<p>My freshman daughter is deciding what to do about housing for next year. She currently lives in the dorm and is loving the experience but is ready for an apartment. Do any current UF students have any insider info about the available furnished/or not student apartments near UF? We have the list already ( Oxford Manor, Ivy House, Cabana Beach, University Club, Windsor Hall, Oakbrook Walk, Windmeadows, The Estates, The Courtyards, Lexington Crossings, all the Trimark properties, College Manor) but we don't know anything real about them. Looking for information about social aspects, desirability of location (parking, proximity to bus), SAFETY/crime etc. She wants to still be able to meet lots of people but have a very nice place to live and study.</p>
<p>My daughter is also a freshman at UF. Unfortunately, she didn't get housing on campus. We scrambled for a room and, with the help of some nice folks on CC, found a nice room at Ivy House. I wouldn't call Ivy House an apartment though; it's more like a private dorm. It has beautiful kitchen facilities, luxurious bathrooms, nice study lounges, but it isn't an apartment. DD likes it because it is quiet and relatively close to campus. It has parking (extra charge, tight spaces) and a nearby bus stop. It's cheaper than many dorms too. </p>
<p>She would tell you that the drawbacks include a lack of social activities (most doors are closed...she hardly sees any other residents) and the bus doesn't stop near Ivy House at night or on the weekends. This may not be a problem for a sophomore, but some freshman find it too quiet. Her room is quite small too.</p>
<p>As a parent of a freshman, I wish the front and back doors to Ivy House had keys or swipe cards (as the dorms do). Combinations are easily shared and DD remarked about men walking around in the halls without residents. I'm also not crazy about the bike rack in the back, wooded area of the house. Still, there have been no incidents of crime in or around Ivy House to my knowledge and my daughter insists she feels very safe. </p>
<p>The people at TriMark Leasing are very nice. Maintenence problems seem to be solved quickly. The leasing agents are nice to the kids, it seems.</p>
<p>Good luck!</p>
<p>dreamer88- Will your daughter stay at Ivy house next year as a sophomore? I think that my daughter really wants a bedroom with a private bath in an apartment. It is all so overwelming as many of the better options are disappearing fast (already reserved for August 07)!</p>
<p>Apartmentratings.net. Type in Gainesville, FL at the top. It's your best bet, you will find all of the highest rated apartments in Gainesville and tons of reviews by the tenants who have lived in them. It's how I picked out my apartment.</p>
<p>I wouldn't live at Cabana Beach if I were your daughter, I lived at Melrose, right next door, my freshman year... and the mile or so down 20th is usually so conjested that it can add 15 more minutes to your travel time than, say, the Estates, which is on the corner of 34th and 20th.</p>
<p>I live at the estates, and while it is a little more pricey than Melrose, I love the gym, pool, and tanning bed. I also feel a lot safer here. The apartments are in better condition as well... and it takes me 5-7 minutes to get to the University Ave side of campus.</p>
<p>Does anybody know anything about University Commons on Archer Road? Any feedback on these apartments would be appreciated.</p>
<p>My son lives at Tivoli on SW 13th St. and likes it a lot. He checked out a lot of places before choosing it. I recommend taking a look at it if you can.</p>
<p>Does anyone know what the range for rent would be in an apartment complex that rents out individual rooms and is close to campus? What I am looking for is an apartment (2-4 bedrooms) where I can rent a room and share a bathroom. How much can I expect to pay for rent + utilities?</p>
<p>Thanks for your input.</p>
<p>Daughter just called. She went apartment hunting and decided that she wants to rent an apartment at Oxford Manor. It had a home-like feeling (lots of trees and green space and nice sized rooms). She liked the location on Archer, it is gated, is a 3/3 townhouse. Anyone have any feedback on this place? Should we buy her new furniture or have her rent the furniture package that the place offers? I think the rent ranges (dep. on which bedroom you choose) from 495-555$/month.</p>
<p>Is Oxford Manor near Shands and do you sign individual leases for each room? Also, how about utilities, are they in addtion to what you have quoted?</p>
<p>My son and two friends are renting a 3 bedroom/3 bath townhouse at Oxford Manor. Certainly nothing fancy, but they are all very happy. They've decided to split the rent equally even though the size of the bedrooms does vary. Furnished with odds and ends that Mom and Dad were willing to give up, as well as several trips to Salvation Army (that's a bunch of guys for you...). Although there is a package for utilities (a flat rate every month), they've found that it's more reasonable to "pay as you go".</p>
<p>And yes, it's right down the road from Shands - very easy access by bus or bike.</p>
<p>Here is the link for Oxford Manor:</p>
<p><a href="http://www.oxfordmanor.org/%5B/url%5D">http://www.oxfordmanor.org/</a></p>
<p>Well, daughter's potential roommate backed out of oxford manor...she wants to live walking distance to campus (and my daughter didn't like any of the apartments close to campus). DD is very bummed right now about that. She really wanted to live at Oxford Manor. Does anyone have any experience with the roommate matching that these places offer?</p>
<p>Consider "the Courtyards"</p>
<p>Other than it being walking distance to campus (which is not an issue for my daughter...only the roommate that she had planned to live with), what are the positives on "the Courtyards"? I looked them up, they appear online to be dirty and in disrepair (which is the reason that my daughter didn't want to live at Royal Village with her roommate, it was dingy). They also have to share bathrooms (the four bedroom apt has only 1 shower!) whereas many other complexes offer private bathrooms. Is it a quieter place? Great management company? Fun place? Good roommate matching (since she will probably have to do that)?</p>
<p>UFPreLaw09- How is the bus route from the Estates to the east side of campus? I heard that some of the bus routes are so congested that kids have to wait forever to get on one. Is this place on a good/convenient bus route to class? The Estates does look very nice online.</p>
<p>I used to live on the same bus route as the Estates. It one of the last stops before going to campus, so during peak times it's hard to get on the bus. I used to take the bus to school for my 9:35 or 10:40 class every day and 99% of the time we were full by the time we got to the Estates, so we just passed by like 10-15 people.</p>
<p>The Courtyards was a really big party place a few years ago. I'm not sure if it's still like that, but it is pretty gross for the price.</p>
<p>Oxford Manor is nice but they just raised the price - they are charging way too much for 22 year old apartments. They charged us a redecoration fee when I lived there and when we moved in they hadn't done anything with that $500 or so from the three of us. The rooms weren't painted or cleaned, there was broken glass from a window that a roofer had broken, and there was trash all around the apartment and outside from the previous tenants. You have to be really firm with them and it can be a nice place to live, if a little expensive.</p>
<p>Our daughter is also a freshman at UF and we were just up there yesterday to co-sign a lease for her. She and her friends have decided on Campus Club off of Archer. The apartment is a 3-bedroom, 2-bath unit, fully furnished, utilities included. Pool, gym, study rooms and a computer room in case their laptops break. We signed a 9-month lease for $500/month. Also, first stop on the bus route.</p>
<p>My son is also a freshman at UF and he just signed a lease at The Estates for next year- 4 bedroom, 4 bath. I went to see it and it is very nice, nothing like the apt. complex I lived in when I was in college. They told us that they are the last stop on the way to campus so expect long waits at "prime time", however they are the first stop on the way back from campus. I think my son will just work his schedule so as to avoid 9 - 10am classes. It really isn't that bad of a bike ride from there either if he gets desperate. Hope it works out for your daughter.</p>
<p>She went to look at the Estates and was impressed as well. I worry about the "long waits at prime time" for the bus but I like that the rent is all inclusive and the apartments are furnished. She won't be able to avoid the prime time bus crunch if she takes the required (for her major) Statistics 2023 in Fall (it is only offered in the am i believe). Now she just needs to decide between her two favorite choices (Oxford Manor and The Estates). Anyone have any experience with roommate matching at the Estates?.</p>