Last night things got a little weird in Cleveland Park. I mentioned earlier that was I was making a few calls to set up tours. I was interested in a one bedroom in my current neighborhood of Cleveland Park. It is a true one bedroom, about a block from the metro listed for only $1350. I was even more thrilled when I found a second, more spacious one bedroom for only $1595. I had to see if it was too good to be true. The answer: kind of. Here is what happened:
The enormous one bedroom with awesome windows for $1595
It took a few tries but I got the leasing agent on the phone. I was surprised when he didn’t ask the usually questions like, when do you plan on moving in, when is a good time for your to see the place, whats your price point, etc. I was more surprised when he didn’t even ask my name or give me an option for times to view the apartment. He simply said “I will be there at 5.” Click. Clearly I was in no position to negotiate so I left work a few minutes early and showed up at where I was hoping “there” was, the apartment building.
The smaller one bedroom for $1350. FYI I took this picture myself. The pictures on the ad are from the larger unit, not this one. A trap indeed!
It gets stranger. I am met not by the agent but his “colleague,” an everyday looking guy with jeans and a hoodie. I am fine with a more casual showing but it became a problem when he couldn’t answer any of the questions I asked. I wasn’t asking anything too crazy, just simple things like how many units are in the building, when was it built, what’s the square footage, etc. His response was that he wasn’t sure and that he was just “helping” out. The weariest response was to the square footage question. He said it is “company policy” not to disclose square footage. Thought I didn’t get many answers, he was friendly and politely showed me both units. I started to think he was more of a friend than a “colleague.”
Ultimately these places have potential, they just require a lot of TLC. They are spacious and have nice features like hardwood floors and some updates, though minimal. One of the units randomly had a really nice bathroom sink. Bottom line, this is an older building that is simply lacking in upkeep. The moral of the story is you get what you pay for. I now know why both units have been available for close to 30 days. The best units go quickly, and this proves it. If you are handy, independent, and looking for a project either of these units could work for you.
