Planning on late July/early Aug move-is it too early to start hunting for apts? (Chicago: apartments, leasing)

[decker352]

So i'll be in Chicago in two weeks on a mini-vaca/apartment hunting trip. I'm planning on moving in late July or very early August. I've been scouring this message board (yes, i even used the search function!) and checking craigslist and chicago reader on a daily basis. i am planning on using an apartment finding service and i've contacted a couple. Unfortunately one company basically told me they couldn't help because there would be no apts available for a late July/early August move-in date until mid to late June. So my question is...what are the chances i'm able to find an apartment for my target move-in date while i'm in town in two weeks? Is it too early to find an apt for late July/early August?

This board is a godsend and I can't wait to get moved to Chicago!

[Drover]

You're right on the front edge of when to start looking... It's not necessarily too early to look but I think you'll have more options available to you about 4 weeks from now. But maybe you'll get lucky and find something when you're in town. Best of luck to you.

[sharkylittleton]

I stared looking about 2.5 months in and most landlords wouldn't even show me a place unless I planned on moving in the next month. In my experience the best time to start looking is a month before your move in date.

[bsdsys]

I signed a lease on April 7th. of this year and my move in date is June 1st. You can get lucky if you look around. I just made it very clear I was interested in the building/room, wanted to get things started before it was too late, and I can't move in until ??? unfortunately, so, would you please do what you can to insure they will hold it? It worked for me. I signed everything, paid the app. fee, gave a hundred bucks to hold it, got the lease in the mail soon after, signed it/sent it back, and move in in a couple weeks. Good luck.

[Castro Viejo]

Generally you can start finding apartments about 45 days prior to your anticipated move-in date.

Anything earlier, and it's a bit tougher.

I'm moving to Chicago in about three weeks but I found my apartment back in mid-March. I first used an agent who was less than helpful. By Day 3 I realized that I could just walk around town, jot down some numbers of leasing/rental offices, and call to make an appointment.

I was lucky enough to find a place (that I thought was nice, anyway) on Rush and Delaware that I liked, was reasonably priced, and had a spectacular view.

Good luck to you. Stay away from agents and Craigslist. Just camp out, walk around, and you'll find a place in about a week.

[sharkylittleton]

I wouldnt say stay away from craigslist, but for what i hear to excercise caution. Maybe i got lucky, but I contacted a guy who owned multiple buildings in Wicker Park and is really professional. But, I met with him face to face and saw the units themselves.

[Avengerfire]

It is not too early to look since most landlords ask for at least a 45 day notice before a tenant moves. Landlords would prefer to show the place before a tenant moves out and get it rented again rather than have an apartment sit for a month or two.

[CorpsDeLacet]

I'm in the same situation. That's my target date as well. I just came up here for a week to do the same. This is my second to last day here. I went to Apartment People yesterday. They were very helpful but it is kind of early and the options are limited for that time bracket. I saw 5 places around Logan Square, Bucktown, Ukranian Village, etc. So, it's not super early but early enough to make it a bit of a pain. Maybe we can help each other out since we have the same moving date in mind. Keep me updated if you find anything and I'll try to do the same.

[andrew61]

Originally Posted by sharkylittleton

I stared looking about 2.5 months in and most landlords wouldn't even show me a place unless I planned on moving in the next month. In my experience the best time to start looking is a month before your move in date.

From my own experience, I'd say 45-60 days before move-in date is more comfortable. Last year I was on a month-to-month lease and got only 30 days' notice to move (the condo I was renting had been sold). I was able to find a new apartment, book movers, reserve the service elevator, etc., in that short timeframe, but I was really stressed.

While many apartments don't hit the market until 30 days before availability, many others are advertised 60 days in advance -- and the best deals will be snapped up quickly.

[Costa Rica Chica]

Check apartments.com, apartmentfinders.com, the Chicago tribune, and the Reader classifieds on-line. We move in mid-July and some of thsoe sites have been e-mailing mel istings that fit our criteria and I even have some appointments scheduled to see some places when we arrive early July. It's kind of hard to hunt for apartments before you can actually go to see them, but you can get a good idea what's available.