Lofts at Weston Apartments

Scr8on

Resident • 2013 - 2015

We loved living at the Lofts. We liked the apartment amenities and the dog-friendly environment. The staff was friendly and helpful. The location was convenient while also feeling tucked away from the city. It's easy access to Crabtree Lake, Umstead and the Black Creek Greenway and other trails. We found the other residents to be friendly.

kkreb

Resident • 2014

The location and amenities are nice and was one of the main reasons we chose to move into Lofts while our home was being finished. The apartments themselves are ok but probably not worth the rent they are asking. As another reviewer stated, they are not very well sound proofed. Ours also had a strange plastic smell, I guess from the cheap carpet and flooring. The main reason for my 1 star rating is the management. We called a few days in advance to confirm our move-in date/time with the property manager. They said they were all ready and looking forward to having us. When we arrived on our move-in day, we were issued keys but on entry in the apartment found it very dirty with piles of trash on the kitchen counter and strewn all over the floor. The bathrooms in particular were filthy. We were super grossed out and found it really disappointing that no one had bothered to check that the apartment was move-in ready. Of course we complained but as a result we had to wait several hours to unload our moving truck while they cleaned up the apartment. The cleaning job they did was passable with the exception of the toilets which still had poo stuck to the rim. Not a great first impression by any means. While we lived there it became apparent that there were certain residents who liked to behave more like frat boys than the young professionals you might expect in a complex with such a high price tag. The pool was closed numerous times because people brought beer bottles there and left broken glass in the bottom of the pool. There were also a number of problems in the apartment like the laminated floors peeling up that meant we had workmen coming in to fix them on a pretty regular basis. Fair enough in some ways but for a 6 month stay it got to be a bit excessive. On one occasion they unplugged the fridge to be able to re-lay the floor and then left for several hours without any explanation. I finally called the management office to find out where they had disappeared to and to let them know it wasn't ok to leave all our food to spoil. They seemed very relaxed about the whole thing and said the guys would come back eventually. Finally, as another reviewer noted, on move out these people are quite dodgy with the money. It took my husband going round several times in person to get our deposit back and even then it was much less than anticipated. The excuse was the final water/sewer bill which given it was only for a few days of a month seemed a bit suspect. Then when duke energy failed to switch off our power, I called Lofts to get them to take over the charges on the account since they had been the ones using the power in the month we had not been living there (our lease ended a month prior). They assured me they would pay the bill and even sent me an email stating they had submitted the bill for payment and would be cutting a check before the end of Sept 2014. Well as of today (Oct 22) the bill has still not been paid. I have called and emailed numerous times to find out why they first said they would pay it and now obviously have no intention of doing so. Because the bill was in my name and I didn't want to get a bad credit rating off the back of not paying, I have paid it myself.

Current Resident 788100

Resident • 2014

I had previously written a pretty scathing review. I was upset about some machinery noise and the front office staff and I had a bit of a row. Between the office staff and the maintenance team, they have worked very hard to remedy my issues, and while no apartment is going to perfect, I wouldn't hesitate to rent here. The grounds are nice, the location is great. The gym is rarely in use and the pool is wonderful in the summer (although some drunken frat times like to enjoy it on saturdays). I rarely hear my neighbors through the walls, and the man above me has a dog which i can hear snoring, otherwise its not too noisy.

acale

Resident • 2013 - 2014

In general I liked this apartment complex. The staff were friendly (although their mass emails seem to be weirdly passive aggressive at times, but maybe thats just me?), the neighbors were always nice, and the apartments themselves look very nice. I was on the top floor so I never heard anything from neighbors (which probably means I was the loud one haha). I also absolutely love the rooftop lounge that is on the top floor of the newest building, it has a gorgeous view and there is almost never anyone out there so you basically have it all to yourself. The apartments are well insulated which kept my heating/cooling bill way down, which is always a plus. That said I do have a few complaints. The first one is that the wood flooring is completely fake, it is basically a giant sticker that they put over a black floor. After a few months it began to peel and was very apparent that these floors are incredibly cheap. There are also some questionable design decisions that were made in the apartment. Certain cabinets actually can't be opened all of the way because the stove blocks them, the light switches are in really awkward places in the bathroom, but these are all pretty minor. My other biggest complaint is the amount that the rent is jumping up this coming year. I already pay over 1k for a 800sqft 1BR apartment, but that is jumping to almost 1300 if I were to renew my lease. I think a 30% price increase is pretty ridiculous, for these prices there are far better options all over cary. I think if you have a roommate or something then this complex becomes a much better deal as the 2BR apartments are typically only 1-200 more a month than the 1BR, so if you can split the rent its actually pretty reasonable. As some of the other reviews have said, there are certainly some issues with how the new building was built (there really is a HUGE crack right over the door on the 4th floor near the stairwell that doesn't inspire a lot of confidence). There have also been a couple burst pipes that have flooded some apartments. However whenever this happened the response was immediate and they fixed it as best they could. This past winter was the coldest I've ever seen in NC, so I don't blame them too much for this stuff happening. The lack of any intercom system (coupled with pretty poor cell reception inside all of the buildings) can make letting guests into the building incredibly frustrating. I will not be living here next year due to the massive price increase, but if you can afford it it is a very nice community, beautiful property, and all around a solid place to live.

jspendlove

Resident • 2013 - 2014

My wife and I have loved our time here. I'm not sure what some of the other folks are comparing to, because we looked at most of the apartments in Cary, and felt like this was the best one. We are now moving out-of-state and it has been difficult to find apartments on-par with the Lofts at Weston. Is it absolutely perfect? No. But it is a very good place to be, and has probably been one of the best apartments we've lived in (out of 7). We live in a top-floor unit on the lake side of the lake-facing building. Top floor was important to us as we had experienced noisy neighbors in all our previous apartments. We were willing to pay more to ensure peace and quiet, and we have been entirely satisfied. Can't speak to noise on other floors though. The view of the lake and the surrounding forest is great (aside from the slice of freeway that is visible and slightly audible from the balcony). The unit was new when we moved in, and we have been satisfied. If this were my own house, or somewhere I was going to live for 30 years, I probably would have been more picky about some of the craftsmanship or materials used, but it is better than anything else in the area that we looked at. It is better than any apartment we have rented in the past too, so it is a plus in my book. Getting actual granite (as opposed to that terrible granite-styled Formica) is surprisingly difficult in Cary. The location is fantastic - right by Lake Crabtree (great 6-mile running trail around the lake), the Greenway, and Umstead State Park. There isn't a grocery store within walking distance which could be considered a downside, but you have at least 4 grocery stores (Target, Harris Teeter, and 2 Food Lions) within a 5-minute drive. Aside from the nature out the back door, the neighborhood is mostly well-landscaped business parks and an upscale residential subdivision. So, it feels very safe and nice. Amenities are a definite strong point. The lobby and common area are sophisticated and have plenty to do (pool table, shuffleboard table, 7-8 big flat screen TVs, etc.). The grills are awesome. Pool is nice, and the grounds are very well kept. Perhaps the best amenity is the fitness center. It is far and away the best one I have seen in any apartment complex. Free weights, great treadmills, a VR bike machine with VR that actually works. To a previous comment about a water pipe or two breaking. That sucks. But, according to my colleagues from the area, it was also the worst winter in North Carolina in 20 or 30 years. Stuff just happens in apartment buildings. It happens in houses too. No place is immune from stuff happening, even when precautions are taken (as I assume they were at the Lofts). My dad is prepared/paranoid about water pipes in his house, and he's had three break on him despite his preparations. On the water pipe issue, and on every other issue, I have found the management to be entirely accommodating and easy to work with. As far as apartment living is concerned, I think it's hard to beat the Lofts. No apartment complex is absolutely perfect. There will always be room for improvement somewhere, but we've had a great experience, and I think you could do a lot worse in Cary.

Current Resident 198449

Resident • 2013 - 2014

Biggest ripoff in Cary. We moved down to the area in October of 2013. My fiance and I spent a frantic weekend looking at all sort of places in the area, and after looking at several other options we settled on this place. The place was still under construction, but that meant we would be the first in our unit. Nice thought, but that wasn't what sold us. The the amenities were very attractive, but the location sold us on it. Even so, the place was at least $150/month more expensive than other places we were looking at. Hindsight is 20/20, but man we must have had blinders on. Here's a few things we were told before we signed the lease: Pool would be finished in 2 weeks? Outright lie. Grills would be finished in 2 weeks? Even bigger lie. Apartments are well insulated against sound? Woah, that's the biggest whopper so far. Specifically, our upstairs neighbor stomps around like an elephant, then lets his kids wrestle and stomp around at all hours of the day. Then he lies about it when he says he only has custody in the evenings until 7pm...when we clearly hear the kids stomping around all day from 7am to 11pm. To top it off, management told us that our only recourse is to move out. The problem I have is that I've NEVER lived in an apartment where I could hear my neighbors so clearly, and I've lived in some cruddy places before. Water running, toilets flushing, drawers moving...you can hear everything. So even if our neighbors were ninjas we could probably hear every move they make. Even more so, this past winter several units had water pipes burst, which caused water damage to multiple units. Their response? Send out a letter noting how EXCITING this winter has been, and oh by the way make sure your renters insurance is up to date. Maybe I'm misunderstanding this, but I was under the impression that renters insurance covers damage caused by your negligence, not damage caused by someone else (e.g. the builders not sufficiently insulating pipes, or the management/resident not keeping the heat on in the units). This also speaks volumes as to how they handle problems. They're quick to shift the blame. The power went out a short while ago, as it happens to do in this area, and they sent out an e-mail saying that the power is out, but wait it's not our fault it's out for the whole area!!!! Yes, we know, but the fact that you're so defensive about it makes me think that it IS your fault. And when the pipes burst, they made sure to send out a link to an article about how some other apartments in the area had pipes burst. Because putting yourself in to the same company as other water-damaged places is always a good idea. I'm from Minnesota. When water pipes burst, it's due to negligence. Either the pipes weren't insulated enough or the heat wasn't on. Pipes don't just burst for no good reason. And on that, when the pool first opened a short while ago, they sent out an e-mail saying how great it is! But if you're in the pool after it closes, you might be evicted! Yes, they were literally threatening to evict people for using the pool past hours, BEFORE anyone could even use the pool. Build quality is also total garbage. The finishing details were rushed. The plank flooring looks like the cheapest stuff you can buy and still call it plank. The appliances look like the cheapest you can get and still call it stainless. Half the outlet covers in our unit were painted over (for those not in the know, you REMOVE the outlet covers before you paint around them. It's house painting 101). And did I mention that this brand new building is already falling apart? Literally. On the top floor, one of the corners has a giant crack in the wall, and the floor is sunken several inches. Rumors are going around about the foundation on that side being damaged as well. It's a wonder this place hasn't fallen in to the lake already. And I'm told that this 2nd building was built BETTER than the first building. Wow. It's no wonder that the previous owners unloaded this property ASAP. I feel sorry for the new owners. They bought a lemon, and now they have to make it work. All that said, the location is pretty good. But that only matters if you can tolerate living here. Worst of all, when we look at their website, they're gouging on prices. The place was already overpriced when we moved in, and yet the prices have nearly doubled since then. In conclusion, the concept is nice, but the execution was poor at best. We wanted to like this place so bad, and despite everything wrong we're so tempted to renew our lease. But I don't think that's going to happen. The management is just so terrible that it's just getting to be too much to deal with.

Current Resident 189678

Resident • 2013 - 2014

I like this apartment very much except the neighbor's noise!!! You can hear they are walking, flashing a toilet, taking shower...loudly!! I can't sleep well... I'm sooooo disappointed about that.(cry)

Current Resident 579228

Resident • 2013 - 2014

I'm surprised that nobody has mentioned the flooring as a positive. I called and looked at many apts in both Cary and Raleigh and very few had hardwood/laminate flooring. The few that did had rents starting at 1300 for a 1 bd/1ba. Uh No. Not in the Triangle area. Everyone else had carpeting (and even more awful to someone who cares about aesthetics - that nasty generic beige carpet). Lofts@WL has plank flooring (not real wood or maybe a cheaper engineered wood type or vinyl) and it makes me so very happy as it is so much easier to clean. Only the bedroom has carpet. Another positive nobody else has mentioned is that AT&T Uverse is available as an option. Time Warner sucks so bad. During installation, AT&T tech gave me his cell phone to call if there are any issues or if I have questions and called later to follow up. When I had TWC, the tech would call me then proceed to complain about the gates in my old apt complex then give me attitude. Also, the insulation in my apt is done really well- my power bill was $50 this past month. Even the utility closet door is insulated around the edges! My previous apt had a bug issue so I became really OCD about caulking and any entry points and I checked every pipe coming into my apt and every crack. Very few needed caulking. There are entrances to the greenway in the next apt complex over and Lofts@WS also rents out bikes to residents. Lovely to walk and bike on a nice day. what others already have mentioned- nice neighbors, brand new apts, well equipped gym --- on the parking between the 2 bldgs. If I get in late after 7, I have to park in the back. Also annoying to have to go down to get guests or pizza delivery as there is no intercom system.

Current Resident 17937

Resident • 2013 - 2014

As with any place, there's good and bad...The neighbors have been great, the apartment layouts are good, and they do look beautiful - high ceilings, granite, stainless, etc. The lobby and gym are nice for this area of the country. The maintenance staff takes care of issues quickly although I don't like the fact that they come in without notification. I've found things in my laundry room rearranged. Overall, they are a bit overpriced for this area, but not outrageous. The front office staff is pleasant to deal with. Hopefully, the rent won't go up too much next year. My biggest gripe is there is no intercom system. I don't know how you could miss that - I found out Cary has no laws requiring this like other cities do and I suppose the builders didn't want the expense. If you have guests after the office is closed, then they have to call you at home and you have come downstairs to let them in. I think several of us have asked about this and there isn't going to be anything done. I worry that in an emergency this would be an issue. You can hear your neighbors but I've lived in apartments where you knew if it was a man or woman using the bathroom from the sound so this isn't bad. I think they learned from the first building when they completed the second building and improved the insulation.

Current Resident 643987

Resident • 2013 - 2014

The apartments and grounds are very nice, pet friendly, and well maintained. We have lived here for three months and have had some appliance issues but it was always fixed promptly. For the price you pay in rent the noise is horrible! You can hear your neighbors as well as people outside. I understand you will have some noise but I can hear our neighbor above us using the bathroom and when they walk it sounds like they are going to come through the floor. Also, if you have trouble sleeping be careful where your apartment is compared to the light poles outside. We are on the second floor and the pole is at level within feet of our bedroom window. It is so bright in the room at night that even window coverings are not dark enough. The front office states they are going to put shields on the back of the lights but that has yet to happen. At the time we moved in these lights were not installed yet so we had no idea. Overall, the area is nice and close to anywhere you want to go and I feel safe here but I think the rent is too high for how cheap the apartment is made as well as the quality of appliances in it. I would recommend this apartment only if you can afford to rent on the top floor.

Current Resident 458855

Resident • 2013

The apartments look nice, and the tenants are all nice and respectful. I moved in to a brand new apartment that already had significant damage. It is built cheaply with appliances that sometimes work, and sometimes don't. There is no insulation between apartments or outdoors-- I can hear my neighbors use the restroom, and every word they speak to each other. There is a steady draft that comes through my brand new windows and doors. The front office staff is always pleasant when you stop in, but they are very ineffective at actually answering questions. They don't answer the phone or respond to emails. If you want something done, Becki is your best bet. The layout of the apartments is wonderful and comfortable to live in. The property is always clean and well maintained. Maintenance is usually pretty quick and helpful, although I have noticed a few times that after they have come in to do work my door is left unlocked. I have a very difficult time with cell signal/dropped calls while in my apartment, and most of the tenants I have spoken to also have this issue. Knowing what I know now, I would not be paying so much rent for this place, it's definitely overpriced. I would recommend it to a friend, but only if rent dropped.

Current Resident 704873

Resident • 2013

Comments withheld

Current Resident 627497

Resident • 2013

To Becki, Doreen, Chelsea and Matt: (Lakeside Loft Staff) My husband and I have been in our apartment just over a month. We appreciate all the assistance you have given us in getting settled. We are grateful for you immediate response to every issue that has come up during the the move-in process. More importantly, we appreciate the gracious, friendly and competent staff. We look forward to the community events you are planning and thank you for all your efforts on our behalf.

rja9

Resident • 2013

This is a great apartment complex. The staff is extremely helpful, friendly and knowledgeable. The staff was even able to solve one of my cable issues for me! The grounds are right by a lake and the views are well worth it. The gym facility is one of the best I have ever seen for an apartment complex, and the common lounge is very relaxing.

lovingcary13

Resident • 2013

A brand new community in Cary! By far the best out there! I love the 10 foot ceilings and huge windows. Granite and stainless steel. They even have a pet spa for my dog! Very quiet and neighbors are all very friendly! I highly recommend this community !