The websites of some Chicago rental services invite you to “search our listings” and their Craigslist ads solicit you to inquire about “our other listings.”
The classic scene from The Treasure of the Sierra Madre comes to my mind when rental services refer to their “listings.”
Rental services only rarely have what real estate professionals consider a “listing,” i.e. an exclusive right to rent or sell a property. The rental services typically don’t even have the legally required written authorization to advertise the properties they’re deceptively referring to as “listings.” In all too many cases they’re unable or unwilling to show the property, and are only using it as bait to gain your attention.
Finding an apartment in the neighborhoods covered by YoChicago’s at-a-glance lists is easy when you make direct contact with landlords and property managers. Our lists link to property websites, near real-time rent and availability checks, and informative video tours.