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1. lookin99
   Member Profile

   Went to go look at some apartments at the Alaska Junction today that I saw on craigslist. Turns out the unit I wanted has a MAXIMUM income restriction! Could you at least have put that in the advertisement? I don't have anything against the concept, but what the hell?

   Talk about a bait and switch! Must be working, they are 94% rented. What will happen in a year when everybody's rent goes up $300?

   Did I also mention the next unit up, for $1400, has a SHARED BALCONY? What an unbelievable concept, and how convenient for burglars. Walk out and stare at your neighbors thru the glass.

   /boggles at a $1400 rather-small unit

   Posted 2 years ago #         

2. flowerpetal
   Member Profile

   

   That's a bad business practice. Sorry you had to experience that. Hunting for a new home can be stressful enough as it is without chasing false leads.
   What did the building manager say when you complained?

   Posted 2 years ago #         

3. WSB
   Member Profile

   

   Hi. Mural is a WSB sponsor but this is our rule for ALL business rants, sponsor or not: You must include information about how you called attention to your complaint to management/ownership, before posting here. It's in the rules on the forum main page. Please add that information. Thanks.

   Posted 2 years ago #         

4. SarahScoot
   Member Profile

   

   Also, lookin, every apartment I've ever looked at has an income requirement. They usually require you bring in 2.5-3x the monthly rent. This is to protect themselves, but it's a good guideline for renters, anyway. I've never seen it mentioned in ads, and I've always looked on Craigslist. Spending more than 1/3 your income on housing is *generally* not advisable. I obviously don't know your personal financial situation, of course.

   Posted 2 years ago #         

5. lookin99
   Member Profile

   I called the apartment's toll-free number after viewing the unit. The lady who answered the phone is apparently the marketing person, and she didn't think it was an issue. I wasn't trying to be a hardass about it, however in marketing you should not blatantly lie as that would be false advertising, plus people will start posting about it on a message board.

   She (Laura?) stated that she was only one person, when earlier in the conversation she gave me the impression that she had some colleagues who approved the ad.

   In my first call, the person who answered quoted a price range of $1100 - $2000 for a 1-bedroom. No income requirement.

   The MAXIMUM income requirement is $47k. Its not like I make tons more than that, but can some splain how someone who makes $47k/year would go for a $1100 1-bd in West Seattle?

   The lady @ the rental office was up front with it, however this place has been advertising the unit for WEEKS w/o mentioning the income restrictions.

   Here is the advertisement:
   $1012 / 1br - BRAND NEW! Fitness, Roof Deck, BBQ Deck! $500 VISA! (Seattle)
   http://seattle.craigslist.org/see/apa/1431300403.html

   To put icing on the cake, the rental lady said covered parking was available for $45. The 877 number lady said no covered parking was available, and if it was, it would be $60.

   But they are offering parking in the lot across the street for $25/month. $1400 (market rate) unit and you park across the street in the Bartell's parking lot? Are you kidding me?

   p.s. I didn't see the rules, whoops

   Posted 2 years ago #         

6. lookin99
   Member Profile

   SarahScoot, this is a MAXIMUM income. They only accept people who make UNDER 47k for these particular units. This is a requirement that legally should be in the ad. My bad, I should have clarified it.

   But hey, they're 94% rented, and who would make a fuss? Well, me, since I invested my lunch hour in this debacle!

   Posted 2 years ago #         

7. SarahScoot
   Member Profile

   

   Oh, sorry! That's weird, then - I didn't realize they had upper income limits. Agreed it should have been disclosed in the ad.

   Posted 2 years ago #         

8. lookin99
   Member Profile

   My bad Sarah, I edited my posts to include 'maximum' and I deleted the apartment name

   I'm going to go check out the Altamira. They have parking for $50/month, $25 if u put down a deposit.

   On the positive, is was very nice building, but the units are a bit small for the price. The concrete floors are very echoy, especially in unit 106. Again, they have packed people in with these promotions, but my feeling is these people probably can't afford the so-called "market price." I can't, lol!

   I am having bad luck with apartments

   Posted 2 years ago #         

9. AlkiKmac
   Member Profile

   

   Lookin99 - not sure what you're looking for, but a friend of mine just rented from Alki Property Management and they had several apartments available. I think he found their listings on craigslist. Good luck!

   Posted 2 years ago #         

10. ellenater
    Member Profile

    

    H there.
    I just wanted to warn you that if you are unsatisfied with Mural, you probably won't like Altamira, either. Our family is currently splitting our time between both places and I don't see much difference in Altamira. I live at Altamira and I love it, but I think Mural's property management is top notch, also. They have always been incredibly warm and friendly. When there was a noise issue with some recycling trucks, they dealt with it really well, and quickly. I really can't say enough good things about them. I have also never met anyone at Mural, including tenants, who is anything short of really nice. Not sure about their ad. practices but I feel like you are being a little black and white about them. I think a lot of apartments have pretyt shady ad. practices, unfortunately. But the people atMural are really great, warm people with great management skills.

    Things are very chaotic here at Altamira as the building is still very much under construction. I don't know about maximum income requirements but everything else you listed will be an issue at Altamira as well. The plastic covering was just removed from the hallways on my floor, today. There are tons of kinks that are still being worked out and will be for months. I tried to go out through the lobby yesterday and couldn't because they were setting tile in front of the door. I don't care about this stuff but based on your post, you might. The parking garage needs work, the community rooms are not even close to being complete, and the apartments, although marketed as being higher end, seem pretty similar to Mural. The rent incentives are the same. I have cherry cabs. and granite counters and you don't get that at Mural. Other than that, very similar. I would say the noise barriers between apartments is very good at both places, also. Mural's parking garage is better. Altamira's was designed by blind, recently freed lab rats.

    Good luck.

    Posted 2 years ago #         

11. sacatosh
    Member Profile

    Lookin99, if you're willing to go toward Highland Park or Westwood, for that same 1100-1400 you can get a 2br house. I don't know if you have specific reasons for preferring an apartment, but I've definitely had better experiences with independent owners than I have with big corporations. YMMV of course.

    Posted 2 years ago #         

12. transplantella
    Member Profile

    

    That's a crazy story, and frankly an inflated rent considering that every building in west Seattle is For Rent, For Lease, and/or For Sale.

    Across the street from me is a really nice building, reminds me of the apartment buildings in Athens--a smaller 4 floor building with big balconies, walls of windows, corner unit, sound views, less than a block from Lowmann Beach--and the rent is down 300 bucks from last year. $795 for a 1 bedroom. Great location, nice building. Two apartments available and they've been vacant for over a month or more.

    You don't need to mess with a bunch of shysters. Too many choices out there right now.

    Posted 2 years ago #         

13. Leroniusmonkfish
    Member Profile

    

    I thought that it was a renters market these days? At least that's what I've been reading...I know most of you would not want to move to AZ like I did due to a job loss and family reasons but I'm renting a 3 bedroom, 2 bath home with a swimming pool in a nice neighborhood for $1,000 a month. I initially moved from Queen Anne to WS back in 2002 after my landlord kept using the landlord/tenant act to raise my monthly rent each month for about six months in a row. She kept it under the 10% or at 9.9% so she didn't have to give me 60 days notice. I went from $880 to almost $1400 per month in no-time. I told her to f-off and rented a house in WS for $1000 a month! Keep looking!

    Posted 2 years ago #         

14. JanS
    Member Profile

    

    ellenator - lolol @ blind lab rat comment :D

    Posted 2 years ago #         

15. lookin99
    Member Profile

    ellenater, sacatosh, transplant, leronius thanks for the feedback! I just recently started looking in West Seattle, I had no idea it was so close to my job.

    @transplantella I wonder if the building your talking about is on craigslist? I'll check it out, thanks!

    @ellenater The units were lovely, except for the shared balcony concept. I still don't understand that. There's no barrier at all save for some planters that aren't even knee-high, so you see right into your neighbor's apartment. I don't want to have to buy blinds, I have no idea how to do that! ;)

    Regarding Altamira, the rental agent said they either were A) 25% rented or B) had 25 apartments rented. I misheard her; which do you think it is? I see that the building has 157 units.

    I'm not surprised that the parking is a nightmare at Altamira; at least they have it! There is a waiting list at the other place.

    I don't mind the construction, as it technically not open yet. Community rooms I can wait for.

    Don't get me wrong, I understand the value of "luxury" and good service you say the other place has, but based on their recent incentives (including 3 months off for a 15-month lease, around $4000) its hard to figure out how much that is worth. They are definitely not worth their stated market value and the units I saw weren't exactly huge.

    @sacatosh houses are cool, but my shrink says I need to live in an area where there's young people out doing things. I agree with him! ;)

    Posted 2 years ago #         

16. WSB
    Member Profile

    

    FYI FWIW I am at the Fairmount Community Association meeting, where Harbor Prop executives gave an update about Link, the project they're building on the ex-Montessori/ex-Huling site, and they did indeed say in passing that Mural is 95% rented, just in case anyone else found that number surprising.

    Posted 2 years ago #         

17. JanS
    Member Profile

    

    concrete floors? really? how cold is that. I guess I don't understand "luxury"...expensive 1-bdr. apts, on the small side, with concrete floors, and you have to pay for parking. This is West Seattle, not Capitol Hill... I am floored...oh, a pun...

    is minimal the latest "in" thing?

    Posted 2 years ago #         

18. WSB
    Member Profile

    

    We toured Mural before they opened. The concrete floors are on certain units on the lower floor/s NOT the upper units.

    Posted 2 years ago #         

19. bluebird
    Member Profile

    Concrete floors are beautiful, JanS. Often stained with a high gloss finish. Also, in some construction, they put heating coils underneath. Pretty nice.

    Posted 2 years ago #         

20. transplantella
    Member Profile

    

    lookin--

    I can't find the apartment building across the street listed on craigslist right now, so I can't send a link, but I have seen it posted there before.

    It's the building at the corner of Murray Ave. SW and Lincoln Park Way. The For Rent signs are out front. Can't miss them.

    You can see the building on google by inputting the corner on google maps, and then going to the 'street view' option.

    Posted 2 years ago #         

21. SarahScoot
    Member Profile

    

    Mural's a built-green building, thus the concrete floors and more "industrial" look. The units are quite nice, and have thoughtful storage space added. Much more than in our current rental, which is technically a condo (which we're welcome to buy or move out of at the end of our lease, contrary to what we were told at lease signing...)
    Anyway, I'd rather have the surfaces and amenities of Mural than any other apartment building I know of in WS. Altamira's just following the (now dated) trend of dark cabinets, stainless appliances, granite counters, etc. No thought to where those materials came from. The builders of Mural seem to have put a lot of thought into every surface: walls are painted with low-VOC paint, windows are very energy-efficient, floors are very renewable concrete, kitchens are minimal yet functional with no granite shipped from the other side of the world.
    I will concede that they are on the high end, price-wise.

    Posted 2 years ago #         

22. JanS
    Member Profile

    

    I realize that Mural is a high end "green" building. I work at home, requiring me to be standing while I'm working. And, yes, I realize that I can put down area carpets to buffer the hardness of the floors, and the noise. And I'm sure that painting could make them more esthetically appealing ( Ola Salon has great painted concrete floors - original owner did them by hand, on her hands and knees). I guess it's all a matter of preference. The industrial look simply doesn't appeal to me. It still seems cold, even with heated floors.

    Posted 2 years ago #         

23. swimcat
    Member Profile

    Lookin, I recommend driving around this weekend if you have time. I always found my apartments by seeing signs out in front of the buildings- CL ads are so misleading sometimes, as you've found out the hard way.

    There is an apartment for rent across the street from the Rite Aid on California. Walking distance to the Junction, beautiful old three story building, hard wood floors. I don't have the phone number and don't know if they advertise on CL. Good luck with the search- I'd stay away from the big big apartment buildings. I've never lived in one because I just imagine that is what living in a dorm is like. No thanks!

    Posted 2 years ago #         

24. SarahScoot
    Member Profile

    

    And stay far away from the San Juan. It's cheap and in a great location (on California, just south of Erskine,) but it's nasty. Some friends lived there a few years back and had nothing but trouble, including "soft" walls from too much moisture creeping in around windows. The building manager was, by their description, "nice" but not proactive or helpful.

    Posted 2 years ago #         

25. ellenater
    Member Profile

    

    lookin 99,
    lol at your shrink! I agree. Just came from a house in Gatewood and felt very isolated. I like having instant people/activity here. You will like it, too. :)

    15 of us moved in the first weekend and 10 the next. I heard the property manager say she wasn't renting anymore until everything was done. So I'd say 25 rented. But the difference is only around 14 so who knows. There are only a few other people on our floor and it's pretty fun. It's probably best to not divulge what we do here at night. ;)

    Also, at Mural, I've never seen the shared balcony units. Ya, that would suck. We do not have a balcony. Family at Mural has one of those tiny balconies with a pretty awesome sweeping view. We like to threaten to lock offspring out there. :)

    Oh, there was one other thing I can't remember...

    Parking at Altamira is $50 monthly, $25 with incentive. That DID bug me as in TR's initial interview with Leo Capulto (sp?) he stated not only that parking would be FREE for residents of Altamira, but that there would be community parking as well. That sort of double talk is annoying and suddenly no one is responsible.

    Just so you know, both Mural and Altamira offer shorter leases. Family at Mural is on a 7 month lease, I believe, with one or two months free incentive.

    Good luck. It is no fun to look for a place to live. I chose Altamira really for proximity to family.

    Roof top deck is better at Altamira and you can sometimes get on the actual roof, too (shhhhhh ;)

    As far as green and all that, I just want to say, it's never that cut and dry. I have always been against granite due to mining practices, etc. and have scoffed at trendiness of it. I would definitely have considered myself a Mural girl. But it's been interesting. First, the carpets here at Altamira do not give me headaches. I can smell no fumes at all. At Mural, they do appear to be off gassing. Not certain it's the carpets, but there is a definite odor. Also the cabs. and counters are made from what appears to be pretty cheap laminate. They will need to be replaced soon and often. The granite in my apt. is gorgeous. It's so pretty. I guess I had never looked at it that closely. I still am bothered by the mining practices but it's here and I am going to enjoy it. And it looks really classic. It will still look beautiful in 10 years. That does count for something.

    Posted 2 years ago #         

26. Petroglyphs
    Member Profile

    I am not sure what apts was seen by lookin99. I really liked the staff and I didn't see any fishiness going on. I toured Mural when they first opened in early July. The staff seemed pretty fun & nice.

    I must of looked at 10 different floor plans. I really liked the use of space but they are all so different. I ended up puting a hold on an apartment for 2 months while I sold my home. The bottom floor was lofty apts with polished concrete floors with a large balcony. I liked this one because of my dogs. I figured it would be easy to maintain but I wanted something with view. I checked out several of the second floor which had a more industrial feel with some concrete accents. But I fell in love with the apartments on the higer floors with the wooden floor entry way and the walls were tinted. I really like the colors they used in the apartment and the bathroom.

    I don't understand why some of the apartment buildings are still doing white walls. It is so dated. I couldn't bear to rent another apartment with white walls. I decided to rent one with a balcony and waterviews. I couldn't decide if I wanted a traditional standard one bedroom apartment with the big kitchen. I ended up deciding on the one bedroom with these cool glass siding doors that were frosted. The rent was $1330 a month with 2 months free. I did look at the income restriction apts since I do make less than $40k a year. I chose not to rent one of those eventhough rent would be cheaper. I wanted a balcony and none of the income apts that was still available to rent had a balcony.

    I checked out Strata. It was nice but it didn't have garage parking.

    I ended up having to cancel my apartment because my house didn't sell. Next year, I will put my house back on the market and I will check in with the Mural for their openings. I thought it would be cool to rent an apartment within walking distance to the nightlife.

    Posted 2 years ago #         

27. JanS
    Member Profile

    

    Petroglyph...can I ask why you would sell your home, with it's equity/investment worth, so you can rent? Besides being "near the nightlife"?

    Posted 2 years ago #         

28. Petroglyphs
    Member Profile

    My mortgage payment is too high and I am tired of maintaining a home and isn't anywhere near the nightlife. I want to move in West Seattle to be near the nightlife.

    Posted 2 years ago #         

29. JenV
    Member Profile

    

    because you like the nightlife...you like to boogie...on the disco round?

    (sorry, had to! :P)

    Posted 2 years ago #         

30. Petroglyphs
    Member Profile

    LOL! You are funny!

    Posted 2 years ago #         

31. ellenater
    Member Profile

    

    lmao. Amen on getting rid of the house, Petroglyphs. What a drain...

    Posted 2 years ago #         

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