The 2018 list of new downtown Chicago apartments

NOTE: This post is now out-of-date. New apartments are now featured at the top of each of our neighborhood lists, which are linked in the right column of this post.

Aerial view of downtown Chicago

If you want to experience the thrill of moving into a never-lived-in apartment in downtown Chicago, we’ve got your list. Scroll down to see every major new building, video tours of many of them, and a map of their locations.

We also have some advice for you. If you want to lock in the most desirable apartments in a new building, plan at least four and perhaps six months ahead. Apartments typically become available on the lower floors first, and high-floor units with the best views may not deliver until six months after pre-leasing begins.

Working with a rental service broker
One of the (many) lies that rental services tell renters is that they can negotiate a better deal for you. In fact, you surrender all your negotiating leverage when you’re working with a broker who’s being paid by the landlord / management company. Your only hope for a deal when you’re represented by a broker is to negotiate a rebate of a portion of the broker’s commission. Ask about the compensation that they’re being paid, and demand a rebate of everything over a half-month’s rent. A half-month’s rent is the co-op commission that brokers receive on condo rentals, and condo rentals are typically more time-consuming for the broker.

Our 2018 list includes more than three dozen buildings with over 14,000 apartments. Some of the buildings opened in 2017 and still have first-occupancy units. Some have recently opened; some are about to begin pre-leasing; and some will begin pre-leasing late this year for 2019 occupancy. We’ll supplement this list as we learn more.

Neighborhood names in the grid ink to our comprehensive apartment guides, which show you all of your options in each neighborhood – with the exception of a few we’d recommend you not visit. The guides list buildings in order by year built, making it easy for you to identify the newer buildings. Linked reviews provide additional info about a building, its apartments, and its immediate location.

Narrated YouTube video tours are linked in the following grid.

All of the new buildings are listed on the following map. Click on any building with a green place marker to view videos. Yellow place markers identify buildings that have not begun pre-leasing.

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