(other apartment threads were old or very specific)

A friend and I are looking for good apartments at least somewhat near NCSU campus (or near centennial), can be 2-bedroom, or 3/4-bed if they've got some form of roommate-matching service. Needs to have a bus running to campus or be near a Wolfline stop. As of right now we're unsure on price range, so... just give me whatever you can think of.

Anyone stayed at a good place they could recommend?

Also, anyone have an apartment complex that they would recommend avoiding?

4/1/2009 6:25:14 AM

Lake Park.

Classiest place in Raleigh.

4/1/2009 7:13:42 AM

What is close to campus? Does it need to be on the Wolf Line? If you don't mind the extra couple minutes The Lodge off Tryon is pretty nice. I think there are some new places going up behind the Harris Teeter out that way as well.

I would try, if you can, to avoid places owned by the Priess Company. I lived in U Village for two years while in school and they are terrible to deal with. The one decent thing about the Priess Company is the staff is basically a revolving door. And they don't care about your job. This is good because all you need to do when you move out is make a half ass attempt at cleaning the place up and they won't charge you a dime.

4/1/2009 8:16:23 AM

Rhyne's gate has 2 bedroom places, I think at least.

That complex across Gorman from Hardees (Centennial Village?) has 3 bedroom places, might have some two bedrooms mixed in there too.

4/1/2009 9:06:26 AM

I lived in University Meadows for awhile. The place was pretty ghetto and the management sucked (Preiss Company).

4/1/2009 9:11:13 AM

Quote :

"What is close to campus? Does it need to be on the Wolf Line?"

close to campus would be... <10 minutes drive to campus or so, preferably closer to 5. I know of some on Tryon and that's just a bit farther out than we'd like (though still do-able).

Either a couple-minute walk to some Wolf Line stop, or have its own bus running to campus, either works.


Thanks for the input, guys, keep it coming.
I've heard bad things about Priess before, good to see that opinion backed up.

4/1/2009 10:32:19 AM

I stayed at Avery Close for two years; it was a pretty good price, close to campus, and has a Wolfline bus stop.

They are 2BRs, but we had 3 people staying at ours (lots of space).

http://www.universityrenter.com/ncsu/averyClose/



[Edited on April 1, 2009 at 10:40 AM. Reason : They just got new management, too. Should be better.]

4/1/2009 10:40:09 AM

there are no "good" apartment complexes near campus...it's a college slum, so the goal is to be cheap, not "good"

4/1/2009 10:49:24 AM

i really loved being in the crabtree/edwards mill/duraleigh area, but that's more like 15 mins

4/1/2009 10:50:16 AM

Yeah, if you want to be that close to campus you are going to have a hard time finding 'good'. Your best bet might be a townhouse off Kaplan.

[Edited on April 1, 2009 at 10:52 AM. Reason : df]

4/1/2009 10:52:20 AM

I live in Wildwoods of Lake Johnson right now and I would recommend it. The place is a bit older, but the management & maintenance are great ... there's a nice pool and hot tub, and they're in the process of putting together a 24/7 exercise facility. I pay $791/mo for a 2br/2ba.

Stay clear of Lake Johnson Mews. The property and location is very nice, but it's just a silver lining ... there are several users on here that will vouch for me when I say that their management company is awful.

4/1/2009 10:55:02 AM

Quote :

"i really loved being in the crabtree/edwards mill/duraleigh area, but that's more like 15 mins"

me too...i lived in two complexes over 4 years, and they were both awesome...price was good and the grounds/facilities/staff were significantly better than you'd find around state

^ my girlfriend lives in wildwoods...for the money, it's not bad and the management is crazygonuts awesome...she hasn't had a lease in over a year and she just pays her rent "around" the time it's due, since they don't care if it's late

also, we take the dogs around the lake almost every day, since it's right there

[Edited on April 1, 2009 at 11:08 AM. Reason : .]

4/1/2009 11:08:07 AM

Quote :

"Stay clear of Lake Johnson Mews. The property and location is very nice, but it's just a silver lining ... there are several users on here that will vouch for me when I say that their management company is awful."

I agree... I went there to take a tour, but ended up waiting for about ten minutes in their office while the management argued with each other.

4/1/2009 12:35:17 PM

I've known a couple of people who have lived in Wildwoods @ Lake Johnson and they had good things to say about it, except that the units nearest the lake sometimes get a lot of insects. But generally it has a very good reputation, and the apartments are reasonably spacious IIRC.

You could also look in Hunter's Creek (OFF KAPLAN) or in the Cameron Village Condos, just north/east of Cameron Village. Not apartments but condos, so no central rental office, but both seem to have a decent number of units available as rentals.

I would avoid the Preiss "hamster housing", ie University Oaks/Glen/Woods/Meadows/whateverthehellelse. Poorly built and they give you the run-around when you mention where you live. However, I have also rented a condo from them, and for the most part they were just fine to deal with in that regard. If you don't rent in one of the typical student complexes they seem to pay you a little more attention.

Kensington Park's units are HUGE and well-located, but I've heard lots of problems with infestations of various kinds of pests.

4/1/2009 12:46:54 PM

i have been at the mews a few months now and i like it.

as far as the on site staff, they have been super nice to me and fixed my repairs on the same day, in most cases plus we are only paying $699 for 2 bedrooms/2 baths.

One place I would stay away from is Colonial Grand at Trinity Commons. Its near the RBC center. Their staff is full of bitchy ass egotistical women for the most part. Not to mention they fuck you deep on move out charges. We received a bill for $325 for having a pet urine on the carpet in an area where at 200 lb tv and entertainment center was.

Wolf Creek is also a shithole and very ghetto, unless you like that sort of thing

4/1/2009 2:56:13 PM

^is christine still the manager at the Mews? be careful of her ... she's as two-faced as they come

oh, and wait til it's time to negotiate your next lease with AIMCO's "customer retention" hotline ... fun fun fun!!!

4/1/2009 3:12:17 PM

I really like Parkwood Village Apartments. I have a nicely located apartment, though, and quiet neighbors.

4/1/2009 3:19:08 PM

IBTivycommons

4/1/2009 3:26:18 PM

I haven't lived there in a few years, but I really liked Westgrove apartments. It's about a 5-minute drive from campus, although there is also a wolfline that runs by it. Management was fairly good, and was pretty prompt about addressing anything I was having issues with. They aren't quite as cheap as Lake Park, but overall the quality is pretty good. They're also right across the street from the $1.50 theater, so you're good to go if you're in the mood for some super-cheap entertainment. An additional plus is that you'd be so close to the fair grounds that you could walk there, instead of having to find parking.

Lake Park is livable, but I can sum it up in 6 words; you get what you pay for.

4/1/2009 3:37:56 PM

Highly recommend Kensington Park Apts. I've been living here since last August.

The office staff are extremely nice, and appreciative. The apartments themselves are huge, not really sure if I'm the best person for that comparison, since this is the first place I've ever stayed. They allow dogs, which is a plus or minus depending upon if you like them. They have essentially three stops on the wolfline, so you can get the bus coming or going. Never seen any kind of bug or pests or anything, except for the occasional spider (which may be why I don't see any other bugs). The other residents are varied, some college students, but also includes families and people with 9-5 jobs, also a good amount of foreigners, so overall it is extremely quiet. There is a swimming pool, a mini-gym and a tennis court. Parking is good, loads of spots, but make sure you and your friends put those placards up the mirror. Its not uncommon to see some idiot being towed late at night because the aren't supposed to be here.

My apartment for being a 1 bedroom comes with 3 massive closets, a nice balcony, kitchen, living room, and study. The best part is the rent, me and my roommate pay just $272.50 every month. That includes the monthly pet fee, so it will probably be cheaper if you don't have dogs.

4/1/2009 5:37:16 PM

Ha ha... The renovations at Campus Edge (old ivy chase) brought the trashiest college kids to live there. I figure their God-awfully high prices to stay there would make them go to Lake PArk or something, but I guess Lake Park was full.

Honestly, if you don't want your shit trashed, neighbors that are considerate, and just not have to deal with the retardedom of college kids, I would recommend stepping a few miles away from campus. Kaplan has really nice town homes as mentioned and has decently classed college kids/ young working singles. They party and such but its not as obnoxious.

4/1/2009 6:00:57 PM

but for real ivy commons is the best of these options. close to campus without the undergrads.

4/1/2009 6:03:37 PM

Ivy Commons, but you probably won't be able to get in there.

Avoid Avery Close (the townhomes just south of ivy commons). Management sucks and is currently (as of yesterday) in the process of being changed out to a different company. Things are going to be a little weird here for a while.

I've heard from others that Champion Court isn't the worst place to be at, though they're 3 bedroom townhomes and they aren't the cheapest around here.

4/1/2009 6:07:58 PM

Quote :

"Kensington Park's units are HUGE and well-located, but I've heard lots of problems with infestations of various kinds of pests"

I live here, and as dagreenone said, no pests. During the time I've been here (since August), I've seen a grand total of 1 roach and 2 spiders inside the apartment. If we see any more, my dog will kill them. He karate-chopped that roach.

4/1/2009 6:28:37 PM

If you mean 5 minutes with actual traffic, then The Raleigh Apartments (behind cam village) can be done in 5 minutes if you do side streets and cross Hillz into the Dan Allen Deck. Theyre affordable, in a good area, and have good management. The downside is that theyre all old and bathrooms/bugs/kitchens are an occasional problem.

4/1/2009 6:46:08 PM

I live in Gorman Crossing, run by the same people that own Kensington. I echo everything dagreenone has said about Trinity Properties in general. My only issue is that the A/C pressure in my room sucks (so I have three fans) and the kitchen is pretty small. My rent is $312/mo.

4/1/2009 7:55:57 PM

Has anyone stayed in Clarion Crossing?

4/1/2009 8:10:06 PM

i stayed there a looong time ago; it was a nice enough neighborhood, but it was pretty expensive considering the apts/facilities

4/1/2009 10:05:51 PM

Also, you could consider looking in the neighborhood north of Hillsborough street. There are some small apartment buildings mixed in with the houses, plus some of the houses are duplexes or have been split up (and a few of the smaller ones are legitimately 2 or 3 bdrm). Easy walk to campus, nice neighborhood, living in a house beats the hell out of an apartment. Only catch is you'll probably pay a little more.

4/2/2009 1:44:37 PM