Gables At The Terrace — Local services in Austin

I have lived here for two years at this point so I will attempt to give you a very honest feedback.

Summary (Highly recommend living here if you are on a bit of a budget but still wanna be somewhat close to downtown and like nature vibes: Great Value)

Lets get all of the bad stuff out of the way so we can focus on the good stuff (of which there is a lot of good!)

Parking. Parking is tight in this community and guests must park either in the front or the very back (and supposedly you have to register them though I personally never have) Additionally, some of the parking spaces towards the center of the complex are poorly marked (the stripes are way too close together causing wasted space. They really should repaint the lines to give more space to vehicles in this area. It would actually Create more parking.

In addition to the parking woes, There have been constant vehicle break ins in this community and to the best of my knowledge, little can be done about it. Its happening early in the morning around 2 to 4 AM sometime. Its a regular sight to see window repair shops out here. So my recommendation is to buy a garage and keep your car in it. (if you get a garage with a space in front, That also works nicely as a parking spot for guests)

The gym is small and has limited equipment, so don't expect to get swoll for free (youll most likely be keeping your gym membership)

Kitchens and cabinet spaces are limited.

The community can be noisy during the day. Construction sounds and when the lawn guys come, you can expect your day to be filled with the lovely sound of leaf blowers. But if construction winds down and lawn guys are gone it is mostly quiet. That being said, you are next to a highway so you do hear cars and occasionally a loud car. Keep this in mind when selecting a unit. If you are facing the highway, you'll likely hear cars a lot.

As others have mentioned, the location can be a bit annoying in that its on a one way access road. I don't mind though. Its just a little bit of extra driving and I think for what comes next, its well worth it.

Okay so enough with the bad lets talk about reasons to live here!

The first and most important reason this is a great place to live is the balance of Price, location, and quality.

Its not the best location, its not the best quality, but for that, Its a lower price! For me it was THE BEST blend of all three of these that led me here. I ride my bike into downtown all the time (so its close enough to do that). There are cool trails that lead to the greenbelt if you're into that and if you get the right unit, you can have a beautiful downtown Austin view, filled to the brim with trees.

Secondly, The management is fantastic. They really care and Gables (the management company they work for) is huge and very professional. They communicate well about any issues you might be having. I have built positive relationships with the team here and they really are wonderful people. Morgan, Dina, and Cheyenne (sorry if I mispelled) are all amazing people and again, they deeply care about each and every resident and work day in and day out to care for the community. Lets not leave out the incredible maintenance team that keep the Apartments in good working condition and the pool and hottub working and clean. I have submitted multiple maintenance requests and they are easy to submit and always get taken care of in a timely manner. All the staff here are honestly incredible and I cant speak higher of them.

The apartments are pretty decent sized. I have a two bedroom and its the perfect size for me. Plenty of space for all my furniture and depending on the unit, you can get some really great views from here!

The apartment quality is acceptable.

They have garages and I highly recommend you get one. They make living here a lot better. They fix the parking shenanigans completely.

This place hold a lot of events which can be nice if you enjoy that sort of thing.

The pool and spa are really nice and I love them. They are easily the best amenity this place has to offer and are...

I moved out after 9.5 months of a short 10 month lease but wish it could have been sooner. Much like Brandon said in his review, there are just so many things wrong with this place.

Having lived at the adjacent property, Barton Creek Landing, I feel there is no comparison between the two. (I would have stayed but had an opportunity to house sit on Lake Travis for several months.)

When I moved in, I had not yet seen the actual unit. I was happy to see new carpet. But that was the only improvement. Light switches didn't work, nor had they been updated since the building was built. Drawers didn't open correctly, cabinets fell off hinges, the dish washer was full of debris, the windows all leaked and had been re-caulked, then painted before it could dry, causing it to run all over the windowsills. The shower didn't work. The hot water heater was scalding hot. (But then lowered to 90 degrees. Never did get that fixed correctly.) The toilet clogged every time anything was flushed. (Again, several requests and never got it fixed so I plunged it every time.) Windows continued to leak causing mold. When requests were put in, they calked it more and more.

These places are not insulated well nor are the windows anywhere near new. Electric bills for a 685 sq ft apartment for one person (who keeps the AC at 75 while home and 78 when gone) were over $180 during the summer.

The community gates were often broken, walking gates wouldn't open, people's cars were getting broken into on a regular basis, the kitchen was tiny at best, and you could hear every step your upstairs neighbors take. Every drawer that was closed. Every fight with her boyfriend. Every zoomie her dogs had.

Residents are forced to pay for valet trash even if you don't use it and they often didn't show for days. The parking situation is terrible with spots near building 4 drastically smaller than others. If you don't have a compact car, you don't fit without additional door dings and scratches. It was also tough to find a spot in the evening once everyone is home from work. More than one car never moved in over 6 months.

When it came time to renew or leave, the new monthly rent went up $200 which was laughable. I immediately gave my notice and let them know I'd move out a week ahead of my lease end due to work travel. The place was thoroughly cleaned and looked exactly as the day I moved in. A month later, I received notice that I was being fined for carpet cleaning and odor removal. Fascinating since I don't smoke, had no pets nor roommates. Yet the neighbors smoked cigars and weed (smoke-free community they claim) which may affect an apartment that sits empty a week.

The manager of the property left the day my lease officially ended. I can only hope that doesn't delay my request to remove the offensive charges. I wouldn't consider any Gables property after my experience with...

Overall I'm pretty happy living here. My neighbors are friendly, the grounds are beautiful and back up to the green belt, so you have a sense of privacy and not a lot of strangers walking though. It's a mix of demographics, families & singles, and we’re in a gated community, so I've always felt safe. The units appear to be well maintained with updated finishes like granite counters, stainless steel appliances, and elevated ceilings in the bedroom & bathroom, not just in the living area. The light fixtures do not appear to be updated (especially the one in the space that ppl likely use for a dining area or study) I could be wrong, perhaps they are updated & the person who chose them just had "vintage" taste. Either way, the issue is quickly rectified this by using several pretty lamps and not turning overhead lights on so they don't attract attention. Oh, and the balconies are concrete and pretty large, even in the 1 bedrooms, and they have outlets, so you can actually use this space, unlike some properties where they have tiny patios w/ wood slatting. As far as the staff, the maintenance team is very responsive. Manny, Paul, and the rest of the crew do a great job. They get things done quickly and correctly. The front office staff is also pretty friendly/responsive and usually respond back to any emails w/in 24-hrs. Pool/Gym/hot tub are also nice amenities.

On the negative side, my move-in was a little stressful - I think the person who assisted me was new b/c it seemed like they forgot a lot of things; for example, I still don't have a parking sticker for my vehicle...luckily I have not been towed. Also, the interim manager said she would email me a copy of my move-in inspection checklist, which she never did and now she’s gone, so I probably need to ask for it again. As far as the unit, there were quite a few small things that needed to be fixed... mostly areas that hadn't been cleaned or repainted, like the make-ready inspection wasn’t very detail oriented. But like I said, the maintenance team is awesome here, so they were quick to get everything done on my checklist promptly.

I'd say my only complaint currently would be the parking in front of my building being under construction off and on for months now. That and the fact that there's not an easy way to walk to the street from the main entry of the apartment. It's surrounded by mud and I wish they'd throw down some pavers, gravel, or at least mulch... I make sure to take off my shoes prior to entering my apartment to protect the carpet, but there's not as much you can do for dogs when you need to take them to the bathroom in these areas.

But once again, all in all this is a great property with a professional staff. I'm quite happy I chose to live her and will consider resigning in the future if the rental rates stay...