The Shay Apartments — Local services in Nashville-Davidson

I lived at The Shay on a 13-month lease and recently moved out of state. Overall our experience was positive.

The good:

Location. Very centrally located to downtown, Vanderbilt, the interstate, and public transit. Grocery stores other than Kroger are a bit further away but in general it's 20 mins or less to everything you would need.

Very safe neighborhood. One of the safest areas in the Midtown area, which is impressive considering its proximity to some more underserved neighborhoods. There were some car break-ins in the garage, but I believe those were due to residents not locking their cars. Easy target, so beware and make sure to lock. There were one or two incidences of mentally unstable people hanging around, but they were dealt with.

Dog park and walking loop. Dog park is well-maintained and frequented by regulars. The walking loop was a godsend during lockdown. There's also a very small park nearby good for hanging out or playing catch on nice days.

Amenities.Gym was always clean and anything broken was fixed quickly. The pool is less rowdy than other apartments that cater to a similar crowd, though I still wouldn't recommend a unit that faces the pool. Plenty of places inside and outside to chill. The mail room could get disorganized at times with packages but I never had a package disappear. Most went into the package locker.

Floor plan (1BD). Spacious and open with a very nice bathroom. Some not so great things are that storage space outside of the kitchen is very limited. The cabinets are made for very tall people. Lots of variety in lighting choices.

2 free parking spots. View of the skyline from the top of the garage.

Front desk staff. They were always friendly and receptive of our issues. There seems to be high turnover, but even then everyone new is nice and helpful.

Google Fiber.

Rarely saw a bug that wasn't an ant.

The kind of annoying:

Irresponsible dog owners. There is usually a fair amount of poop in the grass around the property with recurring offenders. The complex has gardeners that pick it up maybe twice a week (not sure) but I had to constantly watch my step in the grass. Lots of puppy owners so plenty of pee and poop stains in the hallway carpets. Folks would repeatedly walk their dogs off-leash with varying level of command over their dog.

Rectangular sink. Bits of food don't drain down with the flow of water so they have to be hosed down the drain.

Ants. We lived in a second floor apartment and had some ant battles. Luckily their entrance was easily spotted and taken care of with diatomaceous earth.

People drive around the garage as if they're the only people who could ever be in there at any time. Take it really slow around the corners.

The bad:

Apartment noise. The floors are fairly thin. The people above us at first only made normal noise, but the guy who moved in the last few months of our lease was god awful. He walked with his heels which is very loud in all of the hardwood areas. Not sure if he was a gamer or what but every day multiple times a day in peak working hours (I worked from home) he would stomp on the floor and yell expletives loud enough for people on my work calls to hear. It took more than a handful of complaints to management for him to finally slow down his antics. We only had one neighbor to our side who we never heard, but in other people's apartments we heard people through the wall. If noise is an issue for you, roll the dice that you have a small woman as your upstairs neighbor or stay away.

Construction. We had a unit at the very front of the building. About 10 feet across the street, ground was broken on a new building last spring. What ensued was terribly loud construction noise from literally 6:30am to 4pm. They jackhammered using excavators into the cliff next to the building which is ridiculously loud...

The mark of a truly stellar property is when the only aspects that outperform the place itself are the people a part of the community, and that is certainly the case at the Shay!

To begin, the Shay is a stunning property. The interiors and finishes are immaculate, leaving no stone unturned in terms of quality and luxury. At the same time, the design is also warm and inviting, offering a feeling of “home” in a way you don’t experience upon entrance just anywhere. Common areas and workspace are ideal for those who may work from home. Ample space is available to also host guests socially. No matter the purpose or the occasion, the Shay is designed with all of life’s events in mind. The icing on the cake? The high-quality shops and restaurants in OneCity offer great options within walking distance!

Most important personally, however, as a dog enthusiast who insists on living somewhere that offers a high quality of life for my pet, this property can’t be beaten. The vast and beautiful outdoor space, along with the walkability of the property, were immediate attractions to me. Further, the devoted dog areas are far better than anywhere else I’ve seen. The dog park is expansive, and the dog spa and semi-covered play area next to it are fantastic. In short, ALL of the family, including your members with paws, will be beyond satisfied with the Shay!

These aspects alone would be enough to draw the masses in to see more, but somehow, the individuals who work at the Shay are the best part of the whole experience. Robin does an excellent job of running tours, offering thoughtful insights and attention to detail. Since my tour, Robin has also been remarkable with following up, including helping me identify my ideal unit when the one I wanted most was not initially available. Robin heard me out on what a “perfect” Shay experience would be for me, taking my interests seriously while offering a truly personalized experience, and he made what I envisioned as a best-case scenario become a reality. I can’t say thank you enough, Robin!

A special shout-out also to Robin’s colleagues Madison and Allie, both of which were incredibly helpful, considerate, and accommodating in the process of touring and ultimately leasing!

To any interested individuals, you will absolutely want to add the Shay to your list for home options in Nashville. I personally looked at several properties in some of the most desirable neighborhoods in Nashville. A plenty of other places have good things going for them, but only the Shay exceeds all expectations. Undoubtedly, the Shay is the...

Lindsey was always great to me super responsive and helpful so no complaints there. I thought she was quite great actually.

As for the apartments themselves: The grounds and apartments are beautiful modern and plenty of storage space. I moved in within early construction and the place was quiet, new and lovely and we were thinking .. we've got it made this was the best choice! Very quickly it started to fill up and we realized we had made a mistake. If you're not on the top floor or have a courteous neighbor above you, expect to hear every single movement they make, the floors are THIN! As for below and even 2 floors above or below you can hear, tv, music, conversations, dogs, etc. All through the HVAC closet which its terribly insulated. As someone mentioned before the fire alarms would go off at 3am its was super startling you got to the point where you didnt bother getting up and going outside. The parcel package thing was really annoying. Your packages could be in many places near the front office, the mailroom, at your door, or delivered by mistake to someone else's. It was exhausting tracking down stuff and I had 2 packages go missing so I stopped having packages delivered there for my sanity. The parking situation is ridiculous, the guest parking on the main floor is for all the lazy residents who dont want to go up the ramp to their floors, so good luck with that. The whole design of the parking garage is just stupid, for many reasons. Just try going through the gate the same time someone else is or if a non resident gets stuck and can't get in the gate and you're behind them, that point is proven.

Overall I realized The Shay wasn't for me, age wise it was a younger crowd, as I'm in my 30s. I value a good night sleep, being courteous and considerate of others and I'm just way too self aware. So it wasn't a good fit for me, I loved the location but I've since moving out I love even more not being woken up by random noise (440 construction, police sirens, train going by, woo girls and bros drunk walking through the hallways or screaming outside, dogs barking all day).

TL;DR : It wasn't right for me, for various reasons but that doesn't mean others experiences haven't been great. However...