Good morning and happy Wednesday friends! Things have been a little quiet over on the blogging front these past few weeks, but I’m excited to be back in business this week with a few fun posts and featuring some answers to recent Instagram DM’s!
One question I often get is around finding an apartment in Chicago – especially for those who are new to the area. Chicago’s such an amazing city to live in, but finding an apartment can definitely be a headache, especially if you’re brand new to the city! I teamed up with Zumper (a rental marketplace that makes it easy to find an apartment in your city) to share what I’ve learned living and renting in Chicago since I moved here about 6 years ago. It’s honestly not too much of a headache once you know a few secrets – and settled on what neighborhood you want to live in!
First things first, figure out what neighborhood you want to live in:
When I first moved to Chicago, I essentially thought everything was “downtown”, which clearly couldn’t be further from the truth. Luckily, I had a few friends at the time who lived in Lincoln Park, and after walking around for a few weekends visiting the neighborhood before I moved, I totally fell in love and knew I wanted to move there.
At the time, I didn’t really know anything about living in Chicago – I thought it was essentially the same as living in NYC and had assumed I’d be living in a space that was about as large as a walk-in-closet. When I first started looking at apartments, I didn’t know what to look for – and settled on a teeny tiny apartment that my boyfriend at the time and I could live in that was under $1000. And while the price was great – our apartment was about 450 square feet and we had bars on the windows (even though the location in Lincoln Park was dreamy and right across from the zoo). Even though it fit our modest budget, I quickly realized that sharing a tiny space with another human was not exactly ideal…and we quickly decided that after about 7 months we should try to find a new apartment with enough room to at least be able to do yoga on our carpet 🙂
Anyway – rant aside, Lincoln Park is still my favorite neighborhood and where I’ve lived over the past 6+ years. Specifically, I live in the DePaul neighborhood which means there’s good bars, restaurants, coffee shops, and cute spots to shop – like Armitage a few blocks away. Plus, one of my best friends lives just a few blocks from my place, which makes it ideal for a last minute ice cream date to Jenni’s, or an impromptu wine night after work.
There are so many amazing neighborhoods in Chicago though – and I’ve started to really love the Wicker Park/Bucktown area (the 606 is so nice to walk on during the warmer months!), Lakeview /Boystown, and Logan Square too. And if you’re looking for even more bang for your buck (but slightly out of the way if you work downtown), Andersonville and Rodgers Park are great places to live too. When I plan to buy my next condo, I’m hoping to move a little further north to get a little more space – which definitely applies to renting too. If you’re hoping for a 2-3 bedroom place that’s more affordable, more northern neighborhoods from downtown give you a lot more space without breaking the bank. 
Next, make sure you’re close to reliable transportation:
I know this seems like an “oh duh!” tip – but honestly, it’s easy to forget when you’re in the midst of looking for an apartment that also needs a million other things (laundry, a dishwasher, central heating, you know – all those other essential things!). Chicago is pretty great when it comes to transportation between the busses, Metra and L – but there’s definitely apartments that are a hike from any of the convenient transportation lines. And while it’s not a big deal in the middle in the spring or fall, you definitely don’t want to be SOL and miles away from the L when it’s 100 degrees or -10 in the winter.
I work downtown, and I always have to be close to a red, brown or blue line to get to work at a somewhat reasonable time. And while I still take a car share far more than I should (whoops!), it’s a livesaver to live in an apartment in super close walking distance to public transit.
And of course, find people or services to make the apartment searching process easier:
I know my strengths, and anything that has to do with finding a deal or scouring the internet is not my strong suit. So services that help aggregate listings and give you helpful tips when looking for an apartment are a lifesaver – and make looking for a new place so much easier. Zumper is a marketplace for people listing or renting apartments, and you can complete the entire process on their super easy to navigate portal.
There’s also a great feature in Chicago called Zumper Select, which allows you to work directly with a local Zumper rental expert. All you have to do is create a profile, and a Zumper expert will guide you through the entire process, making renting in a new city a breeze.
Honestly, I wish I had used Zumper when I first moved to Chicago (clearly, they would have saved me from the apartment with bars on the windows!), but I know that next time I’m looking for an apartment in Chicago or another city, I will definitely be using their Select feature.
If you’re thinking about moving to Chicago or a new neighborhood within the city, I am happy to help – especially since I know how stressful it can be. Always feel free to drop me a line at charminglystyled@gmail.com – I always love hearing from you!
A special thanks to Zumper for sponsoring this post! As always, all opinions are my own. Thanks for supporting the brands and services that make Charmingly Styled possible!
