Lexington Square Condominiums

I’m an owner and I live here. I’d like to comment on Katie M’s comments. She really comes off as a complainer.
1) RE the gym. It’s not meant to be a substitute for a real gym. Gold’s Gym is literally a 2 – 3 minute walk across the street. For $ 40 month, I assume you can afford that if you are living here to begin with. Guess what — you’ll have to wait for some piece of equipment at most gyms during peak time.
2) RE: walls. While they aren’t cement, I’ve never heard my neighbors sneeze. If your neighbor yells, you can hear it — as you can in most places. I’ve never even heard any of my neighbors getting it on! (though that could be due to a variety of reasons).
3) RE «strange cutouts» Somewhat ridiculous complaint being that you made a choice to live in this particular unit. Did you not check the unit out yourself before renting it? I definitely don’t have this problem and haven’t heard of anyone that does.
4) Re: sloppy construction. Again, I’ve not heard of anyone else with this odd problem.
5) RE: common area Hallways: Yes, the fact that heat rises is a well-​known one. Perhaps another thing you weren’t aware of prior to renting. I’m on one of the lower floors and as long as the hallway A/​C is running, it’s a perfectly normal temp in the halls. Of course, a door draft blocker will help with air escaping /​entering for ANY unit.
6) RE: the smells. No worse than any other community living.
7) RE: Window drafts. If you have standard windows and it’s the dead of winter and a windy outside, sure, you could feel that coming in, just like with any standard window. Upgrade to a better window and it won’t be an issue.
8) «It feels less like a building constructed in 2000, and more like a house from 1888. On windy nights, my blinds and black-​out curtains will literally start blowing.»
TOTALLY ridiculous. Perhaps you were on a rocking chair when this happened.
9) RE: Corian Countertop & Sink: «Eww. It looks pretty at first, but it is a nightmare to keep clean!!! «
Once again, did you not notice /​realize this when you signed a lease? Also, I’m pretty sure that a lot of unit owners have upgraded the countertop.
If you have legitimate complaints or criticisms, that is one thing. I really think Katie just likes to complain and that the majority of her criticisms aren’t justified. The building is not built like it was in the 1800s, as she says. I lived in River Place in Rosslyn for 3 months — now that place IS a shithole! In fact, you have to manually replace the fuses yourself — I had never seen that prior to living here. Obviously the building isn’t the newest, but it’s far from the oldest.
It would be nice if we had a concierge. The units are nice and the block is generally quiet, though you can easily reach the craziness of Clarendon by foot, bike, car, or metro.

I have lived for 3 years in Lexington square as a renter. I really like Lexington square, but I feel that in general, reviews of condos tend to be inflated because it is in the owner’s best interest to make the place as desirable as possible.
The Great:
–Pool: It is beautiful and well maintained. (The pool chairs/​lounges suck, and there is that one lady in her mid/late-30’s who drunkenly announced to her friends, «Just pee in the pool like I do, I am doing it right now»).
— Grill (and green grass area): The grills are really nice and well maintained. When I first saw the green grass patch I thought it was silly, but it is awesome for picnics, playing catch, bocce…
— The management is lovely. Victoria is always responsive and kind. Maintenance is quick to look at issues.
— Common areas are kept clean.
— Location is perfect. It is in the middle of everything, but it is quiet.
— Units are very sunny
— Gas: Gas stoves are the best, I can never go back to electric. We had an original stove and it worked great!
Neutral:
–The gym: It is dark and a bit small for the size of the property. I usually have to wait for a treadmill during peak times. However, the equipment in the gym is great considering the limited space. The weight equipment is versatile and in great shape.
–Walls: They are thin, I could hear my neighbor sneeze. However, this won’t be a problem as most residents are respectful and quiet… no late night parties, shouting matches etc. (I am picky about this, and I didn’t have any problems).
–Strange cutouts: I don’t know how to explain this (I attached a photo of one) you might just have to see it in person. Some units might be better than others. Our walls are broken up with random nooks and recesses. This can make fitting furniture in a challenge and takes up a lot of good usable space.
–Sloppy construction: Walls are not straight; this might be a problem if you want to put up shelves. (See the attached photo. I ended up replacing the sideboard with shelves in the recess. I found out that the one corner was about 87 degrees, the other 93 degrees, and the back wall was not straight. It looked bad up close.)
–Common area Hallways: The higher the floor, the hotter the hallway is in the summer. It feels like a humid Houston summer up there. This humid air will rush in to your home under the 1.5″ crack under your front door. Get yourself a door draft blocker.
The Bad:
–The smells!!!: My vent was directly linked to other units. I could smell everything. (Note: I couldn’t smell anything from the hallway. These smells came directly from another unit through my kitchen vent). Worst case, you share a vent with a neighbor that regularly cooks fish and burns it (TRUE story) or smokes.
–Dryer/​washer ventilation: There is none. And like the air vents, it is directly linked to other units. If a neighbor is doing laundry in a unit below you, your laundry closet and dryer barrel will be warm and damp. I was constantly wiping up condensation stains in there when I hadn’t even used the wash/​dryer. The lint catcher doesn’t work well since the lint is damp. It takes forever to dry your clothing. Invest in a drying rack. (Note: A repair man familiar with this building confirmed that this was not just an issue with my unit or dryer).
–Window drafts: These windows are so drafty! It feels less like a building constructed in 2000, and more like a house from 1888. On windy nights, my blinds and black-​out curtains will literally start blowing.
–Corian Countertop & Sink: Eww. It looks pretty at first, but it is a nightmare to keep clean!!! The most minor things stain it, and then you have to get out the bleach and scrub in order to clean it. If you are a neat freak, having to bleach the sink after every use will drive you mad.
-$ 400 Move In fee: It applies to any move-​ins, regardless of whether or not the person moving in has furniture. (Example, you change roommates or you get married and your husband/​wife moves in).
–AC: There have been a few building-​wide AC outages in the past year. Something’s not right.
For possible buyers: This place is over 15 years old and it is starting to show its age.
–If it hasn’t yet been replaced (since 2000) you will probably be shopping for a new HVAC in the next few years.
–There have been complaints of water pipe knocking (unit happens as buildings age). If your unit is causing knocking that bothers your neighbor you will be financially responsible for fixing it. This usually requires drywall to be removed.
PSA: CHECK YOUR SMOKE DETECTORS please. Smoke alarms should be replaced every 10 years. I am willing to bet 90% of the smoke detectors are past their expiration date.

I have been living here for almost 3 years and have been happy with my time here, to the point I bought another unit in the complex. I know, I know, sounds weird with all of your eggs in one basket, but it’s a good investment, location can’t be beat, and the property is run very efficiently. The condo I lived in while I was in Chicago always had really nosy/​lame board members, that had all kinds of crazy rules, but the Lexington Square has pretty chill board members, who have good rules/​regulations, and their property mgt company is super responsive.
The location has only gotten better and I can’t wait until they tear that mall down and build a town center. The addition to new restaurants is also a plus, and I like being so close to a grocery store. The building is secure and for the most part, my neighbors are pretty chill. Most people here are professionals and live their lives as such.
I love the pool. It never gets too crowded. And the gym is decent but I use the one right across the street or go up the block to the yoga studio.
Overall, the location cannot be beat for this place. I’m happy to exchange house size for being able to walk everywhere, including the metro. So great for the last minute/​late night food runs. Oh, and there’s usually a lot of street parking. I know this because I rent out my parking space for $ 125 a month and just drive to work/​park after work. Not too bad.

I lived there for 3 years and it was a wonderful experience. I only left to buy a big single family-​home out in the ‘burbs. Amazing location, great amenities.
I used the gym ALL the time. I loved that it was open 24 hours. I also belonged to Sport and Health in the mall but when I wanted a quick and/​or late night workout the gym was always there for me.
Pool is very nice, though I used it a lot less often than the gym.
We utilized the shared grills in the courtyard quite regularly. Everyone was friendly and made it easy to share.
Walls are definitely NOT thin — our bedroom was adjacent to our neighbor’s nursery (with our bed directly against the dividing wall) and we barely ever heard a peep. When we’d see our neighbor she’d apologize for how loud her baby was and we’d honestly assure her each time that we never heard him.
The building engineers have been VERY attentive and responsive to requests. We had a fire sprinkler leak and they fixed the problem immediately. They even paid to have someone replace a few pieces of hardwood that incurred minor damage — no hassle at all.
A year or two ago they got new office staff and they are extremely friendly and attentive. E-​mails and phone calls with questions or concerned were returned promptly and issues were quickly resolved.
I miss being able to walk to Metro in just a few short minutes. That was awesome.

Lexington Square is great! The pool is gorgeous minus the lifeguards, but tolerable. The condos are great & the fireplace makes it seem more like a home! Any size dog is allowed in the building which is a plus. Close to 2 metro stops, bars, restaurants, everything! This is a great place to live! Office manager is extremely friendly always willing to help, good party room. Friendly neighbors, you can hear people when in the hallway & maybe hear people moving furniture upstairs but not bad. Safe & quiet part of ballston, very safe when walking your dog at dark. 2 gas grills & a yard for picnics & gym that is a little outdated but not bad. Great condominium to live in! The move in fee is around $ 400 no matter what.

I don’t understand the thin walls complaint. I lived in Lexington Square for eight years and never heard anything through the wall. I could hear everything in the hallways — the front doors aren’t that insulating, but not much goes on there and it wasn’t a problem. If my windows and the neighbors’ windows were open then I could sometimes hear them, but that’s not the same thing. One time a neighbor complained that she could hear me vacuuming late at night through my floor/​her ceiling, which was odd since I hadn’t been vacuuming late at night.
Things I really liked:
— Size. The condos aren’t enormous, but they are bigger than most condos in the area. My condo had nice features — fireplace, hardwood floors, renovated bathroom, etc.
— Amenities. The pool, gym, storage and even little park/​grill area was nice. Package rooms and on-​site building staff made dealing with building issues/​questions convenient.
–Location. Very close to two metros, within walking distance to many restaurants and relatively quiet for the neighborhood.
— Everything is good shape (except the front doors. Why do they keep breaking? How hard is it to keep doors working?)
Things I didn’t like:
— Oddly restrictive rules in the pool area. Sign-​ins, early closing hours, etc. Lifeguards are there for liability reasons but to my knowledge have never had to save anyone. instead they just sit there and draw a salary from our condo fees and enforce said overly restrictive rules.
— HVACs. I never had a serious problem, my AC/​heat worked quite well, but I know that some people have had repair problems.
— Lack of parking. I had a parking spot in the garage, but guests had a hard time finding on-​street parking at times

The best thing about Lexington Square is its location. It is in a great spot right between Ballston and Virginia Square metro stops and is walking distance to so much.
Pros:
— Great location close to two metro stops
— Can walk to many shops and great places to eat
— Pool is nice, although I don’t use it much
— The condo manager and maintenance staff seem great. They have always been helpful.
— It is always clean and is well maintained.
Cons:
— Walls are thin. On one side of me is someone who gets quite a bit of action and I can hear most of it. On the other side of me is someone who likes to play the piano– a lot! I don’t consider myself a light sleeper but I bought one of those white-​noise machines because it is noisy. Oh, and the guy above me must be in training for the World Championships of Marbles because something is always rolling around his floor. Kind of reminds me of my college dorm.
— I can hear just about everything that goes on in the hallway. There isn’t a huge amount foot traffic but I always wonder if people in the hallway can hear me as clearly as I can hear them.
— The air-​conditioning is awful. Both of the buildings in this complex have been have terrible problems with the A/​C. Not sure if they fixed it, but there was quite a lot of troubleshooting this summer as they tried to figure out the problem.
Minor Gripes:
— My mailbox is made for a midget. I basically have to get on my knees to get my mail. No big deal but strange.
— The parking garage is confusing and most people treat it as a death-​race. Seriously, sometimes it is like the NJ Turnpike in there!
I am happy to be moving and even though I have not gotten nearly as much sleep as I would have liked, it is not a bad place to live.

I must say I will miss you, Lexington Square Condominiums. You have been a good home to me for the past year and I think you’re just super. Your double pool with water falls makes me feel like a princess and despite the water always been ass cold, you still make every summer here magical. Thank you for providing a lifeguard whose only job for the summer is to ensure we don’t drink but doesn’t care if the only 2 children that live in the entire complex are shooting water guns as us.
Your staff is always amazing. They have a great sense of humor and are never grumpy. They have been helpful to me in times of distress and there to answer every question I have had despite how ridiculous they were.
The walls you bare are thick and I can never hear my neighbors. Silence was always golden within your walls. So much so you contacted me during the day when my dog was barking just to remind me of the policy to keep quiet. Apprently my neighbor didn’t appreciate hearing my dog which she admitted she could only hear if she stood in the hallway. Right in front of my door. Staring at the door. Listening intently for the soft bark of an old dog with no voicebox.
Your common areas are beautiful and up to date. Always clean and never stinky. I wish your front doors would stop breaking down every other month, though. It’s causing my condo fees to rise and I do not look forward to any «special assessments». Perhaps just save the money and hire a doorman to check IDs and open and close them properly. I cannot fault you, though, for you are one of only a few places in the area that is ADA compliant. I appreciate this as when the elderly or war veterans in wheel chairs are exiting for their day at work, you provide a safe and secure way out.
Good bye, LSQ. You will be missed forever. May the next person who takes over my home be as happy as I was.
xoxox,
Michelle