Moving to south Jersey scared of appartment renting (Browns Mills, Marlton: section 8, real estate)

[ioukta]

Hello everybody,

I've read quite a few threads here and see how helpful you are . I hope you can help me too. I'm french about to get a visa through my american father who lives in FL. My fiance on the other hand lives in South Jersey Browns Mills. My goal is to move near my fiance next year not sure when (depends on the visa).

We are not trying to live together right away, i want to have MY place as i've lived on my own for 12 years now lol I'll be working with him as his assistant so God willing that part will not be a problem.

We've looked at a few appartment complexes including Whitehall, Lumberton appartments, and Easthampton appartments, 2 of them are Morgan managed.

I liked Easthampton appts but not too long ago discovered the site "appartment ratings" and it scared me crapless . none of the complexes we saw had good reviews, the good reviews are 3 4 years old the newer reviews are terrible. talking about bad neighbours dealing drugs, terrible staff, big problems with the appartments etc...

So I'm looking for appartment complexes of good quality for a single woman, one bedroom with a cat less than an hour away from Browns Mills, more like 30 40 minutes tops. What cities do you think i should look?

As a new permanent resident in the US I'm scared of not knowing what to do if the staff is incompetent or not helpful and that seems to be the case a lot according to these reviews. I don't see myself calling my fiance for help every week lol

At this point I'm ready to pay 1 000 maybe 1 100 for quality, peace and a good neighborhood.

I saw some good reviews on complexes in Cherry Hill how far do you think it is from Browns Mills?

I really hope you can help me as that site freaked me out completely !

I hope everybody has a blessed day

[frankgn87]

to be brutally honest, I do not think any apartment complex is trouble free. The renting itself draws the transients and such.. Yoiu are always going to have 'undesireables' living in apartment complexes... And they will come and they will go. Its a nature of the beast..

[southbound_295]

Originally Posted by ioukta

Hello everybody,

I've read quite a few threads here and see how helpful you are . I hope you can help me too. I'm french about to get a visa through my american father who lives in FL. My fiance on the other hand lives in South Jersey Browns Mills. My goal is to move near my fiance next year not sure when (depends on the visa).

We are not trying to live together right away, i want to have MY place as i've lived on my own for 12 years now lol I'll be working with him as his assistant so God willing that part will not be a problem.

We've looked at a few appartment complexes including Whitehall, Lumberton appartments, and Easthampton appartments, 2 of them are Morgan managed.

I liked Easthampton appts but not too long ago discovered the site "appartment ratings" and it scared me crapless . none of the complexes we saw had good reviews, the good reviews are 3 4 years old the newer reviews are terrible. talking about bad neighbours dealing drugs, terrible staff, big problems with the appartments etc...

So I'm looking for appartment complexes of good quality for a single woman, one bedroom with a cat less than an hour away from Browns Mills, more like 30 40 minutes tops. What cities do you think i should look?

As a new permanent resident in the US I'm scared of not knowing what to do if the staff is incompetent or not helpful and that seems to be the case a lot according to these reviews. I don't see myself calling my fiance for help every week lol

At this point I'm ready to pay 1 000 maybe 1 100 for quality, peace and a good neighborhood.

I saw some good reviews on complexes in Cherry Hill how far do you think it is from Browns Mills?

I really hope you can help me as that site freaked me out completely !

I hope everybody has a blessed day

First, make certain that your visa allows you to work, before you come. There are multiple kinds of visas.

I would suggest that, when you get to the US, you make a trip to the area to look at the apartments yourself.

Many apartments in Cherry Hill will be expensive. Look at Waterford. They are older but bigger. The residents there are a mix, but I lived 3 or 4 blocks from those apartments for 20 years & there was never a problem there.

2 apartment complexes that I can think of are Roberts Mill, which is in Mt Laurel. I know people who lived there for many years, but none recently. I also knew people who lived in Pickwick Apartments, but again, not recently. I'm not sure if Pickwick is in Mt Laurel or Cherry Hill. It's near the border.

[South Jersey Styx]

Alot of those apartments you mentioned (with reviews) probably are as ratty and ghetto as described. Also, the closer you get to Philly (i.e., Cherry Hill, Moorestown, etc.) the pricier the apts will be.

Try looking in Mount Holly, Westhampton, Southampton, Mount Laurel, Medford, and then NW in Columbus, parts of Bordentown, and Burlington.

Also the Fort Dix military base is right next to Browns Mills. Right now, it's a megabase, combined with McGuire Air Force Base and Lakehurst Naval Station. When you do your searches and run across housing/apts that get the thumbs up from military families/housing offices, then it should be ok. I know that alot of military families are looking for quality housing near the base since there's a shortage of housing right now. Good luck!

[ioukta]

oh thank you so much everybody I'll look, i feel much better thanks to your input (can always keep it coming lol)

@ frank yeah i pretty much made my peace with the fact it's not gonna be perfect, but if i can choose between drug dealers and just noisy neighbours i'll pick the noisy ones lool

@ southbound yes my visa will be an immigrant visa, my father is a US citizen, i can do everything a citizen can do except vote, and Roberts Mill is not in Mount Laurel it's in Maple shade or something and it's pretty far, but i'll look at the others

@ SJ Styx i hadn't thought of where military families go, i'd feel pretty safe there ! those appartments i mentioned ARE in Mount Holly but i'll look at the other places u mentioned

THANK U VERY MUCH and don't hesitate to come back if you have more ideas or input

THANK YOU GUYS SO MUUUUCH i feel so much better knowing i got answers and more choices to explore, i felt so stuck

[South Jersey Styx]

Originally Posted by ioukta

. . .THANK YOU GUYS SO MUUUUCH i feel so much better knowing i got answers and more choices to explore, i felt so stuck

You're very welcome and hope things work out!

Also, not sure what your budget is, but there are some small houses for rent in Browns Mills. The town started as a getaway for New Yorkers and PAers and so there are many bungalows around the lake area. The conditions differ, so once again, you'd need to take a look. Here's one example:

103 Phillips Ave Browns Mills NJ - Home for Rent - MLS #5786703 - Realtor.com®

This is a 3BR but you'd need a roomate.

You can use Find Real Estate Listings, School and Neighborhood Information and More - Realtor.com® to search for other places near Browns Mills. Under "Home Type" just select rentals and then type in the city/town and state. Look at a map and see what towns and areas are in the vicinity of Browns Mills. And as previously mentioned, try to visit here so you can see the apartments on-site. Good luck!

[Whoelsebutcharles]

Originally Posted by frankgn87

to be brutally honest, I do not think any apartment complex is trouble free. The renting itself draws the transients and such.. Yoiu are always going to have 'undesireables' living in apartment complexes... And they will come and they will go. Its a nature of the beast..

I agree with this fully. I think there is a state law that mandates every complex now have a certain amount of section 8 units.

What about Allison in Evesham, just off Main St. Marlton. Where is work?

[southbound_295]

Originally Posted by ioukta

oh thank you so much everybody I'll look, i feel much better thanks to your input (can always keep it coming lol)

@ frank yeah i pretty much made my peace with the fact it's not gonna be perfect, but if i can choose between drug dealers and just noisy neighbours i'll pick the noisy ones lool

@ southbound yes my visa will be an immigrant visa, my father is a US citizen, i can do everything a citizen can do except vote, and Roberts Mill is not in Mount Laurel it's in Maple shade or something and it's pretty far, but i'll look at the others

@ SJ Styx i hadn't thought of where military families go, i'd feel pretty safe there ! those appartments i mentioned ARE in Mount Holly but i'll look at the other places u mentioned

THANK U VERY MUCH and don't hesitate to come back if you have more ideas or input

THANK YOU GUYS SO MUUUUCH i feel so much better knowing i got answers and more choices to explore, i felt so stuck

LOL, OK, Maple Shade. Roberts Mill is just about on the border with Cherry Hill. Mt Laurel is also close. The 3 town borders are very confusing in that area.

It's not a prime location for going to Browns Mills, but since you asked about Cherry Hill, I threw out 3 places that should get a good rating without costing a fortune. There's another near Roberts Mill but I can never remember the name.

I mentioned about the visa because I have known some people, over the years, who didn't realize the difference. Then they had a big problem.

I hope that everything will work out very well for you. Don't hesitate to come back & ask more questions.

[southbound_295]

Originally Posted by Whoelsebutcharles

I agree with this fully. I think there is a state law that mandates every complex now have a certain amount of section 8 units.

What about Allison in Evesham, just off Main St. Marlton. Where is work?

I think it's a federal law about the section 8.

[ocnjgirl]

Before I went to Houston for 6 months a few years ago, I looked at the apartment review sites too and they were all horrible. The apartment complex I ended up in was nothing like it sounded from reviewers and half the things they said happened never did people said the fire alarms went off constantly, the electric gates were always broken, there were homeless people on the property, etc, and none of it was true. I think a lot of times the only people who post reviews are the ones who like to complain. Pay attention if everyone is saying the same thing, not a few random complaints. I also called the local police number to ask if they got a lot of calls from the complex. Good luck!