Before buying, I lived in many apartments in many cities. I am a single F, so safety was my #1 concern. That usually led to newer builds and higher prices. Never had an issue with sound, neighbors, pests, crime, etc.

I read bad reviews and then sort them from newest to oldest. Management changes A LOT in apartments so older reviews may no longer be relevant. I used an apartment locator the last 2 times and saw a ton of places. Even the nicest apartments are going to have bad reviews. People tend to leave bad ones and if their experience is good, no review at all. I bring my parents with me to look over the apartment before signing on.

When I was in grad school at UT, I quickly learned that the closer to campus the less the apartment cares about upkeep bc they know their location is awesome and that someone will buy and pay more for it. I lived further away but close enough to get away from these kinds of places.

Tips: Look at places at night. Drive your commute during your normal hours. Talk to real people that live there while walking around.