On 10/4/07 I wrote a review on my perceptions of the Foxchase Community entitled "JUST MOVING IN"...As promised, almost 6 months later I am here with an update of my living experiences at Foxchase. Just to recap, I am a young professional in my mid 20's living with a roommate who is a childhood friend. Both of us have been out of college (undergrad) for less than 5 years and this is our first place away from home growing up in Fairfax County...Fairfax Station and Springfield....

As many have mentioned we have had some minor and major maintenance problems. That seems to be the number one issue with reviewers so I will address this first. We have had our dishwasher drain overflow and we have experienced some sort of animals crawling through our walls at night/early morning. BOTH were reported to our PM and Maintenance. Upon speaking with our PM about the dishwasher, she indicated to me that I, "actually reminded her about her dishwasher because it was clogged as well...". About 2 hours later, the maintenance worker showed up and fixed the dishwasher. I watched him, so now if it happens again, well I can fix it myself...when I own my own home one day, if that happens well I can fix it because I see maintenance issues as away to LEARN or a HOW TO session on a property that I DO NOT OWN so that when I do OWN, well I will know what I am doing. Now to address the animals...initially it was frustrating. The thought of sharing your walls will an animal sucks because you have to pay rent...and they don't. Then it became a hassle because they would wake me up. Then it became quite a problem because it seemed that they were chewing electrical wires and string to break through my wall. I reported this problem TWICE to the admin office. They spoke to me as if it was COMMON that animals were in the buildings and that it was OKAY for this to happen. They told me they would set traps and come back and check later. Well they set traps, and never came back to my knowledge BUT the animals stopped moving in my walls. However as of a few weeks ago, I noticed that they are back. I have been keeping a log of the times I have contacted Foxchase about this problem, and their response. I will be reporting them to animal control upon terminating my lease. This is a problem that needs to be fixed for health reasons, and it should not be ignored.

Let's talk about property condition...

IT IS AN OLD COMMUNITY that has only moderate upkeep. If the upkeep was more "pristine" then the community would not keep deteriorating rapidly. Our lamps in the living room flicker OFF whenever we turn ON the Kitchen light using the switch. THIS SHOULD NOT BE A PROBLEM...the wiring in the unit is poor. The front door lock only opens to one direction. Initially when I moved in, you could turn the key left or right and it would open. It only opens to the left, I figured that someone would fix it after reporting that the entry system was down and individuals in my unit were locked out, however it has not been repaired. Cable television is poor...not sure if this is because COMCAST or Foxchase, but it goes out more than necessary...your cable box should not go out for 10 seconds during the final 15 seconds of the Wizards game!!!!

I have also as well noticed strange individuals roaming the community. Specifically there is a Hispanic man who walks up and down my hill with a black leather hat and trench coat. He just paces in a dazed state up and down the hill. He carries a black leather satchel type bag. He was gazing into the trees by one building in the middle of the parking lot one night, and I asked him for directions one night to Duke Street, just to assess his mental, he told me to go down there ' I asked and then do what' He said make a left on Jordan and follow until you see Duke Street. So he is not all that nuts. He has alarmed me as a male, and I definitely do not want my girlfriend to have to deal with him when she visits and leaves at night. I have not informed the police as my assessment of him is not a threat

FINAL THOUGHT (no I m not Jerry)

After reading new reviews on this community and living in it, I find that my position is the same. The perspective of Foxchase is extremely relative to prior living experiences. I will not say Foxchase is great, but it's not the dumps, it is what it is. I pay my rent each month before due dates; I pick up trash in my immediate outside areas when someone else neglected to do so. I fix what I can and don't RELY on maintenance to fix small things they are not responsible for fixing at my unit. I feel that YES some individuals can have a bad experience living here, but most are just people that don't have the skills instilled in them to navigate LIFE in general. I feel that most people that review on this board that go the great depths to down Foxchase, also do the same with the DMV, their utility company's, cell phone companies, car repair shops...etc. They are probably always the victim and until they learn how to play they always will be...

Foxchase is a good community for anyone who is just starting out, re-starting out, or can do with a minimalist lifestyle in the Wash D.C. area...that's it plain and simple. Don't move here expecting to live lavishly, and have a concierge to find out what movies are playing in town or to pick up your dry cleaning...take it with a grain of salt and see it for what it really is...


P.S. I live in Foxchase and NO I DO NOT WORK FOR AIMCO ..SO DON T THINK THAT I DO.

User Responses
From: Anonymous	Date: 10/10/2007
Good luck. Your optimism is a good thing and hopefully it will work out for you.
From: foxchase82	Date: 10/11/2007
Optimism is always a good thing... however shortly after we moved in we found out that the AC/Heat unit is very old and damaged. We were told by the Maintenance department that we need a brand new unit. The blower motor and wires were bad, so that fixing the blower motor would only band-aid the problem and not fix it. I have been impressed by response time for repairs...we had some things that needed to be fixed upon move in, but I was not to high on Foxchase renting a unit with a bad AC/Heating unit. Fortunately for my roomate and I it is the time of the year that AC or Heat is not really needed and you can keep your windows open...except for this past week, but I DO EXPECT A NEW AC/HEATING UNIT BEFORE WINTER AND NEXT SUMMER!!! P.S. the AC does not blow well on the upper levels of a two level apartment....they need to work on that aspect. Other than that...it is quit, well kept, and a nice place to live....
From: ekoorbhtebazile	Date: 04/16/2008
Would this be a safe place for a young married couple? My fiance is in the military and will spend every 5 nights and some weekends away. I'm only 19. Should we look elsewhere? Anyone with suggests on SAFETY please email: elizabeth_brooke@msn.com I dont care to hear about roaches. I am from Alabama and the roaches are measured in inches here- not milimeters. Those babies are the least of my worries! It is called bug spray!
From: Anonymous	Date: 04/21/2008
somebody needs a hug...can't we all just get along
From: gnkinis	Date: 07/03/2008
Dear Martyr, You have rights as a human being. Your safety is important. Your health is important. I don't know if the squirrel that my son and I needed to remove from my bedroom, after they boarded it up in the gable, had rabies? Do you know the value of a dollar? Do you know your own self worth? When you pay for something, with money I assumed you worked for, you should get something in return. Or does your money not mean anything to you. Do you understand how they are exploiting you? Probably not. You probably voted for Bush and shop at Walmart. Are you paying attention?
From: Anonymous	Date: 07/15/2008
WOW... I have two black eyes after reading this and I'm not involved. foxchase82 is a tool...

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