Avery Row

My wife and I, and kids who were born while here, have lived here about a year and a half now and we’ve really enjoyed it and are happy with our choice. The building staff’s amazing performance during the recent snow storm is what drove me to write this review. The building manager stayed in the leasing office for almost the whole storm and was very responsive to issues that came up. We did not lose power or utilities at all and Tim, our super hero facilities manager, had to have barely slept due to the constant snow blowing and keeping the common grounds clear of snow to allow everyone to be able to take their dogs and kids out as needed.
In general Tim is very responsive, he should get a whole 5 starts himself, and has always responded within a day or so to the various issues that crop up in a new building that is settling. Mostly it has been for light bulbs, smoke detector, and minor plumbing issues. All of the utilities and appliances have been pretty worry free so far.
We have not noticed any of the noise issues the other posters have pointed out, but maybe we have been lucky. We do know that there are other small children on our hall and haven’t heard them at all through the walls at all, and our kids have been sleeping fine without any issues. As our kids have been learning to walk we got a noise complaint ourselves, but it was only once and since then we’ve taught them not to bang on the floor so it seems to have resolved itself.
There is a lot of common areas in the building, with good wifi, I occasionally use the function area on the first floor to get some work done after grabbing some coffee from the coffee/​cappuchino machine in the lobby. I personally don’t use the gym because I am lazy, but it always has people in it working out with machines available from what I can tell.
The location works pretty well for us, I have to get to both Foggy Bottom and Fairfax for work and the commute is super easy, usually less than 10 min to Foggy Bottom by car and 15 min when I use the bike share location a block away. The Courthouse and Rosslyn metro stations are each about a 15 min walk away, with a big hill to get up to get to Courthouse and Rosslyn a flatter walk but a little longer. If you want to do a big grocery run you would likely need a car or Über/​lyft, but otherwise they are about 20 min away walking.
We are hopeful the rent doesn’t increase beyond our price range when our lease is up, we signed a 2 year lease when we first started because we liked the building so much after the first week, and we would really like to stay.

My husband and I moved here this summer, and have been very happy. We’ve found this to be the most peaceful apartment we’ve ever lived in (been renting in the DC area for about a decade — West End/​Dupont, Eastern Market, Logan Circle). Our overall impression: conveniently located, attentive management, friendly neighbors, nice amenities, good all around quality of life.
Location:
We work practically within walking distance, but even for all other errands, we find this place incredibly convenient. You could get by with just metro/​bus, Rosslyn and Courthouse are each 10 – 15 minute walks, but it’s especially handy by car. Route 50 gets you quickly and easily to any errand run. You can walk to Georgetown, so driving into the heart of DC takes only 5 – 10 minutes, yet it’s far more relaxed than living in town. Whole Foods and everything on offer in Clarendon is walkable within 15 – 20 minutes, or a two minute drive, yet you don’t have to put up with the loud, drunken mess on the weekends. The park by the Iwo Jima memorial is stunning at night, only a 5 – 10 minute walk, never crowded, with a view over the water to see all of DC lit up. Plenty of green space around for walking our dog.
Pets:
Very pet friendly building. Our dog LOVES it here (we have a basset hound, almost a year old). If you don’t like dogs, this may not be the building for you, as there are several here. All those we have met are friendly, and our dog loves going outside where he gets to see all of his «friends». Good private grassy area for letting him potty nearby, or we can walk him over to Iwo Jima for scenic exercise. The concierge keeps a tin with dog biscuits, and is always good about letting in our daily dog walker (without being unsafe — the dog walker is on the list). The building occasionally hosts «yappy hours», with drinks and a chance for all the building’so dogs to hang out in the enclosed patio/​courtyard area.
Building/​management:
We love Marcus, the property manager. He clearly makes a point of learning all of the residents’ names right away. Recently, I had a cold (my husband had asked that maintenance not come the day I was home from work to fix a light bulb), and the next time I saw Marcus he asked if I was feeling better. We’ve found everyone at the front desk to be friendly and helpful. Maintenance is quick and responsive (Tim lives on-​site — we’ll never again live in a building without live-​in maintenance, it makes all the difference!). Everything in the building is nice and new. There are occasionally cracks in the walls, but this is typical of a new building as it settles, and management is quick to fix both cosmetic and functional issues. All of the residents we’ve met have been super friendly, ranging mostly from upper twenties to lower 40s. From our perspective, we like that it’s so calm — not a party building, also not an old/​retirement home feel. Few kids (again, just happens to be our preference). Mostly nice, working professionals — young adult couples and mid age singles. The building puts together lots of nice socials — happy hours, pot lucks, etc. and encourages long term residency, so there’s a deliberate effort to cultivate a community feel without it feeling pressured or forced.
Noise:
It’s true, there’s less sound protection between floors than between the walls, but it’s such a sedate building over all, even the noise above us, when present, is never at an hour that would disturb our sleep. We go to bed fairly early, and have a puppy who wakes up if he hears people, and haven’t had any trouble. There is a highway outside, but trees block much of the view (& some of the sound), and to us the car noise just sounds like ambient/​white noise. especially compared to anywhere we’ve lived in DC, this place is an oasis. If you’re really worried about it, I’d recommend something on the top floor. There’s no noise transfer between the walls.
Amenities:
We were floored when we saw how much you get in this building, for half of what it costs in DC. And yet we can get to most of our favorite restaurants in less time than it took to get in and out of congested Logan Circle or West End. The lounge area on the lobby floor is nice, with a fire place and TV. I use it when waiting for guests, or when I want to leave my apt to write or work. There’s wifi, and it’s never crowded. This building has so much common space square footage per resident that no one area is ever crowded. In addition to the lounge area, there’s a roof patio (with arbors for shade), and a well landscaped, secluded courtyard with lots of seating, shade, a fire pit, and grills. The gym is small, but has all the basics you’d need (treadmills, elliptical, free weights, few weight machine systems), and again isn’t crowded. The garage is secure and spacious, and you can rent extra storage if so desired.
I’ll update if anything changes– so far, it’s great here.

This place is awesome good to live and I love to live here so far. I moved into avery row about one month ago. Before moving in, I checked out more than 20 apartments in this area and decided to live here. First of all, apartment finish is incompatible with other apartments, such as solid wood floor, marble table tops in kitchen and bathrooms etc. When I began to live here, I do appreciate small differences that make my life more convenient. For instance, two kitchen cabinets that have wheels underneath make me pull out seasonings such as salts and pepper easily out of the cabinet, and automatically locked window never let me double check if I locked it, when I go out. Apt key has the most advanced technique, so I just put it but never need to turn the key. High ceiling gives me more space. Where the apt is very quiet so I can have a very deep sleep at night. Even coffees and teas what they provide are the best quality that I have never seen in the previous six apartments, which were all high end ones. One drawback is I feel bothered when people upstairs walk since it sounds too loud. However there is no noise at all from units next to my apt. I guess this building put too little stuff between floors or it is because it has high ceiling. However at least no noise from units next to each other. Usually it was not like that when I lived in other apts. Overall, I am so happy to live here and my best community in my seven years’ experience in DC area.

So at the time of my original review, very early on in my lease, I was pretty happy. Looking back over a year, I can provide a little bit of a deeper review…
NOISE: I know at least three tenants who broke their leases at quite a high cost just to escape the noise coming from above their apartment. We experienced a lot of noise above me when I lived on the 3^rd floor. We moved to the 4^th floor about two months into my lease, and had a much better experience. There is almost non-​existent sound side-​to-​side in this building — they did a much better job there.
SETTLING/​BOWING: It’s a newer building, and it’s settling. There are settling cracks all over my apartment. It’s only on the half of my apartment towards the court yard — so I think I’m like California falling into the pacific. The apartment is also bowed — the floor bows to the heavy center island — and the laminate flooring creeks here and there due to the bowing.
MANAGEMENT: Initially they’d do about anything to please you. I’ve noticed a general decline — we lost a really good concierge, have lost our maintenance guy, and our manager. Initial reports on the new manager are not good. Also, various tenants have been comparing their renewal offers and there is a general consensus that management is intentionally having «math errors» to see who will bite. A lot of times there is talk about doing something — an event, a perk, etc. — with no follow-​through.
When we moved in, we asked management about noise. We were told a little story by the manager that his maintenance guy jumped up and down and he didn’t hear anything in the apartment below. We shared this story with a neighbor, recently, and funny enough we heard that she heard the same story. So, you can give them the benefit of the doubt and perhaps the stack of apartments they were in were much sturdier and had lots of sound isolation or you can believe we were lied to.
I have a maintenance request in for settling cracks that has been ignored for over a month now.
MARKET RATES: I believe they are currently priced too high. They are priced as if they are located a block from the metro. The contract has you agree to the market rate and builds in concessions that are amortized — but once your concessions run out you’ll be paying the inflated «market» rate. This is of course a very smart way of doing business for them — as if you break your contract you’ll not only be paying the normal lease-​break penalties but also paying back all the concessions you received.
THE GOOD STUFF: The finishes are nice. A year ago when we were looking there wasn’t much in this area that had the level of finishes — dark cabinets, granite, huge islands, French door refrigerators, etc. Now there’s a few more buildings around here that have identical finishes. Shared spaces (courtyard, roof) are nice but they could probably use another grill. Maintenance is also pretty responsive in this building, definitely a plus.
So I’m moving in May, PM me if you want a good recommendation for an apartment. I’ve visited them all in this area.

So renewal time came around and they tried to raise my rent by several hundred dollars. I asked the property manager why, and he said it was because they were bringing me up to «market rate». Their idea of «market rate» is unreal. A 1 bed+den, 1.5 bath that is far from the metro is not worth $ 3,000. I asked why, as a good tenant that pays on time and cares for his apartment, they were not trying to retain me. They countered with a small discount off the «market rate». I then toured other apartments in the CourtHouse area to find comparable units to counter this ridiculous raise in rent. I toured 2001 Clarendon, which had a 1 bed+den/1.5 bath for $ 2800, and Tellus, which had a 2 bed/​2bath for $ 3,000. They said these were market rate. These two buildings also have pools and are one block from the metro. When I went back to the Avery Row property manager with these comps, they countered with a $ 25/​month raise in rent. By the time all was said and done, I was annoyed and angry. As a building that is losing tenants at a relatively fast rate, why do I, as a good tenant, need to go through all of this work to get them down in price? I did not resign my lease, and instead signed one at 2001 Clarendon. They’ve got comparable units at a much better price, is close to the metro, has concrete subflooring (unlike the wood subflooring at Avery), a pool, and a 24 hr concierge. Also, I referred several neighbors and got a nice referral bonus. Apparently a lot of current Avery residents are looking at 2001 Clarendon because of noise and management issues (overall they, just as I, became unhappy tenants).
Now, the management at this place went from attentive to missing in action. Several neighbors of mine have had errors in their lease renewal paperwork, such that it reflected incorrect numbers. Additionally, a lot of things have been verbally promised, but not followed through. There is definitely a pattern of this happening more often then not.
Also, I have seen several cracks appear in my unit. They all look bad, but some look almost structural. I submitted a maintenance request several weeks ago to see if they could assess it to make sure it is safe. No one has come to look at it, and as far as I know they are not doing anything about it. So here I am in this unit with unsightly cracks. Way to make it feel like a «luxury» apartment. Several of my neighbors have said that this experienced has tarnished their feelings of Bozzuto properties. I was once a fan of Bozzuto, but now this experienced has convinced me that it’s all a nice façade without anything concrete underneath (just like this building, literally…)

I would just like to echo Mike Z’s review. I just broke my lease and moved out of Avery Row due to the insane amount of noise that I had to deal with in my apartment. I was only there for seven months but it was seven months of pure misery. I could hear every door shut, every drawer close, every toilet flush and from the constant rumble of footsteps I would have swore a heard of elephants lived up there and not a couple of humans. Yes, the price is pretty decent for the area but if you’re like me and enjoy coming home to peace and quiet and being able to sleep when you want to, then it’s definitely too expensive for what you have to deal with. The area is nice, the grounds are well kept, the building and apartments are beautiful but none of that is worth the amount of noise you have to deal with.

Updated ⁷⁄₂₀₁₅ Avery row is a very nice apartment complex but unfortunately it is has a few very strong downsides.
1) The building materials in this apartment are very sub par so you can constantly hear your next door neighbors/​flat mates activities as well as your neighbors walking above you. I’ve been in my apartment for roughly six months and have experienced an absurd amount of noise from my upstairs neighbors walking around.
2) It is located off 50 highway and over a DCA flight path so you constantly hear planes flying overhead and traffic. Also when people are drunk/​talking outside you can hear them… the walls are just that thin. In sum, its a very noisy apartment.
If you are considering living here, its got to be 4^th floor or bust.
That glaring fault aside…
3) It is located far from the Rosslyn and Courthouse metro station, and is equally far from any kind of local bar/​restaurant/​grocery store. To make it a livable apartment, one must really own a car or be okay with walking about 15 minutes up a large hill to get to anything.
4) Management/​concierge service has gone down hill since adam and mary departed. The current property manager is MIA most of the time, not prompt with her email responses. The currently full time concierge is great, but they have not been able to extend concierge service till 9pm due to staff turnover, and sometimes when you want to use the grill for dinner you are SOL.
5) The property is likely getting sold by the owner to someone else, so until that happens the management has been hamstrung. They have denied any requests I’ve sent in to upgrade the gym, buy trash cans/​recycling bins in the community room, or sponsor any community events.
All those things considered, Its a nice apartment with really nice amenities, modern appliances, high ceilings, spacious, an amazing courtyard, and reasonably priced rent given the high priced NOVA housing market. But honestly, I would live somewhere else.

Alright — time to review this rating since I have been here for a while. When we first came: Amazing property manager, amazing concierge person, amazing maintenance guy. After 12 months — lost all 3. No idea about the property manager since I have never seen her around but although I signed a 24 month lease, I got a letter for renewal asking for an increase for a good couple of hundred dollars. It is either a tactical move to see if people would notice or if it is a «get away with the promotion trick». The new concierge people are still pretty amazing. They are all welcoming but it is not a 24 hr concierge. Maintenance guy is also a nice guy and pretty responsive.
— WALLS SHAKE in this place when people walk upstairs. OR if you have a neighbor (like we do) who blasts music during weekend nights, then you hear and feel every single time that bass hits. Also I can tell when my upstairs neighbor plays catch with the dog, vacuums, turns on the food disposer etc. In the bathroom you can also tell when they are utilizing the bath vs taking a bath to every single detail.
— FAR FROM METRO — although it seems like an OK walk to the metro, it is far far away. The steep hill walk does not help either. It is not a bad walk during fall or spring. But if it is too cold or too hot or rain/​snow, then it is very painful.
— CAR NOISE — Route 50 is right next door and it is truly loud. In the winter time when the windows are closed, it is not as bad. But during the spring, if you want a nice spring breeze, forget about it. Especially if it rained and the road is a little wet, the extremely loud tire noise will kill you and you will not be able to keep it open. There is not such thing as sitting in your balcony and listening to yourself for a few minutes to relax. It will beat you up with more noise and you will run back in.
Apartment still has nice finishes etc and although the settling structure seems to be an issue with a lot of people, I haven’t had it that bad. It is just a few minor crack. Nothing the eye can see unless you look for it.
And it is DEFINITELY EXPENSIVE.

I highly recommend Avery Row! I have lived in other apartments in the area and have toured all of them. Everything about Avery Row is great. The apartments have high end finishes, great floor plans and lots of light. The building has terrific common areas that are cool, modern and well maintained. The parking garage is convenient and clean.
The staff are all 5 Star, super service oriented. Very friendly, helpful and dependable. It’s also has the best location, lots of trees and green yet still easy walking to the Metro, Clarendon, Courthouse AMC, Iwo Jima, farmers’s market, restaurants, bike paths etc. Minutes to Georgetown, Downtown DC, Old Town.

Having lived in multiple apartments under different management groups in Arlington, I can honestly say that this building is truly one-​of-​a-​kind. It is brand new, but has a home-​y feel to it. When looking at apartments, we came back to this place 3 times and the staff (Destiny and Adam) were so kind to us and accommodated my request to see many different apartments.
Once we signed the lease, the attention didn’t stop from the staff, including the front desk staff and the maintenance staff. I painted our walls and needed a ladder, and touch-​up paint, both which were provided without question. There are multiple resident events that are being planned that the residents actually attend. This place is very small, quiet, and upscale with all new stainless steel appliances and a great wood floor. It has a gym which is small but functional, and a beautiful courtyard that is pet-​friendly with a grill, fire pit, and patio furniture. There is also a fantastic club room, and a great roof-​top patio area that we can’t wait to use. We could not be happier with our decision to move into Avery Row.