Apartment Review for Gramercy At Buckhead - Atlanta, GA

My husband and I have lived at Gramercy since April 2008. We chose it because it was nice and was close to both of our places of work; and we were offered incentives to sign a lease. Our unit is beautiful--the kitchen appliances are black/stainless GE, and the cabinets are warm and modern-looking; the bathroom is large and has travertine tile; and there nice touches like plantation-style blinds and moldings and chair-rails throughout. We especially appreciate that our unit *came with a washer and dryer*. This is so rare for apartment complexes, even the nice ones! Our apartment does face the pool, and we did feel constantly harassed by the loud music and partying that went on most weekends during the warm weather. The management were very hands-off about the situation, and this was frustrating. We eventually just started calling the police and informing the people at the pool that we had called the police; that seemed to remedy the noise situation much better than trying to go through the management. Also, Gramercy is in the heart of Buckhead, so you can expect to hear drunk college students/recent grads yelling in the halls on weekend evenings (this happens infrequently on our hall, thank goodness). Most of these people are just young and thoughtless; they don't mean any harm and they're mostly apologetic if they're told that they're disturbing others. Parking is becoming an issue. The corporate office decided not long ago that they would start *charging* for assigned spaces. It can be a challenge to come home after 6pm and try to find a 'free' (unassigned) place to park in. (We refuse to pay an extra $25-50/month for parking, on top of our already-high rent.) We resent that this stunt was pulled on us mid-way through our lease, which we signed when parking was free. Another note about parking--we have had a big problem with sketchy people following behind us into the complex when we go through the gate. Management has the opportunity to fix this by keeping the arm in front of the gate fixed. However, sketchy people regularly break the arm and Management has not been prepared to keep on top of the problem and keep it fixed. They do, however, seem to have time and money to throw tenant 'hospitality events' like Halloween goodie bags, etc. I would rather have consistent parking security than random, unnecessary hospitality events! I agree with the other reviews--the security guy seems to be there only for show. However, we have not ever felt truly unsafe or witnessed or been victims of any crime here. I was very surprised to read about break-ins in other reviews. We have been pleased with the maintenance staff--they are prompt and have fixed things the first time, with no need for additional follow-up. I think we only had to call them once, for the garbage disposal. The buildings and units are brand new (2007), so most everything in our unit and in the complex in general is in good condition. Overall, this place is about par for the course for a 'nice' apartment complex. As with all high-density housing, a lot of the quality of the experience is determined by how conscientious and thoughtful your neighbors are. If you have clean, well-behaved neighbors, you'll have a great experience; if you don't, well.... The safety is about as good as it gets, and the units and overall upkeep of the place are very good. My husband and I have lived in quite a few complexes since college, including a Post Property, and this is by far the nicest, though our neighbors were more respectful at Post. Gramercy is a little on the expensive side, and we will probably 'downgrade' to a smaller, less expensive unit, but we do plan to stay. I would definitely recommend Gramercy if you are going to be renting.