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Qualman Apartments
Category:
Apartments & Buildings
1820 Minor Ave Ofc
Seattle,
Washington 98101
(206) 324-4976
When I moved into the Qualman I was happy to find really cheap rent, even though the building was...
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When I moved into the Qualman I was happy to find really cheap rent, even though the building was kind of shabby. A few years later the building is even shabbier but the rent is no longer cheap. I'll be moving out at the end of my lease.
To be fair to the current owner, the Qualman has clearly suffered many years of neglect and it would take some serious investment in repairs and improvements to turn the building around. However, in the time I've been here very little progress has been made.
We hear a lot of tales about what repairs are in the works but not much happens. I've attached a list of the building's problems at the bottom of this review - take a good look before you consider moving in.
Also consider the rent. Yes, it's still a little below your average capital hill rent. But the quality of the building is way under average. Keep in mind too that this isn't the safest or quietest area of capital hill. Also, the smaller, cheaper one bedrooms are about 500 square feet - closer in size to a studio than your average one bedroom. All in all, you are not getting a bargain.
Another knock against the Qualman is Gibraltar management. The resident manager is nice but powerless. The rest of Gibraltar management isn't so nice. They don't respond promptly to requests. They've entered my apartment without giving proper notice (I'm not even sure why they entered - nothing was repaired). And they did not give me proper notice for the last rent raise. I would not recommend living in a building managed by Gibraltar.
Qualman Problem LIst
*The wiring is so bad that blackouts and lights dimming are common.
*The plumbing gets clogged up regularly - both in individual units and in the laundry room.
*Water pressure is low and hot water is inconsistent.
*The floors are squeaky and soft in places.
*The hardwoods desperately need refinishing - in my apartment they are stained in places, splintering in other places and are very difficult to keep clean.
*The old sash-style windows are falling apart – the panes are loose in their frames. You have to be very careful when opening or closing them and they're scary during a windstorm.
*The heating is incredibly inconsistent - Some apartments are chilly all winter. Mine will hit about 85 degrees if I don't open my windows and cover the radiators.
*The heating also fails completely on a pretty regular basis leaving everyone without heat for several hours at a time.
*The building has an exhaust system with fans built into the kitchens and baths but it's luck of the draw whether the ones in your unit will work or not and management won't repair them.
*Many of the appliances are older and don't function well. My refrigerator is a relic from the 70s that sounds like an airplane taking off when it runs. It isn't even frost free.
*The washers and dryers break down regularly and are often out of service for more than a week. There are only 3 of each to begin with so it's a big problem when one is out.
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Redfin Real Estate
Category:
Real Estate Agents
710 2nd Ave Suite 600
Seattle,
Washington 98104
(877) 973-3346
I love Redfin's website and use it all the time. However their customer service sucks. I tried...
More 2 months ago
I love Redfin's website and use it all the time. However their customer service sucks. I tried three times to arrange a home tour and they never called me back. If they are that busy, why can't they have the courtesy to at least tell you that they are too busy to help you.
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The Park At Northgate
Category:
Apartments
10735 Roosevelt Way NE
Seattle,
Washington 98125
(206) 364-7177
I lived at the Park at Northgate for just over a year. The location was a plus, but beyond that:...
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I lived at the Park at Northgate for just over a year. The location was a plus, but beyond that: noisy neighbors, constant police activity, public intoxication circumscribed basic units. I don't know if this place receives tax credits for housing the indigent, but it has Section 8 all over it. This is not a good place if you have children!
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Willow Court
Category:
Apartments
6901 Delridge Way SW Ofc
Seattle,
Washington 98106
(206) 762-7884
Sometimes you have to take the bad with the good, and sometimes you just have to expand your...
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Sometimes you have to take the bad with the good, and sometimes you just have to expand your horizons and live a little. This is one of those cases.
On many websites you will see outdated reviews of the Willow Court apartments and most of them are pretty negative. Having lived here for some time now I can honestly say, I don't what those people are whining about.
Sure the neighbors may play the music a touch loud, but hey I am only paying $595 for 800 square feet. I have never had a security problem, my utilities work great, no leaks, no holes in the walls, and even the washers and dryers are new.
They are once again using the CCTV cameras in the entrances and you have to have a pin number to get in the building. Sure it is still Delridge and still West Seattle but as long as you carry yourself with respect and respect those around you, you aren't going to have a problem.
The staff is very kind, very receptive and will work with you to make ends meet. If you are looking for a place to live and want something affordable and convenient to downtown, this is a great option.
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Great, well-run building, in a little too funky part of Capitol Hill, but beware if you're looking...
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Great, well-run building, in a little too funky part of Capitol Hill, but beware if you're looking at a unit on Madison St. While the views can be amazing, the traffic and frequent sirens passing by are a nightmare. Plus, the radio towers across the street, that remind me of the recent version of War of the Worlds, are no doubt doing heaven knows what to our electro-magnetic fields as well as our small. Good for a short term rental, but should think long and hard about a longer term lease.
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Coronado Springs
Category:
Real Estate
10670 14th Ave SW
Seattle,
Washington 98146
(206) 244-7700
I also lived in the Coronado Springs tower in 2005, and everything the previous poster said is...
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I also lived in the Coronado Springs tower in 2005, and everything the previous poster said is right on. The building is definitely unsafe for women -- I was constantly bothered by aggressive creeps and never felt safe in the elevator or common areas. Plus, the more destructive tenants liked to break or disable the security door -- which was almost useless to begin with since people were always letting sketchy characters into the building 24/7. The housekeeper is a sweet little old lady who does her best, but she couldn't keep up with all the filth (some of it unmentionable) the revolting tenants left everywhere, so the building is usually pretty dirty. There's drug activity in and around the building and the surrounding neighborhood is depressing and unsafe. On one of the many occasions when the fire alarm went off for no reason, I had to vault over a recliner someone had left out on the seventh-floor landing that was totally blocking the fire escape. I told the management about it and they were dismissive. No matter how harmless the place looks at first (the surrounding grounds are fairly pleasant and at first glance, the complex seems family-oriented) don't rent here.
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I lived here for about three months, having taken over someone's lease when I moved out to ...
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I lived here for about three months, having taken over someone's lease when I moved out to Seattle. I moved out as soon as the lease was up.
Living here is a bit like living in a college dorm. There are a lot of young people with loud music, everyone thinks he's a rich big shot because "OT8" (as they prefer to be called) push that yuppie image, and if you actually want help with anything, you'd better be prepared to talk to employee after employee, all of whom are friendly but unable to help.
Parking is adequate, the rooms are reasonable but cheaply furnished (cheap carpeting, cheap fake-wood laminate in the kitchen (which the employee who showed me the room tried to pass off as real hardwood), cheap linoleum in the bathroom). The public areas are decorated in a weird modern style (orange paint, lots of bare cement and perforated brushed aluminum) that's apparently supposed to be classy. Two flat-screen TVs, set to different channels and with the volume up, blare at the entrance to the elevators at all times.
There's nothing materially wrong with these apartments, though I should note that the price reflects more demand in this area than it does their amenities (move a few blocks out of first hill and save a few hundred per month). But more to the point, there's no sense of individuality; all the apartments, all the tenants, are just faceless identical units leased by a faceless management company.
And about that company: While I was a tenant, I was forced to move into a temporary, furnished (with the chintziest of chintzy IKEA furniture) apartment while electrical renovations were done to my apartment. This meant I got two and a half weeks of rent-free.
Upon moving out a short time later, still without that credit having been applied to my account (thus having to pay the full amount for my remaining month to avoid late fees), I was owed the balance for the "rent free" time plus my deposit--a balance that came to roughly a grand.
Needless to say (I wouldn't be posting this here if it all went smoothly), two months and many, many polite, impatient, and, finally, threatening phone calls later, I finally have my check. All because the employee who took down my new address miscopied it (despite my calling back to make sure they had the right address on file, and despite my calling back to see if the check had returned ("No, you should get it in a few days!")).
If you absolutely must live in this block (say, if you work at the hospital), you could do worse (like a cardboard box). But "OT8" are neither classy, homey, or nice. To paraphrase "Fight Club," One Thousand Eighth Avenue Apartments are filing cabinets for widows and young professionals. With crappy management.
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Look elsewhere, this place is friendly and staff is efficient only before you sign and initial the...
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Look elsewhere, this place is friendly and staff is efficient only before you sign and initial the lease. They have a bad habit off breaking the laws. By this I mean, on move out inspection they tell you don’t owe anything. Then turn around almost 3 weeks later after you have moved out you find your in collections( they have 14 days by law to inform you the reason for no deposit refund). They don’t mail you anything or call to let you know there is a bill, even though you left you new address and phone number. They had only one maintenance man and he quit, so that left all work orders that were put in to collect dust. I lived one the bottom floor and heavy rain caused a pipe to bust. This sent in a wave of water and dirt in my apartment. No one came to clean the carpets or remove all the debris. I had to do it myself; they had the nerve to charge me for carpet damage. Amongst other wrongful charges. This issue is now being worked on by my lawyer. If something like this is happening to you or happened to you, feel free to email me at seahorse4136@aim.com
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