Facing Decision between Lofts @ Sodo Vs Estates @ Park Avenue (Orlando: apartments, lease)

[sammydread]

I'm wondering if the group can help me make a decision.
I am pretty much faced with a comparable price on a year lease for a 1BR townhouse no one above or below me at estates at park avenue vs 1BR at Lofts @ Sodo.

Estates Park avenue from what I can see is in the nicer part of Metrowest. Driving around in the Lake Debra areas seems OK in the days at least.

Any suggestions?

Thanks

[Alyzza]

Here are a couple of things I would be thinking about... Lofts or elevated ceilings.. unless the place is very well ventilated, heat rises and it will get very hot up there. The ac will work overtime. A friend of mine has an elevated ceiling and has a problem with mold there. As for the townhouse, how much do you like climbing stairs? They look nice but with the townhouses I've seen it's typically 5 steps up to the front door and then 16 steps up to each level. Everyone's wants and needs are different, so these are just thinking points.

The one thing I like about here is that one has the option to live in a villa and if you get one on the end, then you only have one place up next to yours, no one over you.

Another thing to check out before signing a lease anywhere is the parking lot. I lived an a complex that looked nice from the outside on a sunny day. However, every time it rained the whole thing was about 4 inches under water with the only way from my car to the front door being through it.

[idr591]

The lofts at SoDo are very nice and are convenient to everything.

[Pete C]

Lofts at SoDo. This area of Orange Ave is constantly being developed and is on the upswing as opposed to Metrowest which is a congested, higher-crime area with loads of vacated condos that is not seeing any new development. At SoDo you are away from the tourist area and have nice nearby neighborhoods like Delaney Park and Thornton Park, closer to downtown, central to everything, walk downstairs to get groceries or whatever else at Target, one of the best gyms in Orlando there at 24 hour fitness...easy choice in my book.

[otown native]

Agree with Pete. While it might seem that the Estates are in a "better" area of Metrowest, they're not. Anything even relatively close to Kirkman in that area is not so good. Plus SoDo is much much nicer, 2 minutes from downtown, close to shopping. So if you actually got them at the same price, I'd definitely say go with SoDo.

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[Lukas05]

You'd probably be happy in either, but my vote goes for Lofts at SoDo. In my opinion, the areas are going to be similar in terms of crime issues. Its in a better part of MetroWest, but its still MetroWest, so you are 'ok' there. SoDo and the downtown area have their own issues as well though, but overall, I would feel safe in either location. I just personally enjoy the SoDo area more.

[oslc]

There are some reviews on Lofts here:

Lofts @ Sodo Apartment Ratings, Reviews, Map, Rents, and other Orlando apartments for rent from ApartmentRatings.com

The recent disgruntled postings I believe are all written by the same person.

I don't know anything about Estates, but I can tell you the following about Lofts:

They have a parking garage that has very tight turns you have to be careful going around. Some people barrel thru seemingly not to care about getting into an accident. Lots of people park on the lower floors but the office does give out a notice to residents stating they may tow if you park there. They had some recent attempted break-ins so they are installing a lot of anti-jimmy devices on the doors. There are at times dog poop and pee in the stairways. The fire alarm can be very loud if it goes off. I'm not sure the security doors are always working. You have a loud train to deal with if you are on the Super Target side. On the side facing S. Orange, you have ambulance sirens to deal with as they are likely going to ORMC. The A/C can go off, but usually just pulling the plug out of the pipe next to the A/C unit will get it going again. There are shady areas around there, so sometimes you see them walking nearby and you will definitely drive by them.

On the plus side, the walls seem to be thick enough not to really hear neighbors. They have a nice pool, long enough for doing laps. At times, there are very attractive people at the pool. You can walk to Super Target, 24-hr Fitness, and the shops there and across the street. This includes some decent eateries and fast food. Got a garage to park in.

Average age seems to be in the 30s. There are a lot of non-traditional people there as these trendy areas seem to attract.