Need advise on getting a rental apartment in Corvallis (Albany: sublease, apartment complexes)

[HaDs]

Hi

I will be moving to Corvallis to attend OSU (as a grad student). I will be an international student I will not enter the states until early September. I have been looking at apartment complexes on the net and they seemed pretty decent and for good prices. I decided to read some reviews on the apartments and I'm totally in shock from what I've read. Except for Mountain View at RiverGreen I haven't found a single complex that doesn't have a bunch of bad reviews. I'm not talking about bad reviews saying that their next door neighbor frequently passes out drunk while blasting music. I'm talking about reviews about the actual quality of the apartments. In more expensive complexes people seem to be content with the apartments but almost all of them have several reviewers claiming that they were ripped off by management while moving out. Many state that even though they were told that their apartment was nice and clean on the walkthrough they did not get their deposit back and were even charged an extra couple of hundred bucks. Cheaper complexes complain about moldy bathrooms and stuff like that. Parking also seems to be an issue everywhere.

Here are some examples of what I have come to know of some of the complexes:

Grand Oaks
Nice apartments. Better on the outside than inside. You will never see your $400 deposit again and likely be charged $200-300 extra.

North Pointe Apartments
Trains pass by causing too much noise. Use to have great management, but the management changed around 08 and is now horrible. Actually reviews were all great up till 08.

Parkwest
Mixed reviews. But being so close to the campus I'm not sure I'd like to be there.

Oak Vale
Mixed reviews. Good overall ratings, however reviewers consistently point out some cons such is insufficient parking spaces causing tenants to double park! Moldy bathrooms in the phase I apartments. Phase II are too expensive for my liking. The rent is however month-by-month which is a big plus.

Creekside/Spring Creek Apartments
According to many reviewers they rip you off when moving out. Rude management. Landscapers may wake you up early. Not worth the money.

Mountain View At RiverGreen
The most current reviews are good. Some complain about the management (with out bringing any examples) while most say that the management (a husband and wife) are very good. The apartments seem to be good. Although they say that they are near OSU. They seem to be about 2.5-3 miles away. Short term being available is a plus (however I have no idea how short that is).

Witham Hill Oaks
It up on a hill and bus stop is at the bottom of the hill. Many say that they rip you off when moving out. One review said that there are rats in the walls and the management does nothing about it. No one else said this but the complex was built in 1978 (remodeled in 2000). There was one good review which had more supporting facts than the all the bad ones combined. However it had a ton of nasty comments at the bottom making me wonder how honest the reviewer was. The have 2 month lease which is a plus (although someone said their leasing traps you in. I don't know how).

My other option is the Gem, the university housing which seems to be a good choice however it is extremely over priced.
I really need to narrow down my choices. How much faith should I put in these reviews? If anyone has first hand experience from any of these complexes (or other complexes which I haven't mentioned) PLEASE tell me about it.

I am currently leaning towards Mountain View based on its good reviews. But it is too far for my liking. I will be going to the Mechanical Engineering department. I'm not sure where on campus it is but I think it's on the north on the campus meaning I would have to go through the whole campus if I were to live at Mountain View. I will purchase a car eventually but probably not for the first couple of month. Is there a bus or shuttle or anything that passes by Mountain View? What about a bike pass? How difficult would that be?

This post turned out a lot longer than I expected. Thank you for your patience. I will really appreciate any input.

Thanks in advance.

Hadi

[ScottInTheRain]

Hello, I lived in Corvallis for several years so I thought I would put my 2 cents in. If you are not going to be in the states until September, it is going to be tough. The closer it gets to the beginning of the fall term the harder it is to find a good apartment. A lot of student arrange for apartments in July/early August. Also, the close you live to campus, the more expensive the apartments are. I always rented through IPMG (Investment Property Management Group) and thought they were a pretty good company. They have a website with listings. Make sure you avoid Bula Enterprises also know as Red Door Properties, I have heard many horror stories about that company. I am not to familiar with the apartments you listed but I think spring creek is over by Philomath, which is pretty far from campus. The Gem is way overpriced. I had a friend stay there for the summer and it was too expensive. But, The Gem houses a lot of Asians, so if you are coming from a Asian country, you might feel more comfortable there. Craigslist and be a good source for apartments. but if you are not in the country yet, I would be wary. Good Luck! Corvallis is a great town!!

[jjpop]

Hi Hadi. I don't have specific information about the living conditions in these apartment complexes, but I can tell you a little about their look and feel and what the neighborhoods are like:

Originally Posted by HaDs

Grand Oaks
Nice apartments. Better on the outside than inside. You will never see your $400 deposit again and likely be charged $200-300 extra.

Not particularly close to campus, but not far. Nice quiet neighborhood feel. Lots of families. Attractive, fairly new complex.

Originally Posted by HaDs

North Pointe Apartments
Trains pass by causing too much noise. Use to have great management, but the management changed around 08 and is now horrible. Actually reviews were all great up till 08.

NE Corvallis is better further away from Hwy 99W. I would not recommend this location--it has a bit of a trashy feel. I have a friend who lived in the area and his car was broken into. Also far from campus.

Originally Posted by HaDs

Parkwest
Mixed reviews. But being so close to the campus I'm not sure I'd like to be there.

Being close to campus allows you more flexibility, but it's true that you pay for it in noise. As a grad student, I'm guessing you are less interested in the non-stop partying lifestyle. This complex is very close to campus, but it's always impressed me as being a pretty good complex--at the very least it is attractive and seemingly well maintained. Of course, the quality of your life there depends on who is living there at the time, and I would imagine it has the potential to be loud.

Originally Posted by HaDs

Oak Vale
Mixed reviews. Good overall ratings, however reviewers consistently point out some cons such is insufficient parking spaces causing tenants to double park! Moldy bathrooms in the phase I apartments. Phase II are too expensive for my liking. The rent is however month-by-month which is a big plus.

This complex and the Witham Hill Oaks seem attractive, and a good compromise on distance to the University. Biking up the hill may be a pain (especially in the rain), but the bus goes right up Witham Hill Drive. Fairly quiet area and a nice setting with plenty of trees.

Originally Posted by HaDs

Creekside/Spring Creek Apartments
According to many reviewers they rip you off when moving out. Rude management. Landscapers may wake you up early. Not worth the money.

These are quite new (built within the last 5 years), so they should still be fresh. Close to campus and very close to shopping. Probably more than a few families live here, and it's also close to a retirement community, so it's probably quiet. Additionally, take into account that students think that 9am is "early". Another note: on all of these complexes, you should assume that you are not going to get your security deposit back. Other than that if you follow the rules of the complex you should get along with management just fine.

Originally Posted by HaDs

Mountain View At RiverGreen
The most current reviews are good. Some complain about the management (with out bringing any examples) while most say that the management (a husband and wife) are very good. The apartments seem to be good. Although they say that they are near OSU. They seem to be about 2.5-3 miles away. Short term being available is a plus (however I have no idea how short that is).

This complex is probably the furthest from campus, but it's a flat 2.5-3 miles so it would be pretty easy biking (Corvallis has the best system of bike lanes and trails that I've ever seen). Also a bus runs from there to campus. Very new--probably the newest of all of them. I would think a large number of families live in this complex.

Originally Posted by HaDs

Witham Hill Oaks
It up on a hill and bus stop is at the bottom of the hill. Many say that they rip you off when moving out. One review said that there are rats in the walls and the management does nothing about it. No one else said this but the complex was built in 1978 (remodeled in 2000). There was one good review which had more supporting facts than the all the bad ones combined. However it had a ton of nasty comments at the bottom making me wonder how honest the reviewer was. The have 2 month lease which is a plus (although someone said their leasing traps you in. I don't know how).

See my notes about Oak Vale--basically applies here too.

Originally Posted by HaDs

My other option is the Gem, the university housing which seems to be a good choice however it is extremely over priced.

The Gem is attractive and nicely remodeled recently, from what I understand. It is a block off campus, and pretty close to Engineering. It's more of an apartment high-rise, or as near as Corvallis gets to having high-rise apartments. I don't know much more about it.

Originally Posted by HaDs

I really need to narrow down my choices. How much faith should I put in these reviews? If anyone has first hand experience from any of these complexes (or other complexes which I haven't mentioned) PLEASE tell me about it.

I think you have to take consider who writes reviews. If a person is a happy resident, he or she might not think about writing a website review about the place. If he or she is disgruntled, that may give them the motivation to write a nasty review. So you have to read the reviews and determine if the writer seems disgruntled or if the review seems balanced. If the review is gushing, it may have been written by someone involved in marketing the property.

Originally Posted by HaDs

I am currently leaning towards Mountain View based on its good reviews. But it is too far for my liking. I will be going to the Mechanical Engineering department. I'm not sure where on campus it is but I think it's on the north on the campus meaning I would have to go through the whole campus if I were to live at Mountain View. I will purchase a car eventually but probably not for the first couple of month. Is there a bus or shuttle or anything that passes by Mountain View? What about a bike pass? How difficult would that be?

The biggest downside to this location (other than the distance to campus) is the lack of shopping nearby. There are no corner grocery stores in this part of Corvallis, but the First Alternative Co-op is not too far. The #6 bus does go right through there and directly to campus (Corvallis Transit System - City of Corvallis). Biking is a good option, but get decent rain gear.

I think you should take another look at the Creekside. The Route 8 bus goes right through that neighborhood, plus it's an easy bike ride to campus. It is walking distance to shopping and a couple of restaurants. I think it would be a relatively quiet complex.

Good luck!

[HaDs]

Thank you for the detailed explanation. That clarified a lot of things. When do you think I should arrive at Corvallis to have a good chance at getting a decent apartment?

[ScottInTheRain]

Originally Posted by HaDs

Thank you for the detailed explanation. That clarified a lot of things. When do you think I should arrive at Corvallis to have a good chance at getting a decent apartment?

I would suggest Early July and no later then Early August to find a better apartment. After that, It get a bit tough.

[jjpop]

Originally Posted by ScottInTheRain

I would suggest Early July and no later then Early August to find a better apartment. After that, It get a bit tough.

I second this. The selection becomes limited after the first of August and very limited after the first of September.

[HaDs]

That is an issue I do not know how to solve
The earliest I can manage is the end of August. I called some of the complexes today. Parkwest is basically filled up. The women told me that she might have an apartment available for late July.
Mountain View asked me to fill out an application to be waitlisted. they said they might have 1 or 2 places available for September. Spring creek and Creekside put me on an email list. Witham Hill Oaks said that they don't have any available units now and they don't have a waitlist. I should just keep calling. She said my best bet is late July. She said if any units are available I can reserve it via fax and email. Does that mean I will be paying rent from a month before I move in? With out even seeing the apartment before hand?

I wish the Gem was cheaper...it would have made life much easier for me

BTW, have you got any info on Conifer Place? Looking at google map it seems to be even further away from campus than Mountain View. I'm starting to think I'll have a better chance at places which are farther away from campus.

[ScottInTheRain]

I lived at the Conifer Place apartments for a few months. They are pretty nice, and they have a pool and little fitness room. I never had a problem with other tenants. The manger was a pain in the A$$ to deal with and was very moody. But overall a nice place and a good mix of collage kids and families.

[nomfreak]

I am a new grad student at OSU. I am going to move into a new place in January b/c my current sublease is over at the end of December. My boyfriend is moving out here after Christmas, and we would like to find a place together. However, the housing market seems a bit scarce this time of year, plus I have a cat which further limits my choices. There is a place in Corvallis that is nice, affordable, etc. but it is a year lease ($150 to break contract) and is with a rental company (Elite property management), and I just can't tell if they are a good or bad company to rent from. My experience thus far (craigslist, word of mouth about certain renters, etc.) is that there are several ways NOT to go. My other option is a month-to-month rental in Philomath - its a bit cheaper but still nice enough. The rental company in Corvallis is putting lots of pressure on me to decide - I actually may have to decide before anyone even responds to this (like in the next 48 hrs). I have not gotten the guy in Philomath to respond very quickly, so I may have to make a decision while not knowing if the Philomath house will work out. I just don't know what to do, b/c if I turn down the Corvallis place, I may not get the Philomath place either and would then be stuck trying to find somewhere to rent in January that is $800 or less, allows pets, and is preferably not near a busy road or parking lot (my cat goes outside often). we are hoping to find a place in spring or summer (i hear there are more options during these times), but i don't know how likely it is we will find something that works (price, pets). thoughts??

as a side note, in case anyone has any advice, we are also interested in finding a house with some land for a garden, etc. - my boyfriend is a horticulture major. Ideally, we would like a place not too far from campus and downtown Corvallis but in a more country-like setting. Do places like this exist around here that are somewhere under $1500, or should I just quit dreaming?

thanks in advance for any help/advice

-troubled in corvallis

I lived at Oak Vale for a year and it was pretty nice. It's a little far out, which can be annoying when it's really cold out, but it's really not bad. There's a trail that connects Circle to Harrison, so you can avoid having to bike up the hill (plus it's a nice ride). If you can get a roommate, I would recommend getting one of the newer apartments. The old ones have crappy single pane windows, which will drive up your heating costs in the winter, but it's not that bad.

IPMG has been good to me, though they fill up quickly. They're reasonably cheap and well maintained.

Stay away from anything rented by Bula Enterprises and Kip Schoning. They're very cheap, but have a bad reputation for running slums (the city of Albany just told them they had to fix one of their properties or tear it down).

Watch out for management companies that want a lot of money up front. You shouldn't have to pay more than security deposit and first month's rent when you move in. Anything else and they're likely planning to steal your money.

Don't hold your breath on Park West. I called them every few days for months and every single time they said they might have something available in a few days. I finally gave up and went with IPMG, which has nicer apartments and nicer staff for less money.

Pinion may also be worth checking out, though I never had good experience with their staff. They were very rude and unhelpful when I was looking for a place before I moved here.

Don't wait until the last minute. If you do, you will get stuck living far away from campus, renting a really expensive place, or renting a dump.