So. Yelp stalkers. This is where I live…read more
I will actually go one step further and say that I live in one of the "cottage homes" that are adjacent to (but managed by) this apartment complex. We moved in mid-April, and overall we're pretty happy. The cottage homes (which is what they are called by the management) are a lot like condos. We share one wall with our neighbor (a man and his girlfriend... whose name is Ronnie and who, on our first day here, stumbled out to her car at 8 a.m., sans pants, while we were waiting for the movers to move our stuff in). It was really quite an exciting day.
In terms of the actual apartment, it's really beautiful. We live in one of the three bedroom/two bath units. It's basically the perfect size. Just spacious enough without being overwhelming when it's time to clean.
We use one of the extra rooms as an office, and the other as a guest room...
And then we have the master bedroom, which is large enough for a king sized bed. The master bath is awesome. Beyond awesome. The GIANT bathtub is definitely the envy of my friends. I also have a full walk-in closet off the master bath (which, itself, is off the master bedroom). Between all of the rooms, we also have a very good amount of closet space. (My brother installed more shelves in the office closet, so we get even more useful storage there now.)
The kitchen comes with a refrigerator, dishwasher, garbage disposal, stove/oven, and microwave standard. The microwave is mounted above the stove, so that frees up a lot of counter space. The appliances are all either black, or stainless steel. The cabinetry is a dark wood, which goes great with our furniture. There is a ton of cabinet space, and a built in pantry cabinet!
The floors in the entry way, kitchen, and office are all wood laminate. The laundry room, and bathrooms are an attractive, darker beige vinyl tile that looks like ceramic. The living room and two bedrooms are carpeted. All the rooms get great light during the day. There are tons of windows!
We pay all utilities including trash removal, water, and electric. We have AT&T U-Verse, but I know Comcast is also available in the units. We own our own washer and dryer, but rentals were available as a part of the lease. We also have a two car garage, which has been more fantastic that I ever could have imagined... and it's not even winter yet!
The amenities are very nice, though we've rarely used them. The pool is beautiful and though we've only been a handful of times, it was either empty, or occupied by non-jerks... which is great! There is also a fairly nice hot tub, exercise room, business office, movie viewing room, etc.
Our apartment complex allows pets, including larger dogs... though I'm sure there are breed limitations... and I believe a pet deposit and monthly pet charge.
The maintenance staff seems competent enough, though communications between them and the office are sometimes not very good. The office staff will promise something, and you'll later come to find out that they didn't clear it with maintenance... and so there is rescheduling and much ado about nothing. I must say that the head maintenance guy rubbed me the wrong way at first, but I've come to like him a bit more. The lawns and landscaping are pretty well maintained, though everything was kinda brown this summer. But they seem to do a pretty good job keeping up with all of that.
Apart from my shared wall neighbor, everyone here is pretty quiet. No loud music/parties/cars/animals. I think it's a lot of young professionals. Not many kids at all, so far as I'm aware.
My biggest complaint about living here... the thing I really wish I had known (or perhaps wish that I'd known to think about)... Our "cottage home" is right up against Southport High School. So ALLL summer long, and nearly every morning and evening this Fall...
Marching band practice.
Literally 50 feet away from our apartment (on the other side of a privacy fence). At first I thought it was quaint. But one too many drumline-only practices has sent me over the edge... and now I only want to shove those drumsticks someplace very uncomfortable... (Like the back of a Volkswagen). I don't know if it would have changed our decision either way, but... As I said. I wish someone had mentioned it.
What else should I tell you? Oh. The rent! The rent is a bit pricey for the south side... We pay just over 1500 per month, but after living in the NY metro area for 3 years, is seems like a steal! We're also in a really good location in terms of shopping, dining, etc.
I can honestly say that Stonebridge is a nice place to live. I would recommend this place to anyone... So. Won't YOU be my neighbor?
Hi neighbor. :)