Tag: Advice
Apartment People agent sues Chicago Apartment Finders
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 won [...]
What’s the best way to find an apartment in Bucktown?
You can drive yourself bonkers searching for a Bucktown apartment on Craigslist or working with apartment rental services, or you can take a smart [...]
Check out the cribs and ignore the chatter
Sabrina at CribChatter performs a useful service for real estate buyers by diligently searching out and spotlighting interesting new listings, and rev [...]
Want to join a real estate slime wave?
If you're not very bright, have no self respect, and don't mind committing the occasional crime, Schwab Property Solutions has a job for you.
Y [...]
Relocation therapy can help you reclaim your life
According to census experts, the average American moves an estimated 14 times during his or her lifetime. People move for a variety of reasons suc [...]
YoChicago “honored” as top Chicago real estate website
We place the "honored" in quotes based on the nature of the site that selected YoChicago as one of the top 6 real estate sites in Chicago, and the onl [...]
What happened to Rent Proactive?
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 tha [...]
Want a Chicago leasing agent with a criminal record?
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 [...]
Jens Jensen, the Frank Lloyd Wright of landscape architecture
Many of you may have allowed Jens Jensen's 150th birthday to pass unnoticed in 2010. I know I did. And some of you may not know of Jens Jensen, an [...]
Leasing agents wanted – no experience or license required
Head over to the real estate jobs section of Craigslist and you'll see repeated variations on that headline. Read the ads, and learn the minimal quali [...]
Are landlords to blame for rental services’ deceptive ads?
Chicago's rental services routinely spam Craigslist, Trulia, Zillow, hotpads and other websites with high-volume bait-and-switch advertising. They [...]
The Silver Gold Apartment short-term housing scam
Not long ago I heard from one of Chicago's newer high-rises that people were arriving at the building believing they had reservations for short-term s [...]
Will you be living in a lakefront NORC?
The New York Times recently focused on the changes that changing demographics have wrought in some Upper West Side buildings:
When the co-op co [...]
When and under what conditions can rental agents show your apartment?
Unannounced and short-notice showings are one of the most common complaints that tenants have about landlords and the rental services they employ to r [...]
How to win a North Shore home in a multiple-offer scenario
Anne West's North Shore Views paints this picture of a changed market:
It seems like just yesterday that it was a buyer’s market here on Chicag [...]
When should a rental service cash your check?
Chicago rental services typically ask renters to submit a check or a credit or debit card authorization for the first month's rent when they submit an [...]
Rat out a Chicago rental service to the IRS and make big bucks
It's common for Chicago rental services to report their leasing agents as independent contractors for tax purposes, but control their day-to-day a [...]
Factoring gender into your apartment search
A Trulia consumer survey reveals that 62% of unmarried adults "prefer to date someone who lives alone," according to a recent Trulia blog post.
Je [...]
Job seekers need to shun no-name rental services
The Illinois Real Estate License Act ("License Act") requires brokers to include their name in ads, including ads recruiting new agents or brokers [...]
Don’t play rookie roulette at a rental service
If you scan Craigslist help wanted ads for real estate you'll note that Chicago's rental services are trying to round up rookies in advance of the upc [...]