Your thoughts on apartmentratings.com? Shopping for an apt. in Charlotte or Raleigh (Huntersville: apartments, homes)

[ctribucher]

With the Internet, the ability to research things like apartments from afar is much more convenient, but with that convenience comes the problem of getting an accurate perception of a community.

In your opinion, would you say that sites like apartmentratings.com are a valuable resource that should be trusted to a certain degree, or just a place for disgruntled tenants to rant and vent? (Yes, I realize some people use this forum to rant and vent as well! )

We currently live in Raleigh but my job may be taking me to Charlotte. Being unfamiliar with this city, I'm using the Internet to find apartment communities close to where my job will be if we end up moving. What looks promising on apartments.com seems to get trashed on apartmentratings.com.

Aside from talking to apartment residents to get their take on how they like their complex (hard to do this from Raleigh!), what other sites/resources are out there that can help me with this search?

Any and all suggestions are appreciated. Thanks!

[ctribucher]

With the Internet, the ability to research things like apartments from afar is much more convenient, but with that convenience comes the problem of getting an accurate perception of a community.

In your opinion, would you say that sites like apartmentratings.com are a valuable resource that should be trusted to a certain degree, or just a place for disgruntled tenants to rant and vent? (Yes, I realize some people use this forum to rant and vent as well! )

We currently live in Raleigh but my job may be taking me to Charlotte. Being unfamiliar with this city, I'm using the Internet to find apartment communities close to where my job will be if we end up moving. What looks promising on apartments.com seems to get trashed on apartmentratings.com.

Aside from talking to apartment residents to get their take on how they like their complex (hard to do this from Raleigh!), what other sites/resources are out there that can help me with this search?

Any and all suggestions are appreciated. Thanks!

[groove1]

Apartmentratings is fairly accurate. You can usually tell the true reviews from the ones that were obviously written by management. If there are 15 bad reviews and one or two stellar ones, it's pretty obvious who wrote them. I've lived at two apartments in Charlotte and the reviews on there are accurate.

[ctribucher]

groove1, if you have any places to recommend, or to stay away from, I'd appreciate it if you'd DM me. Thanks!

[Plan R]

I used a free service from APARTMENT HOMES TLC ::: FREE apartment locating service in Charlotte, NC. They were extremely helpful -- I told them what I was looking for, and they gave me a nice list of places that met these criteria. It was much easier and more convenient than digging around on the apartment ratings sites -- the reviews on there often seem either dated or like someone has an ax to grind, and it's hard to decide who to believe.

[groove1]

Originally Posted by ctribucher

groove1, if you have any places to recommend, or to stay away from, I'd appreciate it if you'd DM me. Thanks!

What area are you loooking at? As a general rule, stay away from SW Charlotte and East Charlotte. However, SE Charlotte in areas around Ballantyne, Piper Glen seem to be ok. Huntersville is a good option too.

[FrankTheTank2]

I think the reviews are mostly bogus and getting worse. You would be better off just using sites like those to find appartments in areas that you like and look at pictures. Then drive by and check it out for yourself one weekend before you move it.

Also ask questions here because you can usually find someone who knows about the complex you are interested in on this forum.

[ctribucher]

Originally Posted by groove1

What area are you loooking at? As a general rule, stay away from SW Charlotte and East Charlotte. However, SE Charlotte in areas around Ballantyne, Piper Glen seem to be ok. Huntersville is a good option too.

Uh, oh, is SW Charlotte bad?

My office will be near I-77 and Tyvola Road and I'd like to stay within a 30 minute commute. Someone suggested looking in SW Charlotte - is this not a good idea?

[ctribucher]

Originally Posted by Plan R

I used a free service from APARTMENT HOMES TLC ::: FREE apartment locating service in Charlotte, NC. They were extremely helpful -- I told them what I was looking for, and they gave me a nice list of places that met these criteria. It was much easier and more convenient than digging around on the apartment ratings sites -- the reviews on there often seem either dated or like someone has an ax to grind, and it's hard to decide who to believe.

Thanks, Plan R, I will definitely contact these folks and see if they can help me narrow things down.

[NCgirl]

I must respecfully disagree with groove1 - SW Charlotte is not a bad area. Steele Creek is a great place to live.

ctribucher - Do you have a budget or ideal commute time in mind?