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The Flats on San Felipe


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anonymous

Resident ā€¢ 2010 - 2011

2/4/2012

We moved to Austin from out of state. At first we were staying with friends at another apartment complex, not to be named, that prided itself on being, more or less, 'The Ritz'. They were absolutely awful, and by the time we were looking for our own places I was ready to just go back home, for fear that all of TX was that way. It seemed to be getting worse before it got better. We didn't have a ton of money being fresh out of college and starting in a new area with new jobs, and every place we viewed was either way to pricey, or had that oh so wonderful cat smell in these teeny tiny places. But then, by some miracle, we happened upon Martha's Vineyard. The rent was very affordable for us. The office staff made us feel like family -I later found out that many of the ladies that work in the office are also tenants; we would see them out and about and they were always up for a friendly chat. Our neighbors were wonderful -all different ages, all different backgrounds. We had a one bedroom, one bath on the first floor. The rent was very low compared to other places that were not as nice, 520 a month. On top of the rent you pay the water bill, which gets included in your payment. The way it works is they get the main bill and they divvy it up per apartment size. So one bedrooms pay the least, then two bedrooms and so on. They make it kind of a community effort to not waste water this way, and from what I could see it worked. In 18 months the most expensive I ever had the bill be was about 35 dollars. And that was for a month that my neighbors called 'a true Texas summer' -that I called 'oh my god there's no way I'm going outside today!' You get the bill in the middle of the month, and they have it posted in the office just in case you forget the amount. Very simple. There's air conditioning/heat in the apartments that works amazing too, and especially where our apartment was, and the fact that there's so much shade you don't have to crank the AC, it stays pretty cool. Even in the beginning, during our first summer, when we did crank it, it didn't kill our electric bill too much either, good ventilation. Our apartment itself wasn't gigantic, but it was exactly the space we needed, we easily fit a king size bed in the bedroom with our bureau, the second bureau we fit in the closet, which was absolutely massive. The dining room area was big enough for a decent sized table, but I used it as my mini art studio. The living room was able to fit our 5-seat, corner sectional, and entertainment center. The kitchen I suppose could have been bigger, but, with two people in the apartment it was plenty, and honestly, we're large people. One thing I do suppose I could complain about was the appliances. They are a little dated, we were told that they were being replaced a few apartments at a time, but ours never were. However, they did all work fine, no leaky ice maker, no bad burners, didn't really have any issues. There's a LOT of cabinet space which is always nice; even those pesky over-the-fridge cabinets that drive me nuts (my fiance used to hide my presents in them since I'm too short to reach them, so in my mind they didn't exist). One thing that was great was that each apartment has its own washer and dryer -and if you're like us and have your own washer and dryer they're more than happy to take theirs out so you can use the hook-ups. The bathroom was good too, I know the better half appreciated the giant 'glamour-shots' mirror so I could actually get ready and not hog the whole bathroom. There's plenty of storage and counter space in there and a little medicine cabinet. The shower was a little older, so it had that more rounded bottom, so if you're as clumsy as an ox like me, just get a rubber shower mat and you'll be fine. Our apartment was more in the back so it was very private. We had a little sitting area on our porch and the gate around it was high enough that we could barely see over it. This was especially nice since it's usually the drawback to being on the first floor (if your outside everyone can see everything you're doing). In that aspect it was really nice being able to go out there in my PJs and sit and have my coffee without worry of how I looked. There were also bushes lining our apartment, and you're more than welcome to hang plants and even screen in your porch; it was very cute. The porch also has two closets -one medium, one large, for even more storage. I do hear a lot of complaints about the parking and I will say that the spaces are kind of tiny. We just figured since the complex was built quite a few years back the spaces were most likely marked off for more compact cars, rather than the very large trucks and SUVs of today. We had a large sedan and most of our neighbors did as well, and there was never really an issue. Yes, sometimes you come home late and you don't get the front row parking right up against the building, but I never had to park more than 20 feet from the door (don't quote me on that precisely, it could have been 30, it could have been 15, I'm not great with distance; but, it was never inconvenient amount, and more often than not I could see my car right out my window). We did have a few people with much larger vehicles in the building, but, they were courteous and didn't usually try to squeeze into a spot leaving you helpless to get into your door. At one time we did have a new neighbor move in and he and his wife would purposely double park, a neighbor simply knocked on their door, asked them if they would cut it out and we never had an issue again. That was another nice thing, the closeness of the neighbors was nice. Especially being from out of the area, and not knowing hardly anyone in town, it was nice to have a tiny community to come home to. The only noise we ever dealt with was the neighbors that had moved in had a tiny puppy that wasn't used to people and barked a few nights straight, but once he got used to the home, and everyone around, it stopped. I was always amazed about this, since, we had a lot of dogs in our building, from big to small, and other than those few days, we never heard a peep. They were all really nice too, I don't remember ever walking around the complex and having a vicious dog around. There were kids that lived in the building too, ones directly above us even, and we never had an issue with noise, or running around. The only other noise, I wouldn't really consider noise. Most of our neighbors played instruments, and sometimes in the evenings you would get this kind of jumble of music, some strings, some brass (That's when I loved to do my art, very inspirational). It never went on really late, and it was never early, usually between 5-7 PM-ish. When we had moved in, our washer hook-up had been broken, most likely when they moved the originals out. We called the maintenance men and they came over within the hour and fixed them right up. Later on we had some leaky pipes under the sink, nothing major, just needed a new seal. Again, they came right over and fixed it. Other than those two times we never had to deal with maintenance. They regularly patrol around, and pick up the grounds, mow, trim the hedges, it's kept very nice -and for some bonus points they always wave when you drive by. We did have an ant issue for a bit, I've come to realize it wasn't an apartment issue, more of a TX issue, and last year was pretty bad (made worse by the fact that this was the first time I found out what a fire ant was, and what those little buggers can do). They do have people spray every week, and if you have an issue inside with any pests, you can simply call the office and they will come and spray your apartment. Plus, those little $1.99 ant traps actually do the trick. Personally, I read some of the previous reviews about the crimes and 'attempted rapes', and obviously I can't speak for every person that's ever lived there, but I am not really sure what they were talking about. I never heard sirens, never heard anyone say 'oh did you hear about so-and-so, they got mugged', nothing. Actually, when we moved from our friend's apartment to here, our car insurance went down since it was considered a safe area. They do require renter's insurance, just in case, so I suppose that's always a good thing. But, we never had any issues with safety -or even damage for that matter. I had heard that there was some flooding a while back in the complex's history, and I would assume being on the first floor we would see the brunt of it, but no, nothing. No swelled boards, no mold, no nothing. The location is great, I'm not familiar with the schools as I don't currently have any little ones, but I know there's a school right up the road. You're walking distance from a gas station, a grocery store, a drug store, restaurants, etc. And only a few miles from a lot of entertainment (Amusement areas like Main Event, Go Karts, movie theaters, etc.). Also, you're not right downtown. And being out of all the craziness is quite nice. You're close to a mall, and some larger stores (Lowe's, Walmart, Target, etc.); There's a ton of restaurants and bars around the area, a lot with live music; and you're right by the highway -not so close you hear all the traffic and noise, but close enough that you can drive down the road, pop on it, and avoid city traffic. There's a gym on site, a little computer lab with wi-fi, a pool, some tennis courts, some BBQ pits, and nice little trails throughout the complex. Plus, there's a LOT of shade, tons of trees all around, which makes it much more homey and less commercial. Yes, Martha's Vineyard is an older complex. But, there's a saying where we come from, 'if it ain't broke, don't fix it'. And I think it fits perfectly here. With a brand new complex, sure, you get the benefit of living in a new, up and coming area. But, the downfall is, you get to be the 'testers' -the people who find all the problems, and experience them first. Plus, with the speed all these new places are going up, they're not always the best construction. My fiance was in contracting, so I know first hand some horror stories about brand new places being crappy with a fresh coat of paint on them. Also, as soon as they're built they want renters ASAP, meaning there's always a good chance you get questionable neighbors simply for a rent check. Martha's Vineyard on the other hand has been there for a long time. It's stood up to the tests and it's still around. Yeah, there may be some cracks in the pavement, but personally, I would rather live in a place where there's cracks in the pavement as long as I had nice neighbors, ones that love it so much they renew leases time after time, a place with basic amenities and a few perks, one where I can safely lay my head at night, and know nothing's going to happen, and if anything does, I have a close knit, little community to help. The worst part about living here, was pulling out of the parking lot in our moving truck. We had a great little home here, and having it be our first place away from home was awesome. Usually you hear horror stories about people's first apartments, and sure we had some issues here and there, some I probably don't remember, but everyone has little issues here and there when they're out of mom's house and they're lost. We have the best first apartment story though, because we hit a bulls-eye on the first shot. If you're looking for a laid back area, where you have a lot of freedom; where you don't get hassled for every little thing and have an office you're not scared to call; where the workers are always nice and you can invite people over without having to make excuses for bad neighbors; where you have affordable rent, and are away from the hassle of downtown, than I would recommend stopping in and taking a tour.

    Review 25 out of 91

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    The Flats on San Felipe

    March 2024

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