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Movin to Chicago,IL soon , Do you know of any apartment finders in that area?

Hi everyone, Im in Phoenix,AZ and I will be moving to Chicago, IL soon , Do you know of any free apartment finders in that area? I am looking for the real apartment finders(professionals) who know the area well and have inside contacts. Im NOT looking for the online websites. Your help is monumentally appreciated. Please help in making this move smooth. God Bless. Ill be working in downtown chicago.Somewhere near sears tower.

Public Comments

1. It just depends what area your moving to.
2. I've use Chicago Apartment Finders, Apartment Guys, Apartment People, Apartment Savvy, and the Homestead Group. I would not suggest Apartment Finder, but just because we had a bad agent there, Apartment People are good--they're laid back and the agents aren't paid on commission (I believe), Apartment Guys were horrible, high pressure, and didn't find me anything in the right area, Apartment Savvy was very frustrating and high pressure and the Homestead Group was very professional, but they pointed us to pretty expensive apartments. I know you didn't want web sites, but to be totally honest, craigslist is an invaluable resource. The landlords post their own listings and therefore, don't have to pay anyone to list there properties, hence you get a cheaper apartment. I would do some research on the what kind of neighborhood meets your needs, then search craigslist for listings. That's what we did for our apartment this year, and I couldn't be happier with the results.
3. You can use an apartment finding service but I find they aren't the best resource. They're going to guide you to places that will benefit THEM, places with a high commission from the landlord, or steer you to places they THINK you will like ("Hey! You look like a yuppie! why don't we go look for places in this area that is filled with people just like you!"). Or they'll make sure they hide all of the bad aspects of the neighborhood until after you move in, for instance, make sure to take you early in the day before the gangbangers start hanging out or avoid taking you around the east side of the block with the all-night bar with the loud live band is. Bottom line, they're in the business to make money and if it means keeping a few things from you to close the deal, the "real apartment finders" won't hesitate to do it. My best suggestion would be for you to take a little vacation here to scout out areas yourself, see them in the daytime AND the night. Do some research yourself on the web about Chicago, ask people here and any friends you might have that have lived here or visited here. There are websites that list and describe all of the Chicago neighborhoods, their good and bad aspects. I've listed a couple of things below, a link to the Chicago Reader's apartment finder services, a Chicago neighborhoods website and a site that lists new businesses, crimes, etc. that occur in those neighborhoods. Use those to get an idea of where you want to live,. Then, if you can swing it, visit here for a weekend and scout them outyourself. Make a decision based on what YOU know, not what some stranger knows.
4. Honestly your best bet is the web. Most people find their apartment through craigslist - http://chicago.craigslist.org/apa/ Lots of people use the Apartment People - http://www.apartmentpeople.com/ Personally I found my current place via craigslist, but you have to have a good understanding of the neighborhoods in Chicago to know what you're going to pay in a specific neighborhood, and whether or not that neighborhood is safe and near public transportation which is a big deal to people around here (parking downtown is too expensive). So I would suggest the Apartment People. Make a trip to Chicago and schedule an appointment with them, they will look through a database of apartments and drive you to them during your appointment FREE OF CHARGE. To be honest though, what happens is the Apartment People drive around nice neighborhoods and schedule appointments with the landlord. At that appointment they offer their services to the landlord which consists of doing all of the showings for them. They get paid by taking a portion of the rent for the first year, so in most cases they tack on $50-$100 to what the landlord was asking so everybody wins but you. I actually had to sublet my apartment a year ago and did it through craigslist and guess who contacted me? The Apartment People. The best thing you can do is get out here and look. If you need some more detail on how to look at neighborhoods you can email me.
5. there is one in hyde park that you should check out called apartment finders. i believe it's on 53rd or something.
6. it depends on where your going to work, because you don't want to drive and live on the north side. there are no garages and no place to park there.