Alexandria apartments - can they really all be so bad?

[zotmeister]

Melissana,

So what did you decide??? Did you find a place.

[anonymous703]

Originally Posted by melissana

I apologize in advance for the length of this post, but my head is about to explode from all the research and info I've been gathering. My husband got an offer to relocate from MN to the DC area for a year (gov job). We have a newborn baby and him getting a position with a salary much higher than his current salary in MN seemed like the only option for me to stay home with a baby for a year without needing to return to work after 12 wks. After hours of living area research I decided to narrow it down to Alexandria. I am from Europe and miss living in a city where I can walk places or just grab a stroller and walk to the nearest grocery store, pharmacy, coffee shop etc..So, Alexandria seemed like a natural choice. Our main apartment search criteria was 2B/2B, for no more than $1.9K with a washer/dryer in the unit (important when you have an infant). The W/D factor eliminated some 70% of the properties right away. That still left me with a significant number to choose from (to name a few: EOS 21, Foxchase, Aventine, Cascade @ Landmark, Riverside Apts, Archstone Newport, Park Place, Orleans Village and a few others). And then I went on apartmentratings.com only to find in horror that every one of these properties is described as a dump, worst place to leave, roaches-infested, having gang members and drug dealers living on site etc. I understand that most people put negative posts out there b/c they want to vent or are frustrated, but if you wake up in the morning to a roach walking on your foot, this is a fact...I haven't really found anything positive or uplifting there. Most people from these communities can't wait for their lease to be up and leave b/c their experience is a nightmare. So if every single community (and I reviewed at least 30) is so bad as they describe, where do they all go? Anyway, my husband has a couple of weeks left to accept or deny the job offer and I don't know how I can convince him or myself that moving to a rodent-infested place with A/C breaking constantly and hot water shortages is in a good interest of our family. You guys on this forum have been extremely helpful many times, so any opinion or recommendation will be really welcome.

I live in Reston, (totally not where you are looking) but my community offers everything you want for a lower price -- you can get a 2 BDR here for $1300-$1400. You can walk to everything, and your husband can take a commuter bus to the metro station. (Metro will be extended out here in a few years.)

[akorosdc]

Originally Posted by melissana

Our main apartment search criteria was 2B/2B, for no more than $1.9K with a washer/dryer in the unit (important when you have an infant). The W/D factor eliminated some 70% of the properties right away. That still left me with a significant number to choose from (to name a few: EOS 21, Foxchase, Aventine, Cascade @ Landmark, Riverside Apts, Archstone Newport, Park Place, Orleans Village and a few others). And then I went on apartmentratings.com only to find in horror that every one of these properties is described as a dump, worst place to leave, roaches-infested, having gang members and drug dealers living on site etc.

I used to live in Archstone Newport Village, and it's not a dump. It was a nice big apartment with easy parking, attractive complex, and it's pretty convenient to a lot of places. The biggest downside (which was why we moved) is that it's not close to a Metrorail station. If you want to take public transportation you use the buses out front which will take you to the Pentagon and King Street. It really wasn't a huge inconvenience, but my roommate works crazy hours and often missed the last bus, which was a hassle for her. If you work fairly regular hours and tend to come home after work (i.e. don't frequently go out to happy hours or night classes) then it's perfectly fine.

I read the reviews about Archstone, and honestly they are completely different from what I experienced. We never had bug problems (and I hate bugs, so I would notice). I always felt safe. Sure, there are some Hispanic kids who hang out outside, but I've never had a problem with them and would never have thought of them as a "gang". Walkability is an issue. You could technically walk to a Friday's, Five Guys, and a pizza place without too much trouble. CVS also isn't that bad of a walk, but it's kind of far for convenience. For driving, it's very convenient. I could be in Old Town, DC, or Arlington in 15 minutes or less, in addition to several malls, grocery stores, and pretty much any chain store you could imagine. We actually recommended it to some friends of ours who are happy there so far. I also have friends who have lived in Foxchase for more than 2 years and are happy there.

My advice if you go there is to try and get a place on the 3rd floor. First off, bugs tend to be more prevalent in ground-floor apartments. Secondly, the ceilings/floors are very thin, so we could hear our neighbors walking around above us (we were on the 2nd floor). If you're on the 3rd floor, you won't have that problem. I saw a lot of young families around the complex, so I don't think you'd be out of place. As for the management, they could be better. One trick, if they don't pick up the phone then call again immediately. Usually by the second call someone will pick up.

[Everythinginmoderation]

Did you find a good place by now? I am also from Europe (Frankfurt area) and I miss the city, for the same reason as you I like to move to Alexandria, VA.....and all I read about this city and it's apartments/condos is not very positive (i.e. roaches, mice, drugs, gangs, et.). Somehow it can't be all real, but I don't want to sign a lease and have to struggle with these problems. We looked at a Condo on 5300 Holmes Run Pkwy - on the top - and I like it .......and all I am doing right now is debatting should I sign the lease........

[melissana]

We actually didn't move. It would have cost us a fortune to find a place that meets our current standard (2B/2B, underground parking, next to the park, elevator, short commute for both of us, city feel etc). Once we found a property that met most of the criteria, there would be something off: like the apartment building is overlooking a busy highway, or there is no park in the walking distance or no elevator (not fun when you have a stroller etc). There were obviously other factors that impacted our decision as well