Real estate news & trends
Latest news from YoChicago
Chicago Apartment Finders
The Illinois Real Estate License Act requires people who refer or assist in referring apartment rental prospects for compensation to be licensed. Acting in such a capacity without a license is a Class A misdemeanor. Section 5-20 (10) of the Act provides a limited exemption from the license requirement for resident referral programs: Any resident ...
Read the full article →
Posted by Joe Zekas on May 1, 2013
We’ve been writing about Chicago Apartment Finders, which was a charter member of our rental service do-not-call list, for over 7 years. We’ve wondered whether they posted lying reviews of a competitor. We’ve recently commented on their hiring of an agent with a criminal record and on the company’s dishonest advertising. A tipster who wants ...
Read the full article →
Posted by Joe Zekas on March 20, 2013
Two months ago, shortly after taking a a closer look at Rent Proactive, we named it the first member of our Dirtiest Dozen rental services. At that time the company was placing more than 2,000 ads a week on Craigslist, and it had a history of egregious behavior. A search of Craigslist apartment ads for ...
Read the full article →
Posted by Joe Zekas on March 4, 2013
Lots of Chicago leasing agents are unsavory characters, but only a small minority of them are convicted criminals. If you want to be certain that your leasing agent has a record of criminal convictions, you can call Chicago Apartment Finders and ask for Bryan Duffy, or call Kale Realty and ask for Bruce Stafford. A ...
Read the full article →
Posted by Joe Zekas on March 1, 2013
The Habitat Company, for those of you who may not be familiar with it, is in the top-tier of professional management companies. In its more than 40-year history Habitat has developed more than 17,000 residential units, and changed the face of Chicago. The company’s founder, Daniel Levin, is a legend in the industry and his ...
Read the full article →
Posted by Joe Zekas on January 12, 2013
Many of Chicago’s rental services employ unlicensed staff in flagrant violation of the law, fully aware of the fact that they’re committing a crime by leasing apartments without a license: (225 ILCS 454/20 22) Sec. 20 22. Violations. Any person who is found working or acting as a managing broker, real estate broker, real estate ...
Read the full article →
Posted by Joe Zekas on March 19, 2012
Subscribe: