spiderpig Posted June 14, 2010 Report Share Posted June 14, 2010 Alright then janny_jan, here it is. Hopefully all's well with the place I've applied and payed for, so that I won't be kicking myself for giving away info on my back up plans . I'll go in the order in which I looked at them, so any chronological biases I had along the way can be figured out by you readers. The walk time is based on a google map search to 1280 main st. w. _______________________________________________________ 409 Whitney - lowrise - 1 bdr w/balcony Rent: $750 Parking: $20 (covered), $15 (reg) Utilities Included: heat & water; hydro extra Walk time to Campus: 25 min Laundry: on-site This was a spacious place - fairly big rooms - apparently with morning sunlight. Vinyl floors' condition was not so great, and maybe since it was a mess when we walked in, the whole apartment didn't feel like it was in the greatest condition. But it was decent enough. The guy said the windows and doors were new, so I think heating would probably not be a problem. There was a bus stop right in front, which supposedly comes every 10 min. Fridge and stove were old. We felt this was too expensive at the time we saw it. _______________________________________________________ 1854 Main St. W. (Sagamore) - highrise - 1 bdr w/balcony Rent: $695 Parking: incl. (outdoor) Utilities Included: heat & water; hydro extra Walk time to Campus: Laundry: on-site (looks good) There were two units here, with the same floor plan. The first one had hardwood floors where the tiles (?) where coming out of the floor. The kitchen had crappy drawers; one of the cabinets broke off when my mom opened it. There was good closet space though, and a ceiling fan. The woman said that they'd wax the floors and paint the cabinets and stuff, but I highly doubt they would actually fix the stuff. They'd have to actually replace the cabinetry and floor tiles to make them decent. The second one, the floors were in better condition. The kitchen also seemed much better, with a (relatively) newer fridge. Same closets as first; no ceiling fan. The exterior of the whole building looked a bit ratty, but the interior lobby and stuff was nice. However, the woman wouldn't let us take a copy of the lease out with us, and was asking us to fill it out immediately. We hadn't seen enough to do this, so we told her we'd come back later. I didn't like something about her, even though she was friendly while showing everything. _______________________________________________________ 1760 Main St. W. - highrise - 1 bdr (can't remember if there's yard) Rent: $649 Parking: incl. (covered?) Utilities Included: heat & water; hydro extra Walk time to Campus: 20 min Laundry: on-site Firstly, the super seemed really creepy the first time we went in to make an appointment. The second time, he was a bit better, but still, I wasn't too comfortable about him. Though the outside of the building seemed a bit run down, the interior lobby was nice. The fridge and stove look good, and the kitchen was in okay condition. There was a hole in the ceiling from plumbing that he said they were fixing. The bathroom tiles looked good, but dirty tub & toiled made me unenthusiastic. (The latter would be cleaned, and shouldn't be a problem really.) The unit was on the first floor, and while the living room window had a layer of shrubbery in front of it, the bedroom window did not. My parents felt this was not safe for a girl. _______________________________________________________ 1777 Main St. W. - lowrise - 1 bdr (w/ balcony*) Rent: $660 Parking: incl. (outdoor) Utilities Included: heat & water; hydro extra Walk time to Campus: 22 min Laundry: on-site This place was owned by a lawyer. That can be a good thing as well as bad, but he seemed nice, and it seems he wanted a clean, quiet tenant. The outside seemed ratty, and the inside was dirty too. They were cleaning/fixing it since the old tenant was a messy pig. There was good closet space, and the apartment seemed cool since the walls were colourfully painted . The kitchen cabinets were not great, and I don't know how much of that would be fixed. The hardwood floors were not in great condition either. The rooms were average sized, and there is a window in the bathroom. * The bad: The balcony was attached through a door in the kitchen, and that balcony was attached, by stairs, to other people's balconies. So people living on top of me could walk up my balcony to get to their entrance. (There's also a regular entrance as well.) My mom didn't like the idea of people walking up the balcony and being able to see into my windows. To be honest, I didn't either. _______________________________________________________ 1838 Main St. W. - highrise - 1 bdr (w/ huge balcony) Rent: $660 Parking: $25 (outdoor) Utilities Included: heat & water; hydro extra Walk time to Campus: 25 min Laundry: on-site (I think) - huge balcony - ceiling fan in bdrm, large bdrm - bathroom floor good, okay bathroom overall - video surveillance to be installed in a few months time (on first floor) There was a bad smell in the hallway as we got there, but it was not there in the actual apartment. The carpets were pretty dirty. We asked the guy if they'd clean it, and he said that they had done so already before the current tenant moved in, and that was the best they could get it. When my dad offered to pay for the chemicals/supplies, he said he'd do the cleaning for free. The fridge and stove looked good enough, and there was extra space for a pantry. There were actually a lot of closets, but they didn't have doors! He said the doors were damaged or something, so they replaced them with curtains! The unit was right next to the super, so I guess it would have been safe. They were really friendly too, and I actually liked them. But the fact that the owner wouldn't bother replacing closet doors, and didn't have a policy of cleaning the apartment (the carpets!) before someone new moved in, really put me off. It was still our first choice until we saw the next one. ______________________________________________________________ The next one is what I got, so I won't put any details up, heheehee . Not until everything is finalized and I have the key, anyway. Let's just say it looks FAR better cared for than anything we had seen up till then. But it didn't come cheap. _______________________________________________________ 1868 Main St. W. (Savoy) - highrise - 1 bdr (w/ big balcony) Rent: $765 Parking: $25 (above & below ground) Utilities Included: heat & water; hydro extra Walk time to Campus: 28 min Laundry: on-site There was a cat inside, so we were a little distracted by it. We sorta ended up petting it more than actually looking around. - beautiful exteriors/lobby - great floors - big balcony - good enough fridge and stove - okay closets - big bathroom, with a wide sink countertop! - something was wrong with a wall - they'd fix it - really friendly and nice super/whatever he was There was really nothing wrong with this apartment. It seemed well cared for. _______________________________________________________ 644 Main St. W. (Beverly Hills) - highrise - 1 bdr (w/ balcony) Rent: $765 Parking: $30 (indoor) Utilities Included: heat, water, AND hydro Walk time to Campus: 25 min Laundry: on-site (see more below) - New looking fridge and stove - Good sized rooms - cabinets okay (a bit stiff) - floors okay - good windows - bathroom had a good floor, sink, & mirrors, and there was a closet in it!! - building has (or will get) pool - beautiful lobby/exterior - obviously a new building - the laundry room was freakin' gorgeous. The machines themselves were good and all, but there was a big plasma screen tv + sofas in the middle, so you could sit there while doing your laundry!! It would have been nice to live here I think. The hydro is included, so if you install your own AC, the monthly bill would be paid for. But there were at least a couple of other interested parties looking at it, and since me and my parents were from out of town, we wanted something that we had a good chance of getting. Plus, the other place we wanted was bigger for similar rent. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
janny_jan Posted June 14, 2010 Report Share Posted June 14, 2010 Amazing. Thank you so much for taking the time to type all of that out! I really really appreciate it! Fingers crossed that everything goes through with the place you want although I'm sure you'll have no trouble. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spiderpig Posted June 15, 2010 Report Share Posted June 15, 2010 Amazing. Thank you so much for taking the time to type all of that out! I really really appreciate it! Fingers crossed that everything goes through with the place you want although I'm sure you'll have no trouble. Thanks The message you have entered is too short. Please lengthen your message to at least 10 characters. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jozn Posted June 15, 2010 Report Share Posted June 15, 2010 Thanks so much for that post spider_pig... it was very helpful! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leescait Posted June 16, 2010 Report Share Posted June 16, 2010 I should have posted this here! I posted it on the macmd forum, but here it is again . . . I had the same feelings about 1760 as SpiderPig. 1760 Main St W (Westdale Towers) - 669$ / month for a one bedroom -20 minute walk to Mac with bus stops close by (buses run frequently( -apartments were nice, light, and the side facing the escarpment had a beautiful view -free parking -no AC (seems to be standard in Hamilton) -hydro extra -security seemed average -balcony was gross and unkempt Problem: WEIRD super, to the point where I did NOT want to live there. He was really creepy, kind of rude and abrupt, and seemed to be on a real power trip. Also, when I asked about how they looked after pest problems, he just showed me roach bait. Not cool. 1001 Main St. W. (Camelot Towers) - 680$ / month for a one bedroom -across the street from Mac -ground floor apartment was HUGE, decent light -apartments higher up were a bit smaller, but with balconies -large building -free parking -super was REALLY lovely and lived in -another gross balcony that was super dirty and apparent pigeon problems -pest control brought in every few months to monitor situation Problem: Known online as "Cockroach Towers" and was warned against by a friend. The building was really run down, and some of the units I saw (I saw 3) looked quite rough inside as well. This is apparently a known 'student ghetto' and though I'm sure there are lots of lovely people in it, I really want a quiet building 44-50 Glen Rd. (Glen Terrace) - 825$ / month for a one bedroom -a bit further from Mac -seemed off on its own and I wanted to be on a street that I wouldn't feel worried about walking on at night -these units are apparently being redone, and I could see work being done on the front when I came to the apartment Problems: The supers never showed up for the appointment I made, despite several calls and my waiting around for 20 minutes. I gave up because I wasn't that keen on the location anyway. 1868 Main St. W. (Savoy Apartments) - 775$ / month for a one bedroom -20 minutes walk from Mac -close to Dundas, a quick drive or 15 minute walk to a great plaza with a metro, dollarama, shopper's, restaurants, LCBO, etc. -allows pets (!!!!) -heat included -parking 25$ a month -supers were FANTASTICALLY nice -building is decorated like an elderly woman's home, but very quiet, nice, and safe. -units were really clean, nice and light -bimonthly pest control This is the building I wound up going with - as soon as I walked in I noticed that the unit was nice and light, not too hot despite the heat, and I talked to a few other people living in the building and they were lovely too. The supers really sold me on it (they live in building) and were really genuine, giving me advice on where to go in the city. The place was immaculately cared for and my mother loved it too, and we all know how hard mothers are to please (especially with daughters who are living alone for the first time). I hope perhaps this helps someone. The area I was looking in, down Main St. W. and Osler Rd, seemed like a really nice area, with parks/cemetaries nearby, great 403 access, and fairly quiet and much nicer than other parts of the city. The girl I know who used to live in Hamilton lived in that area too and fully endorsed it. If anyone else is planning on living in that area, let me know! I'll be moving around mid August and I think we should arrange a pub night out to meet one another prior to. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jackiechu Posted June 22, 2010 Report Share Posted June 22, 2010 Congrats class of 2013 for being accepted to MAC med school. I am an alumni and finished my residency training in Hamilton last year. I am looking to sell my 1-bedroom apt, which is located directly across from the university hospital. I lived there for 3 yrs of med school and 5 yrs of residency and enjoyed it very much. It is fully renovated and almost completely furnished. Pls. email me ASAP at jackiechu@hotmail.com if you are interested. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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