Some questions from a 24 year old male wanting to move to Chicago... (Bloomingdale: apartment complex)

[Matto1020]

I am thinking about moving to Chicago for a ad school that starts in the fall but I do have a couple questions.

I am looking at going for a studio apartment. Hoping for something under $700...the closer to to downtown the better...but still want it to be relativly safe...any advice?

For people who rent...is it hard to get a place to begin rent in the middle of the month?

I will probably not have much in savings (just what I get when I sell my car here in NE) but I figure it will get me through the first month while I find a job. It will most likely be a serving job since I have done that now for five years and the hours are convenient for the school. Are apartments usually good about this kind of thing (not a lot of savings) and do they allow cosigners (perhaps a parent)?

How much are monthly passes for the L?

Any other advice you could give me would be great!

[Drover]

Basic pointers:

$700/mo is doable, but the closer to downtown, the harder it will be. I just spoke to someone who found a "very small but very cute" studio apartment in Lincoln Park for $650/mo. I'd say that was a pretty lucky find. Neighborhoods to look in would be Lakeview, Lincoln Park, Bucktown and Wicker Park, though $700/mo may not open up a lot of options in those neighborhoods. Be careful of listings that say "West Bucktown." What they really mean is "Humboldt Park" which, in most parts, is not a nice neighborhood. Be skeptical of anything that is both west of Western Avenue and south of Armitage. Another place to consider if you don't need to be in a "hip" neighborhood is Bridgeport/Armour Square on the near South side. (Here (http://chicago.craigslist.org/chc/apa/363057523.html - broken link) is a 1br for $600/mo in Bridgeport right near an L line that will take you downtown in about 10-15 minutes.) Best place to look for listings would be craigslist chicago apts/housing for rent and Chicago Reader Classifieds. They allow you to look in specific neighborhoods by either keyword or pulldown menu, respectively. They also both allow you to specify studio only, or anything/everything under $700/mo.

FIND OUT IF YOUR RENT INCLUDES HEAT. Many times it does, many times it doesn't. That can make the difference of an additional $100-150/mo out-of-pocket in winter.

In either case, you're almost always on your own for electricity.

You will almost certainly be required to undergo a credit check. If you're still employed when you fill it out, you can use your current income when you fill it out and you technically wouldn't be lying. If there are any questions, just say you expect to maintain the same salary range in Chicago.

Most colleges in Chicago provide an unlimited CTA pass (called "U-Pass") good for the entire semester. If so, it will be built into your school fees and you'll have no choice about it. But not to worry, it's a good deal -- I think it's $87 per semester. Click here (http://www.transitchicago.com/maps/schools.html - broken link) to see if your school is on the list of participating U-Pass schools. If not, monthly passes are $75.

[Matto1020]

One apartment complex I've been looking into is this one:

Welcome to The Sovereign (http://www.thesovereign.com/default.htm - broken link)

They say its, "Located in the Edgewater/Loyola neighborhood"

Anyone have any thoughts on this complex?

[cvatasoiu]

Originally Posted by Drover

Basic pointers:

$700/mo is doable, but the closer to downtown, the harder it will be. I just spoke to someone who found a "very small but very cute" studio apartment in Lincoln Park for $650/mo. I'd say that was a pretty lucky find. Neighborhoods to look in would be Lakeview, Lincoln Park, Bucktown and Wicker Park, though $700/mo may not open up a lot of options in those neighborhoods. Be careful of listings that say "West Bucktown." What they really mean is "Humboldt Park" which, in most parts, is not a nice neighborhood. Be skeptical of anything that is both west of Western Avenue and south of Armitage. Another place to consider if you don't need to be in a "hip" neighborhood is Bridgeport/Armour Square on the near South side. (Here (http://chicago.craigslist.org/chc/apa/363057523.html - broken link) is a 1br for $600/mo in Bridgeport right near an L line that will take you downtown in about 10-15 minutes.) Best place to look for listings would be craigslist chicago apts/housing for rent and Chicago Reader Classifieds. They allow you to look in specific neighborhoods by either keyword or pulldown menu, respectively. They also both allow you to specify studio only, or anything/everything under $700/mo.

FIND OUT IF YOUR RENT INCLUDES HEAT. Many times it does, many times it doesn't. That can make the difference of an additional $100-150/mo out-of-pocket in winter.

In either case, you're almost always on your own for electricity.

You will almost certainly be required to undergo a credit check. If you're still employed when you fill it out, you can use your current income when you fill it out and you technically wouldn't be lying. If there are any questions, just say you expect to maintain the same salary range in Chicago.

Most colleges in Chicago provide an unlimited CTA pass (called "U-Pass") good for the entire semester. If so, it will be built into your school fees and you'll have no choice about it. But not to worry, it's a good deal -- I think it's $87 per semester. Click here (http://www.transitchicago.com/maps/schools.html - broken link) to see if your school is on the list of participating U-Pass schools. If not, monthly passes are $75.

actually, West of Western there are some nice condos and the area is nice. Especially on streets like Maplewood, Rockwell, those are all West of Western.

[Drover]

Rockwell and where? Maplewood and where?

[cvatasoiu]

Originally Posted by Drover

Rockwell and where? Maplewood and where?

Rockwell and Bloomingdale, Maplewood and Bloomingdale, just a little North of North Ave