The Square 4316 Bull Creek Road, Austin, TX 78731

"Let me tell you, this apartment ain't just a roof over my head; it's a sanctuary from the wild adventures of life. Whether I'm lounging by the pool or whipping up some jambalaya in the kitchen (sorry, Texas, but Louisiana cuisine still holds a special place in my heart), every corner of this place feels like home."

"This apartment complex use to be nice and quiet. There's a lot of shady people living there now. Cops are called all the time. I don't feel safe living there. Maintenance is guy is nice. Pool is always dirty. I always see a young lady cleaning the pool just so she can swim."

"The apartment is minimalist, which was quite pleasant (aside from not having a microwave) but I had other issues living here. The hard flooring, all cheap laminate, would bubble and had gaps all over my first floor apartment living area. The unit flooded with some sort of sewage while I was away in September, and although the adjacent units flooded, I was not notified or contacted by property management to see if mine had damage. I came back to find me and my toddler’s clothes soaked with sewage in the closet, small rugs destroyed, and a large piece of art ruined. Repairs were more of a nightmare. I am a full time graduate student, mom, and work. Although I gave permission to enter the unit to property management both verbally and in email correspondence, I kept getting calls from maintenance to schedule a time to meet me there, delaying repairs. They failed to repair the clogged bathtub drain for a month, and when they did some repairs they left my unit unlocked with my personal property still inside while I was out of town. They ended up painting over baseboards that were swollen with flooded sewage water. The complex was quiet and in a convenient location, but didn’t come close to all of the trouble I have gone through. Parking is a nightmare, and my car was towed while I was moving items out of the unit, with my child’s car seat in it. I was also told to get my mail key from the post office, which delayed me getting mail for a month and sent me down a rabbit hole of pleading with the post office to help me understand why they didn’t have a key for me, when it turns out the property owned the mailbox all along. Take your money somewhere else where property management is onsite. The renovations here are lipstick on a pig at best."

"Austin provides monumental options of apartment living. For me, it is important where I live. I wish to live in a complex that is comfortable, being happy and quiet surroundings. After a year of searching we found The Square. Although the complex is in close proximity to MoPac and railroad tracks, renovations reduce sound barrier. The complex was in midst of renovations when seeing the unit: * New insulation put into walls * Removal of partial wall giving an open space environment * Kitchen granite counter top * New Whirlpool and Frigidaire appliances * Large ceiling fan in the living room * 4 closets * No carpet, easy to clean floors * 4 incandescent globe bulbs with large mirror in bathroom * Cothes hamper with sufficient cabinet * Bathtub surrounded with multi-green tiling * 3 large windows, screened I especially appreciate the low-cost of living at The Square. Gas and water are included with rent. The electric bill ranges between $40-$100. This includes electricity rates increase during summer. Regular maintenance and repairs are carry out. The swimming pool is emptied yearly and is routinely cleaned throughout the summer duration. Adjacent to the pool is a patio flame Napoleon outdoor modern fireplace and relaxing outdoor furniture. The laundry room occupies a stainless steel table for folding clothes, large flat screen TV installed on the wall and sitting chairs with table. The sweet smelling tree situated between the pool and laundry room attracts honey bees and humming birds. My apologies, but I don't know the name of the tree. I think it's a Cherry Laurel, but I'm not sure. But what I do know is the tree's sweet fragrance lingers throughout the complex and in the evening while in bed I smell its sweetness through the open bedroom window. I had heard rumors of removing the tree and I am happy that they didn't. It's a pretty tree. The birds and bees think so too. There is something to take into consideration if you decide to live here. The units at The Square are 635 square feet. It could be a double- edge sword used to one's advantage reresulting in saving money, paying off all debts, or some debts, which is why we moved out from renting a 3- bedroom house in Tarrytown. We live a minimalism life. You can look it up in YouTube, and please do. We knew of the housing and rental changes happening in Austin. Moving to The Square gave us the opportunity to down size materially. I measured the apartment, my new home I should add, like a mad woman to determine which furniture to keep. I have to admit, it was a coma- stricken awakening for me realizing that most of our material possessions we could live without. We have been living at The Square 3 years, 8 months. Not only is rent cheap considering it is Allandale territory, its neighboring Enfield, Tarrytown and Clarksville territories. We used the double- edge sword to our advantaged. My husband and I were able to pay off our debts. We are debt free. No, we are not rich. We live a simple lifestyle with just the necessities of life. Believe it or not, a measure of stress is lifted. I am happier having less. Really. There is one more thing that I would like to share. I have asthma. There were times that I had to sleep sitting down in bed. But since the duration of living here I have not had a single asthma attack, nor wheezing. I think it could possibly be the new insulation within the walls. I really don't know. I'm just happy that the feeling of " someone sitting on my chest" feeling is gone. Perhaps this could be a contributing factor to my new found happiness. There are vacancies at The Square. You should come by and take a look. Look around the neighborhood. If you do come by, please keep an open mind. It isn't a fancy place. Such amenities costs money. There are nice people living here respecting their neighbors. It is a nice place. A place someday you could possibly call - Home. I think The Square should be renamed. It's new name: "The Square- The Minimalist Lifestyle""