This was my first apartment, and I hope to have learned from this mistake. When I visited before moving, I was shown one apartment and was told it would be "like" the one I would move into (it was not ready at the time). It was NOT. It was incredibly small, even for a one bedroom apartment. Had it not been for the rush I was in to find a place, I would have left right then.

The size of my apartment was a little over 500 sq. ft. and my rent was initially $495/mo. Then for the second year, the rent went up to $505/mo, and for the six month lease I got after that, it was $515/mo. Also, in the second year, tenants had to begin paying for water, which had been included when I first moved. I understand the cost of living usually increases, but when I realized I was paying more than a dollar per square foot, I knew I was getting ripped off. Fortunately, basic cable TV was included, and somehow I had HBO and Showtime as well.

Parking was not terrible in the part of the complex where I lived. Maybe around six times in the whole time I lived at Sierra Vista did I have to park "far" from my apartment. Sometimes, there were other problems in the parking lot that didn't have to do with parking. Kids would play in the parking lot, as young kids would, but they weren't careful about traffic. And even though there were speed bumps, cars still flew by quickly, especially at one of the entrances. Many times, when there weren't many cars parked, drivers would just go around the speed bumps.

Where I lived, it was VERY noisy. I had upstairs neighbors that had the cops called on them for domestic disturbances. Fortunately, they moved or were kicked out, but the neighbors up there after them could be noisy too. When people ran up and down the stairs or in that apartment, everything shook in mine. My first next door neighbor was as quiet as a church mouse, but my second next door neighbor had an annoying habit of just cranking music really loudly at random. He also liked to sit outside and chat with people (he's really friendly), but his voice carried. It also got really noisy when the grounds crew worked. Sometimes, they came at 8 in the morning on the one day a week I had off from work. They went right up to my bedroom window with their leafblowers and weedwhackers. That was not pleasant. Also, car alarms went off at the drop of a hat. One night, nobody came to turn off his/her alarm, and it blared for an hour. During the summer, kids screamed bloody murder at the pool into the late hours of the evening.

The grounds don't look bad because a lot of work is always being done, but everything is very bland and gray.

I absolutely did not feel safe here. The area around the dumpsters was very dark. I thought I saw drug deals take place in the parking lot. One night, a man approached me for some paper so he could leave a note to my next door neighbor. I complied, and he was nice enough to thank me, though he said, "I know it's a weird request, and I know a lot of so-and-so's guests are... bizarre. You're really kind for helping me." I didn't know what he meant by "bizarre," but I have had, on many occassions, people walk into my apartment or knock on my door because they thought it was my neighbor's place, and those people were almost never sober. Also, my girlfriend's car had been damaged here. It looked like someone clubbed in the corner of her trunk. She knew no one here except me, so it looked like it was just a random act of violence. This is NOT a gated community if you're wondering.

Fixtures and other items in my apartment were okay. Some paint chipped off a corner of the wall, though I'm not sure how. The A/C and heater ran fine. I never had a problem with water except that my bathroom sink sometimes dripped, and the toilet almost never flushed everything on the first flush. My bedroom window (the one window in the whole apartment) was not sealed, and rain poured on my head. Maintenance was really prompt and courteous though. They fixed my leaky dishwasher and wobbly ceiling fan very quickly.

I've never had a problem with any of the staff except for the lady who suckered me into my lease, but I think she left shortly after. She was not very truthful or knowledgeable about some things. I read that high-speed internet was available and asked if I could use cable internet through Time Warner. She said there was nothing set up and that if I wanted high speed internet, I'd have to get DSL through SBC. I have not been happy with my DSL service, and was greatly irritated to find out that Time Warner Cable could have installed internet in my apartment. Unfortunately, my DSL was under contract that I could not break out of. I honestly never had to deal with the rest of the staff much at all. However, if they had a notice to give you, it was clipped by your door, and sometimes, a little wind blew those away. My final month at Sierra Vista, the complex became under new management. I believe water will be included with rent again. I hope some improvements can be made at Sierra Vista with the new management, but I also know that you can't really change the bad apples that live here already. aLKeoXpj3s4OSgrp1trb

User Responses
From: JMCKE	Date: 01/23/2006
I will have to agree, with everything that this person said. I currently live here at Sierra Vista, myself and my husband and our dog. Just recently the car vandals have been in force, many cars have been broken into a few stolen. When the management was asked about this they said a police officer would be moving on property....still havnt see that day. As of this past weekend, some people in a car came through and shot up a car, luckily that car was not parked in front of the apartments as any stray bullets would have went into the apartments. Not to mention the weekend before last a hugh drug raid went down at 1 am and the noise and lights and everything lasted till 4. This complex was very nice and well maintained for the first 6 months except for the noisey neighbors that took 8 complaints and a letter threating legal action to get them evicted. But the last 6 months have been a nightmare. The parking is horrible, the care centers are dirty, the pool is always a mess and there are always people yelling and screaming till all hours of the morning. I wouldnt suggest this place to anyone.

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