I've lived at the Grand for several years & have mostly good things to say, but there are some negatives too. Pros: 1. Location - Lake Merritt, BART & several Zipcar sites are all a 5-10 minute walk away, the free Broadway shuttle stops across the street, First Friday is 2 blocks away, & there are a number of restaurants/bars and Whole Foods within a few minutes walk. 2. Management: All of the staff on the management/leasing team are really friendly. Some of the security staff are friendlier than
...others, but always helpful. Management tries to do some extras for residents, like offering free carpet washing if you renew your lease early & scheduling social events for residents several times a year (Halloween costume party, Christmas/Holiday party, summer BBQ, etc, with free food & drinks), 3. Amenities: 24/7 front desk security (except when they're doing security checks/rounds or on a break), they accept packages, assist guests access the elevators, etc; a pretty nice gym & a hot tub; a party room you can rent for a private event; outdoor space on the 6th & 16th floors; parking (with an extra monthly fee) & bike storage (which is new); 4. Pet friendly: I don't know if they still charge a pet deposit & pet fee, but many residents have pets; 5. Updated interiors: Though they don't upgrade anything in your apartment until you've lived in it for 5 years, everything is relatively new(ish) and the counters/fixtures, etc look pretty good; floorplans are also really great and having an in-unit washer/dryer combo is pretty fabulous. Cons: 1. Price - this is definitely my biggest issue with this place, rent increases 10% each year and they start out pretty high (if I moved out tomorrow from my 1-br unit, they would lease it out at about $1500 over my current rent); 2. Location - a pro & a con, depending on which direction your apartment faces; Southwest-facing apartments will get late afternoon sun (making it warm in your apartment) and will get a fair amount of noise early in the AM & late night: trash truck, recycling truck, street sweeping, bar crowd & music from bars on Grand & Broadway (including annoying cars that rev their engines & play their music very loudly at 2am after the bars are closing); 3. Maintenance - not sure if you have to ask or they don't do it, but they don't offer to do any preventative work like cleaning heating air ducts or dryer vents deep in the wall (air quality & safety?). In closing, if you can afford it, pretty good overall.
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