Moving back to Chicago (Apartment help) (Schaumburg, Evanston: credit rating, real estate, apartments)

[80sguy84]

Hey guys well me and my roommate are planning to move to Chicago this summer and have been looking at apartments in our price range(under $850),It will be Humboldt Park,Lincoln square,Rogers Park are these safe ?? Any others to recommend ??.I moved out of the city a few years ago and mainly stayed in my area (NW burbs) so not familiar with these parts of the city.I would like to live in the NW burbs again,But I need CTA since I won't have a car.And PACE takes to much time to get anywhere.

Right now we are paying $610 for a nice 900 SQ FT apartment in Oklahoma<YUCK,But for $100-200 more its back to CHI-TOWN for me,Crap I'll be saving that or more by not having to own a car (G*D bless the CTA !! )


(Boy am I going to buy a round of beers when I get back home (Oklahoma talk about hell on earth ,And yes all the stereotypes ARE TRUE !!!)

Thnx in advance

[Drover]

Of those three, Lincoln Square is the safest by a considerable margin. If safety and affordability are your only criteria, there are a load of other neighborhoods one could recommend. I presume you're mostly interested in two-bedroom apartments? Anything else you're looking for? Will you be working downtown and thus wanting ready access to a train? Do you need to be near nightlife?

[80sguy84]

Originally Posted by Drover

Of those three, Lincoln Square is the safest by a considerable margin. If safety and affordability are your only criteria, there are a load of other neighborhoods one could recommend. I presume you're mostly interested in two-bedroom apartments? Anything else you're looking for? Will you be working downtown and thus wanting ready access to a train? Do you need to be near nightlife?

Ya my bad,I know I left out some criteria

$850 is strecthing it $700-800 is more realistic

Ya must be two bedrooms,Looking for those CASH landlords you know,None of that credit check BS.And I'm not sure where I'll be working,But my roommate might transfer with his job to Schaumburg and he's bringing his car,I feel comfortable in the North/NW side of the city mainly near the blue/Red line.And I thought Rogers Park has gotten better in the past few years,no ??

Area wise consider that,I'm Hispanic and he's an Irish "Mic" so you know how that goes.

(Ya we are 2 single guys(early 20's) from Oklahoma,WE NEED NIGHT LIFE !!! LOL (And I need to see a "shrink" to get Oklahoma out of my head)

[Drover]

Well I think your biggest obstacle is going to be the "none of that credit check BS" part. Credit checks are standard operating procedure these days, and I would guess they have become even more important with the credit crunch pushing more people into the rental market, many of them bringing less than awesome credit ratings with them. So there's more need for credit checks than ever. Your best bet for getting around a credit check is to put a substantial amount of your rent for the lease term, such as the first six months or maybe the entire year.

Rogers Park has gotten better in some ways, stayed the same or gotten worse in others. It's still got rough patches, though it has its fair share of 20-somethings like yourself who manage to get by. For me the bigger concern is if your roommate ends up working in Schaumburg, the commute from Rogers Park to Schaumburg would probably make him want to pull his hair out. Then when it's all gone he'll start pulling your hair out. That's how bad a Rogers Park to Schaumburg commute will be.

If you need to be right on top of the nightlife, Lincoln Square will do the trick, though it's worth noting that it's more of a 30s crowd there than 20s. If it's enough to have ready access to to nightlife while having a relatively manageable commute to Schaumburg for your roommate's benefit, I'd look around in Irving Park or Jefferson Park. You'll find rent to be cheaper when you're not right in a nightlife district.

[80sguy84]

Originally Posted by Drover

Well I think your biggest obstacle is going to be the "none of that credit check BS" part. Credit checks are standard operating procedure these days, and I would guess they have become even more important with the credit crunch pushing more people into the rental market, many of them bringing less than awesome credit ratings with them. So there's more need for credit checks than ever. Your best bet for getting around a credit check is to put a substantial amount of your rent for the lease term, such as the first six months or maybe the entire year.

Rogers Park has gotten better in some ways, stayed the same or gotten worse in others. It's still got rough patches, though it has its fair share of 20-somethings like yourself who manage to get by. For me the bigger concern is if your roommate ends up working in Schaumburg, the commute from Rogers Park to Schaumburg would probably make him want to pull his hair out. Then when it's all gone he'll start pulling your hair out. That's how bad a Rogers Park to Schaumburg commute will be.

If you need to be right on top of the nightlife, Lincoln Square will do the trick, though it's worth noting that it's more of a 30s crowd there than 20s. If it's enough to have ready access to to nightlife while having a relatively manageable commute to Schaumburg for your roommate's benefit, I'd look around in Irving Park or Jefferson Park. You'll find rent to be cheaper when you're not right in a nightlife district.

Credit checks in the city ?? Gone for 7 years and now this ?? When I lived in Chicago,Skokie,Jeff Park with my dad he always payed cash and for the most part they were nice apartments and there was never any of the credit check nonsense,But that WAS 6-8 years ago.But we are just looking for average apartments nothing fancy.It's not like I'm renting in Evanston or Wilmette, ooh la la you know

I do remember Lincoln Square was more for the young professionals.It wont really kill me not to be near nightlife.More concerned on a safe neighborhood and CTA accessibility,then bars and clubs.Jeff park is perfect for me and my roommate nice and quite and the cops kept things safe,But its hard to rent around there and anything under $900 goes FAST !!!

Ya if he does transfer to Schaumburg then I need to keep it near the Kennedy,I guess

[Drover]

In that case, I narrow my recommendation down to Irving Park. It's sort of a poor-man's Jefferson Park without giving up much in the way of safety or overall quality of life. You've got easy access to Lakeview/Wrigleyville, Lincoln Square, Wicker Park and Bucktown via CTA for your nightlife needs. Throw in one transfer and you've got access to Lincoln Park as well. You are right that Jeff Park is a surprisingly in-demand neighborhood considering how average it is, but that's because of the huge amount of transportation options that are available right there because of that big ol' transportation hub. There isn't as much pressure on real estate prices in Irving Park yet it's only slightly less accessible. Even so, be prepared to pay a minimum of $800 for a 2-bedroom.

As for paying your rent in cash... most landlords should be OK with that, or at the very least, will take cashier's checks. Just make sure you get a receipt if you pay with actual cash or a cashier's check. Nonetheless, a credit check is still going to be likely. The point of a credit check is not to determine your access to credit, but to check your ability and propensity to pay on time, no matter the method you use to pay.

[80sguy84]

Originally Posted by Drover

In that case, I narrow my recommendation down to Irving Park. It's sort of a poor-man's Jefferson Park without giving up much in the way of safety or overall quality of life. You've got easy access to Lakeview/Wrigleyville, Lincoln Square, Wicker Park and Bucktown via CTA for your nightlife needs. Throw in one transfer and you've got access to Lincoln Park as well. You are right that Jeff Park is a surprisingly in-demand neighborhood considering how average it is, but that's because of the huge amount of transportation options that are available right there because of that big ol' transportation hub. There isn't as much pressure on real estate prices in Irving Park yet it's only slightly less accessible. Even so, be prepared to pay a minimum of $800 for a 2-bedroom.

As for paying your rent in cash... most landlords should be OK with that, or at the very least, will take cashier's checks. Just make sure you get a receipt if you pay with actual cash or a cashier's check. Nonetheless, a credit check is still going to be likely. The point of a credit check is not to determine your access to credit, but to check your ability and propensity to pay on time, no matter the method you use to pay.

OK Irving park,check !! I was mostly looking on craigslist for apartments,But I do know its best to go look around in person,Chicago trib and Chicago reader.

And sorry I didn't mean CASH,I meant like a landlord who only cares about the RENT and not all up on credit,I'm clean with a background checks.I always pay my rent with a POSTAL money order.

And after reviewing the jobs that I'm qualified for,With me and my friend's income I could go up $1000 a month which makes a BIG diffrence.

I guess Jeff Park/Irving Park are the winners !!

Anyways,Thanks drover for helping me out,I can't wait to move back home