Great apartments! Clean space, quiet neighbors, friendly staff, and individual assigned parking…read more Close to a couple of really great restaurants, as well.

I found University Manor Apartments through their website when I was looking to move from…read moreCalifornia to Iowa for grad school, that being said, it was a easy transition. The complex is very close to UNI, there is parking for each apartment and the place comes with cable/high-speed internet provided. Additionally, the property managers are very friendly and attentive. My only complaint with the place is that it seems a bit pricey, but then again, most places are pricey when situated near a university. They do allow cats if that is something you are looking for.

There are many apartments, duplexes and house available for rent on the East side of town. However,…read moreit is my duty to warn those who are considering renting about one Landlord in particular - Kenneth 'Ken' Thompson. Most of you know recently my little brother, Roosevelt 'Keon' Dale died. He rented from Ken whose company is called Thompson Holdings LLC. I cleaned out his apartment and noticed many things which caused concern. Not on Roosevelt's part but Ken's. The apartment, located on Quincy Street, is close to being what, according to Iowa Fire Code, should be condemned. However, Roosevelt was a 'neat freak' (much more than I) and the apartment was clean. Further, the windows on the front porch were covered in plastic. When I looked at his electric bill and for an apartment that small, I was BLOWN AWAY! For those who may not know, a small apartment even somewhat (not well) insulated should run about $125 per month and with energy efficient windows, that number drops. His bill was several hundred which is outrageous. The health and safety issues were numerous and I remember thinking - "How could someone treat others so?" I left the apartment clean (I am a landlord in Colorado and understand what that means from a tenant deposit reimbursement standpoint). When Roosevelt's next of kin attempted to retrieve the deposit, Ken, the landlord said "He broke his lease". How? Well, apparently and even though the law states 'spouses' (he wasn't married) can be held accountable but next of kin, non-spouse can not, Kenneth believed someone no longer living was still obligated to him. Roosevelt was killed and Ken had someone in the place (entered with no money down by the way). Just some brief research (and more to come) reveals Ken owns many properties, most of which are barely liveable. Some of you may have heard about the fire on Boston Street recently. This was caused by a space heater which shouldn't even be necessary IF a landlord abides by the Iowa law which decrees habitation heating requirements. A black family could have been killed for trying to keep warm. Roosevelt also had a small space heater. Here is the story - http://goo.gl/PjcWC - So why did Roosevelt live there? For those of us who grew up and are now, on the East Side, you know housing is difficult to obtain for many reasons none of which need be listed here. This isn't restricted to Waterloo, Iowa either because my family and I, in 2004, with great credit, no evictions were almost forced out of Fort Collins, Colorado by, well, you know the type. Believe me, my wife and would've stood pat had we not had two teenage children to be concerned with. Safe to say, we moved to Denver, around our own. My point is - I don't know how long this will be up and not 'flagged' by other 'slum lords' or Mr. Thompson but for those of you currently living in his properties or considering renting from him, HUD (Housing and Urban Development) responsible for assuring adequate protections for you against serpents like Ken, provides rights for you as a tenant! Whether, veteran, disabled (or having a disabled child), minority, senior citizen or other categories, make sure Ken or any of the others including those who are among us and VICTIMIZE us in housing in like manner, GIVE YOU WHAT YOU PAY FOR. These sorts will make all sorts of threats about evicting you IF you try and press the issue for better housing, maintenance etc but they CAN NOT do so! If they do and you are educated on your tenant rights, I can say with some surety, working in the industry, you will be well compensated from these vultures and may end up owning the property where the victimization occurred. Don't be fooled by the fact they OWN property. The truth is, they own the debt and like many on the East Side, are a few paychecks away from being 'on the street'. I am going to post a few links so that you may understand legal remedies available. If there is ANY issue which threatens your safety (like no hot water, heat, non-functioning doors, abestos etc), make a written request for these issue to be fixed by the landlord, keep a copy and then follow the process in the below links. Let me be clear - when you demand safe housing and these slum lords threaten you in anyway, whatever their color and disposition, immediately determine which of the below agencies is best for your circumstance.

The guy above is not telling the truth. He just didn't get what he wanted. He was an excellent…read moreLandlord. Considering there has only been one complaint. Can't win with everyone. Hey this man cared deeply for his tenets. He often would let people who were short on money get away without paying the full amount.

Amy Weinands is the most experienced efficient honest hard working realtor in our area. Her team…read moredoesn't just come and "try" to sell your home..they sell it!! Plus they educate you on how to sell it, things to improve on, and bam! Open houses! Walk throughs...and its sold in a few weeks! She goes the extra 5 miles to get it sold! Highly highly recommend if youre serious about selling or buying!

Have used Amy Weinands twice and couldn't be happier with both processes. Professional and very…read morepersonable. Promoted our properties well and we were very happy with the offers we received. Highly recommend!

My tub / shower needs re-chaulking at the seams and there is one tile that needs grout.read more

We recently hired Jared for a household repair and he did a fantastic job. He did some research,…read moregave us a plan/estimate and kept us continually updated as things progressed. The job was completed in a timely manner and he sent photos of each step for us to keep as a record. Jared is very personable and pleasant to work with. I look forward to working with him on other projects and highly recommend him.

We had them in to redo our siding after the hailstorm. They were there relatively soon and…read morecompleted the job thoroughly. They even went over and above by fixing a couple small parts around our windows that was not covered by insurance and did not charge us for it!! Now that is service. I would STRONLGY recommend them!

After having new roof and gutters installed, found a few issues after a short period of time. The…read morebathroom vent on the roof, was smashed closed. I realized this when water started dripping from my bathroom ceiling after the next winters thaw (due to humidity buildup in my attic). The next thing found was with the gutters. They were not installed with a proper angle along the run, such that the water would drain to the downspouts. Result is multiple sections of the gutter hold a large portion of water until they slowly leak form the joints. When looking closer at these, one of the corner joints has come apart significantly, allowing water to drain back to the wood on the house. Called the representative and still no one shows up to fix the issues. Based on my experience, if you want a problem free job done at your house with good support of follow-up, then look for a different company to do your work.

We were moving out of state and needed a whole host of things fixed and we have an adult son with…read moresevere special needs. One of the workers himself had children with special needs and was very understanding and considerate of the noise levels. Not just him, but the whole crew! They were so nice and understanding. They made sure to work around any needs we had. They can basically do all projects (big or small). We needed new windows installed, holes in our falls fixed, light fixtured changed, countertops replaced and the list goes on. They were very upfront with costs and time and everything went very smoothly. Great prices and I would highly recommend them.

I needed help bringing in and installing a washer and dryer, that I purchased on line. I could not…read morefind anyone that would help me. I called Cedar Valley Handyman and they were able to come out the same day. They were very courteous and extremely helpful. Thank you so much ! I will definitely call them again

These guys did an IMPECCABLE job with my tub and shower enclosure. I am pretty critical customer…read moreand am generally put off by today's shoddy work practices and shortcuts contractors can often take. These guys are NOT that kind of company. Every step was done meticulously and the results are phenomenal. I truly can't find a single thing wrong with the installation. Great work!!

Could not replicate a single window. Spent $150 for a worthless piece of glass…read more One of the storm windows in my sunroom broke. My landlord said i could get it replaced, or he could replace it and charge me. I chose the former. I chose this company because they claimed to be "Iowa's glass professionals". I brought in one of the other storm windows, exactly the same as the one that broke. They took measurements and quotes me $150. No small amount for a college student, but i needed the window. When it was finished, i paid them and picked up the window. It didn't fit. I brought it back twice explaining that how it. Did not fit and both times they said they would fix it. Now it still wont fit and the frame looks terrible. TERRIBLE WORK. Now im out $150 and i still need a window. Avoid losing money and find someone else to make your windows and glass products

Family owned and trustworthy business. Great small town feel and they were very thorough. They have…read morea huge selection of flooring and bathroom remodeling ideas. Really enjoyed working with them.

Kitchen and bathroom floor both done poorly! Ended up having a leak underneath floor from them…read moreputting the toilet back in incorrectly . Ended up with a lot of water damage that they never bothered taking care of.