Bakery Living

DO NOT MOVE HERE! Bakery living may seem like a nice place to live, but the management will get you with all their hidden fees and costs and are generally unpleasant to deal with. Want an extra key? That'll cost you $100 because you can't make copies on your own. Get locked out because you only have one key, that'll cost you another $100 just to get let into your apartment. Forget to renew your autopay, that'll cost you another $100. Does your trash happen to clog the trash shoot? There's also a fee for that. They also don't provide a way to dispose of cardboard boxes without walking all the way to the basement of the building which is a huge inconvenience that you will experience on a regular basis. Similarly, you will have to walk all the way to the front door any time you need to let a guest in. There are also charges for water and sewer. These are not based on usage, but instead you are just charged a percentage for the whole building. There is absolutely no transparency behind these charges and you actually have to pay a service fee just to be charged for the buildings water and sewage. They advertise free bagels on Saturdays, but they don't usually arrive until after 10am, so if you are an early riser you'll be waiting a while for your breakfast. Then there are the ridiculous things they make you sign for your lease. You have to agree to let them throw away your packages, if they are not picked up fast enough. You have to waive your right to participate in class action lawsuits (not even sure if this is legally enforceable). You give them the right to use your picture in any promotional material. If I were you I would avoid Walnut Capital in generally. I can't speak for their other buildings, but I'm sure it's more of the same.

This building kept tidy and the maintenance staff is very responsive, but is too cheaply built to be worth the price tag of a luxury residential building. There are about 40 units cramped into a single floor, with ZERO noise reduction. You hear your neighbors entering the floor, walking on the hallway, opening their door, walking towards the windows, closing/opening the blinders, and talking on the phone. The property management staff (not the maintenance and security people) conveniently pretends that the residents are to blame for all the noise problem. They will send you (or your neighbor in case you made the complaint) an email telling you to buy an area rug. Don't be surprised to get a noise complaint when you are out of town, because the noise transfers through the thin walls and floors to the point that nobody can tell exactly where it's coming from! So when you take a tour, make sure you bring somebody and insist on conducting some experiments. First, leave one person in the unit and keep talking. See how much you can hear from outside. Then, one of you should go to the unit that's right above, or next to yours. Reduce the ambience noise to the nighttime level. * Walk like an average adult man normally would and see how much it bothers you. * Stand close to the wall (imagine your neighbor placed a couch against it) and pretend talking on the phone about something exciting, at a relatively high volume. * Turn on the kitchen sink grater. If you are OK with what you hear (some units may be than the others), and confident that your neighbors will be fine with it too, then go ahead. Otherwise, I wouldn't commit to a long-term lease here.

This new building is very well maintained and has excellent decor and a homey feel. It's right across the street from Bakery Square so it's easy to get to restaurants and shops. It's close to Target, Whole Foods, and Giant Eagle too. The buses that stop there are a little inconvenient. The main one is 71C and it stops a lot and takes a while to get places. But it has a parking garage if you want to have a car. Staff is helpful and responsive. The property is well maintained and there are frequent events planned for residents.