Rental properties - what is needed?
May 2nd 2008, 12:30 am
#16
BE Forum Addict
Joined: Jan 2008
Location: Lake County IL
Posts: 1,953
Re: Rental properties - what is needed?
Also at least here in Chicago working at the right company also opens doors, my husband works for one of the most well-known pharmaceuticals round here so we got special treatment at the bank, at the car place, at the phone shop etc. Working for a Fortune 500 will often allow you to skip a lot of the preliminary checks with a large apartment building.
May 5th 2008, 3:14 pm
#18
Just Joined
Thread Starter
Joined: Apr 2008
Posts: 8
Re: Rental properties - what is needed?
I just moved to Chicago in the same situation - a 2 year placement. I found my apt within a couple of days of arriving here.
I had a realtor help me by spending a full day with me a few months before I moved here, looking at areas, and again spending a full day with me when I arrived looking at available properties and choosing one. She did all the work for me, calling ahead to make sure that people would accept me without an SS number and credit history.
I had choices to rent from an apartment block or a private landlord. I rented from a private landlord in the end and they are very flexible over the social security/credit requirements. I gave a letter showing a good salary from my work, a month's deposit and we were good to go.
Some of the apt complexes required information to do an international credit check, some flat out refused without a social security number (I would recommend applying for that AS SOON AS POSSIBLE!) and others were as leniant as the private landlords. Like I said, if you get a realtor she can do all the sorting out for you to save you the hassles. Just make sure she knows that is needed!
If you would like me to put my realtor in touch with you, please PM me your details - I found her extremely helpful and friendly (and of course, free to me!) and I would recommend her at the drop of a hat.
Incidentally, I am now in a 2 bed apt, 20 mins from Downtown, which I love in a safe, quiet neighborhood which I adore, which was within my budget. Can't go wrong really!
I had a realtor help me by spending a full day with me a few months before I moved here, looking at areas, and again spending a full day with me when I arrived looking at available properties and choosing one. She did all the work for me, calling ahead to make sure that people would accept me without an SS number and credit history.
I had choices to rent from an apartment block or a private landlord. I rented from a private landlord in the end and they are very flexible over the social security/credit requirements. I gave a letter showing a good salary from my work, a month's deposit and we were good to go.
Some of the apt complexes required information to do an international credit check, some flat out refused without a social security number (I would recommend applying for that AS SOON AS POSSIBLE!) and others were as leniant as the private landlords. Like I said, if you get a realtor she can do all the sorting out for you to save you the hassles. Just make sure she knows that is needed!
If you would like me to put my realtor in touch with you, please PM me your details - I found her extremely helpful and friendly (and of course, free to me!) and I would recommend her at the drop of a hat.
Incidentally, I am now in a 2 bed apt, 20 mins from Downtown, which I love in a safe, quiet neighborhood which I adore, which was within my budget. Can't go wrong really!
That is really helpful and I would love to get her details. I am restricted at the moment about sending a PM as I haven't had 3 posts so am doing this now! I am going to be working on S Wabash I think!!!
Your realtor sounds exactly what I want as I am planning to spend a week visiting places to rent...I have decided that I want to live in Downtown though so that is one step forward. If I can do it in a day even better!!
If you can PM me that would be good as not sure how to do it!
May 5th 2008, 3:39 pm
#19
BE Forum Addict
Joined: Jan 2008
Location: Lake County IL
Posts: 1,953
Re: Rental properties - what is needed?
Shuv78 check out www.apartmentguide.com and look at the various downtown Chicago apartment buildings. Not sure how far down S. Wabash you are going to be, hope it's not too far! A couple of new buildings have just gone up down that way so you might get a good deal as they struggle to fill them initially.
Living downtown is great for the commute but surprisingly it can get a bit quiet at weekends and you will find yourself wanting a car as a lot of the bigger shops aren't downtown. Look into getting a Zipcars or Igo subscription which is a pay-as-you-go car rental place. Downtown apartments usually get a reduced parking contract but $175 a month is their idea of reduced!
Living downtown is great for the commute but surprisingly it can get a bit quiet at weekends and you will find yourself wanting a car as a lot of the bigger shops aren't downtown. Look into getting a Zipcars or Igo subscription which is a pay-as-you-go car rental place. Downtown apartments usually get a reduced parking contract but $175 a month is their idea of reduced!
May 5th 2008, 3:53 pm
#20
Just Joined
Thread Starter
Joined: Apr 2008
Posts: 8
Re: Rental properties - what is needed?
Shuv78 check out www.apartmentguide.com and look at the various downtown Chicago apartment buildings. Not sure how far down S. Wabash you are going to be, hope it's not too far! A couple of new buildings have just gone up down that way so you might get a good deal as they struggle to fill them initially.
Living downtown is great for the commute but surprisingly it can get a bit quiet at weekends and you will find yourself wanting a car as a lot of the bigger shops aren't downtown. Look into getting a Zipcars or Igo subscription which is a pay-as-you-go car rental place. Downtown apartments usually get a reduced parking contract but $175 a month is their idea of reduced!
Living downtown is great for the commute but surprisingly it can get a bit quiet at weekends and you will find yourself wanting a car as a lot of the bigger shops aren't downtown. Look into getting a Zipcars or Igo subscription which is a pay-as-you-go car rental place. Downtown apartments usually get a reduced parking contract but $175 a month is their idea of reduced!
May 5th 2008, 5:21 pm
#21
BE Forum Addict
Joined: Jan 2008
Location: Lake County IL
Posts: 1,953
Re: Rental properties - what is needed?
Real downtown Chicago is referred to as The Loop. (Sears Tower is in The Loop, just). Areas you could walk to work from: South Loop, West Loop, River North, River East. You could also take public transportation from most of the areas in the North of the city. Just avoid going further west or south than the West Loop or the South Loop. Those areas are pretty dangerous.
Try looking at www.transitchicago.com to see if an area you like is well-connected or not (it also has maps of the areas by name). Once you hit the suburbs you need to check www.metrarail.com for train times. Public transport is not as good as most European cities but it's cheap and fairly reliable, the El in particular.
Driving to work at the Sears Tower would be a real nightmare, as I doubt you would get any kind of parking privileges. Parking runs upwards of $13 a day, and the roads are jammed.
Try looking at www.transitchicago.com to see if an area you like is well-connected or not (it also has maps of the areas by name). Once you hit the suburbs you need to check www.metrarail.com for train times. Public transport is not as good as most European cities but it's cheap and fairly reliable, the El in particular.
Driving to work at the Sears Tower would be a real nightmare, as I doubt you would get any kind of parking privileges. Parking runs upwards of $13 a day, and the roads are jammed.
May 6th 2008, 6:14 pm
#22
BE Enthusiast
Joined: Sep 2007
Posts: 525
Re: Rental properties - what is needed?
Real downtown Chicago is referred to as The Loop. (Sears Tower is in The Loop, just). Areas you could walk to work from: South Loop, West Loop, River North, River East. You could also take public transportation from most of the areas in the North of the city. Just avoid going further west or south than the West Loop or the South Loop. Those areas are pretty dangerous.
Try looking at www.transitchicago.com to see if an area you like is well-connected or not (it also has maps of the areas by name). Once you hit the suburbs you need to check www.metrarail.com for train times. Public transport is not as good as most European cities but it's cheap and fairly reliable, the El in particular.
Driving to work at the Sears Tower would be a real nightmare, as I doubt you would get any kind of parking privileges. Parking runs upwards of $13 a day, and the roads are jammed.
Try looking at www.transitchicago.com to see if an area you like is well-connected or not (it also has maps of the areas by name). Once you hit the suburbs you need to check www.metrarail.com for train times. Public transport is not as good as most European cities but it's cheap and fairly reliable, the El in particular.
Driving to work at the Sears Tower would be a real nightmare, as I doubt you would get any kind of parking privileges. Parking runs upwards of $13 a day, and the roads are jammed.
Looking at living "downtown" - personally, I would suggest Lincoln Park, Laeview, River North as the only areas I'd really like to live in the City but I have specific tastes and that is why I live outside the City! It is a lot more expensive in the City too, so the size of your budget will have a huge bearing. Personally, I decided I didn't want to spend as much as a 2 bedroom apt in Lincoln Park would cost. The parking in the residential areas of the City is also poor so I would definitely have a place with a parking space if you have a car.
Agree 100% re: public transport. It is excellent for the USA, butnot as good as in Europe's main cities. If you live in the city you won't need a car, but you will sometimes need to use a car. Living in the suburbs, you would need a car.
Re: Going West or South, agree - you don't want to go too far West or too far South unless you are going a long way West or South (suburbia).
May 6th 2008, 6:18 pm
#23
BE Forum Addict
Joined: Jan 2008
Location: Lake County IL
Posts: 1,953
Re: Rental properties - what is needed?
Lj2 - you need to park at the lot I use, which is at Madison and Des Plaines. $13 a day, $12 before 7am and you don't have to be out until 12. You can walk 4 blocks to save $16 a day! When you come off the 90/94 at Madison or Monroe it is on the city side of the bridge.
May 6th 2008, 6:20 pm
#24
BE Enthusiast
Joined: Sep 2007
Posts: 525
Re: Rental properties - what is needed?
Hi LJ2
That is really helpful and I would love to get her details. I am restricted at the moment about sending a PM as I haven't had 3 posts so am doing this now! I am going to be working on S Wabash I think!!!
Your realtor sounds exactly what I want as I am planning to spend a week visiting places to rent...I have decided that I want to live in Downtown though so that is one step forward. If I can do it in a day even better!!
If you can PM me that would be good as not sure how to do it!
That is really helpful and I would love to get her details. I am restricted at the moment about sending a PM as I haven't had 3 posts so am doing this now! I am going to be working on S Wabash I think!!!
Your realtor sounds exactly what I want as I am planning to spend a week visiting places to rent...I have decided that I want to live in Downtown though so that is one step forward. If I can do it in a day even better!!
If you can PM me that would be good as not sure how to do it!
May 6th 2008, 6:22 pm
#25
BE Forum Addict
Joined: Jan 2008
Location: Lake County IL
Posts: 1,953
Re: Rental properties - what is needed?
I don't think there are enough places to live that it would take you a week!
May 6th 2008, 6:24 pm
#26
BE Enthusiast
Joined: Sep 2007
Posts: 525
Re: Rental properties - what is needed?
Lj2 - you need to park at the lot I use, which is at Madison and Des Plaines. $13 a day, $12 before 7am and you don't have to be out until 12. You can walk 4 blocks to save $16 a day! When you come off the 90/94 at Madison or Monroe it is on the city side of the bridge.
May 6th 2008, 6:32 pm
#27
BE Forum Addict
Joined: Jan 2008
Location: Lake County IL
Posts: 1,953
Re: Rental properties - what is needed?
Well as I said it's 4 blocks down Monroe for you. Literally. You can spend that time in traffic trying to get from the highway into the Loop some days.
I only drive on nights I know I will be working late. All-stop train home takes an hour and leaves once an hour, which means it can be 2 hours until I get home if I miss it. The drive home is 30 minutes at night and I get my parking reimbursed for working late. Plus giving my boss a lift home scores brownie points!
(Just read what you said about close to your old place, yes it's the next block down the road from PT.)
I only drive on nights I know I will be working late. All-stop train home takes an hour and leaves once an hour, which means it can be 2 hours until I get home if I miss it. The drive home is 30 minutes at night and I get my parking reimbursed for working late. Plus giving my boss a lift home scores brownie points!
(Just read what you said about close to your old place, yes it's the next block down the road from PT.)
May 7th 2008, 8:05 am
#28
Just Joined
Thread Starter
Joined: Apr 2008
Posts: 8
Re: Rental properties - what is needed?
I am planning to come out a week before I start work to look for places and think I will have an intense time of it. I was out in September last year and fell in love with Lincoln park and lakeview but speaking to someone who was on secondment there earlier in the year they lived in River North and could walk to work which seems like heaven to me at the moment with my hour commute to work. If I can avoid the transport system I think I will be alot happier although is Lakeview walkable to Sears Tower?
Not planning to get a car yet I don't think so will be reliant totally on public transport.
But who knows I bet my plans will completely change by the time I get there!
Not planning to get a car yet I don't think so will be reliant totally on public transport.
But who knows I bet my plans will completely change by the time I get there!
May 7th 2008, 2:28 pm
#29
BE Forum Addict
Joined: Jan 2008
Location: Lake County IL
Posts: 1,953
Re: Rental properties - what is needed?
You couldn't walk from Lakeview. I'd say at the most the furthest north you could walk from would be Division, and you'd find yourself taking the bus more often than not (on days like today when it's peeing it down!). Stick below Division if walking is really a big deal to you.
If you have a drivers license already by the way and 5 years of good driving history on it you can sign up for www.igocars.com or www.zipcar.com which are car 'sharing' schemes whereby you rent a car by the hour for the odd trip to IKEA etc.
If you have a drivers license already by the way and 5 years of good driving history on it you can sign up for www.igocars.com or www.zipcar.com which are car 'sharing' schemes whereby you rent a car by the hour for the odd trip to IKEA etc.
May 7th 2008, 3:27 pm
#30
Just Joined
Thread Starter
Joined: Apr 2008
Posts: 8
Re: Rental properties - what is needed?
Thanks!
I will definitely look into the car scheme thing. Would you advise me getting a certificate from my insurance company here with my no claims?
As for the walking being a big deal....I definitely wouldn't say that but having to get the train and tube in London I would love to be able to walk to work...because I can
I will definitely look into the car scheme thing. Would you advise me getting a certificate from my insurance company here with my no claims?
As for the walking being a big deal....I definitely wouldn't say that but having to get the train and tube in London I would love to be able to walk to work...because I can