Windsor Oaks Apartments

My family has been living here for almost 30 years. The maintenance workers take incredible care of the grounds and internal workings of the home. If you are a good, hard-​working person, this co-​op will be optimal for you. The problems you have will be resolved quickly. It may help that my family has been nothing but gracious and respectful since moving in. Remember that you can’t choose your neighbors but ours are the best out there and we would never have chosen otherwise. Be good to others and they will be good to you. The bad reviews are probably from those not used to living in a co-​op/​garden apartment setting, and who don’t know that people who work for you are people at the end of the day.

Generally nice area and nice location if you are into quiet and parks and convenient to drive anywhere as all major highways are close but some big cons:
1) terrible windows which are extremely non energy efficient. they let cold air in like crazy in the winter and heat in in the summer.
2) poor electrical wiring. I don’t even think any of it is to code to be honest
3) for people who don’t have ordinary 9 – 5 jobs and don’t wake up at 7am the noise if you live next to the garages and parking lots is awful. The landscapers and garbage trucks make EXCESSIVE noise at the crack of dawn and if you work late into the night and need some rest it’s damn near impossible. This is the worst part hands down.

I have lived here from July 2004 — Nov 2008 and it was a terrific experience. Our shares had significant capital appreciation the neighborhood was safe and enjoyed most of the neighbors in our court. Highly recommend the area for young families.

Please look somewhere else in buying or renting a co-​op. I have been living here for over 30yrs property Manager is the worst & Co-​op president a man who only cares about himself. The grounds in the summer are kept nice that is about it. Wireing in apartments are old & very dangerous, windows are so crappy & do not insulate properly apartments are freezing they do not supply enough heat & the boiler’s are constantly breaking down. There are plenty of apartmenta that have more then the 5 person limit which makes living next to these large families in only a 2 bedroom apt a nightmare & Management does nothing about it. They have a waterbug problem they can not seem to fix & these bugs are huge see them outside & in the apartments. Snow removal & ice are terrible I have watched so many people fall over the winter. A neighbor of mine was having a problem with the people living upstairs from her went to management & nothing was resolved. Do yourself a favor look somewhere else.

This place is terrible. When you try to sell your apartment it will be near impossible. The board sets the minimum sale price. So, let’s say the board says the minimum sale price is 225K. If you have a buyer that offers 215K, you can not accept. There minimum price fluctuates every month. So, if you have a buyer on June 20^th for 225K, there will be some time before closing obviously. Problem is, on July 1^st, the minimum price can go up! Now, you have to call your buyer and tell them. The place had problems with heat. In the dead of winter it was about 80 degrees inside. Others, complained they were freezing. I am immaculate when it comes to cleaning. The place had roaches, ants, winged ants etc. I wouldn’t say infested, but no matter how many times their exterminator came (which he is only available on Saturdays) our neighbors all had problems with bugs. The laundry rooms are filled with broken machines. There is never any parking after 7PM. The parking stickers are useless because the spots are not assigned. Think I am just a disgruntled former tenant with sour grapes? Read this article

Living and owning a Windsor Oaks co-​op unit for about four years was a good experience. Most importantly, I was very lucky to be able to sell the apartment in 2008 at the board’s floor price.
I wanted to give 2.5 stars but there is no option to.
From my four years of living there, the below are the pros and cons: (in no particular order)
Pros:
1. Nicely manicured lawns and gardens
2. Generally nice neighbors
3. Close to public transportation
4. Walking distance to shopping and eating
5. Two parking spaces behind apartments or front street parking
6. Option to rent private garages for a low monthly fee
7. Group cable discount
8. Maintenance includes heat/​gas/​water
9. Nice area to raise kids
10. Neighborhood is zoned to excellent schools
11. Snuggly warm apartments during the cold months
12. Private ²⁴⁄₇ security
Cons:
1. Dog owners who don’t pick up after their dogs
2. Parking spots are usually filled after 8pm (behind apartment and street)
3. Noisy neighbors (if you live in the lower unit)
4. Hard to sell apartments because of the minimum floor price
5. Expect to compete with other apartments advertising the same price as you (i.e. minimum floor price)
6. Expensive form/​administrative fees to purchase an apartment (non-​refundable $ 1,000 application fee)
7. Board is very selective in choosing who gets to buy. Buyers basically need to have steady income (i.e. no retirees or self-​employed).
8. Ants problem during the warm months
Would I recommend buying a Windsor Oaks co-​op apartment?
If the buyer has the patience to buy/​sell and understands/​accepts the cons, then yes.
Knowing what I know now and as a former owner, I personally would not buy another Windsor Oaks co-​op apartment again.
As for NickP’s review, I can understand his fustration when trying to sell. I was lucky to have purchase and sell before the 2008 housing collapse.