The Americana at Brand

10/19/10

don't live here!

by Jcante20 at Citysearch

wow I don't even know where to start. This place is a terrible place to live.

For the most part this place is beautiful. It has great aminieties and the location is close to a ton of resturants. The one good thing I have to say about the place is the people working at the concierges desk are very helpful.

But the good things stop there. The apartments are poorly made. We tried to hang selves and pictures on the wall but the walls were so thin that they would not hold anything. The apartment was bran new, but when we moved in it already was dirty and had scratches on the floor. (How is that possible?) We could hear are neightbors above us doing day-to-day activities, like opening drawers...

But main problem I had was interacting with the residents staff. Unfortunately I had to talk to them a couple of times about issues that popped up. One of them being that my upstairs neighbors were letting their dog pee on the balcony and sweeping it over the side onto my balcony. This seems like a really terrible thing, right? Especially when it happens 8 or more times ( reported every time) but it took many many phone calls and lots of energy on my part, for anything to be done about it.

Then every month you would have to stand in line at the concierges desk to pay your rent. They would not even have the amount that you needed to pay in their system. For an apartment complex who charges 2275 for one months rent, it seems odd to me they would not have a better rent system in place.

There are many other things that make me think this is a bad place to live, like being yelled at by security guards or being locked out and not being able to get back in easily. The pool getting really dirty and no one cleans it. The elevator in one of the building was constantly breaking down, even trapping people in it. The elevator was out of services for a good month when we first moved in. One of the garage doors was also broken for a couple of months...

Finally we go to move out. This is something you think would be easy enough since the apartment complex is huge. You would think since there are 1,000 or more residents living there, that they would have a good system to help people move in and out. Well they don't. They completely shut down the loading dock for one of the building every Saturday morning. The loading dock is actually meant for the restaurants but people who live there can use it.. when it is convenient for the mall. I then try to get a deposit back that I put down for a extra key card.. and that is even hard for the people in the residents office to do! I would take money, a check, back on my credit card.. I would even wait a couple months for it to be processed.... and for some reason they make it an issue....

To sum the Americana up, it is beautiful, but don't live here. The apartment complex is a mall first then a place to live and you are made aware of that the whole time you live here.

10/19/10

terrible place to live

by Jcante20 at Citysearch

wow I don't even know where to start. This place is a terrible place to live.

For the most part this place is beautiful. It has great aminieties and the location is close to a ton of resturants. The one good thing I have to say about the place is the people working at the concierges desk are very helpful.

But the good things stop there. The apartments are poorly made. We tried to hang selves and pictures on the wall but the walls were so thin that they would not hold anything. The apartment was bran new, but when we moved in it already was dirty and had scratches on the floor. (How is that possible?) We could hear are neightbors above us doing day-to-day activities, like opening drawers...

But main problem I had was interacting with the residents staff. Unfortunately I had to talk to them a couple of times about issues that popped up. One of them being that my upstairs neighbors were letting their dog pee on the balcony and sweeping it over the side onto my balcony. This seems like a really terrible thing, right? Especially when it happens 8 or more times ( reported every time) but it took many many phone calls and lots of energy on my part, for anything to be done about it.

Then every month you would have to stand in line at the concierges desk to pay your rent. They would not even have the amount that you needed to pay in their system. For an apartment complex who charges 2275 for one months rent, it seems odd to me they would not have a better rent system in place.

There are many other things that make me think this is a bad place to live, like being yelled at by security guards or being locked out and not being able to get back in easily. The pool getting really dirty and no one cleans it. The elevator in one of the building was constantly breaking down, even trapping people in it. The elevator was out of services for a good month when we first moved in. One of the garage doors was also broken for a couple of months...

Finally we go to move out. This is something you think would be easy enough since the apartment complex is huge. You would think since there are 1,000 or more residents living there, that they would have a good system to help people move in and out. Well they don't. They completely shut down the loading dock for one of the building every Saturday morning. The loading dock is actually meant for the restaurants but people who live there can use it.. when it is convenient for the mall. I then try to get a deposit back that I put down for a extra key card.. and that is even hard for the people in the residents office to do! I would take money, a check, back on my credit card.. I would even wait a couple months for it to be processed.... and for some reason they make it an issue....

To sum the Americana up, it is beautiful, but don't live here. The apartment complex is a mall first then a place to live and you are made aware of that the whole time you live here.

08/09/10

Great property but...

by jrfent at Citysearch

I lived at the Americana at Brand Residences for a year. At first, it was awesome. The management treated us with the understanding that we were paying a pretty hefty rent for the luxury they were providing. But then things changed.

New residents were using the pool as a party spot for kids and the other common amenities (like the gym and the clubhouse) were constantly taken over by people that had no respect for their fellow tenants.

Management was too laxed about getting control of the issues and it became terrible. The pool was over used by people inviting guests and kids - the water would turn gray by Sunday afternoons from little kids (even in diapers) being in it. GROSS!

I loved my apartment and I loved the location - but management screwed up in my opinion.

Also, if you have kids - this is not a good place for you. The property and none of the amenities were built with kids in mind. Yes,the laws say you have to rent without prejudice, but as a paretn - you should find a place that is better suited for family living.

01/25/10

Good Experience for the Reluctant Shopper

by jvala at Citysearch

My first review here. I'll just start with the fact that I hate shopping. Somehow, this place makes it a bit easier. I don't know if it's all the fake attempt at charm or what, but it's got at least part of me in a good mood when I have to make the dreaded trips. Question: does the train run here?

• Pros: pleasant environment
• Cons: big chain stores, of course

01/20/10

An incredible place

by atamar47 at Citysearch

What an incredible place, featuring first class dining, shopping, entertainment, and living. Christmas at the Americana is a must see experience, and the vibe during the rest of the year is incredible as well.

Around Xmas it snows fake snow every night. They really do it up for the holidays. It's WAY nicer than it's counterpart,