When to start apartment hunting chicago
HOW TO FIND AN APARTMENT IN CHICAGO - 5 Things to Know & 5 Steps To Start Your Apartment Hunt Vlog
in this video I'll be breaking down five
things you need to know and five steps
you need to take as you begin your
apartment hunt in Chicago what's good
youtube is luis gusto welcome back to my
channel this is the first video in a
multi-part series on how to find an
apartment in Chicago something I've done
myself many times twice in grad school
when I found places in Lakeview and
Streeterville and my last two places
right here in Lincoln Park
what makes this series even more special
is that I'm currently searching for a
new place with my girlfriend Nerissa so
in addition to giving you those sweet
apartment hunting tips I'll also be
taking you along for the apartment
journey most people in Chicago moved
during the warmer months so you're gonna
find the most vacancies during this time
but on the flip side if you choose to
find an apartment during the winter
months you may be able to save some
money just keep in mind that there may
be snow or ice on the ground while you
move let's begin with five things you
need to know as you begin your apartment
hunt in the Windy City when it comes to
picking a place to live there are
literally thousands of options starting
with the building's themselves you can
live in a unit that was built in the
1890s or find an apartment in a building
that was finished up last year in 2019
this topic is so deep and I made an
entire video on old apartment buildings
versus new apartment buildings and the
pros and cons of each the next thing you
need to know is that in almost all cases
you'll be able to view the actual unit
that's available for rent this is
different from smaller cities for
example in Gainesville I never actually
got to see my apartment until moving
days what would happen is I would go to
a community check out a model unit corny
decorations and all look over some floor
plans make my decision and then sign a
lease but in Chicago I've never actually
rented an apartment before I got to tour
it from front to back that said with the
current events of 2020 and new social
distancing guidelines it's not always
possible to view a unit in person
especially if it's currently occupied
when it's not landlords are now giving
virtual tours or at least sending you a
video in any case you'll still be able
to view the actual unit that's available
for rent procrastinators will be super
happy to hear the next thing to know
definitely start your apartment search
as early as possible but you'll probably
have the most luck finding a place
within 30 to 60 days of your move in my
case 2016 I found my apartment in June
signed the lease and moved in in July in
2018 same exact story found
in June moved in the next month I also
have a friend that found an apartment in
River North within one week which brings
us to our next thing to know if you view
a unit that you really love act quickly
because like any big city amazing
apartments don't last long it's
definitely nothing like New York City or
San Francisco but Chicago is still
pretty competitive when it comes to the
apartment market and finally I've never
had to pay a security deposit when
moving into an apartment in Chicago very
different from Gainesville where I
always had to pay a security deposit
equivalent to one month's rent in
Chicago you usually pay an application
fee and a moving fee of two to three
hundred dollars which covers painting
and cleaning and then you also have to
cover the first month's rent
I know searching for an apartment
especially in a major city like Chicago
can seem overwhelming but if you break
things down into smaller steps you'll be
able to navigate the process much
simpler and find a place that truly
meets your needs
on that note unless you sign a
multimillion-dollar contract with the
White Sox you're probably not gonna be
able to find that perfect place most
likely you'll have to prioritize what's
most important to you in an apartment
we'll get into more that as the video
goes along and now let's get into the
five steps to begin your apartment hunt
I would say the first step in your
apartment search is to make a wish list
of the things you're looking for in a
residence here's an example one to two
bedrooms gas stove hardwood floors lots
of natural light dogs allowed maximum
rent two thousand dollars once you have
your wish list
you should prioritize the items in the
order of what's most important to you
and also don't forget to identify which
ones are deal-breakers my current
deal-breakers are gas stove and natural
light if the unit doesn't have those two
things I am out of there like last year
it's also important to narrow down your
list of potential neighborhoods I'm in
an entire video to help you out with
that one by picking from just a few
potential areas to live in you could
speed up your search and be more
productive before we move on to the next
step I want to note that these lists can
and will change as you go through the
apartment search but even with that
knowledge I still think it's crucial to
come up with the first versions of these
lists because they'll be so helpful
during the decision making process once
you're ready the next step is actually
seeing what's out there available for
rent you can go through websites like
domu hot pads or even Craigslist which
is what I utilize for my last two
apartments you can also go through
Realtors or leasing companies who own
multiple properties throughout the city
also an underrated step is just
walking around the neighborhood and
looking for for rent signs whenever you
see a listing that matches up with your
initial requirements set up a viewing
usually by email or text note that
sometimes the pictures and a listing
don't actually match up with the actual
unit but this brings us to the main
reasons why you want to view the actual
apartment available for rent you'll be
able to get a better sense of the
building's location and surrounding area
the layout and function of a unit
especially if it's furnished and you'll
be able to see things that aren't
readily visible in photos or via text
now for the actual apartment viewing
which is the fifth step I want you to
keep these three things in mind take
lots of pictures and videos of the
building the entryway the hallway every
room the doors ceilings etc ask lots of
questions the move-in date what the
neighbors are like what's included in
the rent if you spot something that
needs fixing make a list of all the
questions you can't forget to ask and
either during or immediately after the
apartment viewing take notes and make a
pro cons list according to your wish
list this is going to come in handy
especially after you viewed multiple
units because they all start to blend
together let me know in the comments if
I missed anything when it comes to
things to know or steps to take in the
apartment search in a major city like
Chicago if you made it to the end go
ahead and finesse that like button and
if you new to the channel be sure to
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like it was Big Ben thank you guys so
much for watching in the next part we'll
actually view apartments for rent in
Chicago that'll be fun and exciting see
you then peace and blessings
