Move Out Update: I finally moved out of the River House but wanted to leave a quick update. Overall the River House was a great place to live; I'd still recommend the buldings to anyone. Noise became an issue the last year I was there- I never heard my neighbors through the walls for the first two years but the last year was a problem- apparently it was just the bad luck of having noisy/rude neighbors move in. The doors were still the biggest problem from a noise perspective; the constant slamming doors became incredibly annoying and replacement of the doors would make a huge difference in the quality of living here. The James gym was finally rebuilt and is quite nice; it was worth the wait.


ORIGINAL REVIEW:
I've lived in a 1BR in The James for about 2 years now. I'm in the largest 1BR, 900 sq feet. No place will ever be perfect, but overall I'm quite happy here.

Good:
-Awesome location, walk to the Metro, Harris Teeter, Restaurants/bars, shopping, etc. I rarely need to drive anywhere.
-Prices, while high compared to many other parts of the US are reasonable compared to other building in the neighborhood. Electric/Gas/Water is also included in the rent.
-Noise, From a wall/floor/ceiling perspective they are very solid. I've almost never heard my neighbors through the walls or ceiling.
-Upkeep, these are some of the oldest buildings in the area and they've taken very good care of them. They're always replacing/upgrading stuff. When I moved in my unit was completely remodeled- kitchen, bath, carpet, lighting, and paint.
-Extras, The pools are nice. The new free fitness center in the James WAS great (see bad) The rooftop deck is nice with great views. The extras like doughnuts and coffee on Mondays, holiday parties (like the St Patty's day party with green beer) are a great bonus.
-Parking, as long as you don't mind parking all the way at the end of the lot there will always be spaces available no matter what time of day/night.

Bad:
-The great new gym burnt down less than 3 months after it opened... they are slowly rebuilding it.
-The apartment doors are awful- they slam shut very easily, and have no soundproofing whatsoever. The walls may be thick but you can hear someone whispering right on the other side of the door. They also have a large gap on the bottom that lets smells/noise in from the hallways.
-Be careful if you live on a side of the building facing the loading docks- garbage/moving trucks at 7AM on Saturday are a noise problem.
-Front desk, indifferent, but do their job. My real problem with the front desk is they don't accept packages from USPS/UPS. These instead go to the valet in the basement which has limited pickup hours. (Extremely limited if you work a non standard schedule like I do.)

User Responses
From: riverhouse1717	Date: 11/29/2007
I am the same person who wrote a review on 09/23/2006. And, I still work in the property management industry. I have to tell you I haven't been very happy since the last time I made a posting. Yes, I still live here, but I am only staying for a few more months as we are preparing to buy a house. My month-to-month status gives me a bit of flexibility. Much of what the previous reviewer wrote is true. Being in the business, I heard some buzz that Charles E. Smith was buying the River House. I asked the on-site team about it, but they dismissed it (which is normally the case). I wasn't too surprised when a few months later we (the residents) received a letter stating the community had been bought out by Vornado (which is now Vornado/Charles E. Smith). Basically, it's Charles E. Smith commercial division, which in essence is a very close cousin to Charles E. Smith residential (Archstone-Smith). It???s same big company, but a different division. In the last four years, my rent has increased about $500 dollars. This past year, I had a rent increase of $143 a month, which equates to almost $2000 over a year. And, it will continue to increase because they know they can at the moment. It may be a move to drive people out so that the value of the community goes up (if people are willing to pay the premium). Hence, the value of the property will also improve. At some point they just might convert it to some sort of commercial project (retail or office space). Keep in mind who purchased to community, Vornado/Smith (commercial division) not Archstone Smith (residential division). I don???t know for sure, but that???s my hunch working in this business. When I first moved in to the River House, I honestly thought it was a good deal. Being in the business, I'm always thinking of value. With the increasing rents, I don't value the location as much as I used to. It still is one of the least expensive apartment communities in Pentagon City, but it's also one of the oldest. Don???t think in terms of price (bottom-line alone). I think it???s the biggest mistake people make when searching for a quality place to live. Here are some items to think about before moving here. 1) This is not a luxury building, it???s actually a pretty old building (for a little more you can live in a luxury building) 2) There is no washer or dryer/dryer in your apartment. (If you think about it, you end up spending more toward rent because of it) And, you have to go to a laundry room to complete your laundry. 3) It is rumored that parking is going to go up significantly 4) Although not often, you vehicle is at risk of being burglarized on the surface level lots (there are even signs in the elevators pointing this out). Trust me, the previous writer is correct when expressing that the courtesy patrol is useless. They???re mainly there to give the perception that they are helpful. Much of the time they are talking on the cell phones or watching DVD???s in their patrol cars. 5) There are rodents in the building. Try not to live near a trash chute or on the lower floors. I found out that a rat had chewed up my power steering hose for my car (which is in the garage) and it cost me a lot of money to repair. 6) The above brings me to my next gripe. They don???t clean the garage or main areas as frequently as they should. This attracts rodents and insects. As a matter of fact, it was almost a full week before garbage and debris were cleaned up in the garage level a few months ago. Now that the leaves are falling down, there is a pile of leaves in the garage. It???s been about three weeks and the garage is filthy. 7) They are continually shutting the water off to make repairs (remember this is an old building) 8) For what you pay for, the commitment to service has been lacking. 9) I have to request that they paint certain parts of my apartment every year because the pain continues to flake (again old building). 10) I have requested that my toilet be fixed due to a slow leak several times. Someone has definitely come in, but the problem still persists. Not only is it a waste of water, but also it will drive cost up in the long run. 11) Don???t believe the 62% approval rating. I think that someone in management has been posting positive ratings weekly. Keep in mind the platform. When I wrote a response in September the approval rating was close to 33% (where it should be for this type of format). But, there is a lot more competition out there now. More new communities offering very attractive move-in incentives. So, now they have to be a bit more competitive. A higher rating would appear to make this place seem that much more attractive. I will write more in the near future. I am not finished. Just out of time for now.

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