Madera Valley Apartments

My husband and I have been residents at Madera Valley Apartments for ²¹⁄₂ years.
We are very happy here and find the trees wonderful. It is near 101 but we are not bothered by the traffic noise. Our apartment has a lovely fenced in patio. Nicole, the manager, is very quick to have problems solved. Donny, the maintenance man, very nice and always there to answer any questions in addition able to solve any maintenance problems.
Both Nicole and Donny create a very warm environment.
A plus.

We have been in Marin for 3 years now and just recently moved to Madera Valley Apartments. Housing in Marin is beyond crazy and we were delighted to find this little slice of heaven to call home. We are tucked up on a hill but close enough to 101 for an easier commute into the city and still close enough to enjoy great shops and restaurants within a refreshing walking/​biking distance.
Our unit is well laid out for a family of four and we enjoy the view and the pool! So you do not think this is a paid endorsement, there are a few things that we have had to adjust to like no in-​unit washer/​dryer and limited parking BUT even those inconveniences are out weighed by all the other things we are loving about living here. Plus, Madera Valley does have great clean on-​site laundry facilities. I have just been spoiled but now finding it is not as big of a hassle as I thought it would be, so again the Pros out weigh this «con».
Lastly, we appreciate the wonderful staff we have had the pleasure of working with and getting to know. Thank you Nicole, Donnie and Georgina!
We love coming home!

We’ve been here 3 months and find it a solid place to live. Jeanette in the office got us set up here with friendly efficiency, and Donnie doing maintenance is responsive to taking care of what needs to be fixed in a timely fashion.

Pros
1. Great area
2. Close to shopping
3. Close to city
4. Pool
5. New shared gas grill
6. Great neighbors
7. Allow pets (there is a 35 lbs. weight limit, but honestly they could careless how big the dog is… or even if you own a rotweiler/​pitbull/​cat/​bear/​lion etc
8. Management is nice
Cons
1. A PEEPING TOM for 12+ years and management will hide this (even to the families with children) and have done nothing to protect the residents
2. NO PARKING!!! It’s a free for all, even when you have assigned parking do not count on it being available to you or car blocked in
3. Management has said they cannot actually tow because they do not want to pay for the tow charges. Instead, will be awakened by upset neighbors honking and then the management will ring everyone’s door at anytime??? Next, they will leave the car there till your neighbor moves it??? In other words, you are on your own and ignore the fake «will tow» signs.
4. ASBESTOS and LEAD (notified at then end paperwork of signing your lease)
5. Although there is a disabled parking spot, there is not one unit accessible to anyone with a disability???
6. Items STOLEN from your front door (UPS, FEDEX, etc)
7. Poor construction (see # 8, 9, 12, 13, 14, 15, 18, 20, 22, 27, 28, 29, 32) photos included
8. Rusted and leaking water heater and management waiting for it to completely break before any preventative work to save the renters inconvenience. While we foot the water bill. Property is not maintained and completely neglected.
9. Maintenance work is questionable (poor quality, child like, unlicensed or untrained) done by inexperienced whoever???
10. Maintenance kid driving around in golf cart with gas power washer upside down leaking gas (funny but dangerous)
11. MAGGOTS in the backyard from left over feces (still have nightmares)
12. Brand new plastic fake wood flooring coming apart and only 1 month old (yeah…try avoid walking in your apartment to prevent the floor from coming apart or pinching your feet)
13. Tub is slow draining
14. Tub doesn’t hold water either (if that makes any sense)??
15. Bathroom and kitchen sink leaking and caused mold within the first month
16. Wasteful 5 gallon toilet and shared water bill.
17. Again shared water bill (average $ 80 per PERSON per month)
18. Windows are OLD (original windows from the 1950’s never updated) and let bugs in (brown recluse spider, POISONOUS… hospital visit!!!)
19. Expected to keep bathroom window open to avoid MOLD but allows bugs in and «peeping toms» to see you in the buff
20. Open spaces in the ill fitting front door which let bugs and cold air in
21. Screws fall out and don’t hold locks or doorknob to the front door
22. Screen in windows installed backwards (really???)
23. Loose screws left over under the carpet (TETANUS shots and painful when discovered) Neighbors dealing with the same issue.
24. Cat and dog feces left over for you to clean the day you move in
25. A bit noisy is you live on the first floor (wall hangings and the heater rattles when they walk)
26. Over watered lawn (swamp like and such a waste of water)
27. BROKEN washer and dryers is a constant (even though we are told they have been fixed but they haven’t actually checked and yes, they are still broken!)
28. Smoker /​carbon monoxide detectors are not maintained (never showed up for the appointment)
29. On to the kitchen, the back of the drawer keeps falling off due to kindergartner like assembly (lazy construction)
30. Upon moving in the refrigerator was broken and still is
31. Upon moving in the dishwasher was broken and still is
32. Storage units are a free for all as well. Some have 1 or more and many have none.
33. Still waiting on the replacement for the wrong sized blinds and the replacement for the broken drawer?
34. Showers will become scorching hot or freezing cold. Thank goodness the walls are thin enough to hear your neighbor flush the toilet which gives you ample time to jump out of the way.
35. Water pipes in the walls are noisy when contracting and expanding when trying to sleep.
35. Pricey for a «newly remodeled» apartment with «bottom of the line» appliances, janky construction, painted or taped over pressed particle board to hide the MOLD, fake wall tile to hide the MOLD in the walls!
36. Never a follow up, never show up for maintenance appointments or a response (except the guy who lit the pilot light to the heater because they are required by law. He was actually well trained and did a great job), nothing ever fixed… we’ve only lived here for 3 months
Overall we love it here!

This is a large spread out complex. There is lot of land here to walk, walk your dog, let the kids play. Heated pool for much of the year. Kiddie pool too (not heated). Have not used tennis court yet, but I will. Laundry facilities are above average.
Older places have problems, but this place fixes them for the most part.
The place might well be «past it’s prime» as some have said, but there are far worse maintained properties. My only real complaint with the premises is the original energy wasting single paned windows and disgusting water wasting toilet (which is inexcusable… you can basically get free toilets from Marin Water District that are water savers).
One problem which cannot be fixed is that there is not enough parking for guests or visitors, but you usually can find somewhere to park in front of the complex by the freeway. Not convenient.
It is actually quite peaceful here. Some units are more peaceful than others. There is more than one floor plan of various sizes. I wouldn’t want to live in the front of this large property because of freeway traffic noise, but in the rear, up on the hill, behind large trees, a big yard, terraces, you barely know that freeway 101 is so close. Nice living near the freeway for access, but it isn’t so close to my unit that I really notice the noise.

I believe that this place deserves 4 stars. It is located very close to shops, restaurants, top rated schools, freeway, parks and amazing trails for running, biking or hiking. It is a very diverse community with families from Brazil, Poland, Russia, Japan, Mexico, China and more.
We have lived here for few years now. I have to agree that it is in need of many upgrades but they are being slowly done. It is an old community built in seventies so you can not expect to move in to a state of the art apartment. The neighbors are great, mostly families with children. It is a pet friendly community so you will hear occasional barking. It is very safe, both Meadowsweet Drive and Casa Bueana are regurarly patrolled by the police.
Parking is bit of a problem but only for visitors as we do not have visitors parking here. Your guests will have to park along the street where there is plenty of space :) There have been a lot of complaints about garbage being picked up only once a week and that is no longer a case. Extra pick ups were ordered so problem has been solved. We also got a new water heater.
With no extra cost to the tenants we have regular tennis lessons for adults and children, we have annual pool parties, international pot lucks, Halloween Parties and Christmas get togethers.
Management is great and easy to talk to.
We give it 4 stars!

Just moved here from the East Bay in Spring. The location is great with a well-​groomed grounds. The staff are polite and low-​key. It is a little high-​priced so that’s the loss of one star. We enjoy coming home every day. The apartment is so peaceful and spacious — feels like home even though we’re out and about in lovely Marin quite a bit. Other tenants are friendly and respectful. Nice pool, laundry room, and no one’s parked in our assigned spot so far.

Don’t get fooled by their price promotions, online coupons, or referall promotions! They have to do all these things for a reason: This place SUCKS.
I have lots of complaints about this place, top-​down, beginning with management. The property manager, V, is incredibly unresponsive and just downright lazy (and disrespectful, more on that later). If any tenant tries to call the emergency maintenance line it’s disconnected. It’s funny because after hours, you call the office, THAT maintenance is the number they give you. So you are wondering, «what the h*ll do I do now with a broken X or a faulty Y.» I don’t know if they’ve fixed it yet, but it’s been wrong since AT LEAST May 2008 (February 2009 now). It’s a freaking answering machine message. LAZY!
I think the greatest demonstration of laziness and outright disregard for tenants is with the parking situation.

The Sugar:
The location is great. Built between Meadowsweet Drive and Casa Buena Drive, the property runs parallel to 101. There are gas stations, Peet’s and Starbucks are nearby, as are Bank of America, Wachovia, and others. There are two trendy malls, as well as shopping, dining areas within a mile of this place. You can shop at Nordstrom’s, eat at Il Fornaio, and test drive a Jaguar — all walking distance. Plus, Marin Joe’s is just down the street!
The apartments are comfortably sized, ranging from a one bedroom/​one bath to a 3 bedroom/1.5 bath between 680 and 1,100 sq ft. There is a swimming pool, tennis court, as well as laundry facilities throughout the premises (card operated).
The interiors of the buildings are worn, but appropriate given the age of the complex. I have a lot of faux (more on ‘faux’ later) wood throughout, but I’ve seen some with entire apartments of carpeting. The appliances and fixtures are without bells or whistles — function over form/​style.
Now the Medicine…
I can give the assessment with my self-​created «5P» (Price, Poshness, Prestige, Parking, and People). Let’s begin with the first P…
PRICE. Make no mistake, this is NOT a cheap. From what I hear, they’ve been raising prices for the past year. Given a ¹⁄₁ is now going for over $ 1,600 makes you wonder what kind of accommodations are you getting. Alas, this isn’t a waterfront, or a property with a view. The property is situated among poorly maintained greens, overgrown trees/​brush, and is alongside the highway (you CAN hear the traffic). No one maintains the parking areas (there are dead trees, leaves, etc) or the grounds. The apartments, while nicely sized, look old, outdated, and sullen. Which brings me to my next P…
POSHNESS. The fixtures are cheap. Every piece of appliances or fixture are from the cheapest makers (e.g. no name or fake Chinese companies… «möan» anyone?). The sinks are industrial grade at best and the faucets are cheap, plastic looking things. There is NO microwave and the stove/​oven smell as though you may be burning plastic every time you turn it on. The refrigerators are far from energy-​star efficient, nor are the windows, insulation, to name a few. I suppose you should be happy to have windows at all. Doors are flimsy particle board with poor locks. They do not have anything to indicate they have your utility or value in their interests. Expect to pay 1.5x what you normally pay for electricity/​utilities given their energy inefficiency. This is not the Ritz. This is not even Motel 6… which brings me to my next P…
PRESTIGE. This is not a very beautiful place. You won’t receive any «wow» or «beautiful» comments here. While they may hear «Corte Madera,» after they see your place they’ll most likely feel pity for you. As I’ve mentioned before, the fixtures are cheap, the appliances are cheap. Their carpet is cheap office carpet. Their FAUX (as mentioned above) hardwood is a blend of plastic and particle board I would believe. While they could have passed it off as «eco-​friendly,» the look and feel of this «faux wood» would drive any eco-​conscious person to go out back and cut down a half dozen trees for better feeling floors. While they try to paint the walls, the color combination is dreary and dull. They would like you to think they had your creativity in mind when they picked the neutral colors, but in reality it is most likely because it’s easy to get the walls dirty that they can then charge you to repaint when you move out. While some of the buildings have been recently painted (and by recently, I mean in the past 2 years), there are some units on the property (toward the back, out of sight) that I don’t think have been painted since the 70s.
PARKING. Parking is a pain in the rear here. While there may be a ratio of 1:1, that 1:1 ratio is actually PER apartment. This can be a problem when you have a family of 7 living in a 3 bedroom and they all have cars. Expect to find cars in your spot or blocking your spot. This isn’t occasional, this is OFTEN. The bright spot may be that I can park on Casa Buena (the front street) but I can’t imagine if I lived on Meadowsweet (the back street). The front street has plenty of street parking while the back street has a 2 lane road with NO STOPPING along the route. Get a apartment toward the front if you can.
LASTLY…
PEOPLE This may be a touchy subject. Without any offense, the quality of people has gone down in the last 5 years. I think they may be trying to get better people in here with the raised rent, but people on the lower socio remain. Who packs 7 people in a 3 bedroom? You’ll see it here. Management is iffy although they brought in this new person in the past year. Can we say this new property manager will save the day — probably not.
CONCLUSION: This place is past its prime. It’s not worth the $. I’m glad I left. Buyer beware or keep your expectations low.