Chicago Apartment Finders

These people are terrible. They lie to you. They only tell you what you want to hear to get you to put down 1st month's rent. They refuse to give you CLEAR ANSWERS ABOUT ANYTHING. It's sketchy and frustrating. I feel like I was scammed. Don't use their service. more

I recently had a great experience with Chicago Apartment Finders. I just walked in off the street completely unaware that you needed an appointment. Even though they were very busy they squeezed me in.I was helped by Warren Smith and he was amazing. He was able to sift through the literally thousand of rental listing finding the perfect candidates to fit my price range and preferences. It seems like he is on a first name basis with every landlord in the near north! He took us to 5 different properties (would have been more if we had more time!)and drove us around the neighborhoods. All the places were great. I couldn't believe it. I thought I would be lucky to find one clean, safe, non-bug infested place in my price range. Instead a had a huge selection! He knows the properties and the neighborhoods extremely well and was able to give loads of objective advice based on my criteria. I never got the sense that he was biased and wanted me to go with one or the other. He genuinely just wanted me to be happy with my apartment. He also didn't try to "upsell" and show me places outside my price range. When my wife and I were hopelessly deadlock he helped us decide by going over the pros and cons of each property and even itemizing the costs! When we finally decided he helped us complete all the paperwork. If you're apartment hunting in the city I definitely recommend this service as it can save you so much time and headache. They really do all the work and research for you. I dreaded the apartment search for so long but Warren made it a fun easy tour of the near north. more

I posted a review here two years ago when I first needed an apartment and how I had found a great agent named Paul Backer. Well, during the two years that passed I had moved into a new apartment I had found on my own. I thought I had been lucky to find it and didn't envision moving for at least a couple of years. Until somebody tried to blow up my apartment. Shortly after an arson attempt on my home, (Intentionally opened gas pipe + several burnt out match books surrounding it = Terrifying) I decided it was time to get out. I got in contact with Paul, and he immediately went to work on finding me a new place. However, this time, I was needing a place to buy, not rent. But it needed to be relatively cheap. And it needed to be near the red line. And it needed to have parking. And I needed it as soon as possible. And I needed one in a neighborhood where I wasn't moving out of an explosive house to a shot up one. Paul and I set out on a crazy journey to find this impossible place, and if I hadn't had him there to help me spot some things my eyes weren't trained to see, I might have wound up getting ripped off. But he was there, and sometimes would even come to show me a place on his day off. (His ONE day off. This man is a machine.) And thanks to him. I have a new condo in an amazing location for almost half of what other units in the same building are being sold for. I firmly believe that if I hadn't gotten Paul, I probably would still be in that horrible apartment, fearing for my life, jumping at every noise I heard outside, and grabbing a hammer and venturing downstairs expecting to find an intruder. Paul understood the urgency, and yet his attention to detail and my needs did not suffer for it. I can honestly say that I am able to sleep easily at night now because of Paul Backer. If that isn't a ringing endorsement, I don't know what is. more

I had a great experience here! Gayle was fantastic, had lots of insights, did not pressure me or try to boost my rent ceiling, and matched me up with a great apartment. The whole process was so much less of a pain than visiting the buildings on my own, which I had been doing for days beforehand. more

Chicago Apartment Finders on State Street was fantastic! Paul Backer was leasing agent. He took his time and found the PERFECT apartment for me and my husband. We actually signed a lease at the very first place he took us to! He was professional, articulate, and punctual. If Paul can't find your perfect home - no one can! I highly recommend Paul to anyone looking for a place to live in Chicago. Skip the classifieds and save time! Call PAUL! more

I highly recommend using Chicago Apartment Finders and specifically Paul Backer! I readily admit I am a very picky and discriminating seeker of housing. I was looking for a higher end higher end rental than Paul was used to. He was patient, observant, non-pushy, and helpful in helping me locate a condo rental I am very satisfied with. He worked with me for over 4 hours looking at 10 places taking past 7PM on a Saturday. There was never any pressure and he just wanted to help me find a place I was happy with. If I am renting again, I will find Paul. If I choose to buy, I will also consider using Paul. Paul's service was so good, I referred my company to use him to help select temporary executive housing. The exec is also very happy with Paul's selection. more

Paul Backer did a great job finding me an apartment. My search was especially chaotic, since what I was looking for changed three time over the course of four days. Each time, Paul took me out and spent the necessary time for me to find what I was looking for. He stayed within the price limits I specified, did not pressure me, worked on his days off, and even suggested other ways I could find an apartment should my search with CAF not come up with what I wanted. My experience closing and signing the lease with Lisa McCauley (in the Edgewater office) was similarly positive. Our transaction needed to be dealt with very quickly due to time constraints; CAF pulled everything together and got it done. The only negative thing I have to say is that the CAF was disorganized in making sure we had the right keys before leaving, and their system was not up to date, so as a result we ended up trying to visit a few apartments for which we didn't have keys or that were already taken. Overall though, CAF found me what I needed. more

I readily admit I am a very picky and discriminating seeker of housing.  I was looking for a higher end higher end rental than Paul was used to.  He was patient, observant, non-pushy, and helpful in helping me locate a condo rental I am very satisfied with.   He worked with me for over 4 hours looking at 10 places taking past 7PM on a Saturday.  There was never any pressure and he just wanted to help me find a place I was happy with.   If I am renting again, I will find Paul.   If I choose to buy, I will also consider using Paul.  Paul's service was so good, I referred my company to use him to help select temporary executive housing. The exec is also very happy with Paul's selection. more

Paul Backer did a great job finding me an apartment. My search was especially chaotic, since what I was looking for changed three time over the course of four days. Each time, Paul took me out and spent the necessary time for me to find what I was looking for. He stayed within the price limits I specified, did not pressure me, worked on his days off, and even suggested other ways I could find an apartment should my search with CAF not come up with what I wanted. My experience closing and signing the lease with Lisa McCauley (in the Edgewater office) was similarly positive. Our transaction needed to be dealt with very quickly due to time constraints; CAF pulled everything together and got it done. The only negative thing I have to say is that the CAF was disorganized in making sure we had the right keys before leaving, and their system was not up to date, so as a result we ended up trying to visit a few apartments for which we didn't have keys or that were already taken. Overall though, CAF found me what I needed. more

My experience with Chicago Apartment Finders was great. My fiance and I got an incredible Apartment with the help of Warren. He was very knowledgeable, not pushy and went above and beyond the call of duty in getting our lease negotiated/signed and delivered very quickly. We couldn't be happier. more

I had a great experience when I was paired up with Mark at Apartment Finders and I highly recommend using him personally. He patiently gave me a summary of the layout of the city, helped me to figure out the best areas considering my needs (location of new job, price range, social concerns), and efficiently but thoroughly looked at my options. He then drove me to about ten places in a single afternoon (I was in a time crunch). I feel very satisfied with my experience with Mark. He showed me apartments that made sense for my needs and asked after each place how I felt. With his help I found an studio steal of an apartment...all new renovation in a great neighborhood. His help was very generous and with a sense of devotion to get his clients needs and style. Thumbs way up. more

CAF did a great job finding me an apartment. My search was especially chaotic, since what I was looking for changed three time over the course of four days. Each time, Paul took me out and spent the necessary time for me to find what I was looking for. He stayed within the price limits I specified, did not pressure me, worked on his days off, and even suggested other ways I could find an apartment should my search with CAF not come up with what I wanted. My experience closing and signing the lease with Lisa McCauley (in the Edgewater office) was similarly positive. Our transaction needed to be dealt with very quickly due to time constraints; CAF pulled everything together and got it done. more

We worked with Brent and even though he was new, he was great and really listened to us.Brent was cool though and definitely understood us - he knew what we would like and went out on a limb to help us negotiate the rent. We found a place we love right in our price range and radius - and we only saw 3 apartments with CAF. more

When we got Paul, it was 3:30 PM on a Saturday, and we only had 1.5 hours more to look.  Paul had a listing of apartments, started making rapid calls, and found us an appointment.  Downside: only one appointment, but Paul's experience and knowledge of the market really kicked in, as the one we scored an appointment with was exactly the right apartment.  We signed papers that afternoon.If it were not for Paul and his market knowledge and his go-get-um energy, we would not have been so successful. ALSO - he does improv! We can't wait for his next show.ADVICE: For those of you looking at these reviews: ASK FOR PAUL specifically. The guys on the phone will tell you that they can't match you until you get there, and they can't let you give information ahead of time. ASK FOR PAUL. If you promise not to be a flake, he's happy to take information ahead of time and prepare for your visit. more

Okay so this is my first review-be easy. I recently moved into my new apartment I found with the aid of Warren Smith from Chicago Apartment Finders. I've been through this process plenty of times with other aparment places and to tell you the truth, I was not looking forward to it. Usually you contact apartment agencies and they have you fill out a ton of BS only to tell you they don't have much for you at the time or take you to several places that do not meet any of your criteria. My experience with Warren changed my beliefs about the entire process. He actually picked me up from work on a Friday night to show me a few places which I though was very cool since I'm sans a car. Warren was very personable, direct and honest. I never once felt like we were getting a line of crap. He found the perfect apartment with everything we were looking for and went to bat for us with the developer to save us some cash. Warren delivered on everything he said he would and I think that is very rare. He met with us at odd times like after work hours, Sundays and anytime that was convenient for us knowing he probably had other things he could have been doing. If you're looking for a straight shooter who gets things done call Warren Smith with Chicago Apartment Finders, you won't be disappointed! more

Great experience.Paul Backer was a great help, especially since my boyfriend and I weren't thrilled about having to find a new apartment. Paul listened to everything we were looking for and only showed us buildings that were very nice and in our price range. It's also great that he drove us around to each place and discussed different aspects of every neighborhood. He also helped us narrow down our choices and made sure to address specific issues with the leasing agent at the building we eventually chose. Thank You so much, Paul, you were a great help! I recommend him to anyone who is looking for an apartment in Chicago. more

Had a great experience with Oren. Highly recommend him. Although we were not able to find a place with this service, it was still a great experience! Thanks Oren at Chicago Apartment Finders! more

My college-aged daughter and I visited CAF for assistance in finding her an apartment for the coming school year. We live 500 miles from Chicago, and we didn't want to spend several days wandering unfamiliar neighborhoods on our own. Our CAF agent Paul Backer listened really well, zeroed in on my daughter's needs, and quickly narrowed the options to the very best apartments for our money. I loved sitting back in Paul's car and getting a good look at the neighborhoods without all the distractions of driving or the hassles of finding a parking space. We spent less than 5 hours in the search process and yet I felt confident that we had all the information we needed for making a good decision. Paul was efficient, personable, and attentive -- just a great guy from start to finish. As a parent, I really appreciated his patience with my super-shy daughter; he never talked down to her or left her out of the conversation. I couldn't be more pleased with the apartment she chose or with Paul's assistance. I highly recommend Chicago Apartment Finders, especially if you're coming to Chicago from a distance. Ask for Paul Backer! more

My experience with Chicago Apartment Finders was great. My fiance and I got an incredible Apartment with the help of Warren. He was very knowledgeable, not pushy and went above and beyond the call of duty in getting our lease negotiated/signed and delivered very quickly. We couldn't be happier. more

I had a great experience with Chicago Apartment Finders! Paul spent quite a bit of time searching for and making appointments with all the apartments that fit into my price range and offered the amenities that were important to me.  We had a packed day of apartment hunting, but I was very happy with the amount of time that was spent making sure I found a great new place to live.I would also say that I chose to go to Chicago Apartment Finders because I know two others that also had great experiences with this company. more