Been living here since late 2012 after I left college.
Overall, they has been a solid place to live for my first apartment, and I have few complaints.
Here's a detailed run down of what I've seen in my 3 years here.
Pros:
Leasing staff is friendly and easy to work with, the property manager (Kelly Blake) is very responsive over email and has answered any questions I've had over the years. In the few times I've talked to her in person she was very nice and I have had no complaints with her or the staff. (They are staffed with exclusively woman at the leasing office from what i can tell, but no complaints here!)
Maintenance answers all tickets promptly (including the latest emergency ticket which was responded to within 10 minutes) I cannot describe the peace of mind knowing that maintenance is just a call away and almost no hassle (can submit tickets online easily!)
Internet and utilities work reliably and I've had no major issues.
No major pests have been spotted in my apartment, at worst you'll see an occasional ant or spider, but I think that's more because I'm on ground floor.
No strange smells, general hallways and overall apartment maintenance seems to be solid.
Snow removal is very organized, and usually done as best as possible based on who moved their cars.
Grounds are kept up to date and look very professional
We have gotten VERY loud some weekends at VERY inconsiderate times and we haven't received a single noise complaint. (Sorry!)
We also haven't ever heard any overly load noises from nearby apartments.
These both may be a result or combination of good sound insulation, neighbors who aren't bothered by us and aren't that noisy (or vacant apartments?)
We may just be lucky, but knowing we can have fun with our friends is a bonus!
Parking is plentiful, and if you come back at 2AM you wont get a prime spot next to the building, but there's always a decent amount of space available only another 20 seconds of walking away.
Commuting is very convenient.
Left turn out is straight to the highway, no local traffic commute.
Right turn out is straight to Amherst street, with almost all the stores and restaurants you'll need within a 2-5 minute drive. (Market Basket right down the road, 2 minute grocery trip is nice!)
Cons:
The windows are VERRRY drafty, in the winter time it will get cold and your heating bill will rise if you don't want to freeze.
We used an indoor insulation kit to keep the cold out, which worked very well this past winter.
In 2012 when I first started here, rent was 1125 a month, today in 2015, its $1231.72, and that includes a separate bill for water/waste (new costs this year due to shareholders?).
Roughly speaking, this translates $36 per month per year increase, or $432 more per year.
This puts them at a 3-4% rate increase over 3 years.
I'm unsure of what a normal rate increase is supposed to be and I'm hard pressed to find reliable numbers to backup the various claims I've seen online, but I'm unsure of the justification behind the increase and why that specific rate was decided
The "gym" is a complete joke to be frank. It's absolutely tiny, cramped, and equipment has been broken when I've gotten in there. It's not a nice place to be and I would barely qualify it as anything more than the kind of gym someone would have in their house.
You'll have to pay to use the washer/dryers, and at $2 per wash and $2 per dry, it kinda stinks. If you try to load up the washer, expect to need 2 drying cycles so you'll probably be paying $6 to do a load of laundry.
You'll also have to get a "laundry card" to use, which means a trip to leasing office every time you want to reload (wasted time)
The few times I did try to use the machines they were in use by other people, and this happened several times in a row.
Sick of waiting to use a machine, I've switched to using a wash/dry/fold service, where I pay a slight premium, but all the work is done for me and I don't have to wait around to get my laundry done!
The leasing agreement seems very strict, as they want 60 days notice and expect people to pay the rest of the least if it's terminated early. From what I've read, people do NOT get treated well if they terminate early, but I'm not experienced in what is normal with a leasing agreement. The 60 days notice and 1 year lock is simply inconvenient but not a deal breaker.
Summary:
This was my first apartment out of college and I continue to live a peaceful life here. I'm hard pressed to consider moving out as the problems I have seem to be very minor in comparison to the issues I may have at a "cheaper" alternative.
I would definitely recommend this place to people, and have several college friends who live in these complexes now as well.
(Not for the referral bonus I promise! >.>)
Thanks for reading, hope this helps some people out there!
