Questions, answered.

Two things. Every one of the 48 apartments has a sliding glass door in the living room out to its own balcony or patio, not select apartments, all of them, and the back of the building looks into a stand of mature trees. And the apartments are large for the rent: a 750 square foot one bedroom and an 825 square foot two bedroom, both with a walk-in closet and a kitchen open to the living room. Through 2025 we renovated most of the building, and the prices on the home page are for renovated apartments.

Crossroad sits at 57th Street and Douglas Avenue on the northwest side of Des Moines. Merle Hay Mall, the second largest shopping center in Iowa, is just up the road with the big-box retail, restaurants and services that come with it. Douglas Avenue runs east and west from the corner, so groceries and everyday errands are on the street you already live on. There is a DART bus stop at the property, Interstate 35/80 is a short drive north, and downtown Des Moines is southeast.

Through 2025 we took 21 of the 48 apartments down to bare walls and rebuilt them with new cabinets and counters, tile backsplash, new appliances, new wide-plank flooring, new fixtures and new interior doors. Where the layout allowed, we pulled the wall between the kitchen and the living room. Seven more apartments got a lighter refresh. The rent on the home page is for a renovated apartment. Ask which renovated apartments are open right now, and what is in the one you are looking at.

The hallways, entryways and all six laundry rooms were redone with new flooring, lighting and paint. Outside, both buildings were repainted, the roof was repaired, the parking lot was resurfaced, the dumpster enclosure was rebuilt and 16 cameras went up covering the buildings and the lot.

Two, and an even split between them. The one bedroom, one bath is 750 square feet from $775. The two bedroom, one bath is 825 square feet from $925. Both have a walk-in closet, a kitchen open to the living room, and a sliding glass door out to a balcony or patio. Both prices are for renovated apartments. The listings page always shows what is open right now.

Yes, all 48. Upper floors open onto a wood deck balcony behind a black steel rail. The ground floor opens onto a patio at grade with a privacy fence. Bring a chair.

Electric baseboard heat and a through-wall air conditioner, both controlled from inside your apartment. Each apartment also has its own water heater. Because all three run on electricity, your electric bill carries your heat, hot water and air conditioning, so budget for it accordingly.

New cabinets and counters, a tile backsplash, new appliances and wide-plank flooring, open to the living room where the layout allowed us to take the wall down.

Every apartment has a walk-in closet.

Water, sewer and trash are covered in your rent. You pay electricity through MidAmerican Energy, and in this building electricity carries your heat, hot water and air conditioning. Internet service is your own. Parking is free.

Every dollar it takes to get keys, listed before you apply: a $25 application fee, a security deposit of half a month's rent rather than the full month most places here ask, and the first month's rent. There is no administrative fee. On a $775 one bedroom that comes to $1,187.50, and a two bedroom at $925 comes to $1,412.50 on the same math, because the deposit is half of whatever your rent is. Pet fees apply only if you have a pet.

We publish what we look for, so you know where you stand before you spend anything on an application: monthly income before taxes of two and a half times the rent (about $1,940 a month for a $775 one bedroom), a credit score of 625 or above, and two years of rental history. Housing Choice vouchers are welcome, and the income test does not apply to voucher holders. Not sure whether you clear these? Call and ask before you apply. We would rather tell you honestly than take your $25.

Neither one is automatically a no. If credit or income falls short, a lease guaranty service can stand behind your lease, which often lets us approve an application that would not clear our criteria on its own. It works a lot like a co-signer without needing to ask anyone you know. The deposit here is already half a month rather than a full one, and if even that is more than you have on hand, a deposit coverage program lets you pay a much smaller fee instead. Both are priced on your own situation rather than a flat rate, so ask before you apply and we will get you the exact number.

Yes. Dogs are $50 a month and cats are $35 a month, with a $250 non-refundable fee per pet, a maximum of two pets per apartment, and no breed or weight restrictions. Assistance animals are not pets: service animals and support animals are welcome, with no fee, no deposit and no monthly charge.

Free surface parking on site, and plenty of it. The lot was resurfaced as part of the renovation.

Yes, six laundry rooms, one on every floor of both buildings, so a basket never goes up or down stairs. All six were redone with new flooring, lighting and paint.

A lawn with picnic tables, and the back side of the building looks into a stand of mature trees.

Call (515) 334-3345, email crossroaddsm@stanbroughrealty.com, or request a showing from any open apartment on the listings page. Tours are by appointment.

Online, from the apartment's own listing. Every open apartment on the listings page links to its photos, a showing request and the application. The fee is $25, and applications are reviewed in one to two business days.

Online, through the resident portal. You can pay from a bank account or a card and set up automatic payments so it is never late.

Through the same resident portal. Describe the issue, add a photo if it helps, and the maintenance team schedules the repair. For anything urgent, call the office.

Stanbrough Realty, a Des Moines property management company. Leasing, showings, rent and maintenance all go through their office at (515) 334-3345.