Am I a dummy for wanting to live in a corporate apartment complex in Short Pump or Glen Allen?

Submitted by Electrical_Order_442 t3_10kds67 in rva

Lived in the museum district 7+ years ago, mostly been in SWVA since but now my wife and I find ourselves coming back to Richmond. We were both surprised, having mostly lived in cities before the pandemic, that we have no burning desire to live in the city anymore.

Our weird problem is that we have absolutely no frame of reference for a suburban apartment. We definitely feel these buildings are hideously ugly inside and out, but it's just a place to land while we look for somewhere to buy. We fully expect the leasing staff to be incompetent, the maintenance to be unresponsive, and the security deposit to be stolen. Is there something else I'm not thinking of that screams out not to do this?

For reference, here's a couple places that passed our initial screening (almost no mention of roaches on google reviews):

https://www.zillow.com/b/addison-at-wyndham-glen-allen-va-5XrJ7w/
https://www.zillow.com/b/springfield-apartments-henrico-va-5XtPBc/
https://www.zillow.com/b/marshall-springs-at-gayton-west-glen-allen-va-5hR96f/

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fanrva t1_j5q4ajr wrote

Not weird at all. Different strokes for different folks. Possibility of more modern amenities is higher. Management miiight be better.

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Mikey6304 t1_j5qyjxz wrote

It's a slumlord in one hand: or corporate nickel and dime charges, and 2 hours on hold when calling maintenance in the other.

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[deleted] t1_j5r3dbl wrote

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FEdart t1_j5vfe55 wrote

Super curious (not trying to be antagonistic), but where else have you lived?

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[deleted] t1_j5vg5hn wrote

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FEdart t1_j5vu394 wrote

Ah gotcha. I lived in Boston for a couple years… I think slumlords are more common in large metro areas. I infinitely prefer the housing market in RVA for sure.

That being said, TBH I agree with your point about faceless corporations. I do kind of prefer them because I lived in a large, professionally managed building in Boston and it was great. Maintenance was fast and responsive. As opposed to the local landlord owned place I moved to where my stove didn’t work for SIX WEEKS. And he sold it to some guy in Japan halfway a few weeks into our lease so getting in touch for that maintenance was a total nightmare.

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Northside_Newf t1_j5q8ztb wrote

Nah I don’t think it’s stupid, despite the hate they get here I really enjoyed living in the urban equivalent of these in Scott’s Addition. Maintenance was good and responsive, I couldn’t hear my neighbors, and it was convenient having all of the amenities. If it was a condo I would’ve seriously considered buying it.

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Foreign_Crab_6483 t1_j5q7i5a wrote

Grain of salt since I'm still newish to the area: I live in a similar-type community (Retreat at West Creek in Henrico) and can attest, it's not as bad as you might think.

I relocated from NYC not too long ago and just needed a place to land with minimal stress too, I don't regret making the choice for something more...corporate. Esp if you don't plan on being there long term. But you're still paying a bit of a premium for "amenities" you may never use and for (what is probably) spotty renovations. -shrug-

The one thing that is bordering on god awful is the traffic since mine is a more commercial area.

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WWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW_W t1_j5rkaem wrote

My wife and I were at Abberly Twin Hickory for 3ish years and really enjoyed it. Would absolutely move back there if I were to rent again.

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Electrical_Order_442 OP t1_j5rlee2 wrote

Thanks to everyone, I have my answer now: yes but also no! A couple of you have given me some very promising-seeming recommendations too. Much appreciated

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Icy_Cheesecake3211 t1_j5s5xve wrote

We loved our apartment at the Legends in Glen Allen: https://gscapts.com/apartments/virginia/legends-at-virginia-center Maintenance was prompt and we got our full deposit back. Nice pool, dog park, garages, etc. You'll get a lot more square footage for your money in the suburbs, too.

We only moved because we bought a house.

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Electrical_Order_442 OP t1_j5s6elw wrote

Good tip. At some point I started skipping over those complexes that had identical websites to that one (looks like they're all GSC), as they all seemed to have too-many-to-be-insignificant mentions of roaches, but that one actually hasn't managed to be so poorly reviewed

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Strongdog71 t1_j5xgs29 wrote

Can confirm as well - no pest issues, GSC was a good experience for us as well.

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Impossible_Bill_2834 t1_j5qxpqe wrote

I live in a near West End corporate complex and love it. Multiple, easy, convenient ways to pay rent, neighborhood events, on-site maintenance. Rent is never raised a crazy amount, pest control comes by on a quarterly basis. Easy parking, green spaces for little ones (and a dog park too if that's what you're into)

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albertnormandy t1_j5t183v wrote

I used to live in one of the corporate apartments at VCC. It was uneventful. Apartments were newer and less needed to be fixed. When the AC condensate line started leaking they came and fixed it pretty quickly. Washer and dryer on site with free parking. The apartment was great, if bland and soulless. No it wasn't quirky Fan row housing but it was perfectly serviceable.

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DeezEyez t1_j5tgvyv wrote

Have you looked at the Libbie Mill/Midtown area apartments off Staples Mill and Broad? New apartments with modern amenities with some solid restaurants and shopping options nearby. A lot closer to the city than Short Pump, but without downtown parking issues or slumlords. I don’t have any clue on pricing or quality, or speak of them with any actual firsthand knowledge. I have just seen them and thought they might be a good compromise between city and full-on suburban life.

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fl_man_in_rva t1_j5q7wk7 wrote

Depending on your timeline, there are new complexes going up in short pump.

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goodsam2 t1_j5u6ko8 wrote

I mean I would live close to the stuff you need to/want to be by. I mean if you both work out in innsbrook then live down that way. If you are what mid 30s and don't drink that much it doesn't seem that weird.

I mean you know generally what you will find in the museum district and the city (though far more affluent these days.)

A lot of that stuff out there seems soulless but more or less fine apartments.

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Valuable_Ad9615 t1_j5t2fs5 wrote

I’m from SWVA as well & moved up here years back how do you like the change ?

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joydivisionforever t1_j5t77ut wrote

I lived at Springfield for a year with my partner and we really liked it. This was 2018 - 2019. It’s clean and I liked their pool a lot. It’s nicer than other apartments in the area in my experience. Whatever you do, DO NOT rent from Abbington West End Apartments. That place is a god forsaken drug den and super sketchy, especially at night. A good lesson I learned after breaking my lease there is that you should always go to where you are potentially going to live at night time and see how it is before signing a lease if possible. I like Short Pump because it’s super quiet and green compared to the city but just know it’s Karen central lol.

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MissLauraCroft t1_j5taz2e wrote

I live in a very, very similar apartment complex (different part of town) and I love it. Maintenance and the office staff are all very responsive, helpful, fast, and friendly. The grounds and amenities are well-maintained at all times. It’s great.

My only dislikes are how much they’ve been increasing my rent year over year, I wish they’d clean the stairwells more often, and the high turnover of neighbors (maybe this is part of apartment living?)

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rallycapper t1_j5tc6gl wrote

You should also look at townhome rentals. When we first moved here a few years ago, we rented a 3BR townhome with garage in West Broad Village for the same as what 2BR apartments in the area were listed.

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Charlesinrichmond t1_j5utpgk wrote

I mean, sounds like you know what you want. I wouldn't want to live in Short Pump myself, but if you do I don't see the downside

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FlexRVA21984 t1_j5sn6vb wrote

Short Pump is the 7th Circle of Hell

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StandClear1 t1_j5qvs0l wrote

Yes, fuck short pump.

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Electrical_Order_442 OP t1_j5rla7l wrote

That was me 10 years ago, but now I have a wife who loves shopping. Wouldn't you be so lucky?

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