Once you have a basic idea of the neighborhood(s) you want to live in, decide whether or not you want to use a real estate broker. A broker does most or all of the apartment hunting for you. Brokers charge fees for finding you an apartment, and those fees vary. In Chicago, the fee depends largely on what area of town you are interested in. The important thing is to not be put off by these fees; brokers like to give the impression that the fees are set in stone, but a little negotiating often goes a long way, and will save you money.
Using a broker has several advantages. Brokers will do your leg work; they find apartments and make appointments to fit your schedule. If you are a workaholic who forgets what city you're in at any given time because you never see the light of day, a broker would probably be invaluable. Brokers also have a wide selection of apartments from which to choose, and they occasionally have access to apartments not available to the general public (because some buildings are dubbed "broker buildings," in which the landlord will deal only with brokers).
Many brokers advertise in the newspapers or in online classified ads; you can also find brokers in the Yellow Pages. If you decide to use a broker service, check out The Habitat Company (www.habitat.com). Habitat has complete listings of available apartments in the larger high-rise buildings in Chicago, and their website is easy to use and contains photos of the areas. The Chicago Apartments and Condos organization (www.homes-condos.com) also provides updated listings each day. Finally, many companies have associated brokers they use for relocating employees. If you work at a big company, ask your human resources person if there is a broker your company uses. In fact, your company might pay for the broker's fee.
on 10/4/2009
I recommend Chicago's Property Shop http://www.chicagospropertyshop.com. They have a lot of information and pictures for apartments available for rent in Chicago area. I was even able to search by neighborhood which was very helpful.
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Comments
camelwoman said
on 10/4/2009 I recommend Chicago's Property Shop http://www.chicagospropertyshop.com. They have a lot of information and pictures for apartments available for rent in Chicago area. I was even able to search by neighborhood which was very helpful.
4wallskelly said
on 9/9/2009 Check out http://4walls.us/apartment/chicago/chicago-apartments.htm for apartments in Chicago and surrounding areas.