Really! What does it take to get a place to live! (Chicago: apartment, lease)

[rxygr85]

College starts for me in 3 weeks and I still do not have a place to live! I have been looking for a little over a month with no luck. Apart of it is that I have been looking while out of state, so any postings I find I get there after several other people have. The last application I turned in they took my check for the application fee, never cashed it, never ran my application, called me or returned my phone calls to let me know that they were not even considering me.

Looking at roommates I am not getting anywhere either. No one is returning my messages and I am worried that once the term starts I am not going to have a place to live.

Does anyone have any advice?

[chet everett]

What sort of college are you attending?

I would think that any of the reputable schools in the region have some sort of housing office that can recommend option.

[rxygr85]

Depaul. Only Freshman are guaranteed housing and any extra rooms would have been taken months and months ago. Not to mention that I did not receive enough money for financial aid to cover dorms. As expensive as Chicago is, dorms are still ridiculous and I can find cheaper options with a couple roommates or a closet-sized studios. Or I thought I could.

[jwaiter]

I see tons of availability... chicago rooms & shares classifieds "lincoln" - craigslist

[marothisu]

If I remember correctly, your credit is not stellar, right?

[squirrels]

It's too bad you don't have another few months to wait. I'll be looking for a roommate in the same general area around December.

[emathias]

You can't find cheap places remotely - it just doesn't work that way.

You have to come here and scout in person and be ready to sign a lease that day or within a few days. This is particularly true of roommate situations - would you really want roommates so desperate for another roommate that they would accept someone they'd never met in person?

[Vasily]

There's a whole bunch of sites where roommates connect ... google "find a roommate".

Roommates Chicago, Find rooms for rent in Chicago - Rent a Room
Roommates, Roommateservice, roommate search - Roommates.com | Chicago, IL | Page 1

Alternatively, you might consider looking for a place in a suburb along the Metra line and renting there, commuting to DePaul via train (and walking or taking the bus in the city).

[rxygr85]

Thanks for the tips! Some other avenues I haven't tried. I will look into these.

[eevee]

Originally Posted by emathias

You can't find cheap places remotely - it just doesn't work that way.

You have to come here and scout in person and be ready to sign a lease that day or within a few days. This is particularly true of roommate situations - would you really want roommates so desperate for another roommate that they would accept someone they'd never met in person?

This. When I moved to Chicago from Boston, I stayed at a hostel while doing a room search and attending orientation. It was the only way I could get people to respond to me, especially since I had an out-of-town area code. As someone who has rented out rooms to people, I honestly wouldn't bother with people from out-of-state. FB pages, online profiles, and Skype chats can only do so much-I want to meet you in person, preferably more than once, want you to actually see the room or apartment.

I would just move here, either put your stuff in storage or go back for it later. Get a bed at a hostel (IIRC, you can stay for up to a month in a lot of these places), get a Google voice number with a local area code, and be prepared to hand over some cash the second you see a place (for best luck, demand to see a place before noon).