The Vista on Brodie

akroninger1

Resident • 2007 - 2008

Moving out - and will recommend

The old management was ok... this new one is much more my style: efficient and by-the-book. They understand circumstances and so long as you communicate they're more than helpful. I like how they run things now - including how they bill. It makes sense - they have documentation on what's due and when and so do the residents. I will say that I don't know *who* was allowed to move in with their obnoxious selves and/or children/roommates and who thought it'd be fun to rip apart our gates and vandalize our gym - but I sincerely hope they were found, evicted and charged for their crimes. Other than that, I have no qualms recommending this place to ppl looking for a quiet place with pretty aesthetic value.

Current Resident 81749

Resident • 2007

Terrible maintenance, trouble with staff, apartment falling apart

We moved in August, and have had nothing but problems here. First of all, the location *sucks*. Traffic in this part of town is terrible, and it is only getting worse. We're right off of Brodie and there isn't any place to go walking. When we moved in, our lease was all messed up and they had gotten our move in date confused. Shortly after move in, our bedroom light went out. It took SIX WEEKS to get it fixed because first they didn't put in the work order, then they put in the wrong apartment number, and after they finally got it right it took another week and a half for the maintenance guys to come. At this point, our A/C has been broken for a week. They never put in the work order, which we found out today by calling the office and getting transfered to Houston (???) before finally getting hold of someone who could help us out. It's 85 degrees in our apartment, and we are miserable. These apartments were built in 2006, but there is already water damage on our ceiling, the crown molding was put in wrong, and there are issues with the cabinets. The "garden tubs" are a joke. There is also nowhere to park, so be careful! Our car was towed (at our expense) while we were out of town even though it is registered with the property. This is a horrible place to live. Do NOT move here.

sarahwalt

Resident • 2005 - 2007

Mostly mad people write reviews...

I have been looking at all the bashing going on with the Villages of Bella Vista complex, and I don't know what they're talking about. The staff have been nothing but accomodating, the maintenance has taken care of problems quickly, the grounds are kept up well, and the apartments are wonderful. I have LOVED living here. The only reason we're leaving is because I work way up north and the drive was taxing after two years. Move here. It's wonderful.

Current Resident 364663

Resident • 2007

If you're scared of scorpions...

Don't move here. Almost stepped on one in the bed room and one in the living room and saw a big one outside the front door. Other than that, it's not bad...maybe a little overpriced. Ceilings and walls are pretty thin so you can definitely hear your neighbors. Also, crickets jump out of the air vents. Lots of dogs but haven't had any problem with them. If youre moving here, get a P.O. Box, the mailman loses the mail often. The gates are always open too, but I havent heard of any break-ins. Most of the problems with this place aren't the managements fault so I dont really make a fuss, but I like camping so this place fits my style.

Current Resident 141031

Resident • 2007

Maintenance is terrible

We moved in in July of '07 and at that time requested to have some weather stripping corrected around one of the doors. The original response we got from maintenance was that the city of Austin doesn't require they put weather stripping on so that's why there wasn't any, and we could seal the door by putting a towel down around the bottom. Unsatisfied with that response we asked them again to seal the door, which the girl in the office said they would do. Nothing happened, and about 1 1/2 months later I got a call saying that they hadn't forgotten and they were waiting for a credit card to come in so the maintenance man could go to Home Depot and get something to seal the door. Again, nothing happened. TODAY, I went home for lunch to find they had come in without notifying us and sealed the door. This is unacceptable not only because it took almost 3 months(!) to finally fix the door, but because we have a dog and specifically requested we be notified anytime they would be going in to the apartment so that we could lock her out of the way. I have no idea what happened when they came in but she wasn't her usual perky self when I saw her at lunch. I have heard from another resident that they have had a similar problem with maintenance coming in unannounced when there was a dog in the apartment and the dog after was acting scared. Not a good place if you have a dog or just don't like the idea of people coming in your apartment without telling you. Also they never close the gate, I found a scorpion in the bedroom a couple of weeks ago, and the insulation is terrible.

Current Resident 914268

Resident • 2007

problem with the insulation?

I've moved here recently, seems like the apartments have severe problem with insulation... results in high electricity bills and propagation of noise... walls are paper thin. wouldn't recommend this to anyone. I'm stuck for 1 year :(

Current Resident 901746

Resident • 2005 - 2006

I liked it

I don't know why so many people are making this place out to be so bad. I used to live there and I really liked it. My neighbors were very nice. I didn't have trouble parking anywhere. The rent was reasonable. I guess you have to assume rent will go up sometimes. I could only sometimes hear my neighbors. One time I had some college kids that partied all hours and played loud music living below me, but I complained to management and they fixed that real quick. The pool was super nice and lots of fun. I enjoyed the gym. It was better than most aparments where I had lived. Now I have a house and I do like it but the taxes are terribly high! Anyway, I thought it was a good place when I was there.

Current Resident 473636

Resident • 2007

Don't waste your time

Read all previous reviews and heed warnings given. Check it out for yourself if you don't believe all the reviews. Find some cheaper place and spend your excess cash on entertainment, etc. Don't waste your time or dollars on this place.

Current Resident 735867

Resident • 2006 - 2007

Crap.

They'll screw you over. Trust me. The only compliment I have is the one girl that works in the front office who has a really huge rack.

jhessj10

Resident • 2006 - 2007

awful

i finally only have a month left of my lease. the management has done nothing but try and screw me over. i had to transfer to a smaller unit and they charged me $2000 just to transfer. also, there is never anyone is the office. i have to stand around waiting 20 minutes to just drop something off or tan. the crickets are terrible. the pool is always dirty. the washers and dryers are always broken. for about a month only 2 washing machines were working. for me parking hasn't been a big deal but all of my neighbors are horrible. stomping and music at all hours of the night. maintenance always seems to be cutting the grass at 7 in the morning, while the smell of manure seeps through the windows. i would never recommend living here.

Current Resident 279933

Resident • 2006 - 2007

DON'T LIVE HERE

Living at these apts. has been one of the worst experiences of my life. They say luxury living, but it is far from. They retracted their concier service a few months into my lease and did not feel it was neccesary to reemburse me in any way. That's like showing me the great pool, then once I sign the lease, they tell me I can't use it. Unfair is the only word that comes to mind. There hasn't been one month that has gone by without me having to hassle with the front office. Aside from one person in the office, everyone is rude and disconcerned with any of your needs or problems. Like everyone else has been saying, the insulation is terrible. But again, that is the least of what is wrong with this apt complex. The owners are too worried about getting new residents to move in, they ignore the current tenants. I've express my problems with the Austin Tenants' Council and I suggest you do the same. (512) 474-7006. If you're looking for a new apt. and this is on your list. Please scratch it off. Apperances are deceiving, and you will definitly not get what you pay for. Save yourself the trouble.<br><3

Current Resident 901485

Resident • 2005 - 2007

Do not move here

The managment has turned over 3 times in a year and half. They are incompetent. The gym has huge bay windows, pretty but not functional. At dusk the sun beems in the windows, reflects in the mirrors and blinds anyone trying to work out. Mgmt has promised to solution to this for a year and a half and there has been no change. There are only 3 tredmill, most of the time one or more of them are not working. The dry sauna rarely works. Majority of the year the office closes at 5:00 making it impossible for residents to pick up packages or have any issues resolved during weekday hours. Rent has been raised twice durning my year and half. Each time increasing by over $100 which is completely outrageous. UPDATE: I noticed someone else had a similar problem after moving out so I will update mine as well... I called the leasing office inquiring about my security deposit. They said she looked on the computer to see the status of my refund and the full amount and that a check had already been cut. I week later, when no check arrived I called again. A different person also informed me that I was getting the entire deposit back and that a check had been cut. THEN a month and a day after my move out date I received a Move-Out Statement saying I was only entitled to a portion of my money, blah blah blah they had pictures of the damages etc... but they never did do a walk through with me it was now my word against theirs. They failed to follow Texas Law which states: A security deposit must be refunded by the landlord to the tenant within 30 days after the tenant surrenders the premises. So I escalated it to the Riverstone Managment who oversees Bella Vista and finally got my money 4 months later.

Current Resident 621900

Resident • 2006 - 2007

WAY OVERPRICED FOR WHAT YOU ACTUALLY GET

Here is teh bottome line, I live in a 3 bedroom townhome so I personally ahve never had any parking problems. Now onto other things, the insulation is terrible, I have no one above or below me but I can hear EVERYTHING that my neighbors on either side are saying/doing. The places are beautiful but were put together with glue and spit, the windows have no insulation (in teh window we had ice chips on the floos directly underneath the windows. We also had a leak in the master bath that made the cieling in the living room collapse. They "cosmetically" fixed iw within 4 days but I am almost positive there is mold in the cieling now. It had to be a slow leak because we never noticed anything until our 6 month living there when the cieling came crashing down in certain areas. The office is lame, here is why THE HOURS SUCK, so dont get suckered into thinking you can tan etc. because they are NEVER open. The staff is decent and they actually threw a really graet superbowl party this year, they are just understaffed and overwhlemed. I would day each unit in this place is 300.00 to 400.00 overpriced. The townhouse I live in should be 1100-1200 tops they are now asking 1800.00. Do what you want but I think you can get better for these prices.

Current Resident 368444

Resident • 2006 - 2007

I shouldn't have...

I just renewed my lease which I shouldn't have. I have three main complaints about this property. The first one is that the water gets turned off about every couple of weeks for the past few months. It seems like it is always during the day. Two is that they said they will put in a dog park/ off leash area it has yet to happen. Three is that the paint is peeling inside my apartment (of couse not until after I renewed my lease. The outside lights don't turn on until it is truely dark but it gets rather dark on the landings before then. I renewed my lease for three reason. The location to River Legency Park is great, general location and I'm to lazy to move. I would not recommend this place to anyone. There has to be better apartments

Current Resident 59378

Resident • 2005 - 2007

Don't Bother

I wouldn't even bother looking at these apartments, even if you're looking for something transitional. My husband and I moved here because it was new construction and we were looking for something less expensive until we could purchase a home. Lease incentives were excellent, at least the first year. After that, we heard countless stories of rent being increased to nightmare levels, and needless to say, most of our neighbors have moved out, and been replaced with white trash. Because so many people have moved, it seems the initial rent gets lower, and so does the quality of people. <br>Don't bother trying to park ANYWHERE. I could never get a spot anywhere near my building, parked two or three buildings over every night, and when I complained about poor parking, people not using garages and spots behind garages, I was told that management never knows where there will be a problem and they would send a note to the people with garages in our area. Needless to say, I doubt it ever happened. I also got a nasty note put on my car about parking. Because the spots are so *tiny*, you can easily double park a freakin' Honda. I called the management office, got very little help, and saw three to four other notes on cars that same month. Good luck towing, because even though you can, you have to sign a waiver to have someone towed for parking illegally or in your covered spot. It's a good way to get your car keyed, but not very helpful. We eventually had to start paying $35 for a covered spot, because I was tired of coming home at 10 pm and parking three buildings away. <br>As for the noise level, let's just say we can hear the neighbors every time they have sex. We hear every detail, are woken up constantly, and hope they move out soon. If you don't want to be heard or hear anything else, don't move here. <br>We get screwed on our gas bill, $50 a month when all that's gas is the water heater. Electric is decent, but good luck getting your apartment at a temp you like. The room with the hot water heater is in our apartment, and air from outside constantly filters in. The windows are paper thin, and so are the walls.<br>The front office is nice, but never open. They are closed when we leave and come home from work. The gym is decent, but 9 times out of 10 something is out of order. And when it's not, you have to deal with people bringing their children in and letting them wander around.<br>You can get a much better apartment for this price!

Current Resident 272784

Resident • 2006 - 2007

DON'T LIVE HERE

Don't get suckered by the pretty exterior. This place is sooo poorly constructed. We live in a Townhome and I get really mad everytime I fill out that rent check because this place sucks! I'm sitting at my desk next to a window and can fill the cold air coming in. Upstairs, the cold air seeps through the doors. Our heating bill is outrageous because we have to keep both upstairs and downstairs heaters going just to keep the place at a comfortable 70 degrees. The gates are just now working ok, but that's after living here since last March. We are so ready to get out of here. I've called the cops three times because people would come in through our dysfunctional gates and break into cars, smoke crack in the parking lot, and have sex in their cars. Don't pay the money and live here. The amenities are nice but definitely not worth living here. There are too many other apartments that I'd rather pay rent to. By the way, I might live in a townhome with no-one above or below me, but I can have a conversation through the walls with my neighbors in the townhome next to us. REALLY thin walls!

Current Resident 752639

Resident • 2005 - 2006

Great Place to live!

My experience there was great. I lived there about a year and found the staff great and eager to please. Any service request was acted upon quickly. My neighbors were great people (professionals and generally younger crowd). My unit was backed up to a wooded area with mature trees which I never saw anywhere else. The club area was really well done with a full work out facility and comfortable place to hang and meet people. I highly recommend it.

Jhayzmine

Resident • 2006

mediocre

This complex seems great on the outside, and is not too bad on the inside but not worth the price in my opinion. Great Clubhouse, nice staff,pool is great, equipment in workout room was nice but is very quickly falling apart and nothing seems to be done about it. only 1 of the 3 treadmills have been working for at least a month now. This is a nice area of town and close to alot of good places. I have not had any bug problems as others have described. I do agree the floor and ceiling are very very thin this is one of my biggest complaints. Although I have never heard anything thru the walls, I am constantly hearing my upstairs neighbor walk across the ceiling and the downstairs neighbor blasting his music. They do have townhomes in which you would not have anyone above or below you, but I think they are ridiculously overpriced. Neighborhood is pretty safe, but the gate has only worked maybe 20% of the time I have been there (about 8 months). I have seen several cars broken into. One just happened last week and it was the car right next to mine. And surprise surprise the gate has not been closed for over a month. I believe residents should be compensated with money off rent for everday the gate does not work as this is one of the reasons I chose this place. Maybe then they would be quicker to fix it. Parking hasn't been too much of an issue in my building. I think the parking spaces are plenty wide and depending on the time I get home I can usually get right in front. UPDATE: I moved out after purchasing a house, my lease was up anyway. They are trying to charge me for things that are not mine. They told me they had pictures, and I said great send them to me and if I see the damages I will pay you, it has been 6 months and still no pictures. This is now on my credit and I am fighting it because I know it is not something I did. They are claiming pet damages and I never even had pets. I can't believe that they can get away with charging things that they have no proof of, I even requested a walk through when I moved out and they said 'we don't do that'.

NewToAustin78745

Resident • 2006

Neighbors suck. No insulation. Can't park.

Neighbors suck:<br>One of my neighbors hit my parked car in the parking lot and did $2000 worth of damage trying to get into the cramped parking spaces.<br><br>No note.<br><br>No insulation: <br>You can hear your neighbors doing whatever they do. The air conditioners can't keep up with the load for rooms with walls exposed to sunlight.<br><br>Can't park:<br>When we moved in there was plenty of parking, but there is no longer parking, because 4 college kids rent a 2 bedroom and have their parties with the heavy bass shuddering though their ceiling - my floor.<br><br>Also, the gate is continuously broken, the dishwasher is crap, and you can't get cell reception.<br><br>To be fair, the clubhouse is beautiful, the excercise equipment is good, and the staff are friendly and pretty helpful.

Current Resident 811727

Resident • 2005 - 2006

Home

I'm new to Austin and quite enjoy living at this place. The pools are always nice and clean, I've got a great view, a nice fireplace (although I'm starting to realize it's difficult to use in Texas - haha), and they have many fun events for the residents. I like the events like the happy hours because I'm so new and it makes it easy for me to meet people. You also get 24/7 access to the fitness center and can check out dvds in the office. I must say they have made it very convenient for me to live here since they also have a concierge. Based on my experiences so far, I would recommend the place.

Current Resident 797498

Resident • 2005 - 2006

Pet Fees

The pet deposits are fundable. Fees are not though but that okay with me because some places have a "no pet" policy. My dog is like my child and I love him but I know that as small as he is, he makes messes and I should pay for that. I also know many of my neighbors and they got their deposits back. The only time anything was deducted was when the damages exceeded the fees. I know carpet is expensive to replace so I can understand if you have multiple pets and they tear it up, one should have to pay for that. It's part of the responsibility of having a pet.

Current Resident 722013

Resident • 2006

Read the good and Bad and decide for yourself!!

The good: Nice clubhouse, some units have great views of the city, ours is backed up to the woods [I do have to pay extra$$ for it though] its located in a nice area in South Austin with major roads close, very pretty, the units look nice from the outside. They have good cookies at the clubhouse every morning on weekends, and they do brunch and happy hour events. <br><br>The BAD: The other post said “paper thin walls” that is not accurate. They don’t have walls at the Villages of Bella Vista it is just an illusion. I can hear my neighbor relieve himself in the toilet; I can watch TV and listen to CD’s without turning on my TV or the radio..its magical!. It’s that bad; I sleep with earplugs and still have been woken up by the noise. It’s terrible when you consider how much you pay in rent. Let me reiterate, you will get no privacy at this complex. Also, the BUGS. To be fair it was a dry summer and the ants and crickets were thirsty. But the spiders and never ending ant attacks get old. I woke up one morning and opened by closet, there where hundreds of ants all over my clothes, everywhere. The appliances are cheap; the dishwasher does not work worth a damn. Oh, and if you have a CELL phone, forget about using it at this place. Look up the reception in your area for your service provider before you move. Not to be 2 negative, but for over a thousand a month in rent I expect more.

pinktinkerbell

Resident • 2006

Staff Are Nice, But the "Policy" Is Far From it

Okay, first and foremost, the office staff are incredibly nice. I have to agree with the other person about the dinged appliances...our "frost free" freezer has more ice in it than groceries, and we have placed multiple maitenence requests which maitenence has come and said that it is condensating because "it is hot outside" or because "No, that's the microwave making that GRRRRRRR noise". You've got to be kidding me! They have a HILARIOUS "familial policy"...read the fine print, sweetie. The lease is iron-clad. The only way you can get out of it is if you are called to Iraq. NOT WORTH IT! I have to pay $35 for parking so that I can park near my apartment without having to worry about hitting the car next to me. The parking lot was designed specifically to force the residents to purchase their parking. Pet rent for cats is $20 a month, plus when we moved in we had to pay $500 non-refundable pet deposit and a $250 non-refundable pet fee. If we were to move out early, we would have to pay an extra $155 a month that we have lived here. My husband was relocated so we are paying two rents because it is cheaper than breaking the lease (it would cost $3850 to leave early). Office staff also find the "policies" ridiculous, but are unable to do anything about them because the policies come from the corporate demons. We have a beautiful apartment, but I cannot ethically reccomend this property because of all of the "surprises".

Current Resident 645972

Resident • 2006

Prison

Becuase of difficult circumstances, I had to transfer to another city and break the lease. I tried to transfer to another trammel crow property (okay okay, riverstone, who cares, all the money goes to daddy crow anyway,) and they will not allow a transfer. Pure and simple, the manager takes all "riverstone standards" and wipes with them, even though other apartments in the same group think its ridiculous that I can't transfer based on what happened. Just be sure you want to stay here the entire term of your lease - or face upwards of 3 grand just to leave... isn't the point of an apartment that it is temporary..? I know I know, I signed a contract!! Still, the exit strategy should be more reasonable.<br><br>I moved into a brand-new apartment and my brother and I (an engineer and and architect) spent the first night playing a game trying to see who could pick out the MOST humorous construction flaw. The roof membrane ripped clean out from under the shingles on the detached garage came close to winning.. a close second place? the warped wall behind the dryer, the 1" dryer hose connection, the two shelves that were ripped out of the wall on move-in... I mean, the sheet rock must've been some mix of paper mache and oatmeal. I'd love to tell you I'm kidding but I am not. I agree with the other guy who said you could hear the beatings taking place in the next apartment. Was there a manager's special on domestic abuse cases? If someone is abusive, can you get out of your lease, or are you forced to stay in the property and take it day and night because you signed a contract?<br><br>I'm most upset about the freak inability to work with other apartments when MAJOR life circumstances cause a need to move. I still don't know how I'm going to pay everything they want. Oh well, that's my problem. Its yours if you move here.<br><br>I love free speech!

Current Resident 823883

Resident • 2005 - 2006

bad outweighs the good

Let's start with the positives:<br>-very new with great club house and pool<br>-seems to be in safe neighborhood, which is good because the gates don't lock until 7pm and reopen at 7am<br>Downsides:<br>-cheaply built- paper thin walls- I can hear my neighbor having a phone conversation and at night when he beats up his girlfriend, I can hear that too!<br>-they must have gotten the dent discount on the appliances because the first refrigerator that I got when I came into the "never before lived in apt" was badly damaged and the replacement wasn't much better<br>-they show you the storage space when you are looking to rent, but once you move in, they don't allow you to use it at all. They have it locked because it is against city code to store anything in it, but they don't tell you that until you sign the lease.<br>-parking will be a major problem once this complex is near full<br><br>