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Updated review as of July 29, 2008 having now lived here since March 2007
From:
AWDriver
Date posted:
6/29/2008
Years at this apartment:
2007
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2007
2 responses
3 photos
This is the updated portion. I will indicate when the original, unaltered review begins.
Having now lived here almost 1.5yrs, I am very sad that I am moving to Houston for Law School. Now having to look for an apartment again (and using apartmentratings.com in my Houston search) I wanted to update this review to help those looking in the Austin market.
My rent increased from $870 to $949 for my 1 bed/bath. More than you usually see from most places after you renew a 12 month lease, but I think they discounted the original rate a little when I first started (although I can't remember though). It's more of an increase then I'd have liked obviously, but I have no issue paying it since I enjoy living here still (although my saying this is probably not constructive for keeping the rent down for those of you incoming).
The traffic on Bee Cave is still terrible. If you head that direction during rush hour in the morning, expect to spend 10 minutes just trying to get on it from Barton Creek Blvd, the light backs up all the way down that hill (especially when it's raining, don't ask why). I'm now working near Round Rock instead of downtown and changed my hours so I could leave later to miss rush hour traffic.
The person from February that commented about "cats everywhere" must live near our crazy cat lady. She has a number of cats and leaves her garage door cracked so they can get in there. When it's open, it gives you a nice view of all her boxes piled to the ceiling around the tight space she made for her Chrysler convertible. I've actually seen her on roundups where she goes around shouting "Gigi, Houdini, Oscar!" and all her various cats' names like the pied piper. It's probably one of the most entertaining things I've seen, sadly I couldn't get my video camera in time to catch it.
Anyway, yes one person has cats and lets them hang out in her driveway and you see them scurrying around sometimes. The place is hardly infested though, you might see one or two every few days. You won't come out and find them sleeping on your car or something (if you don't park in your garage).
Maintenance is still great, I've upped it to 5 stars since I've had more use of them. They come the same day you report an issue if you let them know in the morning. I've had them tighten a sink faucet that loosened, fix a valve in my toilet since it slowly leaked, and fix my ice maker and they responded same day each time. The ice maker took a few visits for them to figure out what the issue was, but its worked since.
I've also upgraded the construction to 5 stars. With the exception of really cheap blinds that have broken on me (the string tore) I've not had one major issue. The vinyl/paint on some of the cupboards is separating oh so slightly at a seem here and there, but you'd actually have to look for it. A guest would never even notice when using it.
The lease office staff had some people go and now has new faces, but everyone is still very nice and helps you find your package when they take delivery or forwarding maintenance requests.
I had my sister move here as well, although she's since moved to a house for more space. She didn't like how remote a location the complex was, it is a 15-20 minute drive to downtown or South Congress areas (30 during rush hour). I agree it's not as convenient as other places you can rent, but I like the separation/privacy it provides and how it's tucked away in the hills. It's a really pretty drive, wait till you see the sunset coming home from work as you first turn onto Barton Creek Blvd off Bee Cave. I'm in my mid-twenties, so I'm probably an old soul for having these sentiments...
Most importantly, it still feels extremely safe and quiet. I've not heard of one issue (although I don't really check the bulletin board in the mail room although I probably should). I've also never heard my neighbors, with the exception of someone turning on their car/using their garage door when they come/go (I'm in a unit facing into the complex that is over my garage and the garage for the person behind me on the second floor and the garage for the person on the first floor behind all 3 of our garages). I've never felt it was an issue though, I can't sleep with noise and have only been woken up once on a weekend from a neighbor having their car radio on outside my window for five minutes before leaving.
In summary, I'm sad to be leaving. I feel badly for the person with the stinky apartment (6/13/08) although I'm glad it didn't happen to me. Hopefully it's been resolved for them, I'll post a reply for an update.
P.S. - They just added a stop sign at Wimberly Lane which helps when you're leaving the complex in the morning (the mailing address is Barton Creek Blvd but it's accessed from Wimberly Ln). Parents taking their kids to the Catholic School (St Matthews or something) right next door drop their kids off using Wimberly so they put up a stop sign since it was backing up for a left turn onto Barton Creek Blvd. So, if you're coming to visit, when you hit your first stop sign on Barton Creek Blvd (and only stop sign), turn onto Wimberly and the lease office and first entrance into the complex is your first, immediate, right.
P.P.S. - They just opened a H.E.B. in the shopping center you access either from 360 or Bee Cave which is much better than the Albertson's that was there before. It is also more convenient than having to drive west on Bee Cave toward 71 to get to that H.E.B. (although that's where the closest Gold's Gym is).
P.P.P.S. - The construction behind the unit (East of the Marquis on Bee Cave) has finished so you shouldn't have construction noise if you face that direction. They made an assisted living home (I think that's what the larger complex is) and a tiny strip mall right before Wimberly Ln that has a dry cleaners and a cafe and wine bar (although I haven't used any of them yet).
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Original review from March 2007 after freshly moving in follows.
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Moved here from the NE 3 weeks ago and I'm happy with my decision.
It's quiet: I have not yet heard any noise from other units (i.e. loud music or people shouting) and the units have great sound insulation (haven't heard any noise from neighbors behind/next to me in the same building). My apartment is located above the garages, the only way I know if it's in use is because I can slightly feel the vibration through the floor if I'm right over that door, otherwise I can't tell (which is amazing, it does a better job than my parent's house).
It's safe: I haven't ever felt unsafe or uneasy. There was a sign in the mailroom a week ago that two cars were broken into and one stolen the prior week. From people I've spoken to here this could partially be resident fault since you could feel so secure some people might not bother locking something.
Pricing: average for what I was comparing it to on South Mopac near Capital of Texas Highway.
Traffic/commute: I work downtown, here's the downside. Bee Caves, the only viable route east to town, backs up at points considerably due to lights. You may have to wait through two or three light changes to get through. It moves on off hours and weekends but the lights kill your commute. Plan on it taking 30 minutes door to door. I try to leave at least 45 minutes early so I don't feel rushed. There are some side routes you can find to avoid some of Bee Caves, but you can't circumvent it entirely.
Apartment quality: very good. Nothing was falling apart or broken on move-in. I was missing a window screen; there were some chips on the kitchen sink and bathroom floor but very small and nothing worth replacing the fixture/tiles for. The only complaint I have is the cheap white apartment paint they (and every other complex) use on the interior. Plan on buying some paper to put down in your cupboard because anything you sit on the shelf will stick to it if it has any weight to it. I had a box of salt start leaking on me because of this and had to glue it closed again.
Staff: Young, fun, and pleasant. I haven't had any issues to butt heads with management over but I imagine they'd at least be understanding and empathetic if they were unable to help with an issue (you have to remember who has the power to make the big decisions).
Other thoughts:
Additonal $5 to rent for trash pickup, well worth it. Just put the bag outside your unit curbside Mon & Fri and you're done. No loading stinky trash and boxes into your car to take to a compactor.
Love the direct access garage.
Pool is currently down and out for repairs, looks like they drained it and are having the pool resurfaced. Wish they had it done in the winter before I came since we've had so many nice, warm days so far but it shows that they at least don't let things get run down.
I've been told insulation is poor and that heat stays in/out poorly. The number of windows and glass balcony/patio door probably don't help. I think it's a worthwhile trade off, but I have yet to live here during the summer so I don't know how much the hit to my electric bill would be.
For those getting a unit on the NE side, they're doing construction across the ways so if you face the hills expect to pay for the little stream, trees, view, and deer sightings with a bit of noise during the weekdays.
Other viable options:
Somerset Townhomes - was nice when I visited, but they're shifting away from renting to selling units. You could be evicted if someone purchased the unit you were renting. Wasn't something I wanted to deal with and didn't want to buy anything yet.
Monterey Oaks - Nice units, worth taking a look at. A resident of the complex I work with did confirm the comments from other posters for that complex that it has a bit of a college atmosphere (loud pool parties, noise, etc). Good or bad depending on what you're looking for.
The Preserve at Travis Creek - Was the runner up, was a last second decision that I chose this over that, primarily just to be a little more removed from the city and the highways (near Mopac). Has nice units and would be a great place for pets - has park/greenbelt with a field and walking path at the complex. You also have the option of direct access garage on some units and having a small (maybe 10'x10' or less) fenced in yard off your patio which would be good for letting the dog out into. Expect to pay about $100 extra per option. What turned me off to here was that they try to tack on extra rent to almost every possible amenity: you'll pay about $20/mo for a covered spot, $80 for a garage (detached, and you may have a walk if the cluster near your building has no vacancies and you must walk to another building's), $100 for attached garage... The straw for me was when there was a fee attached to a unit since it had "views" of the greenbelt. The only "view" would have been from the window in the attached garage as it was the only window facing the greenbelt in that unit. It didn't give me much confidence in fair treatment for my deposit and the likes. Again, despite this it was my 2nd choice and well worth a look (especially if you are a pet owner).
P.S. - Have now updated with maintenance rating, came and did essential repairs day of request.
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User Responses
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From:
Anonymous
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Date:
05/02/2007
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Thank you so much for taking the time to write such a well-thought review! Unfortunately, I did not move to this complex and am now regretting my decision. I will be moving here once my current lease is up in October. Thanks again~
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From:
Anonymous
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Date:
01/04/2008
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Be thankful you didn't move into the Preserve. I live at the Preserve now, and it's awful - simply awful. I am moving to Marquis at BC, and I will be paying LESS for MORE!!
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