Cameron Court & Shelton Apartments

Most units have been recently renovated, albeit very cheaply. It is a great location and cheaper than most other places nearby (although rent will be raised on you). Just beware of the TERRIBLE (terrible terrible incompetent terrible, cannot emphasize this enough) management and make sure to have renter’s insurance. Make sure to list and take photos of all issues with the condition of an apartment before you move in. (Or the management might try to make you pay for it later… like a $ 300 fee for a «cat urine stain»?! Never ever was there a cat in the apartment…) Oh, and as others have mentioned, they advertise free internet but it is spotty at best — only worked for one person I have ever known to live there and her unit is right above one of the routers. Good luck, watch your back.

I actually really love it here. This is, by far, my favorite apartment I’ve ever lived in, and I’ve lived in a LOT of apartments all over the country. Yeah, it’s a little old but there’s so much character and my apartment gets SO much lighting; I’m in love with the windows, even if they do ensure the utilities are a little more each month. To me, it’s totally worth it. The refurbished kitchens are so nice and I love the hardwood floors. I’ve only had one maintenance issue and they had it resolved before I even got home from work on the same day. The courtyard is beautiful and it’s definitely the most budget-​friendly place to live downtown. You honestly can’t beat the location. If you’re into a more modern look, this place probably isn’t for you. But if you like a place with some character in a nice, welcoming community, it’s worth taking a look.

We’re moving out of this place the minute our lease is up. We were told by one of the employees in the leasing office (whom I believe is no longer working there) that Cameron Court was a place for «young professionals» and told us that it was a quiet place with low turnover. None of those things are true. Our building has at least two party apartments (apartments that are quiet all week and don’t have anybody in them, then on weekends have loud music/​people – and the people leave beer bottles and garbage around). And the noise is just terrible all around. If you like hearing doors slamming constantly (they sound like gunshots), echoing in a loud stairwell, move in here. We constantly smell pot, and when our neighbors smoke, it leaks into our apartment. The kitchen remodel is fine, but the place needs much more than that to be worth the money. Julie in the front office isn’t very friendly, and the lease has «free wifi» listed that doesn’t work. Nothing works terribly well, and the number for emergency repairs is a joke. Geoff, the head super, is nice, but he never believes that your stove or fridge is really broken. Plus, this place isn’t cheap. Nearly 900 bucks (and the rent goes up every year you stay!) to live next to the prison, a bail bonds, a halfway house, constant road construction, really busy streets, and all the loud losers who make Cameron Court their permanent crashpad.
If you’re looking for a place to live close to NCSU and downtown, just skip this place. It’s for burnouts, losers, and single dads who just got divorced. Forget it.

Shelton is a nice place to live, and I overall had a good experience. Just realize that what you are paying high rent for is a below average apartment in an excellent location.
Cons:
— I think its a bit unfair that they advertise «free» internet. I swear they must just have a normal modem which they give everyone the password to. At its best the internet is super super slow. At its worst (which is ~75% of the time) it won’t even connect, let alone load your email. Want to stream music or watch Netflix? Forget about it — this is impossible. You either have to buy your own internet or go without it. I’d rather have dial-​up.
— The kitchen is SO SMALL.
— If you get a unit on the south side, you also get a view of Central Prison (hidden pro: areas adjacent to prisons statistically have less crime!).
— If you get a unit on the south side also plan to invest in heavy black curtains (or at the very least rotate you blinds to slant up instead of down) for your bedroom. The sun will shine in like its nobody’s business.
— The buildings are kind of falling apart, Its a shame because the units have a lot of potential BUT be prepared for hard to open doors and slanted floors.
Pros:
— A compost bin you can use without having to maintain it (the dream!).
— A community garden you can get a plot in (this garden is magical, I’ve still got peppers growing in December!).
— A cute courtyard that makes you forget you live in an urban area.
— & as I said before, location, location, location. You’re in walking distance of all the best places in Raleigh.
Also, just an FYI Brian’s review is outdated: there is no longer free heat!
Update:
I’ve heard that the compost bin and garden are now gone. Aside from the location, those were my two favorite things about this place. Considered dropping my rating to 2 stars but that seems a bit unfair. Wish I could give 2.5 stars. The rating of ambivalence.

Absolutely the hippest apartments in Raleigh. It seems like everyone who’s done something cool has lived in these apartments at some point — or in the Grosvenor Gardens, Boylan, or Shelton which are all adjacent.
They have several different floor plans, one– and two-​bedrooms, and all of them have some kind of dining area or extra space of some kind. There are front and back entrances, huge windows with cool crank devices for opening and closing, hardwood floors… They are really beautiful and gritty feeling while still being clean and well-​kept.
The rent is amazingly low for the kind of spaces that are available. Maybe it’s because they are across the street from Central Prison… but you’re also a ten minute walk from everything in town.