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Old 05-20-2011, 08:22 AM
 
28 posts, read 220,125 times
Reputation: 26

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I'm planning to relocate to the wider DC metro area--specifically Alexandria--in a few months to find a better job and I've been apartment-hunting over the internet before going to look in person.

I wondered if anyone had heard of "The Heritage at Old Town" apartments? The prices seem... reasonable, which makes me wonder what's wrong with them.

I can't find a lot of information anywhere, though I see that they came under new management recently and parts may still be under construction. (Which would be fine, if the 2 bedroom rent is truly as listed.)

Could a contributing facor to their low price simply be that the apartments are located about a mile from the metro, and most people don't find that to be walking distance?

Also, are there any other 2 or 3 bedroom apartments in a similar price range in a similar location that anyone can recommend?

Thank you!!
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Old 05-22-2011, 12:24 AM
 
19 posts, read 35,872 times
Reputation: 17
Quote:
Originally Posted by ctina1004 View Post
I'm planning to relocate to the wider DC metro area--specifically Alexandria--in a few months to find a better job and I've been apartment-hunting over the internet before going to look in person.

I wondered if anyone had heard of "The Heritage at Old Town" apartments? The prices seem... reasonable, which makes me wonder what's wrong with them.

I can't find a lot of information anywhere, though I see that they came under new management recently and parts may still be under construction. (Which would be fine, if the 2 bedroom rent is truly as listed.)

Could a contributing facor to their low price simply be that the apartments are located about a mile from the metro, and most people don't find that to be walking distance?

Thank you!!
Actually it has nothing to do with distance.

The reason why those apartments are cheap because they are subsidized housing with income maximiums to live there. Probably 40,000 max.

I live a few blocks away, its a place I try to avoid walking past as I've been threatened before outside of them. This is like at 2 o'clock in the afternoon in broad daylight. The 7-11 in that neighborhood has a police dispatch center inside.

Not sure what the rental market is these days but any building offering a 2 BD below 1200 is probably not a great place to be.
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Old 05-23-2011, 07:32 AM
 
28 posts, read 220,125 times
Reputation: 26
Thanks for your reply!

I think the cost of a 2BR was closer to 1500 than 1200. While I haven't seen anything about that complex specifically, I've seen mentions of the nearby streets, and their indications seemed to be that they were relatively safe. Yikes.

I'm going to be living with a roommate, and we're looking for a 2BR around 1500-1700. She has a job a little further south, and I will have a very meager job and be looking for a better one, so I'll need metro access. For me, anything under a mile is easily walkable in most weather. (If the weather's poor: bus.)

Would private renting be any cheaper than renting in a complex? How do I go about finding private rentals? (Aside from Craigslist... where I really didn't find much.) Should I just walk around and see what I find on foot?
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Old 10-03-2011, 01:49 PM
 
1 posts, read 4,793 times
Reputation: 10
I am a resident of these apartments, though it didn't take me long to regret that I'd ever signed a lease here. Unfortunately, I'm stuck with it.

The location is excellent as far as being walkable and accessible. That's where the list of advantages ends. The buildings are a strange mix of upscale professionals paying market rate for their apartments, and a number of residents who are on the subsidized housing program, which, unfortunately, results in a significant number of recurring problems. Several nights a week there are loud parties or fights in the parking lot or right at the building entrance, resulting in the police being called at 1 or 2 or 3 a.m. The all night security guards in the building seem incapable of ever handling or curtailing this problem. Even in broad daylight, it's not unusual to be loudly verbally assaulted by a person high on something as you approach the building.

The highly-touted cyber cafe and free Internet access? Well, it's only available to those who don't work a regular 8-to-5 job Monday through Friday, since that's the only times it's open and available. Likewise the fitness room key has to be checked out from the front desk each time, and once again, that's only available during the hours most people are at work. Laundry facilities consist of 4 washers and 4 dryers for a building with nearly 100 apartments, so if you expect to do your wash in the evenings or on weekends, get ready to stand in line. And as far as getting any maintenance done on your apartment, all I can say is, "Good luck with that."

And don't even get me started on the parking problems.
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