functioning burner and I hope this is resolved quickly along with the greased "seasoning" that remains on the stovetop and in the burner cavity.

There is a wall air conditioner in the living room that is functional but was very dirty at move in. I reported this but did not wait long before cleaning the cover and filter myself. So far, I have seen 1 smoke alarm and it appears to be hard-wired to the light fixture just inside the entrance of the apartment. There is abundant closet space.

Overall, the property seems to be in the process of an upgrade. The tenant mix includes adults and college students; I have not seen many children so far. The "front" common areas are kept neat and clean, but the "rear" common areas could use more attention. Had I been with my son at lease-signing and inspection, I would have insisted on a substantially more-thorough cleaning for move-in.

I have given each category an initial rating of 3 stars and I will adjust the category ratings and provide comments throughout the next year.

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