PCO housing help!

[pienfoo]

hey guys. I'd like to get the opinions from current/incomnig PCO students on housing around campus. Im down to three choices are they are:

Colonade: this place seems like it's infested with mice, cockroaches, and the whole place is pretty much rotting and is about to collapse. also, i've read that there's no hot water during winters, and no AC during summers, and the the roof would just spontaneous collapse at times. anyway, the only reason Im still considering it is because of its distance. is it as bad as everyone says it is?

Wyncote house: from what i've read, this complex is like a senior retirement home- lots of seniors. i don't mind, that means there won't be noise problems! and it's also really close to campus, like a minute away. anyone living there now?

Wyncote Towers: this place looks awesome but i couldn't find any reviews for it online. reminds me of a 4 star hotel. downside is the cost.

anyway please help thanks !

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[CherryBlossoms]

I have a similar problem as well. My 3 choices for housing this fall are:

Wyncote House
Towers at Wyncote
Brookview

Can anyone offer some insight regarding these places?

 

[SarahNC]

My husband and I went there a few weeks ago to look for housing. I never saw a Wyncote House, but the Towers at Wyncote did not look good. The apartments are VERY overpriced. The apartments themselves are alright, but the buildings are very old and looked like a run down hotel, the people in the office were really really clueless. If you are wanting one of the new ones that are shown on their website, they start at 2000/month. The older ones were slightly more reasonable at 1500 or so. It was overally very shady. We had decided on Brookview and even paid our deposit, but have continued to look elsewhere. The apartments there were nicer compared to everywhere else, but they kept adding on extra fees (required ammenity fees, trash fees, etc) they never mentioned to us. And we have a dog and can't believe they want to charge us $75 a month extra rent for her. They just give me a bad feeling I'm not sure about. We are now looking in surrounding areas, but just aren't sure about the drive if its snowing or bad weather because we aren't used to that being from the south.

 

[ML1983]

I'm a 2nd yr and I live at Colonade right now. Not many problems, apart frlom the building has central heat, and they haven't turned it off yet so we're all getting roasted. Apart from that, I've maybe had 1 mice. No bugs. I also lived here first year. Basically I live here because of convenience. I had 1 bedroom last year, paid $875 / month. Electricity was around $8. This year, I'm in a 3bedroom paying $1690. I pay $540. Electricity at our 3 bedroom runs from $35-$50 max. Not bad for 3 people. There's a ton of PCO people at Colonade. There's 2 buildings, Estate and Manor. Estate is the one on the hill. Manor is older. They both are crap buildings, but nothing can beat convenience. Nothing. Especially in philly. You don't want to drive anywhere beacuse somoene will prboaly hit you, and when they hit you, they will just drive off heheh Oh, the thing with Colonade, the electricity is very random. I think they make up the prices. The people that live here, are also kinda weird. A lot of weirdos definitely. Let me know if you want to live here, I can refer you and we can both get $100. Message me first before you contact them. Make sure you check your place out before you move in. Or at least get a 2nd yr too and take pics, thats what I did for a friend last year.

Wyncote House, i've had a few friends live there 1st year, and some are still there. It seems similar priced. Though on the most part I feel they pay more. Electricity there is HIGH. They totally rip you off. Wyncote is very VERY quiet. Nothing but old people. You make some noise and they will call the cops on you.

Wyncote Towers or whatever they call it now, well they just changed ownership. It was TRILOGY before. So do a search for that. And yes it's expensive there. However it's very nice. But I'd rather pay cheap and live closer. It's also surrounded by the ghetto area. About 5-8 minute drive depends how fast you do it.

A small handful of people also live at Brookview. Don't know much about it. It's too far in my opinion and not any cheaper.

And others are basically spread out in houses around the area.

 

[futureOD2009]

I'm a 2nd yr and I live at Colonade right now. Not many problems, apart frlom the building has central heat, and they haven't turned it off yet so we're all getting roasted. Apart from that, I've maybe had 1 mice. No bugs. I also lived here first year. Basically I live here because of convenience. I had 1 bedroom last year, paid $875 / month. Electricity was around $8. This year, I'm in a 3bedroom paying $1690. I pay $540. Electricity at our 3 bedroom runs from $35-$50 max. Not bad for 3 people. There's a ton of PCO people at Colonade. There's 2 buildings, Estate and Manor. Estate is the one on the hill. Manor is older. They both are crap buildings, but nothing can beat convenience. Nothing. Especially in philly. You don't want to drive anywhere beacuse somoene will prboaly hit you, and when they hit you, they will just drive off heheh Oh, the thing with Colonade, the electricity is very random. I think they make up the prices. The people that live here, are also kinda weird. A lot of weirdos definitely. Let me know if you want to live here, I can refer you and we can both get $100. Message me first before you contact them. Make sure you check your place out before you move in. Or at least get a 2nd yr too and take pics, thats what I did for a friend last year.

Wyncote House, i've had a few friends live there 1st year, and some are still there. It seems similar priced. Though on the most part I feel they pay more. Electricity there is HIGH. They totally rip you off. Wyncote is very VERY quiet. Nothing but old people. You make some noise and they will call the cops on you.

Wyncote Towers or whatever they call it now, well they just changed ownership. It was TRILOGY before. So do a search for that. And yes it's expensive there. However it's very nice. But I'd rather pay cheap and live closer. It's also surrounded by the ghetto area. About 5-8 minute drive depends how fast you do it.

A small handful of people also live at Brookview. Don't know much about it. It's too far in my opinion and not any cheaper.

And others are basically spread out in houses around the area.

I totally agree with this post... as for colonade, let me add a few more things. u will see mice and cockroaches there... it will be hard for u to find a parking spot if u are late at night. plus the staff treat you like ****... so u decide haha.. convienience and cheap vs mice coackroaches, bad customer service, bad heating/AC system,no parking spot,.....

 

[Oilersfan69]

I'm going to PCO this fall.. I already checked out Wyncote and its by far the best place to live in terms of proximity, price, and quality of service. The staff there are great as I have talked to them numerous times. My friend in 2nd yr says it is by far the best place. Its only like a 5 min. walk away from school.

I've heard Colonade is absolutely terrible as well and ppl are moving out of Colonnade and into Wyncote b/c they don't like it there at all. And from what I've heard its a no-brainer to go to Wyncote instead of Colonnade. Who cares if there are alot of seniors there. It will help when you gotta study and you know you can leave your laundry in the wash w/o having ur clothes stolen

 

[ML1983]

I'm going to PCO this fall.. I already checked out Wyncote and its by far the best place to live in terms of proximity, price, and quality of service. The staff there are great as I have talked to them numerous times. My friend in 2nd yr says it is by far the best place. Its only like a 5 min. walk away from school.

I've heard Colonade is absolutely terrible as well and ppl are moving out of Colonnade and into Wyncote b/c they don't like it there at all. And from what I've heard its a no-brainer to go to Wyncote instead of Colonnade. Who cares if there are alot of seniors there. It will help when you gotta study and you know you can leave your laundry in the wash w/o having ur clothes stolen

Actually there's A LOT more people in Colonade than Wyncote. A ton of people moved to Colonade, or are still staying at Colonade compared to anywhere else.
Seems like everyone who stays at Colonade 1st yr, is still here.

Yea some people complain about bugs etc... but our place is not the cleanest and so far, so good. The heat is finally off. At night, it's very dark to walk back to Wyncote as well. Yea Colonade parking WAS bad before, but it's better now. Lots of parking. The staff does suck, but if you have a complaint you just gotta be good at arguing to get what you want. To me, if there's a problem, we go and complain, they fix it. Parking is good now. Price is good. Proximity is priceless. Also we have our own dryer/washer so thats very handy

 

[daysend85]

I'm a 1st year at PCO and currently live at Brookview in a 2 BR/2 BA. Brookview is alright but definitely overpriced. Utilities here are expensive, espec. electric, and they raised rent by $75 i believe, a big hike. There is new management now and they are making some improvements but it's not enough to make the price hike worth it. Brookview is only about a 5 min drive from PCO and in my opinion has one of the better locations. You're off the main street and you're located between the school and the clinic so it's not a long drive to get to either place. Next year, I will be living at Wyncote House in a Jr. 1 BR; its across the street from the back of the school so within walking distance. I think I'll like it there and everyone I've had to communicate with there seemed reasonable and helpful (UNLIKE brookview). They also seem to go out of their way to help PCO students, which I found impressive. There is no denying that there are many seniors there, but that'll come in handy when you have to study for one of the many exams, trust me. Colonade? My best advice is to stay away from that dump. Those who have decent apartments there are lucky, it is very hit or miss. I know people who like their apt there and i know people who've had their ceilings cave in which is ridiculous. It also seems very unsafe. To me, there isn't much comparison between Colonade and Wyncote House. Towers at Wyncote aren't that bad but again, overpriced and in a crappy area. I couldn't afford to live there so they were off my list right away. Lynnewood Gardens....again, pretty crappy, live there at your own risk. They seemed very sneaky when I went there to look at an apt. Said they would need $100 right away to put the electric in my name...yeah right...i know a lot about the housing options in this area, PM me if you have any questions.

 

[SarahNC]

Does anyone know anything about Korman Residential at Meadowbrook? It is about 3 miles away in Huntingdon Valley. We have a dog, so we are having trouble finding a place that allows her and they do.

 

[DrRobs]

Anyone know anything about these apartments, they look really nice for the price and they allow pets.

What I need to know, any additional fees for parking or pets? Is it overrun by old farts/families or is there a nice variety of people living there? How far is the drive to PCO in the morning?

http://www.chestnuthillvillageapts.com/

 

[SarahNC]

Hey guys,

We are going up to Philly tomorrow to search for a new apartment, any new suggestions? I hate Brookview, and can't live at Colonade or Wyncote House because of our pets.

 

[DrRobs]

Hey guys,

We are going up to Philly tomorrow to search for a new apartment, any new suggestions? I hate Brookview, and can't live at Colonade or Wyncote House because of our pets.

Check out chesnut hill...they have a pet deposit of 175 and the monthly fee is only 20...I felt comfortable with the management and the neighborhood mostly. The apartments are nice there and they have a lot of amenities in walking distance not to mention the town of chestnut hill. It is about 10-15 mins from elkins park and Id say 5-10 from TEI. Check it out, there are a few of us there and we are forming carpooling arrangements if you decide to live there too!

 

[SarahNC]

Another thing, we were tying to avoid living in the city because my husband will be working outside of the city so we could avoid the 5% wage tax. Does anyone know what the wage taxes are in the suburbs? Is it worth it to avoid the city?

 

[ML1983]

You gotta pass through a ghetto part on the way to Chestnut Hill from elkins park campus. It's on the edge of ghetto in my opinion, close to trilogy. And to get to TEI you would just take stenton all the way down to 611 (Old York Rd.) and TEI is right there.

 

[rocktober]

I have a similar problem as well. My 3 choices for housing this fall are:

Wyncote House
Towers at Wyncote
Brookview

Can anyone offer some insight regarding these places?

I know this is kind of late. I live in the Towers at Wyncote or the "trilogy". The apartments are nice. But they have mice. Even the maintenance people will tell you that. I pay $1200 a month for a one bedroom, and I was in love with my apartment until I saw a mice twice. Luckily I had a friend over and they were able to kill it. The maintenance people came, and "fixed" the issue by closing the area around the pipes (which they did not properly do before I moved in). I still saw rat droppings. When they came the second time, they pointed out several areas in which the building had failed to seal properly. I'm disguisted. I live in building 2. If you decide on The Towers at Wyncote or The Trilogy, please do a thorough examination of your very NICE looking apartment before you move in.

 

[Commando303]

Hey. I'm just reviving this thread because I'm currently looking into housing near P.C.O. The information, here, I'm finding useful, but, in case anyone has something to add (or an update to provide), I'd be much appreciative.

 

[JennieJoy]

Hey. I'm just reviving this thread because I'm currently looking into housing near P.C.O. The information, here, I'm finding useful, but, in case anyone has something to add (or an update to provide), I'd be much appreciative.

Did you officially decide on PCO then?

 

[Commando303]

Did you officially decide on PCO then?

I'm too indecisive to have "officially" decided on anything — . I am, however, looking into residence options, now, so, regardless of on which school I settle, I won't be losing my mind trying to find housing three days before classes begin.

So far, near P.C.O., it seems the Colonade is the place to avoid. Brookview looked very nice, but apartmentratings.com indicates it has enough issues I should consider forgoing it.

 

[bigdumy]

Bump

 

[pienfoo]

this is my reply to an email earlier in the year to someone asking about housing, this should give you guys a good idea:

It's really never too early or late to get a place secured because all apartments have random deals going on throughout the year (so unless you think you're getting a good deal don't get suckered into their 'one day/week/month only' promotions because they're really not promotions haha) The biggest issue is if you're getting roommates (which i do recommend) and when you can all agree on a place and time for move in. If you have a car, i would suggest that you live at wyncote towers (where i'm living at right now) or brookview for the quality of the apartments. Alot of people live in the colonade because it's walking distance to school but that's about it, no one is really 'happy' about their living situation my friends have ceilings falling rats cockroaches and broken just about everything, ps a murder w/ the body rotting for a week on the 9th or 11th floor. but some units are okay. ~1400 for 3 bdroom, negotiatable. so if you don't have transportation you're pretty much going to live at colonade by default. There are two buildings at colonade (manor and estate, latter the better). I personally had a terrible experience at brookview because we were stuck in this apartment in the basement with no sunlight etc etc and still paid 1700 for it bc we didn't see it before moving in, but as long as u MAKE SURE you get the unit you want they've upgraded most of their apartments it's pretty nice, good quality, but on the pricey side ~1750 for 3 bdrm, and the 3rd bd is like a 9x9 square. Also, brookview is a smaller community. They have a small pool, small gym that we've used 0 times. Safety-wise i'd say wyncote towers is the safest because they have 24/7 security and gated entrences into the complex and into the buildings. Kind of remind u of a hotel and they have a nice gym, pool, clay tennis courts, in door racquet ball and bball courts. Also it's really convenient walmart target markets are right around the corner. For a 3 bedroom it's usually 1900+ on their website but ignore, we got a good deal for 1,200 3 bdroom (go figure) w/ view of philly, so it all varies from how updated the apartments are and luck. Downside is that it's farther about 10-15 min total from leaving ur apartment to getting to school, and about 15 getting to clinic, but me and my roommates don't think it's bad at all. Brookview is about a 5 minute drive (it's also a 5 min drive to clinic which is nice), but it's not close to any stores or food places. Wyncote house is also a good pick because of the quality of the aparmtents and close distance to school (walkable, but not as close as colonade). It's notorious for having a huuuuuge amount of old people living there it's like a senior home but it's quiet and safe, but also pricy, and they don't negotiate. If you have 3 people then i'd say no because their largest units comes with 1.5 baths. I'd say look into those 4 (colonade, wyncote house, brookview, towers) first. There are other apartments around but i think those 4 should be your first picks). Ideally if you start looking around June it'd be good b/c most aparmtments will want you to move in immediately or within a month or two.

 

[lily23]

So I've decided on towers at wyncote, even though the reviews online are terrible. I'm getting a little nervous about the area. They mention break-ins, crime, muggings..etc. Is it really like that there or should I not be worried? They said they have security and its gated, but it doesn't sound like that's helping.

Any advice or experiences from those who have lived/live there would be great! I'm from the midwest, so I can basically go anywhere at anytime, and not be worried. This is going to be a big change I think.

 

[Commando303]

Did you decide on the residence before of after reading the negative reviews?

 

[lily23]

Before actually. I heard from some people that went to PCO previously that they were one of the safer places, so that's why I decided on it. They also mentioned that they were nice, so I thought it would be okay. Then I saw the reviews. They are mixed, some are good, some aren't.

 

[Commando303]

Before actually. I heard from some people that went to PCO previously that they were one of the safer places, so that's why I decided on it. They also mentioned that they were nice, so I thought it would be okay. Then I saw the reviews. They are mixed, some are good, some aren't.

Have you visited the place, yourself, yet? If not, my only suggestion, now, is to try to put the negative reviews out of your mind, and to wait to form your own opinions upon living there for a few months; try to go in like a blank slate. Having signed the lease, what else can you do...?

 

[Commando303]

Hey, so, does anyone live at, or has anyone checked out, Brookview? How is it? Heat? Average monthly electric bill? General quality, concerns?

Thanks.

 

[OD4eyes]

Hey, so, does anyone live at, or has anyone checked out, Brookview? How is it? Heat? Average monthly electric bill? General quality, concerns?

Thanks.

I spoke to Brookview and everything is electric including heating... They charge $15 month for garbage pickup and $5 month for water tax. Water is included in your rent. I was hesitant to ask how much tenants spend on the electric bill but I am wondering now too. Any PCO students care to share?

 

[luvely]

are there any first years looking for roommates at wyncote towers possibly?
i've personally visited there since I know someone living there. It looks really really nice, like a posh hotel. i think you'd need a car though since the school was like a 10 minute drive but they have ample parking from what i saw.

 

[stmu11]

I have been searching several of the apartments online. That place looks really nice on the web, but it's kind of hard to tell without seeing it in person. I am in Texas right now so that makes it kind of hard. Also, not having a car is making this whole apartment thing even harder.

 

[EyesForStriking]

I'm looking into Towers at Wyncote too. I like the layout (restaurant, gym, movie theater, spa all under one roof) and there are a lot of shops around so you don't have to drive too far. And it's about 3 miles from PCO. But I won't rule anything out if something else is better. And being from TX, it's hard to decide just off of a website and some random reviews from apartmentratings.com.

BTW stmu11, where in TX are you located? I'm from Dallas!