My husband and I have had a great experience with Patchen. While the outside of the building isn't super hip (it's an older complex), the inside of our apartment is really nice. The tub in our bathroom is really deep and the bathroom was in really good shape when we moved in. The kitchen cabinets were dirty when we moved in (covered in grease-like-stains) and they had someone come and paint them very quickly. They look great now and the appliances we have in our kitchen are great--we have no issues with these. We have plenty of closet space in the apartment and we have really loved living here. No apartment complex is perfect (and the ones that are close seem to be incredibly expensive), but for the price, Patchen is wonderful. Oh, and heat/water are included (you pay a flat fee for water), so we have had minimal utilities! It is always quiet here--there are lots of families and professionals that live here and I never feel unsafe when I come home at night. The parking lots are well-lit, the visitor parking is just around the corner from our apartment, and I never have trouble finding a parking place. The leasing office staff is always polite and understanding when we have an issue and they are very reasonable about fixing anything that goes wrong.
In one short sentence: Patchen is great for the price and you should not judge it from the old-ish look of the complex.