Madera Valley is best ! It's safe, quiet, maintenance person is very responsive. management team that cares about the tenants. read more

Madera Valley charges for garbage, sewage, trash, water, on top of electric/gas. The rent seems low comparatively until you add up all these extra costs they put onto the tenants. The unit I lived in was poorly insulated (which many other neighbors complained about as well) and the parking for guests was extremely limited. Madera Valley stopped responding to my disputes of the unnecessary and excessive move out charges (carpet cleaning, painting - the apartment was left in perfect condition) and then sent the charges to a debt collection agency that is now harassing me. Stay far away from this property company. What you think you will save in rent will come back in the form of other charges, and their decision to send 300$ to collections tells you what kind of management company you'll be renting from. read more

I had the pleasure of working with Yasmin. She was quick, very responsive and informative. Yasmin made my process very easy and answered any questions I had. Looking for a place to live can be very challenging but I had the most memorable experience. If you get the opportunity to tour ask for Yasmin ! you wont regret it. Thank you Madera Valley. - Christina read more

I was so happy to find such a great and peaceful place to live in Marin! Location is great and convenient to local shops and to SF. Seems everyone has a dog (like me) so walks are very social getting wags and smooches from the furry friends. The grounds are very well taken care of which makes for nice walks. Whoever laid out the sidewalks meandering through the complex had imagination. I loved the community gas grill and often tanned by the pool. We had a couple maintenance issues as every apt will but they always responded and resolved the issues immediately. The staff became friends. Job transfer is taking me out of state but if I get back to the Bay area, I'd be very happy to live here again! read more

This is a large spread out complex. There is lot of land here to walk, walk your dog, let the kids play. Heated pool for much of the year, but management is too cheap to really heat it properly. It is at least 3 or4 degrees cooler than it should be. Kiddie pool too (not heated). Have not used tennis court yet, but I will. Laundry facilities are above average. Older places have problems, but this place fixes them for the most part. Terrible old energy wasting windows waste your money in the winter. The place might well be "past it's prime" as some have said, but there are far worse maintained properties. My only real complaint with the premises is the original energy wasting single paned windows and disgusting water wasting toilet (which is inexcusable...you can basically get free toilets from Marin Water District that are water savers). One problem which cannot be fixed is that there is not enough parking for guests or visitors, but you usually can find somewhere to park in front of the complex by the freeway. Not convenient. It is actually quite peaceful here. Some units are more peaceful than others. There is more than one floor plan of various sizes. I wouldn't want to live in the front of this large property because of freeway traffic noise, but in the rear, up on the hill, behind large trees, a big yard, terraces, you barely know that freeway 101 is so close. Nice living near the freeway for access, but it isn't so close to my unit that I really notice the noise. read more

I like the grounds here, but there is highway noise and the management does nothing to protect the parking. The issue stickers to park here, but they ignore the cars from outside without stickers that come and park here. We have to drive around to search for parking on the street. read more

My family has lived here for almost 3 years and we are very happy to be here. I am not living in one of the newly renovated units which are very nice with the washer and dryer in the unit but in one of the older ones and it is still a good place. The main complaint I have is that they won't open the pool since that is one of the main reasons we live here but hopefully they open it soon. We have to use the laundry unit which is ok but some of the other tenants leave it super messy but thankfully we have the Maintenance man Jason who is AMAZING! The main reason we still live here is because anytime anything goes wrong, breaks or I need help Jason goes above and beyond to make sure the problem gets solves as fast as possible. From our bathroom tub, wall and floor needing to be replaced or just a light fixture going out he takes every call like it is important. Jason is my saving grace and without him this place would be a disaster. read more

We lived here for just over five years. The people are very nice and while the units are older, they are well cared for and they have updated a lot of the community needs in the compound. Very treed and pretty environment/walkways. BUTTTTT the very BEST thing about this complex is the maintenance, headed by Jason. Jason is just one of those guys that shows up. I really believe for apartment living, your experience is only as good as the maintenance team. Jason is always on task, polite, thoughtful, innovative, and is a super hard worker. His attitude is everything. Honestly, I'm glad they're taking care of the complex... I just hope they take care of Jason along with it! LOL OK I'm out.... But I definitely recommend this community at the market price asked for.... + having Jason (excellent maintenance on board), who I imagine is still there, as we just moved out several months ago. read more

We have been in Marin for 3 years now and just recently moved to Madera Valley Apartments. Housing in Marin is beyond crazy and we were delighted to find this little slice of heaven to call home. We are tucked up on a hill but close enough to 101 for an easier commute into the city and still close enough to enjoy great shops and restaurants within a refreshing walking/biking distance. Our unit is well laid out for a family of four and we enjoy the view and the pool! So you do not think this is a paid endorsement, there are a few things that we have had to adjust to like no in-unit washer/dryer and limited parking BUT even those inconveniences are out weighed by all the other things we are loving about living here. Plus, Madera Valley does have great clean on-site laundry facilities. I have just been spoiled but now finding it is not as big of a hassle as I thought it would be, so again the Pros out weigh this "con". Lastly, we appreciate the wonderful staff we have had the pleasure of working with and getting to know. Thank you Nicole, Donnie and Georgina! We love coming home! read more

The Sugar: The location is great. Built between Meadowsweet Drive and Casa Buena Drive, the property runs parallel to 101. There are gas stations, Peet's and Starbucks are nearby, as are Bank of America, Wachovia, and others. There are two trendy malls, as well as shopping, dining areas within a mile of this place. You can shop at Nordstrom's, eat at Il Fornaio, and test drive a Jaguar - all walking distance. Plus, Marin Joe's is just down the street! The apartments are comfortably sized, ranging from a one bedroom/one bath to a 3 bedroom/1.5 bath between 680 and 1,100 sq ft. There is a swimming pool, tennis court, as well as laundry facilities throughout the premises (card operated). The interiors of the buildings are worn, but appropriate given the age of the complex. I have a lot of faux (more on 'faux' later) wood throughout, but I've seen some with entire apartments of carpeting. The appliances and fixtures are without bells or whistles - function over form/style. Now the Medicine... I can give the assessment with my self-created "5P" (Price, Poshness, Prestige, Parking, and People). Let's begin with the first P... PRICE. Make no mistake, this is NOT a cheap. From what I hear, they've been raising prices for the past year. Given a 1/1 is now going for over $1,600 makes you wonder what kind of accommodations are you getting. Alas, this isn't a waterfront, or a property with a view. The property is situated among poorly maintained greens, overgrown trees/brush, and is alongside the highway (you CAN hear the traffic). No one maintains the parking areas (there are dead trees, leaves, etc) or the grounds. The apartments, while nicely sized, look old, outdated, and sullen. Which brings me to my next P... POSHNESS. The fixtures are cheap. Every piece of appliances or fixture are from the cheapest makers (e.g. no name or fake Chinese companies... "möan" anyone? ). The sinks are industrial grade at best and the faucets are cheap, plastic looking things. There is NO microwave and the stove/oven smell as though you may be burning plastic every time you turn it on. The refrigerators are far from energy-star efficient, nor are the windows, insulation, to name a few. I suppose you should be happy to have windows at all. Doors are flimsy particle board with poor locks. They do not have anything to indicate they have your utility or value in their interests. Expect to pay 1.5x what you normally pay for electricity/utilities given their energy inefficiency. This is not the Ritz. This is not even Motel 6... which brings me to my next P... PRESTIGE. This is not a very beautiful place. You won't receive any "wow" or "beautiful" comments here. While they may hear "Corte Madera," after they see your place they'll most likely feel pity for you. As I've mentioned before, the fixtures are cheap, the appliances are cheap. Their carpet is cheap office carpet. Their FAUX (as mentioned above) hardwood is a blend of plastic and particle board I would believe. While they could have passed it off as "eco-friendly," the look and feel of this "faux wood" would drive any eco-conscious person to go out back and cut down a half dozen trees for better feeling floors. While they try to paint the walls, the color combination is dreary and dull. They would like you to think they had your creativity in mind when they picked the neutral colors, but in reality it is most likely because it's easy to get the walls dirty that they can then charge you to repaint when you move out. While some of the buildings have been recently painted (and by recently, I mean in the past 2 years), there are some units on the property (toward the back, out of sight) that I don't think have been painted since the 70s. PARKING. Parking is a pain in the rear here. While there may be a ratio of 1:1, that 1:1 ratio is actually PER apartment. This can be a problem when you have a family of 7 living in a 3 bedroom and they all have cars. Expect to find cars in your spot or blocking your spot. This isn't occasional, this is OFTEN. The bright spot may be that I can park on Casa Buena (the front street) but I can't imagine if I lived on Meadowsweet (the back street). The front street has plenty of street parking while the back street has a 2 lane road with NO STOPPING along the route. Get a apartment toward the front if you can. LASTLY... PEOPLE This may be a touchy subject. Without any offense, the quality of people has gone down in the last 5 years. I think they may be trying to get better people in here with the raised rent, but people on the lower socio remain. Who packs 7 people in a 3 bedroom? You'll see it here. Management is iffy although they brought in this new person in the past year. Can we say this new property manager will save the day - probably not. CONCLUSION: This place is past its prime. It's not worth the $. I'm glad I left. Buyer beware or keep your expectations low. read more

Don't get fooled by their price promotions, online coupons, or referall promotions! They have to do all these things for a reason: This place SUCKS. I have lots of complaints about this place, top-down, beginning with management. The property manager, V, is incredibly unresponsive and just downright lazy (and disrespectful, more on that later). If any tenant tries to call the emergency maintenance line it's disconnected. It's funny because after hours, you call the office, THAT maintenance is the number they give you. So you are wondering, "what the h*ll do I do now with a broken X or a faulty Y." I don't know if they've fixed it yet, but it's been wrong since AT LEAST May 2008 (February 2009 now). It's a freaking answering machine message. LAZY! I think the greatest demonstration of laziness and outright disregard for tenants is with the parking situation. read more

I am really disappointed with this place. I lived there for 15 months and my rent was raised more than 20% in that time so I called it quits. The management seems to have NO SOUL. They are all about the all mighty dollar. When I moved out, not only did they keep my deposit, the billed me more. The place is nice enough. It is in a decent location - the only issue is no side walks if you like to walk. They keep the place well maintained for the most part. My issue wasn't with the space, location, neighbors - just the management. Good luck and happy apartment hunting! read more

Just moved here from the East Bay in Spring. The location is great with a well-groomed grounds. The staff are polite and low-key. It is a little high-priced so that's the loss of one star. We enjoy coming home every day. The apartment is so peaceful and spacious - feels like home even though we're out and about in lovely Marin quite a bit. Other tenants are friendly and respectful. Nice pool, laundry room, and no one's parked in our assigned spot so far. read more

Pros 1. Great area 2. Close to shopping 3. Close to city 4. Pool 5. New shared gas grill 6. Great neighbors 7. Allow pets (there is a 35 lbs. weight limit, but honestly they could careless how big the dog is...or even if you own a rotweiler/pitbull/cat/bear/lion etc 8. Management is nice Cons 1. A PEEPING TOM for 12+ years and management will hide this (even to the families with children) and have done nothing to protect the residents 2. NO PARKING!!! It's a free for all, even when you have assigned parking do not count on it being available to you or car blocked in 3. Management has said they cannot actually tow because they do not want to pay for the tow charges. Instead, will be awakened by upset neighbors honking and then the management will ring everyone's door at anytime??? Next, they will leave the car there till your neighbor moves it??? In other words, you are on your own and ignore the fake "will tow" signs. 4. ASBESTOS and LEAD (notified at then end paperwork of signing your lease) 5. Although there is a disabled parking spot, there is not one unit accessible to anyone with a disability??? 6. Items STOLEN from your front door (UPS, FEDEX, etc) 7. Poor construction (see # 8, 9, 12, 13, 14, 15, 18, 20, 22, 27, 28, 29, 32) photos included 8. Rusted and leaking water heater and management waiting for it to completely break before any preventative work to save the renters inconvenience. While we foot the water bill. Property is not maintained and completely neglected. 9. Maintenance work is questionable (poor quality, child like, unlicensed or untrained) done by inexperienced whoever??? 10. Maintenance kid driving around in golf cart with gas power washer upside down leaking gas (funny but dangerous) 11. MAGGOTS in the backyard from left over feces (still have nightmares) 12. Brand new plastic fake wood flooring coming apart and only 1 month old (yeah...try avoid walking in your apartment to prevent the floor from coming apart or pinching your feet) 13. Tub is slow draining 14. Tub doesn't hold water either (if that makes any sense)?? 15. Bathroom and kitchen sink leaking and caused mold within the first month 16. Wasteful 5 gallon toilet and shared water bill. 17. Again shared water bill (average $80 per PERSON per month) 18. Windows are OLD (original windows from the 1950's never updated) and let bugs in (brown recluse spider, POISONOUS...hospital visit!!!) 19. Expected to keep bathroom window open to avoid MOLD but allows bugs in and "peeping toms" to see you in the buff 20. Open spaces in the ill fitting front door which let bugs and cold air in 21. Screws fall out and don't hold locks or doorknob to the front door 22. Screen in windows installed backwards (really???) 23. Loose screws left over under the carpet (TETANUS shots and painful when discovered) Neighbors dealing with the same issue. 24. Cat and dog feces left over for you to clean the day you move in 25. A bit noisy is you live on the first floor (wall hangings and the heater rattles when they walk) 26. Over watered lawn (swamp like and such a waste of water) 27. BROKEN washer and dryers is a constant (even though we are told they have been fixed but they haven't actually checked and yes, they are still broken!) 28. Smoker /carbon monoxide detectors are not maintained (never showed up for the appointment) 29. On to the kitchen, the back of the drawer keeps falling off due to kindergartner like assembly (lazy construction) 30. Upon moving in the refrigerator was broken and still is 31. Upon moving in the dishwasher was broken and still is 32. Storage units are a free for all as well. Some have 1 or more and many have none. 33. Still waiting on the replacement for the wrong sized blinds and the replacement for the broken drawer?? 34. Showers will become scorching hot or freezing cold. Thank goodness the walls are thin enough to hear your neighbor flush the toilet which gives you ample time to jump out of the way. 35. Water pipes in the walls are noisy when contracting and expanding when trying to sleep. 35. Pricey for a "newly remodeled" apartment with "bottom of the line" appliances, janky construction, painted or taped over pressed particle board to hide the MOLD, fake wall tile to hide the MOLD in the walls!! 36. Never a follow up, never show up for maintenance appointments or a response (except the guy who lit the pilot light to the heater because they are required by law. He was actually well trained and did a great job), nothing ever fixed... we've only lived here for 3 months Overall we love it here! read more

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This place is a dump. The management refuses to fix things until they are beyond repair and do not care how much they inconvenience the tenants. One person had to live with a bee hive in their wall, which they would not remove properly by taking off drywall, instead they fumigated, leaving the dead bees and honey inside the wall, resulting in a horrible stink which ultimately let the tenant to leave.......all while paying over $2000.00 per month! Don't be fooled by the ads about beautiful grounds, etc. the garbage is overflowing out of the dumpsters the day after pick up, resulting in parking areas that stink to high heaven and have trash blowing around in them constantly. The windows are as old as the buildings (1960's) are single pane and have no more seal on them, which means the wind blows through all the time, as does smoke and exhaust fumes, and they are certainly not safe if you have children. All in all be warned, this place is a cess pool! read more

My husband and I have been residents at Madera Valley Apartments for 21/2 years. We are very happy here and find the trees wonderful. It is near 101 but we are not bothered by the traffic noise. Our apartment has a lovely fenced in patio. Nicole, the manager, is very quick to have problems solved. Donny, the maintenance man, very nice and always there to answer any questions in addition able to solve any maintenance problems. Both Nicole and Donny create a very warm environment. A plus. read more

I've been a resident at Madera Valley Apartments for 1 1/2 years and am very pleased over all. The complex is well maintained and quite a few of the units are updated or are scheduled to be soon. There's a pool, tennis courts, a newly remodeled laundry room plus an additional smaller laundry area with exta washers and dryers. There's a large grassy area (great for pets), a gas grill, fire pit and walkways that are nicely landscaped. Good location near 2 very nice shopping centers plus close to 101 for easy commuting. The managent team definitely deserves 5 stars, especially Dorina who runs the office in a very pleasant and efficient manner. She is very responsive to questions or any issues that might arise. Donnie is another a big reason things run so smoothly- he has a "can do" attitude and solves maintenance related issues in a timely manner. read more

I believe that this place deserves 4 stars. It is located very close to shops, restaurants, top rated schools, freeway, parks and amazing trails for running, biking or hiking. It is a very diverse community with families from Brazil, Poland, Russia, Japan, Mexico, China and more. We have lived here for few years now. I have to agree that it is in need of many upgrades but they are being slowly done. It is an old community built in seventies so you can not expect to move in to a state of the art apartment. The neighbors are great, mostly families with children. It is a pet friendly community so you will hear occasional barking. It is very safe, both Meadowsweet Drive and Casa Bueana are regurarly patrolled by the police. Parking is bit of a problem but only for visitors as we do not have visitors parking here. Your guests will have to park along the street where there is plenty of space :) There have been a lot of complaints about garbage being picked up only once a week and that is no longer a case. Extra pick ups were ordered so problem has been solved. We also got a new water heater. With no extra cost to the tenants we have regular tennis lessons for adults and children, we have annual pool parties, international pot lucks, Halloween Parties and Christmas get togethers. Management is great and easy to talk to. We give it 4 stars! read more

We've been here 3 months and find it a solid place to live. Jeanette in the office got us set up here with friendly efficiency, and Donnie doing maintenance is responsive to taking care of what needs to be fixed in a timely fashion. read more

Ugh this place is the pits! The short and sweet - no parking for guests or additional tenants after 5pm or on the weekends! Parking in San Francisco is easier than this place! Lead piping for the water plumbing, lead paint and asbestos in the ceiling and walls. Everybody smokes on their balcony or patios even though its illegal in Marin for a multi-tenant building. Kitchen appliances are old and frequently break. Maintenance issues are never resolved - office is always waiting on approval from property owners. Water usage is not charged per individual units! Basically you end up pay for other peoples water usage and wastage - $70 a month for us! Unit was constantly damp and we had serious issues with pests and mold! Landscaped grounds look nice but with so many trees, it becomes an issue during storms when drains become clogged with leaves and pathways become flooded. Hardly ever saw other tenants but there must have been 10 - 15 people living in the townhouse opposite me, no wonder the high water cost! 10% rent increases every year and when you finally decide to leave, front office will try and steal your deposit with made up damages and clauses that are not defined in lease agreement. Move along, these are not the apartments you are looking for! read more