Tag: Tips
How to get an edge on renting the best apartments
If you're working with a rental service, the odds are high that you're not going to able to rent some of Chicago's most desirable apartments.
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Prowling Chicago’s alleys with Google
Prowling the alleys can be a great way to learn about a new neighborhood.
If a neighborhood's alleys are strewn with trash and the garage door [...]
How fast your agent gets paid may bias which apartments you see
A recent comment at YoChicago:
I am hearing thru the grapevine that some agents are actually quietly boycotting some buildings and management [...]
Should you respond to a blind real estate employment ad?
You'll see quite a few ads at Craigslist for apartment leasing openings with leasing and management companies that go unnamed in the ad. You'll al [...]
A flood of bait-and-switch apartment ads at Craigslist
As winter approaches and the number of apartment-hunting renters drops, Chicago rental services typically ramp up their year-round efforts to floo [...]
Save on rent by referring a friend
Many of Chicago's managed apartment buildings offer "resident referral programs." The concept is simple: refer a friend who rents an apartment in [...]
Back to the future for River North boundaries
About twenty years ago we began reporting the boundaries of Chicago's River North neighborhood as follows:
The River North neighborhood is boun [...]
Earn $2,500 a week leasing apartments
If you consistently follow Craigslist help wanted ads for real estate you'll be struck by the recurring ads for a number of Chicago's rental servi [...]
Leasing agent with criminal record busted again
We've repeatedly warned renters and landlords about Chicago leasing agents who have criminal records.
If you're a landlord handing over the keys t [...]
Follow YoChicago on Flickr
We've visited virtually every corner of Chicago and its far-flung suburbs, and we've generally take pictures on our travels. The result: our netw [...]
Video – Tour twenty Lincoln Park apartment buildings
You can sit for half an hour at an apartment rental service waiting to repeat the information you've already given over the phone to a rookie agen [...]
What do rental service agents really earn at Live Here Chicago?
We've previously written about fraudulent reviews of Live Here Chicago, one of the rental services on our do-not-call list. We've also called atte [...]
The right way to find a Streeterville apartment
Quite a few Chicago renters share the misunderstanding that they'll save time by using a rental services a/k/a apartment finder a/k/a apartment lo [...]
CAR panel says it’s ethical to violate Illinois law
Last Thursday an Ethics Hearing Panel of the Professional Standards Committee of the Chicago Association of Realtors ("CAR") heard my complaint that a [...]
A time-saving way to search Craigslist apartment ads
A few months ago we identified the top 10 apartment ad spammers at Craigslist. As you might expect, they're all Chicago rental services a/k/a apar [...]
When Chicago rental services go into thug mode
Dishonest and illegal practices are a daily routine for many of the agents at Chicago's rental services.
We've spotlighted some of the thing [...]
What do you consider a penthouse?
It's common for real estate agents to refer to the top floor of any residential building as a penthouse. It may be even more common for real estat [...]
Will luxury high-rise dwellers be shivering in September?
Chicagoans experienced cooler than normal temperatures in July, and the Farmer's Almanac is predicting a cold winter.
Anyone who's lived in Chicago [...]
Rental service lies – the largest database of apartments
If you scan help wanted ads for Chicago rental services at Craigslist, or visit their websites, you'll find a number of them claiming to have the [...]
The distinct sub-neighborhoods of River North
River North is bounded by Michigan Ave, Oak St and the Chicago River. It's a sub-neighborhood of the Near North Side community area.
Unlike mo [...]