IMT Cool Springs

Current Resident 795726

Resident • 2000 - 2003

Great Place to Live

My family and I haved lived in a 3-bedroom apartment at Alara Cool Springs for nearly three years,now, and we have had a wonderful experience. We jokingly say we live at a resort! The pool, the grounds and the property (in general) have always been kept looking immaculate. <br> <br>Anytime we have ever had a maintenance issue, big or small, the maintenance crew has responded quickly and professionally. In addition, our experience with the management/sales staff has always been positive as well. <br> <br>We highly recommend to anyone moving into the Franklin area to consider Alara Cool Springs Apartments.

Current Resident 438978

Resident • 2002 - 2003

Not worth the $$

The management is continually looking to attract new tenants. Therefore, initial costs are low and "rebates" are great. Beware though if you need to extend. Whopping increases. And forget month-to-month. They have given new meaning to the words price gouging. No wonder there are always so many vacant apartments. <br> <br>Parking is an issue, as well as people picking up after their pets. You could wallpaper an apartment with all of the "notices" regarding pets, parking and trash. No matter - nobody obeys anyway. It is a shame because the complete disregard for simple rules makes things unpleasant. <br> <br>The Fitness Center and pool are great. <br>Convenience to the highway and Cool Springs area is excellent. Utilities are quite reasonable. <br> <br>Too bad the prices are so ridiculous - this could be a great place to live.

Current Resident 321736

Resident • 2002 - 2003

Review of Current Resident

ALARA is a great place to live. Some people that have reviewed it here say the management is bad. I have not had any bad experiences with them so far. The location is wonderful. I travel to downtown for work in an average of 30 minutes. It is less than 2 miles to a mall, a Wal-Mart supercenter, any restaurant you can imagine, and the nicest movie theater I have ever seen. The apartment itself is very attractive. We live on the third floor so we have a wood-burning fireplace and high ceilings. Both bathrooms in our apartment have very nice garden tubs. The appliances and apartment layout in general are top-notch. My only complaint is that the carpet should have been replaced before we moved in. It is not that bad, but was in need of replacement. Other than that, we have had no problems. It is a little pricey compared to some of the other offerings in the area. I feel it is worth the price though.

Current Resident 3893

Resident • 2003

POOR Office Staff/Customer Service!

Every time I visit the office, I am never greeted pleasantly. Only one person on staff ever seems to take her job seriously — most act as though any office visit is an interruption to their personal schedule. In short, they could use repeated lessons in customer service. I will definitely be moving at the end of my lease.

Current Resident 674487

Resident • 1999 - 2003

bad placement of tenets

After living here for over a year and paying over $1300 it would be nice to have people living next to me that were not party animals. They run up and down the stairs at all hours of the day and night, when I talk to the office staff I was told to call the one sight person and he never calls back, I am not even sure one lives here. Parking is a nightmare, most people take up 4 or more spaces.

Current Resident 529438

Resident • 2001 - 2003

Best place in Franklin/Brentwood even for the $

I´ve been a resident of Alara Farms for more than 2 years and feel the need to respond to the many inaccurate and malicious posts to this website by people who obviously have an ax to grind. First of all, my utility bills are the same or lower than any other complex in which I have lived - this should not be a factor in your decision. I’ve never heard of an apartment complex totally without noise problems. I have very few complaints about noise, my apartment is very quiet and I live on the ground floor. <br> <br>I do wish that the pet deposit was higher, because no matter where I have lived, people let their animals crap all over the grounds. ATTENTION PEOPLE – NOT EVERYONE IS AS ENAMORED WITH YOUR PET(S) AS YOU ARE! Even if an apartment has been painted and the carpet replaced, you can always tell if a dog or cat had been kept there. Animals belong outside. <br> <br>Many people have made posts about deceptive leasing and/or changing the terms of leases. It is up to you to thoroughly read your lease; if management violates the terms of the lease you do have legal recourse. The high rent is in place primarily to deter the riffraff from other parts of the city (Hermitage, Bellevue, Antioch, etc.) from moving there. You’re definitely not getting a deal money-wise, but the smallest, noisiest, insect infested apartment at Alara Farms is better than the nicest apartments in those other areas. <br> <br>At Alara Farms, you are adjacent to Cool Springs, one of the finest shopping areas in Nashville metro and there are plenty of good restaurants as well. The floor plans are spacious, there’s lots of closet space (2BR), large kitchens with plenty of cabinet space, built in shelving, high ceilings, and the grounds are well kept. You get what you pay for. The staff is extremely friendly and know me by name. Anyone claiming that the staff is rude is probably behind on their rent.

Current Resident 450977

Resident • 2001 - 2002

Save your money and move elsewhere...

I moved in to my 1 bedroom apartment here in December of 2001. I must admit that I LOVE the floorplan of my apartment: vaulted celing in the living room, fireplace, dining area with crown molding, and a HUGE HUGE kitchen with a center island and a built-in workstation, garden tub, etc. Now, on to the bad stuff. Ants, ants, ants, and more ants. That is what I had to contend with in my kitchen´s pantry. Even after contacting the office multiple times (like almost 10) and having an exterminator out about 6 times the ants NEVER went away. I finally had to move all of my food out of there and put it into my cabinets because I couldnt get the ants to leave. I contacted my neighbors and guess what? they had the same problem as me! Another problem I have is with noise. When people go up and down the stairs I swear you hear it just like it were in your own apartment. Also, the pet deposit is RIDCULOUS! If you have two pets the deposit is $600, can you believe that?? And since we are on the subjet of pets, let me just tell you. NO ONE picks up after their pet(s) and the facility is FULL of dog poop, dont walk outside in the grass unless you want to step in a surprise from someone else´s pet. My utility bills seem to be higher here than anywhere else too, possible because they use a different electric company here. The other amenities like the clubhouse, etc are VERY VERY nice...but, its just not worth it with all of the problems you have to put up with. Take my advice and move out to Hermitage or something, you can get a TWO bedroom there for LESS, like $150 less, than a ONE bedroom here. This place is DEFINATELY not worth it.

Current Resident 390496

Resident • 2000 - 2002

Nice property, but poor office management

We lived there for over two years. We moved out after buying our first home, but seemed to have trouble collecting our deposit check. It seems that they have a six week turn around time or something. I even had a hard time getting the manager to take my phone calls. (I´m not a scarey person).They kept telling me that the check was in the mail. We finally got the truth a month and a half later, and when my wife was told that it was ready for her to come by and pick up, the check wasn´t even signed...she had to come back the next day. <br> The property is a nice place for the most part, but the management seems to have a problem with handling issues. For example, they can´t seem to keep people from leaving their trash on the sidewalk. They can send out a memo, but they seem to have trouble following up on anything. There is also a bad ant problem in building 4. The exterminator tells me that the other buildings have the same problem. <br> The apartment staff needs learn a little more about serving their customers´(tenants´)needs. I would not recommend this place to anyone after I seemed to have so much trouble collecting my rent deposit. <br> When you pay over $800.00 a month for rent, you should be able to get more for your money.

kruzn1

Resident • 1999 - 2002

Best place in Franklin & Brentwood

We have lived here 3 years now and we love it. When we applied for the apts., the manager of Alara could not get in contact with the other complex where we lived to get a recommendation. They would not return her calls. She understood how frustrated we were with them and gave us the approval. All of the staff (present and past)have worked with us on things that we needed. When we signed the last lease with the new company, we did have an increase, but what complex does not. The increases have been less than the last complex. Also, when we asked for them to change the carpet they did. The maintenance crew is terrific and go beyond what you ask them. We have had to call them out at night and on weekends and have had not problem. If residents have had problems with dog poop, it is because of the owners and not the management, because they have provided stations all over the complex so that when the dog goes they have bags to put it in and a trash can to throw it in right there. Although there has been a problem with parking, I have observed that even when we are warned by the management not to park where we are not supposed to, they still do and that is when they get a sticker warning. We have had an occasion to have to use the 911 service and they came quickly and right to the place. If the cars were parked where they were not supposed to, then the emergency vehicle could not have gotten by.It is a gated community just like all others in the area and has been a relatively safe place to live. (Nothing is completely safe anymore) The grounds are kept immaculate. The landscapers keep this place looking beautiful every season. When the new company bought this property, they repaved the parking lot, repainted the buildings, & cleaned the walking areas. I know people who have lived here since they built and some that have stayed a small time. That is the way of apartment complexes. Yes there can be people who live here that are not as friendly, but the majority have been friendly. (If you owned a house, you would have the same problem and would be stuck unless you sell your house.) Security reacts very quickly if there is a problem and they are real police. Some people do not like to follow the rules (or they don´t care to read them)so when something goes wrong they blame the establishment. I would recommend this place at anytime over anything I have visited in this area.

HpyGoLKY

Resident • 2000 - 2002

Wonderful Place to Live!!!!!

I want to let everyone know what a great place this is to live. The staff is always kind to us, and greeting us by our name which is unbelievable because there are alot apartments in the community! They do a lot of stuff for us the residents! They always go the extra mile responding to problems quickly and effectively. <br>I have dealt with the office staff and they always seem honest and professional. They truely go the extra mile for everyone! <br><br>I recommend this place to anyone who wants to be treated with the kindness they deserve!

starbucksgirl

Resident • 2002

Nice staff; very helpful with leasing information

I have not lived at this complex, however, I did want to comment on how nice the staff has been to us during our quest for a place to live. Jina, who works in the office, has been a great help to us and has gone above and beyond to spend time with us making sure that we had all of the information that we needed. You should check out this apartment complex to see what they have to offer (great specials running right now and lots of amenities).

vildancrazay

Resident • 2000 - 2002

Very Nice Property - Management...

This property is probably one of the nicest properties in Nashville. We searched most of Metro Nashville before finding this place. All of the apartments are beautiful and for the most part well kept. We first moved into a 2 BR and later into a 3 BR so that I could have a home office. Both apartments are very beautiful. <br><br><br>In all honesty.. most of the girls in the office don´t have a clue what´s going on. When we renewed and moved into a larger apartment we would have gotten screwed had I not been a hardass. They really tried to take advantage of us. I think the multiple change in management had something to do with that. <br><br><br>The maintenance staff is great. They get things taken care of in a very short time frame given they are informed by the office staff. If you move in become buddies with the only guy that works in the office. He has always made sure I get what I need. <br><br><br>Overall... we love this place. It´s close(walking distance even) to great restaurants, the nicest mall in Nashville, and tons of great places to shop. Definitely the nicest area in town!

Current Resident 159763

Resident • 2000 - 2002

BEWARE! Deceptive leasing!

I am writing to inform anyone thinking of moving to Alara Farms to get out while you can. They are not concerned about you... only themselves! They make it look really good when you go in for the first time, but once you have decided to live there, you should watch every move they make. With me, they changed the terms of my lease without providing notification of the changes. This is costing me $700 in rent I was not expecting to pay. I am not violating any rules or leaving early or anything, I was just not informed when they changed mgmt companies they would also be changing lease terms. I was not notified, but they are telling me I can´t prove I wasn´t notified. The agent responsible for letting me know is no longer there and they are not at all concerned about trying to find out if my story is true. Instead, they are saying they will send me to collections if I don´t pay it. I have been there 2 years, never late, never complained, no problem to them at all. Little did I know they were camping out in my checkbook the whole time! They have been horrible in respect to customer service and common courtesy. They are just another example of corporate bullies.

Current Resident 119711

Resident • 2001 - 2002

nice, but how about that management

I did enjoy my apartment and the grounds. The pool is nice and there is plenty of space. The complex is close to everything. However, the managment may not have graduated from middle school. On any given day, they couldn´t tell you your name, how much rent is, the standard contract terms, pet fees, NOTHING. My lease seemed to change very 3 months due to their being audited and the books being redone. Everytime i talked to someone it was "I´ll get right on that" and a month later I would still be calling about it. just beware. If its short term, go for it. Its nice. If its long term, forget it. You have to work with these people.

SELVISONE

Resident • 2000 - 2002

NOT THE PLACE TO LIVE!!!!

THESE APARTMENTS ARE NOT APARTMENTS THAT YOU WOULD WANT TO LIVE IN. THE MANAGMENT(AND/OR FRONT OFFICE STAFF) IS INADEQUATE, NOT HELPFUL AND ARE VERY RUDE. THE COMMUNITY IS NOT FRIENDLY. I HAVE BEEN THERE 2 YEARS NOW ONLY BECAUSE OF THE HASSLE OF MOVING. BUT, NOW I AM MOVING. WOULD HAVE BEEN SOONER BUT THE MAKE BREAKING YOUR LEASE VIRTUALLY IMPOSSIBLE, UNLESS YOU WANT TO PAY THROUGH THE TEETH! VERY, VERY DISSATISFIED. DO NOT RECOMEND THEM AT ALL!!!

Annibelle

Resident • 1998 - 2002

Awesome!!

This place is awesome. I moved in when the place was built. I did get a special and my rent has gone up but I didn´t expect to pay the special rate for the rest of my life. The grounds are awesome, the amminities are awesome. Take if from someone who is in the business, this place is very much worth the money that I pay. The office staff is friendly and the maintenance staff is unreal. Those guys have gone above and beyond. Very, Very friendly and always on the ball. I give this complex a very high rating and the crew that handles this place an even higher rating. Move in and give them a chance. You will see what I am boasting about!! <br>

Margueritedeville

Resident • 2002

Beware!

I had a nightmare attempting to lease from these people. H and I put down a deposit on a unit. We had the opportunity to fly into town to see the unit before moving in, and we asked if we could see the place ahead of time. (We are moving from out of state and had one trip to lineup housing.) We were assured that although our specific unit would not be in move-in condition, we could see it ahead of time, so long as we knew it was not fully ready. <br> <br>So..We flew in, went directly from the airport to the property, and upon arriving, were told that we could not see the unit because it "was not ready, and showing a unit that is not in move-in condition is against company policy." Pretty odd, considering what we´d been told. And why would we have flown in to see the specific unit, if they weren´t going to show it to us????? We were also informed that if they lost us as tenants because of our useless trip into town due to their leasing agents´ lies, so be it. <br> <br>We were between a rock and a hard place. We had exactly three hours that afternoon in which to find a place to live. We were almost willing to let bygones be bygones, until the clincher: <br> <br>The leasing agent goes to "check the unit." She returns to the rental office, and finally tells us that the unit we were supposed to move into had a water leak and was flooded. No wonder they didn´t want to show it to us. Would´ve been too hard to cover up their shabby fix when we moved in and began having mold problems. I am certain these folks knew of this problem before we arrived and simply wanted to lease this flooded apartment to someone, so they were playing mind games with us. <br> <br>I was very, very offended by the management´s practices at this property. The apartment market in Nashville is too tight to treat people this way, and although this property is a nice one, there are others that are just as beautiful for the same rental rates. <br> <br>We went elsewhere and suggest you do as well. <br> <br>

Current Resident 38956

Resident • 2000 - 2002

New mgmt seems lost... going down hill fast.

What used to be a great property has gone down pretty fast with the current management. The office and staff seem to be understaffed and just totally lost. It appears the new owning company is looking to cut corners and make as much money as possible...the referal fee has gone down from $400 to $250 and now $100!! I can refer someone to a property next door (Crowne Brook) and get $250.... the grounds aren´t kept as nice as they were with the last mgmt.... when you get ready to renew your lease, be well prepared to do all the work yourself as the office doesn´t even seem to know when your lease is up... I´m sure they will figure it out if you don´t give them 60 days notice though so they can rob some more money from you! Ants are a BIG problem and I´m on the 4th floor! The carpet and floor in my unit was bad when I moved in over a year ago and looks pretty bad. This is a very nice area and this used to be the nicest apartments..... not any more.

Current Resident 35174

Resident • 2001 - 2002

WATCH OUT! Go elsewhere

This community has changed hands, and is owned by a new leasing company. Watch out! Don´t sign the lease without carefully reading it. I renewed my lease, and they made me sign a whole new lease. It was too late for me to find a new place to live, so I had to comply. The new lease DOES NOT PROTECT YOU. Be wary of the clauses about liability that are designed to protect the leasing co and NOT YOU. I would recommend going somewhere else. I don´t like this new agency and will not be renewing my lease again. ALSO, the charges for breaking a lease are way out of control, especially if they have given you a "special" on the rent. Just watch out, that´s my warning.

Current Resident 33345

Resident • 2001 - 2002

FOOD FOR THOUGHT.....

I have lived at Alara since Dec 2001. My experience here for the most part has been fair. I cannot say that my expectations have been exceeded though. I signed a 14 month lease on a 1 bedroom. When I moved in the carpet looked rather worn in my opinion. I was told that the unit would have new carpet but that never happened. Maintenance has responded promptly to any complaints I´ve had. They never were able to correct a problem I had during the summer months with ants around my kitchen window and pantry. Every day I was cleaning up LOTS of ants. Many service requests to correct but nothing seemed to work. Things were quiet until my new neighbors across and on the side of me moved in and they come and go all throughout the night making LOTS OF NOISE. Floorplan is spacious and kitchen is huge. I will not be renewing my lease though because I just feel like I can get a better value elsewhere. I am all about saving money and continuing to live here makes that hard because the rent is not cheap. But it is a very nice place. Grounds are nicely landscaped and kept clean. I have never heard of any cars getting broken in to. Alara does have its good and bad points but then what place doesnt?

marsha

Resident • 2000 - 2002

pricey, but very upscale living & very nice

My boyfriend and I have lived here for 2 years. The complex has changed management about 3 times since weve lived here and the office chics are dimwits, but maintence is always promt and great and we really love living here. Aparments are very costly but your in the best city in the metro area you are moments from any resturant or place of business you can think of and the mall is the best one in Nashville and a big brand new Super Walmart 2 mins away(which is mandatory for me :]) Very fancy on inside of apartments and overall luxury living. Definently recommed if you can get in on special.

FranklinAptHunter

Resident • 2002

Deceptive Leasing at its Worst

At the end of May, we began the process of finding an apartment. It was then we turned in our applications to Alara Farms and were approved and accepted for the apartment specified, and told to just come by on the move in date to pick up the keys. <br> <br>I repeatedly visited their front office in an effort to make sure there were no surprises as we slowly approached move in date. I was told in one of my many visits in June, that the only thing they needed from us were our paystubs and we´d be all set. I delivered those and was again told that they were looking forward to seeing us on move-in day (7-26-02). <br> <br>Now we are into the final week approaching move in date and I decide to go by and check out the apartment we had selected since it is now empty. After doing so, I again stop by the leasing office to make sure of the amount of money we needed to bring by the office when we move in. Let me remind you this was exactly ONE WEEK before our scheduled move-in date. We had initiated this process with Alara at the end of May. <br> <br>When being told the pro-rated amount due at the time of move in, I was for the FIRST TIME informed that they would require a MONTH ESCROW ($860) as well at the time of move in due to insufficient credit ratings. And my blood pressure went through the roof. <br> <br>This was exactly one week before move-in date! <br> <br>WHY WEREN´T WE TOLD SOONER???? They proceeded to sit on this and weren´t planning to disclose it to us AT ALL until move-in in order to put us in a position where we would have no choice but to pay the escrow. The only reason I found out about this ahead of time is because I stopped by their office under my own initiative to make sure everything was all set. <br> <br>THEY MISLEAD US. We NEVER would have considered Alara Farms if we knew they were going to require an escrow! <br> <br>And by waiting as long as they did, they have put us in a position of desperation with our current leases ending and less than one week to seek out alternatives to these con-men. <br> <br>They allowed us to eliminate all of our other options. All the other apartments at other complexes we were considering when we began talks with Alara are now rented. There is virtually nothing available that we were considering at the time Alara began to mislead us. <br> <br>What was supposed to be a wonderful new apartment and experience has in an instant become a nightmare. <br>

Current Resident 836836

Resident • 2001 - 2002

We are pretty happy

We just renewed our lease. It did go up, but only from $935 to $950 for a two bedroom. Maintenance guys are nice, girls in front office are snooty and not too helpful, but who cares - I don´t need to deal with them. We have had to ask for pest control once and they responded quickly and that seemed to take care of the problem. We have a great location - with garage. Our apartment is fine - appliances are a little on the basic side, but okay. Nice garden tubs in both bathrooms. Everything is just okay - nothing really great, but nothing awful, either. We will probably stick with this place another year or so. Grounds are pretty and nicely kept, by the way.

Current Resident 785376

Resident • 2001 - 2002

so-so for the $$$

Having lived in Alara Farms for a year & a half I can say the experience has been so-so. <br><br>The management staff is slow to respond to inquiries, some on staff are extremely pushy almost rude. This was true when I brought a friend to look at aprtments & the sales pitch <br><br>got a little too forceful. <br><br>In the past 6 months the tenants moving in are younger & nosier. So perhaps the demographics are just changing & don´t fit my <br><br>lifestyle any longer. <br><br>But the good news is that because they couldn´t move me to an apartment with a view <br><br>(as opposed to a parking lot) at the end of my first year´s lease, I am now looking forward to moving into a new home we built. <br><br>So in their quest to require an additional deposit, raising the rent & lowering the community standard of living, we are moving on & paying ourselves every month. <br><br>Beware, the leash law is barely enforced so <br><br>hold on tight when you walk your dogs & try to avoid cats let out at night & the sprinkler system which comes on at 10 pm <br><br>every night. Who decided on that timing! <br><br>

Kelz8

Resident • 2001 - 2002

Alara Farms was a great first home for my husband and I. The grounds were always clean and the staff very friendly. Parking was often hard to come by though. The pool and hot tub was very clean and beautiful. Maintenance crews were promt to a request and always got the job done. The rent was alittle high but Alara is a very safe and great place to live. I miss it!