We’re kicking off a new feature: the rental deal of the day.
The info for our first few posts comes from the founders of Chicago Rentals Direct, a new work-in-progress website that aims to connect tenants directly with landlords. CRD was founded by Stephanie Konow and Katie Bommarito, both veterans of the rental service / finder industry. Beginning next week CRD will be sharing our office space and giving us up-to-date insight into the rental market.
The deal
On to the deal…a two-bedroom / two-bath unit on the 15th floor of 2909 N Sheridan Rd renting for $1,550 a month. CRD tells us that this is “an awesome price” for this very large unit, which has views of the lake from the living room and master bedroom. The rent includes heat and cable. No pets allowed.
The following was e-mailed to CRD by Philip, who listed the unit and will be showing it as the owner’s representative. He can be reached at 312-450-4121.
I do not own the condo but have been renting it from the owner for the past 2 and half years. I am moving out and the owner has requested that I help him find a new renter, since he will be out of town a lot over the next two months. I told him I would be happy to post the apartment on craigslist or other sites and show the apartment until we found a new renter.
I went through ‘Apartment People’ to find my new place (your website wasn’t live yet) and that was a hellish experience so I’m glad that your service [CRD] exists! Whoever does rent this apartment will be renting directly from the owner (as I did) but I wanted to make sure you knew that I was not a condo owner and am simply acting on his behalf as a favor.
CRD is an innovative and great new option to service the needs of landlords and tenants. I list my condominium rentals through the website, and am pleased with the possibilities.
whats the difference between this and domu.com
Great question Rex, I am happy to explain. The mission of Chicago Rentals Direct is to directly connect landlords and renters and to empower you as a renter to be your own agent. Some of the main differences are; domu charges landlords an upfront fee to list an apartment and puts a time limit on the listing while Chicago Rentals Direct offers landlords unlimited risk-free listings and each unit stays active in the CRD database until it is rented. This allows CRD to have unique listings that are not advertised on other websites. Also, as I mentioned, Chicago Rentals Direct offers renters lots of great tools to act as your own rental agent. Members of CRD can search using a custom map, save searches, bookmark properties, compare available units side-by-side and much more. Chicago Rentals Direct is the only website that rewards renters with $100 when they secure an apartment through http://www.chicagorentalsdirect.com!