Tag: Tips
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 [...]
Did an iMove Chicago agent use the C word in a Yelp review?
Jose L recently posted a 5-star Yelp review of iMove Chicago in which he used the C word – twice – to describe a Yelper who had negatively reviewe [...]
Start your May 1st apartment search now
It's only the first week of February, but Chicago landlords are already beginning to post May 1 vacancies on their websites. Early next month landlord [...]
Cash in when a friend rents where you rent
Many management companies reward current residents for referring a new tenant to their building. The reward typically takes the form of a rent credit [...]
Did iMove Chicago viciously retaliate against a Yelp reviewer?
We've written about iMove Chicago several times, put it on our Craigslist's Dirtiest Dozen rental services roster, and wondered why any renter or [...]
Why you should never trust a Yelp review of a rental service
The above ad appeared on Craigslist yesterday, and it tells you everything you need to know about why you should never believe a Yelp review – pos [...]
Are you OK with dated apartment finishes?
A few months ago we posted on the subject of lakefront properties, even some that are only a few years old, upgrading nearly everything.
Some l [...]
Some tips for renters, and an Arnell Cordero update
Six weeks ago, prompted by a tipster, we reported that one Arnell Cordero was advertising rental finding services without being properly licensed. [...]
Does Vesta Preferred prefer self-help on Yelp?
Yesterday's post about Vesta Preferred's misleading advice to renters elicited some anonymous testimonials for Greg Pekarsky, one of the firm's pr [...]
What Yo’s YouTube visitors have been watching
If you asked me to guess the three most-watched YoChicago videos during the last 30 days, I'd have guessed wrong on all of them.
YouTube Analy [...]
Vesta Preferred offers misleading advice to renters
Greg Pekarsky, in a blog post (screen cap) at Vesta Preferred, serves up some of the silliest advice imaginable for renters interested in learning [...]
River North’s EnV bars rental services from advertising apartments
Earlier this month EnV, a luxury apartment high-rise in River North, sent out an email, with a broker agreement attached, informing rental service [...]
A work-from-home scheme for unlicensed rental agents
Consider the Craigslist recruiting ad recently posted by T-Rock Enterprises a/k/a Chicago Apartment Renters. The Craigslist ad doesn't include, as req [...]
Chicago’s dirtiest dozen apartment rental services – iMove Chicago is #3
There are scores of rental services on YoChicago's do-not-call list. We're singling out twelve of them – the ones we consider the dirtiest dozen – [...]