Tera Apartments

Cant say enough great things about this place. First off Amanda and her staff are always so friendly and helpful. The apartments complex is beautiful and the neighborhood is amazing. When I tell people what I pay to live at Tera they never believe I get such great of a deal for such a nice place/​location. They just made a new gym that is awesome as well! Thank you Tera crew!

I moved into Tera back in July and from the second I met the Tera apartment staff, I knew it was going to be a good fit. Amanda and her team have been so helpful and really make me feel at home. They are beyond accommodating and make living there so easy. Tera does a great job of keeping up on maintenance and the new gym is incredible. I would recommend Tera to anyone looking for a great apartment in Kirkland.

Moved here in September of this year. It has been a great location with great staffing. If something needs attention it is taken care of with in 24 hours. I accidentally left my window down in my car and they called to tell me. Just little things like that are what make it a great place to live.

I lived at Tera for nearly 5 years, and would still be there if not for an out of state job transfer. I loved my apartment and time living there. The staff was amazing; very friendly and responsive. It was apparent they enjoyed their job and wanted us to enjoy our home. The maintenance team was equally enjoyable to work with. Both guys were quick to take care of any issues in my apartment. They even left nice little treats like M&Ms with the completed work orders… nice touch. The only negative I would mention would be the lack of fitness center, but sounds like they are now putting one in. And at times had to deal with loud music/​tv and dogs barking. But that comes with apartment living and shared walls. Luckily the team was always quick to address any issues. Overall I am going to miss my apartment and Kirkland. I would highly recommend Tera to anyone moving to the area.

While I lived there, most things were well kept up and run, however the walls and ceilings are paper thin, so you hear your neighbors, the street, the people above and below you.
There aren’t any amenities except for a roof deck that is usually in use and a mission to get too. The layout of the apartment was good, but the closets are quite shallow in most units.
They have been renovating units and these seem a bit nicer but that’s trim and appliance work.
The neighborhood is nice, close to park and close up downtown, great for dogs. You don’t really need a parking space, there is always spots on the street.
Why not at least two stars? The fees, hidden fees moving in, moving out, charges for cleaning the apartment (which was immaculate) and none of my friends who stayed after I left made it out with anything less than a 700 clean up, misc, insert whatever you want to call it… Charges.

I have nothing but good things to say about Tera. My wife and I lived there for 8 months. The property itself is well managed, maintenance and the leasing staff are quick to respond, friendly and professional. The grounds are well kept. The complex as a whole is generally quiet. Roof top deck in the B building is top notch, great view, clean, bbq’s etc
The location is solid and in walking distance to QFC, sushi, theaters, Purple Café etc and if you’re up for an extra 4 or 5 min walk you’ll be in downtown Kirkland. We never had an issue with parking, residences or any of the other negatives people reference when reviewing apartments in general.
Most importantly, when you move out they are still kind and sincere and they don’t nickle and dime you for everything they can think of in effort to keep your security deposit like a lot of other properties are known for. All in all, if you’re looking for a place in Kirkland then Tera has to be on your list.

This is my third apartment with Tera! I love the staff, their timely responses to concerns or issues. Their friendly demeanor post signing a lease. The grounds, garages, hallways, elevators and walk-​ways are impeccable and also outside grounds are tasteful.
I love that the staff doesn’t seem to rotate, Amanda and Nicole have been in the office since I signed my first lease in 2011 and are still there today. Lauren was a wonderful addition shortly after I became a tenant and she too is one of the most friendly and intelligent.
All of the staff from maintenance to office say hello to me by name, watch out for me personally.
I truly feel at home here, and could not ask for more.

The cost of living here is a bit high and at a glance, it doesn’t seem fair… but what they lack in amenities (no apartment gym, no free parking, etc), they make up for in service. The staff here is great and I love how responsive they are to complaints or requests. They also go out of their way to create community elements to the complex. :) The building is clean and secure (and pet friendly!). Besides… I’ve never used the extra amenities in other apartments anyways. :P Quality definitely gets high points here.
The units themselves are in great condition and are well insulated against the cold. However, that does mean that in the summer they get warm easily, especially western-​facing units. You get a great view of Kirkland and Lake Washington, but the setting sun can turn the apartment unit in to a sauna (especially since sunset comes much later this far north in the summer). The included ceiling fan does well to circulate air… but pulling air in from the window will require a fan or an A/​C unit. Also… construction noises and street noises in the day time… and that really loud garbage truck on Friday mornings. But city noises are to be expected when living walking distance to Kirkland Downtown.
Honestly, the only reason I don’t give this place 5 stars is because of the total costs. Rent + all utilities + parking… kind of a pricey monthly expense!

I have lived here for the past year and it has been absolutely wonderful. I moved across the country and had a week to pick where I was going to live. I went with Tera because the staff was so friendly and I liked the apartments. I couldn’t have made a better decision. The staff is beyond amazing. So helpful, friendly, and kind. The grounds are always well kept, and if there is ever an issue, they are quick to address it and solve it. I have always felt very safe and welcome, which was super important to me. The other residents are also very friendly and the location is great as well. Overall, if you are looking for an apartment in Kirkland, look here!

The units are SMALL, NOISY and EXPENSIVE. You are nickelled and dimed. For example, the monthly parking is $ 75 per space in addition to all other expense. The staff sells well but is unhelpful and rigid. I lost trust in them with their inconsistent conduct. Their friendly smiles did not match their behavior. Beware … once you sign the contract, the treatment changes. Oh. the sponsored events on the roof top are quite lame. I will be happy when my lease ends.

I made an appointment this past Saturday to visit Tera apartment on my current hunt for a new home. I had the pleasure of speaking with Lauren prior to my visit and meeting her on the day of.
Cannot speak more of the exemplary customer service. She was friendly, knowledgeable, and absolutely amazing in her follow ups. I don’t usually do this, but Lauren has gone above and beyond what I expected as a potential renter — I felt compelled to share this with her manager.
I may not end up renting at Tera due to availability, but I’m blown by the level of service, the well kept grounds, and the great staff thus far.

We have been staying with Tera from 2008 summer to 2012 fall.
The property had changed owners once every year for the first 3 years. The first 2 were more laid back about raising rent (simply no raise) and even offered 1 month free upon lease renewal. Until Windsor (the current landlord) took over in 2010, things completely changed. I can tell they did better job to keep the building looking nice and even set up a nice rooftop BBQ + beach chairs, however, our rent kept going up 5−7% every year while the apartment itself is getting old same as the appliances. Parking rate is recently increased to match the other 2 competitors in DT Kirkland (Kirkland 101 and 128 on State). It is modest increase honestly but the value of renting at Tera is deteriorating! The other 2 properties are much nicer and newer. I encourage potential renters to check out all 3 places before making final decision.
There are two selling points of Tera I know many new renters were impressed but being overated. First, the rooftop BBQ. This is nice and only amenity Tera has. But there is no water supply completely on the rooftop area. This means you can’t really grill food there unless you are very used to camping style cooking. Besides, the rooftop is always packed during summer and the hours is only good till 10pm. For our 4 + yrs stay, we used the rooftop less than 5 times!
Second, Tera is closed to EVERYTHING. YES, there are lot of businesses around DT, but we are only regulars on a few: Movie theater and 24 hours fitness are too old and dirty. Rikik has terrible Japanese food, Hoffman’s bakery is nice but you don’t need the sugary cookies all the time. Lucia has nice ambiance but very average Italian food All other restaurants are mostly bar foods with Bellevue price range. A few galleries and home décor shops there both are very expensive. After we took away these, we are down to only QFC, Starbucks and Jade Garden (healthy quick phở for lunch)
Besides, one thing renters never mention but had been brothering us was NOISE around Tera during summer. There are quite many visitors to DT thinking they were in Las Vegas and so free to scream and yell at 11pm and after. Also Harley Davidson drivers loved coming in pack driving crazy with loud exhaust down to Central Way. The noise was so unbearable and getting worse and worse every year since they can’t do so in Lake Washing Blvd.
My recommendation is stay in Tera for a year or so to enjoy the DT living only and DON: T pick any unit facing CENTRAL WAY to have less noise.

I can’t say enough good things about renting at Tera. The staff is friendly and knowledgeable, they are not putting on a show for the public, they are truly just terrific and professional people! My apartment though on the small side (which I enjoy) is really nice, I’ve had a couple small work orders and they have ALWAYS responded quickly and fixed the problem. (Fast, courteous, attentive).
I’ve looked around Eastside I’ve read reviews and even visited friends in other apartment homes. Most responses have the same theme. Great when you’re shopping for an apartment but once you sign your lease the attitude and friendliness ends and you’re just another tenant.
It isn’t that way at Tera, in fact I’ve just renewed my lease and felt as special that day as I did the first time I stepped through their doors.
I’ll agree with the other reviews that they are pricey but as they say, location, location, location.
Even the tenants are awesome!
Highly recommended!

My husband and I have been living at Tera for just over 4 months now and we love it.
The location is great. Across the street there is a gym, cinema, grocery store, and several restaurants. Just a few blocks from the apartment are even more restaurants near Lake Washington. There are also many little retail shops you can browse through if you feel like going for a walk on the weekend. The Kirkland Transit center is also just a few blocks away with buses going all over the Eastside and into Seattle.
The staff is wonderful. The women in the office greet me by name when I pop in to pick up a package (They also offer a service where they will leave your packages in your apartment if your work hours make it hard to get to the office).
I have also put in a few work orders for both small things (replacing light bulbs) and large fixes (dishwasher not draining, toilet problems). I usually put in my requests after business hours, but I usually get a maintenance guy in my apartment the next day. The two men that usually come to help are very nice, friendly, and will explain exactly what they did and answer any of your questions.
Also Tera does a great job of cleaning up inbetween renters. My husband and I actually got to see our apartment during the clean up phase. Our apartment was repainted and our bathroom had the caulking redone. This was just the tail end of the clean up too (a week before our move-​in date when we signed our lease). I do encourage you to see the apartment first. The floor plans on the website are just a taste of the different layouts they offer. When you go for a tour tell them exactly what you want and they will try their best to give it to you.
Tera doesn’t offer as many amenities as other apartment communities, but with it’s location I think it would just be redundant. My husband and I didn’t use our last apartment complex’s pool, office area, community room, or workout area so we didn’t really mind. There is a gorgeous roof top terrace with a wonderful view of Lake Washington, downtown Kirkland, and the Seattle skyline.
The price for these apartments is on the high side (but that is to be expected with downtown Kirkland) and you do have to pay for parking in the garage. There is plenty of street parking available and when we signed the lease we were told this and weren’t pressured into taking a spot. (Which I appreciated.)
Overall, Tera is a great place to live. It is very pet friendly. The staff is very friendly, nice, and accommodating. Our neighbors are also friendly and considerate. Above all it is in an awesome location.

I’ve lived in Tera for about 2 months now with my boyfriend. I had been looking for apartments in Kirkland for about 6months and Tera was by far the best of all the other places I looked.
Pros:
— Location, location, location. This was the #1 factor to my bf and I which Tera fits the bill to a T. My gym is right across the street so it beckons me to come everyday lol. Waterfront 6 blocks away, bars 5 blocks away, Wednesday Farmers Market, my bank 4 blocks away. Restaurants are in abundance. Kirkland is awesome no wonder it won Best City by 425 magazine!
— Clean. The hallways are clean, the apartment when we moved in was clean. People have dogs and pick up their poop probably because they have doggie bags and garage bin posts in front of the door entry ways.
— The staff I think are wonderful. Being a new resident I still have some questions. When we did the final walk through, Nicole placed a work order to install a ceiling fan, a rounded shower curtain rod and new shower head, as well as had our deck railing repainted because it was peeling.
— Maintenance. I don’t know what everyone else is talking about. When we moved in our washing machine was off its track and therefore the basket wasn’t spinning. They fixed it the next day. Also our toilet valve was a little screwy, also fixed that asap. I do the requests through the online res. portal so I don’t know maybe that is why they get the response faster.
— Noise: I knew going in that NE 85^th was going to be LOUD. That’s why i wanted the C building because it is off set from the road. I sleep with a fan on at night and the door open and I don’t hear s**t. The only time I hear my neighbors is in the morning when I am in my bathroom and people are waking up for work, but guess what so am I so I don’t care. Sometimes on the weekends you hear people upstairs partying or playing guitar but I’m glad its not a stuck up «retirement home» like some communities because I know I will definitely have friends over sometime and we will be just as loud and obnoxious.
— They don’t require first and last months rent and a deposit up front. Just first months and a deposit so you can save some money upfront.
Cons:
— Price. You definitely pay for the location plan and simple.
— Parking: $ 50 for 1 car, $ 125 for 2. I opted to not pay and park on the street. My bf has a spot. I ALWAYS can find street parking so if you’re debating it, DON’T DO IT. Especially since the weather is nice, in the winter I will probably get one so I don’t have to deal with the cold but for now. It’s fine.
— Amenities. Yeah Tera doesn’t have a gym, community room, pool or anything like that but honestly ask yourself how much do I reallly use this stuff? My gym is across the street. I hate pools. I never use the common areas. I will say it does have a roof top balcony on top of B building and we watched the 4^th of July fireworks… it was SICK! We could see Kirkland, Bellevue and Lake Unions shows from our place and everyone else far and in between.
— My ONLY complaint about our apartment is that it is STUFFY. I feel bad for the previous tenants who didn’t have the ceiling fan. We dubbed our apartment «the inferno» because even on a cold rain spring day, it was still like 70 degrees in our place. So I guess the instillation is good. Hopefully save money on the heating bill.
For people who felt pressure to buy and signed without seeing something… you’re idiots. All the finishings are the same so see the model, its fine. Look at the printed floor plan, if it looks like it would fit your lifestyle then put a HOLD DEPOSIT on it and GO AND LOOK AT IT before you just sign the papers.
So far I am pleased with Tera. They put in a lot of little extras in our place that at other places they would nickel and dime you. For example, Chelsea in Juanita Village wanted $ 50 for an ice maker, which came with my apt. as well as $ 100 for a ceiling fan which Nicole generously offered to put in. DO YOUR RESEARCH PEOPLE! Go to review sites see what people are saying and take it with a grain of salt. A useful resource for me was

I love the Tera Apartments. The apartments are beauitufl and clean, the atmosphere is quiet and the staff is outrageously friendly. This is my favorite place I ever rented, did I mention the location? It’s in the heart of downtown Kirkland within walking distance of a gym, plenty or restaurants and a grocery store. Life is Tera is a cut above!

I’ve lived at Tera for almost a year now and I will not be renewing my lease. They’re not bad apartments, in fact they’re pretty nice, but it’s very over priced. It’s a good location and I can walk to work, but there are nicer places for a lot less money. I’ve found a beautiful brand new 1 bedroom apartment for less than my Tera studio. The new apartments also have a clubhouse, pool, hot tub, fitness center & pool table. Tera has nothing. I was also not pressured into signing a lease like I was at Tera.
The soundproofing is terrible. My washing machine didn’t drain when I first moved in. Maintenance «fixed» the problem 5 days later, but he forgot to hook up the drainage hose when he was done and it flooded the washer/​dryer area. I had problems with the dishwasher the very first time I used it as well. And now the valve in the toilet tank isn’t sealing so I have to shut off the water valve to the toilet when it’s not in use.
I did fall for the showroom trick where they won’t show you the actual room you’ll be renting and I was pressured into putting a deposit down nonetheless because «it was the only studio left». That was my fault though.
I’ve liked living here. It’s just not worth the price. Find something else.

I’ve been living in Tera for about a month now, and will probably stay one more month. Basically my company’s putting me up here through Aboda Corp Housing. I’m assuming that beside the regular appliances that come with apartments, all the other furnishings belong to Aboda. Since this is a review about Tera, I’ll just comment on the location, quality of apartment, and service.
Location: it’s located near the waterfront area of the Kirkland. Very accessible to everything by walking — grocery, postal office, library, banks etc. Unfortunately it is right in front of NE 85^th which can be high traffic at times. In the unit that I got, you can hear the streets only in the living room. The bedrooms face a courtyard passage way that has a gate for foot traffic. The gates slam pretty hard and can jolt the building.
Quality & service: the apartment is still fairly new, but somethings are beginning to show its age. The microwave control panel almost fell off, the refrigerator door shelves snapped off. The maintenance crew response time was about 4 — 5 days. The soundproofing of the unit is not that great. I’m on the 2 °F and can hear the person upstairs and where he/​she is. And unfortunately the person upstairs likes techno music at 11:30pm. Other people also play their music quite loudly in other buildings (I’m in C, they’re in B).

I’m writing this right now from my Tera Apartments living room. :)
I’m here for 5 days visiting Kirkland Google, and so they put me up here. Some thoughts…
GOOD:
— Very spacious! Even if another person was using the other bedroom in this two bedroom two bath place, it’d be comfortable (kitchen and living room is shared).
— Tastefully decorated. Plants, artwork on the walls, fresh paint, nice carpets, etc.
— Well appointed kitchen. Microwave, full stovetop, etc.
— Free parking.
— Right across the street from my work! :)
— Also just a couple blocks from a grocery store (albeit a kinda crappy one).
BAD:
— Pretty lousy soundproofing. Can hear all the traffic below.
— Not even a single info sheet on important local places and phone numbers? (e.g., where to go grocery shopping, list of local restaurants, nearest emergency room, etc.)
— My key doesn’t work in the doors to the building from the garage.
— Some staples would have been nice… specifically a handful of snacks for when I arrived (e.g., a couple small bags of nuts), maybe even a bottle of milk in the fridge to welcome the new occupant. Oh yeah, and a simple pen + pad of paper maybe? Or perhaps I just expected this to have even the bare minimum basics I’d find in a cheap-​ass hotel room.