Need help with relocation advice (Chicago, Hoffman Estates: real estate, apartment, rental)

[Kari]

My husband has accepted a job in Chicago and we are looking to live in the Lombard/Villa Park area. We will rent for a year and then buy after we have settled in.
What is the best way to find a rental? We don't want to rent an apartment, we have three kids and often work from home. We'd ideally like to rent a townhouse.
Do you have to search through classifieds or can a real estate agent show you everything within your criteria for rent? We are living in the DC area and will really only have time to fly out one more trip before needing to move at the end of June.
Any advice?

[jluyka]

Hello! You can try apartmentpeople.com, chicagoreader.com, dailyherald.com, chicagotribune.com, suntimes.com, or maybe even a search on the net for the towns you are interested in. By the way, I am in the process of relocating out of state as well and am trying to sell my home (in Hoffman Estates), contact me via private email if you'd like. Otherwise, GOOD LUCK!

[Drover]

Apartmentpeople.com's territory doesn't extend out to Villa Park. Otherwise, jluyka has pretty much covered your online options. I believe realtor.com also has rental listings.

[OakBrookMom]

Go on Craigslist, click Chicago and then apt/housing for rent and then type in Lombard - you'll find a good number of options. Most landlords that place adds on this site or in the paper tend to want to rent without having to pay a third party (unless it's a real estate company) but in my experience most will cooperate if the place has been on the market for a few weeks. The listings on the MLS tend to be higher priced but you will find townhomes. I checked the MLS just now and there is a really nice townhome in Lombard for rent for 1600. There's also a single family home in a really nice subdivision in Elmhurst for 1625.