Expo

If it wasn’t for the staff, Expo would deserve a two-​star rating.
We have been leasing a 2 bedroom, 2 bath apartment and when we started looking for something else, we realized just how terribly overpriced this building is, even considering its location. Some of the newer downtown or lower QA buildings offer accommodations and luxury that Expo can’t live up to for a similar price.
The units are bare-​bones cheaply made — the cabinet doors started falling off within the first few weeks. The appliances are what you would expect in a place priced half of Expo. Unless you live in a corner unit (which we were,) the windows do not protect you from the outside noise whatsoever which is silly since it’s a high traffic area.
Pros:
— The staff.
— Location, obviously. There are a handful of neat restaurants downstairs and the proximity to Seattle Center lets you take advantage of fun events.
— The parking garage is easy to get in and out and the spots are fairly large, if you’re willing to pay the monthly fee.
— Two fast elevators in each wing of the building.
— Tenants are for the most part quiet and timid Amazon employees.
— The 3 rooftops provide a nice view and a fun gathering place. There is a rooftop with two grills, a «quiet» rooftop and one that has a community garden-​type of thing.
— Great place for pets since the International Fountain park is right outside the door.
Cons:
— The units feel cheap overall, including the appliances and bathrooms.
— Pricing. I’d suggest looking at comparable building prior to settling for Expo.
— Occasional disturbed person yelling and throwing things outside.
— You can get stuck in a terrible traffic jam if there is something going on at Key Arena or Seattle Center.
— Pet incontinence is a problem at Expo. People seem to not clean up if their pet has an accident in the hallways and it happens more often than you’d assume. The staff does do their best to curb this problem, however.
— Unless you’re in a corner unit which has different windows than the rest of the building, the sound insulation is pretty terrible.

I moved here 5 months ago and can say I have never lived somewhere I loved this much. The staff is friendly and super helpful. Tyree is great! We regularly see maintenance staff around just tidying up and they always have a smile on their faces. We particularly love Isaiah who repeatedly has offered to go out of his way just to make little things in life easier. They keep this place spotless which is a huge thing for me. Even after people went a little wild over New Years the building was nice and clean the next day. The building takes security seriously and I REALLY appreciate that as a previous building did not at all.
Of course there are the occasional rule breaking residents who need to learn to read and follow the rules but for the most part everyone is extremely courteous and respectful. It is super quiet and pet friendly too! I have used the craft room a few times and it is a great amenity and keeps me from getting glitter all over my apartment. The gym has always been clean and has a lot more equipment than your normal apartment gym (or at least those I’ve experienced in the last 10 years). Plus from the rooftop deck you get a killer view of the Space Needle. Surprisingly enough you don’t hear events at Key Arena like they mentioned in some other reviews. I think I’ve just heard one and it was only for about 20 minutes when I assume they were setting everything up. The only thing that would make this place better is a pool!
Truly you cannot beat the price, aesthetic and amenities for the location. I researched a lot of buildings and am so happy I selected Expo.

I only felt the need to come on here and write a review because I don’t think the current ratings are fair to the staff who runs this building.
I moved here in the summer of 2014 and had some issues with my apartment but management went above and beyond, eventually, to mitigate the issue. The entire property is always SPOTLESS and clean.
My favorite part of living here is that I NEVER hear my neighbors. No matter what the time of day or day of the week you would think this building is unoccupied because you never ever hear music or any kind of noise from any neighbors. It is awesome because I love my sleep and I have friends (elsewhere in Seattle) who can hear conversations through walls. So kudos to the folks who did the noise insulation on this property.
The gym is tiny but always spotless and has a decent selection of equipment. My apartment, a studio, is relatively large and fits my very large furniture very comfortably.
The rooftops are amazing and every friend I’ve brought to my apartment is absolutely blown away by any of the three rooftops here. It really is amazing how close we live to everything.
My apartment is super easy to clean and I’ve never seen an ant or spider or anything along those lines so that’s awesome. Dust is easily controlled with a large HEPA air filter from Amazon (literally never have to dust any more).
The staff is awesome. You can really tell that they do a good job of hiring people with the right attitude and that you sort of feel taken care of by everyone from Debbie down. They’re super nice and Debbie is very professional and always cites my lease when I have questions so that there are no surprises.
These are just some of the highlights. I usually always find something to complain about with purchases but this apartment is just rock solid. I literally have nothing negative to say (the rent is pricey but the value is good).
Hope that helps.

I have lived here in the Expo for two years and have loved it. It is one of the best buildings I have ever lived with the most incredible views as well. I lived in a one bedroom that faced the space needle and views of the skyline with a little balcony and that was amazing. Now I’m in a corner two bedroom that is simply incredible and even though I’m on a different side of the building I still have unbelievable views!
I’ve never once heard a neighbor next to me. The building just feels really well constructed and sound proofed.
The staff especially Debbie and Keith and all of the amazing people in the leasing office (Linda and Tyree to name a few) are always so sweet and kind. If I needed help carrying a package to my car or apartment they are always happy to lend a hand.
This apartment building feels like a home and a community of really classy wonderful people. The grounds and hallways and fitness center and common room are always perfectly maintained.
I have heard people complain a few times about something insignificant like that you can’t smoke in front of the building and that sometimes it can get loud when the festivals are going on but we are downtown and so noise comes with city living and not everyone wants to walk through smoke to get into their apt complex.
Anyway, I wanted to write a review because I think everyone here goes above and beyond and my experience has been wonderful and safe and easy.
Plus they have these carts in the garage that we can use to transport groceries and they are the greatest things in the world! Can’t imagine living without them.

My partner and I moved from Atlanta to Expo about 2 months ago and we have had nothing but a positive experience thus far. Our Leasing Agent, Tyree, was extremely helpful from the time he showed us the apartment right up until the day we moved in. The transition couldn’t have been any smoother and that was much appreciated.
I’ve reported two small maintenance issues and the staff was there to take care of it immediately both times. They’ve been nothing but friendly and helpful.
As for the review about people letting their pets mess wherever… We haven’t seen that a single time. The staff does a great job at keeping all of the facilities and lobbies very clean. And the person complaining about the noise outside: did you happen to notice where the building you were moving into was located? You’re right next to the Seattle Center. Did you expect it to be quiet?
Other than an occasional door slam, I haven’t heard a single one of my neighbors. As far as outside goes… yeah it’s a busy area and you’re going to have those «city noises», but when I close all my windows (which hasn’t happened much because the Summer weather has been amazing) it’s really not that bad.
I’m absolutely loving the location. You’re right next to the Seattle Center where it seems like there is always something going on. You can walk everywhere (post office, grocery stores, restaurants, the water is 5 blocks away, etc.). We made it a whole month on one tank of gas (and we’re sharing a car).
The entire staff at Expo has been nothing but helpful, nice, and professional. I’m very happy with our choice of living here.

I have to agree with my partners comment below. The office staff (Debbie, Marianna, Linda, Amor, and Tyree) couldn’t be more friendlier. They are always waving and saying hello. The maintenance staff is the same way. Always smiling and always saying hello.
As far as cleanliness, I work in property management (in no way affiliated with Essex or Expo) and this is a huge pet peeve of mine. Not once in the the almost two months we have lived here have a seen a piece of paper on the ground. They take very good care the property and grounds.
One last thing is the location can not be beat! Walking distance to everything and bus stops right out the door. No need to own a car!

I hired a cleaning lady to clean my apt. before move out. Also, I never wore shoes in my apt. And I cleaned the carpet with a Dyson every few days. I’m a clean freak. When I moved out when the lease expired in 9 months, I did not get the security deposit back. They told me they hired a professional carpet cleaning even though the carpet was spotless clean. The management said I was obligated to pay for the mandatory professional carpet cleaning therefore I don’t get any security deposit back.
Another thing about this apt. was there were tenants who left dog dropping everywhere in the building and they didn’t even bother cleaning by themselves. Few times, I opened my door to go outside to find dog peed and pooped in front of my door in the hallway. Also, in front of the elevators and shockingly, they get lazy and let them pee in the common area like roof decks (dispute the fact the apt complex is next to the park).

I found expo via
the price was within my price range. So I called the office spoke to someone to schedule an appointment to view the apartment. The person seemed rude to begin with. Regardless I continued to schedule an appointment. She then asked me what my price range was. I said something around 2100.00. She went ahead and said in a rude way our apartments start at 2700.00. I told her well you guys should tell
to change it then since that’s false advertising. In addition, she told me that they do sometime have apartments less then 1700 which is only for something about low income program something like that. Which they didn’t have available. She was rude and made me feel very poor. I’m sorry if around 2100 is low income for you lady. To me I’m just being realistic doesn’t necessarily mean I can’t afford it. By the way please make sure to change the prices with those websites because false advertisement is illegal. Thanks

We moved into the building when it opened in October 2012. Actually, only half of the building was open at that time — the other half was under construction — so there was plenty of parking and a small community feel. The gym and roof decks weren’t ready yet, but we were happy with our seemingly peaceful 2BR apartment. Then all the college students and temporary residents with no regard for their neighbors moved in. We were fortunate that our unit was mostly surrounded by good, considerate neighbors. Several people moved out of the building by breaking leases because of noise issues with neighbors that were not nipped in the bud by management. Management has since changed, so perhaps these issues are better handled now.
The gym is small, and the machines are regularly on the fritz. There are a handful of pet owners who have no regard for their neighbors, letting their animals (dogs and cats) roam off leash and urinate and defecate without making any effort to clean it up (in the hallways, on the roof decks, etc). After an off-​leash dog attacked an on-​leash dog in one of the common areas in June, all pet owners were prohibited from bringing their pets to common areas. We paid pet deposits and pet rent, so it felt like we were getting less for more.
If you like to sleep in on weekends, this building is not for you. The park side of the building is often subjected to amplified noise early in the morning on Saturdays, Sundays and more (hello, Folklife, I’m talking to you). This mostly occurs from late spring through early autumn, and noise happened as early as 5:45 a.m. because of footraces. The plus side is that the campus manager at Seattle Center seemed genuinely interested in hearing from Expo residents and taking the changing dynamic of the neighborhood into consideration for planning future events. Neighbors on the north side of the building regularly complained about the frequency and the intensity of the noise from garbage pickups. Residents on the west side of the building complained regularly about bar noise, and residents facing the courtyard complained about people being loud and inconsiderate in the courtyard late at night. This building is not a tranquil environment.
If you think you’re paying for luxury, you’re not. The finishes are quite cheap, as would be expected in an apartment versus a condo. Our refrigerator’s ice maker malfunctioned on day one, flooding our kitchen floor and warping the cheap wood laminate floors and the baseboards. At least the maintenance crew was helpful and responsive. Their help and friendliness definitely made living at Expo somewhat less painful.
The main perk of living in this building was the concierge service. Not having to worry about waiting around for packages was definitely helpful. Some of the leasing agents who have since moved on to other work used to even bring the packages up to our door if we couldn’t make it home before the leasing office closed.
Weeks after moving out, we are still trying to recover our security deposit. Management deducted cleaning charges for normal wear and tear, which is illegal. I will update this review depending on how things turn out in a few months.
– Update 3÷11÷2014 —
As promised, here is an update on what happened regarding our security deposit. Management and I settled out of court through mediation, which was extremely helpful given the mixed communications I received from management. Part of the problem was the transition from old manager to new right as we were moving out, but the bigger issue seems to be the policies put in place by corporate that are beyond management’s control. Mediation gave me a place to express my disagreement with these policies, although I doubt any larger change will result. The current manager was very considerate of my concerns and non-​confrontational.

Not sure why my review was filtered, it was based on my experience. You can easily find the Ad and call the number if you would like to check the accuracy of my claims.

Positives:
Location, Location, Location
Really cozy comfortable units
neighborhood access to seattle center
Great Maintenance staff
Metro Market!
SIFF theatre
Quick walk to Myrtle Edwards park.
Negatives:
Commercial zone building (no laws protecting from street noise)
Marathon loud speakers early weekend mornings
North side of the building, garbage/​recycling truck noise (all hours of the morning)
Electronic keys regularly malfunction
Incidents of fire alarm pulling in the middle of the night
Dog excrement on rooftops with no valid system in place to crack down
All in all a good building if you are young, easy going and a very sound sleeper. If early morning street noise bothers you… DO NOT LIVE HERE.
There is generally a very young feeling in this building. There may be a hand full of children and a few retired people, but the general vibe is way more college dorm than luxury rental. If you’re looking for an actual «luxury» feel its probably worth spending 100 or so more a month for an upgrade.

Moved in here back in December.
.It’s been perfect.
My roommate and I moved from a extremely horribly situation and old building to Expo, which might be maybe 5% of why we are so happy. We have a corner home with amazin natural light, tons of space and love the access that we have to the city. I work in the SLU area and walk to work, as does my neighbor, bout a 15min walk. If I want to head downtown I have a multitude of options:
a. Walk
b. Bus
c. Monorail
d. Taxi
e. Über (if I’m feeling rich)
We haven’t had any noise issues, I have a pretty bada** sound system and not a single note, complaint or peep from our neighbors or vise versa. There are 3 roof top decks, amazing community room, fitness center AND craft room. Yes ladies and gents, a craft room full of everything that Michaels could offer!
In short, do yourself a favor. If you are sick of the downtown living, but still want to be in the heart of things Expo is the place to be. Did I mention MetMarket, Bartells, Safeway and all of the other shopping across the street… =]