First, I've been here nearly two months now and have been very disappointed at how energy inefficient this place is. My first full-month electric bill arrived yesterday and it was much higher than I expected...I used 898 kilowatt hours to run my 683 sq ft apartment. By comparison, in my old 977 sq ft apartment in Frisco I don't recall ever using over 800 KwH in any month over my entire three years there. Same two people, same lifestyle, apples-to-apples. Outrageous!
Plus, here you do not have the option to choose your electric provider like you do in most other places. Previously I shopped around and chose a provider that charged 6.2 cents per KwH, where here I must use Coserv Electric, which charges 8.9 cents per KwH, no deals, no promotions. That's 43% higher! Double outrageous!
You may not have reliable cell phone service from inside your apartment. I have an iPhone 6 through Verizon that regularly either drops calls mid-conversation or it cuts in and out...very aggravating! I can only get one (reception) bar inside, but if I go outside I can get four bars, so there's obviously a Verizon tower somewhere close by. I suspect it has something to do with the metal decorative aluminum panels on parts of the exterior facade.
The grounds in general seem well kept, but the on-site dog park has been a disappointment. Especially after a rain it is muddy.
There is, however, a City of McKinney dog park just a few blocks away that is very nice. The ground is 100% covered with soft mulch so mud is never an issue and the dogs stay clean. Plus there are nice tables and plenty of shade, too.
There is completely inadequate guest parking within the community. The few guest spots on the bottom floor of the parking garage are always full, and the curbside spaces fill fast, too. I've heard that if anyone parks on the street outside of the dedicated striped spaces they will be towed...they are notorious for it. If you want guests to come visit you'd better play it safe and go pick them up.
My apartment was clean and ready for move-in when promised. Hot water is plentiful and the ceiling fans are very quiet. The carpet is typical apartment grade...cheap, but the wood-look laminate (plastic) floors seem to be (so far) bulletproof. The stove, microwave, and refrigerator work as advertised, but the dishwasher is a joke. If I didn't rinse our dishes thoroughly before I put them in, I doubt the dishwasher could deliver anything approaching clean dishes. Lincoln Properties really should have spent another $20 and put in a better model.
The neighbors are relatively quiet. There does seem to be considerable trash in the hallway though. I purposely didn't pick it up in order to see how long it would take housekeeping to come around and clean up. It was there for four days. I've had to call maintenance twice to come fix things and they responded promptly.
So far I'll say it isn't a bad place to live, but I wish I'd done a bit more homework before I settled on Parkside at Craig Ranch.
That's all I have for now. I'll add EDITS as I have more to report.
