The biggest apartment search mistakes – Number 2, starting too late

View from 990 Lake Shore Dr, Chicago

In the first post in this series, we suggested that failure to focus on your ideal and affordable location is the biggest mistake you can make when conducting a Chicago apartment search.

The second biggest mistake many renters make is waiting too long to begin their search. The best and best-priced apartments rent quickly once their availability becomes known, and the selection becomes progressively more limited and picked-over as a move-in date approaches.

Many Chicago landlords make it their practice to send renewal notices 60 days before leases expire, and that’s the time frame in which you should begin the search for your next apartment – 60 days before your planned move.

If you’re looking for a July 1 rental, you’re nearly a week away from beginning your search.

Have you focused on exactly where you want to live? YoChicago’s rental Guides are one of the tools you can use to narrow your neighborhood search, and our downtown / Lake View and Lincoln Park at-a-glance apartment lists will help you to understand what’s for rent in those areas. More Guides and Lists are coming soon. You can find neighborhood boundaries, photo slide shows and more at our neighborhood pages.

This is the second in a series of posts. Next: limiting your search options.

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