So Many Negative Apartment Reviews (Raleigh, Cary: apartment complexes, lease, crime)

[SpecialKmoves]

Plan to move to the Raleigh area in January. I'm going to visit apartments in December. There are lots of great threads here I have read with apartment recommendations -- I'm probably going to try to do North Raleigh area. But every time I check the apartment ratings, I find very negative feedback (parking, noise, management, filth, maintenance blah blah).

Is this because only really angry people leave feedback on those sites? Do people have overly high standards for what apartment living should be? Or is the apartment situation in Raleigh really that bad?

And yeah, I'm still looking for recommendations if you have any! I'm 31, single, no kids. I've not had much look finding anything that is not owned by a corporation, even when I checked the online paper.

Thanks in advance.

[lovebrentwood]

Probably disgruntled former tenants.

Check crime maps, too.

[BGrant]

I agree - the reality is that when people are happy/contented, so dont go out of their way to say so - but if they're NOT happy then they'll make some noise....

Compare it to going to a restaurant, most people would complain, leave a bad tip, speak to the manager etc if they're not happy with the service. However, not as many would go out of their way to compliment postively!

The apartment reviews are useful, but I wouldnt use them as your only source - as you've kinda worked out, its usually pretty biased

[lovebrentwood]

As a landlord, I know there are more than a few people who, once the lease is signed, see the landlord as inherently evil. They highly resent having to send that check every month to the big bad landlord, and they do everything in their power to "get back," regardless of the quality of the dwelling, responsiveness of the landlord, or anything else. It defies logic, but it's not unusual.

[TabbyCats]

Tradition at Stonewater has been nice and quiet for us (and I'd been concerned about that aspect of it) while we're house-hunting and learning the area. It's in Cary.

[NewUser]

I think that landlords get on these sites, pose as tenants, and trash the apartment complexes that compete against them.

[StoneOne]

Originally Posted by NewUser

I think that landlords get on these sites, pose as tenants, and trash the apartment complexes that compete against them.

That wouldn't surprise me at all. We live in a complex in Carrboro that basically has no competition and has extremely good reviews. For a while we were thinking of moving to Raleigh, as my wife was looking into a job there. We visited a number of complexes that looked and felt almost exactly like the one we're in, but the reviews were decidedly mixed for all of them. The difference? The ones in Raleigh were a dime a dozen - lots of choice and competition on the market there.

On the whole, though, I think all reviews should be taken with a grain of salt - not only for apartment but for any business. Any business owner or employee with even basic computer skills and a bit of PR sense can create identities and write realistic reviews.

[NewUser]

Originally Posted by StoneOne

On the whole, though, I think all reviews should be taken with a grain of salt - not only for apartment but for any business. Any business owner or employee with even basic computer skills and a bit of PR sense can create identities and write realistic reviews.

I feel the same way about these local magazines/newspapers which publish a "Best of" or "People's Choice" issue. You know that all it takes is for all of your employees to stuff the ballot box and you've won.

[sowk09]

The best advice I got before moving here, was to drive around the communities at different times of the day. Check out who is in the parking lot, pop in the office and see how friendly and attentive they are, if the cars are vandalized, the state of the units, how the tenants treat their outdoor areas, if there is a lot of loitering/loud music, things like that. When you're in town, narrow down to maybe 3-5 you are really interested based on what you see online, then check those out in the morning, maybe when people are getting off work, and most importantly late at night. Good luck!

[NYCinNC]

Its all Angry/bitter People. Most people try to get over on the apartment mgmt and when then can't they post bad reviews. I'm in Westover Hills in Cary. I'm happy here