5 Apartment Hunting Tips in Chicago You Need to Know

Looking for the perfect place to live can be daunting, even in Chicago. Finding the one that has the right bedroom space, kitchen space, living room area, storage, basement, bathroom, or even the eternal whether you should have a porch or balcony can drive any sane person crazy. 

When you are looking for something that fits what you may have in mind, it’s hard to choose which one to compromise, hold on to, or let go of. After all, it’s almost impossible to actually find a house that has every space that fits what you have in mind. 

What is possible is checking key things to make sure that your stay in your next Chicago apartment would be pleasant and safe. To make sure that this happens, here are a few things that I have picked up after I had to constantly move in the last decade. 

Tip # 1 

Check for leaks. Whether you are buying or renting an apartment, it’s important that you check for leaks even if it’s brand new, and more so if it’s been lived in already. Leaks can be a really big problem when the rainy season comes in. You definitely don’t want to get flooded from inside your home or have to get buckets to catch all the dripping rainwater. 

Tip # 2 

Check for a fire exit. Any apartment should have a good fire exit route. As much as we don’t want to wish for something bad to happen, we should be ready in case something does happen, and knowing a good fire exit route in your apartment is very important. 

Tip # 3

Use an online apartment search resource. 

When apartment hunting, having an online apartment search resource like Zumper to help you is necessary. These days, it has become doubly hard to go apartment hunting. When you have a resource like Zumper, it can make things so much easier. 

Zumper is used by millions of renters to find houses, rooms, condos, or apartments for rent. You can simply submit digital rental applications and credit reports with Zumper's screening service, powered by TransUnion™. You can also filter by location, price range, bedroom count, pet-friendly, or amenity and set an alert to get notifications when a new listing is posted. It’s so convenient!

Tip # 4 

Check for rats and the like. An infestation is the last thing that you want to deal with when you are moving to your new home. You want to know that you can sleep safely at night without having to worry about waking up to a rat staring at you or finding rat feces all over your new home. 

Tip # 5

Check with the neighbors for safety and crime rate. As much as we want to rely on reports sent out by cities and local places, it’s still best to check with the people who have actually lived in that area for quite some time if it’s a good place to live in. Knowing the crime rate and checking to see if your neighbors are the friendly and normal kind is very important because these are the people you will be mingling with for quite some time, if not for the rest of your life. 

As someone who has moved 10 apartments in 15 years, it’s very important to keep these 5 tips in mind as they can help you have a happier home life in your apartment. Let me know if you have more tips to add. I’d love to hear about it.