Short-term accommodation before buying condo (Chicago, Aurora: hardwood floors, sublease, sublet)

[joe1024]

So, I'm planning to move back to Chicago (from New Jersey), stop renting and buy my first condo in Lakeview, where I lived couple years ago (hence I know the area very well).

The problem (once I find the job), is the short-term accommodation of my family. Ideally, I'd find some condo to buy within 3 months, but I find it impossible to find a place that would give me 3-month lease.
Well, there is one - Presidential Towers (in dowtown, where my prev.company placed me for a month, couple yrs ago), but it costs $2700 per month (for 3-mo lease). While I could afford it for 3 months, it would be hard.

Do you perhaps know of something similar, but further from downtown ?

I don't mind commuting ~50 miles for 2-3 months, if the price was good (e.g. sub $1000).

Any ideas on short-term apartments in safe areas ?


Another option is to go far north from Chicago, get some 2-bedroom for $800 and just pay 3 months rent to break the lease, once we find the condo and buy it.


Can you guys think of something else ? Hotels are too expensive for 3 months.

[Windy5555]

is it just you? is a hostel an option?

[UC18]

Have you tried looking for subleases on Craigslist? 50 miles can take you clear out to places like Libertyville, Aurora, Joliet, and Valparaiso-- basically the entire metro area-- so it shouldn't be too hard to find something in your price range with that kind of geographic flexibility. There's always somebody somewhere trying to get out of their lease with a few months remaining.

[UC18]

And actually, even doing a hotel you should be able to find something halfway decent for $60/ night out in the burbs. That's still a lot cheaper than your $2700/mo. option, and you wouldn't have to worry about things like utilities, furniture, or washing your own towels and bedding.

[UC18]

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Some of these are longer than 3 months, but you get the idea.

[joe1024]

Originally Posted by JohnWestTown

is it just you? is a hostel an option?

Unfortunately, no. Like I said above, it's my family (e.g. wife + 2 kids), so 2-bedroom is basically lowest requirement, as I never heard of an apartment complex that would allow 4 people into a 1-bedroom. Fortunately, the price difference between 1 and 2 bedroom is so low, that we're not that desperate anyway.

But in the city, there has always been a huge shortage of 2-bedroom apartments. I lived in 4 different apartments, and checked out around ~50 other apartments (while searching) and it almost looks like the number of 2-bedrooms is about 10-15% (with great majority going towards studios and 1-bedrooms) of all apartments available - which does not help. Plenty buildings do not even have 2-bedroom ones, and those that have, have only like 1 per floor.

But, thanks for the idea, keep 'em coming !

[UC18]

Originally Posted by joe1024

Unfortunately, no. Like I said above, it's my family (e.g. wife + 2 kids), so 2-bedroom is basically lowest requirement, !

Oh damn. I didn't realize you were looking for housing for a family of four for under $1000/mo. I was imagining you just looking for a place to crash by yourself for three months. (I see now that I didn't read your OP very carefully.) I'm kind of surprised that your budget is that low if you're planning to buy a place big enough for a family of four in Lakeview.

Still, though, you can find places with two bedrooms for that cheap, but I see your dilemma in finding one for only three months.

[joe1024]

Originally Posted by UC18

And actually, even doing a hotel you should be able to find something halfway decent for $60/ night out in the burbs. That's still a lot cheaper than your $2700/mo. option, and you wouldn't have to worry about things like utilities, furniture, or washing your own towels and bedding.

That's what I thought also, but preliminary search (though, thanks for pointing it out - I should search more!) showed only the prices in $90-$100 range, which means it would be cheaper to just live downtown (with zero transportation costs). Hell, I'd probably even pay $200-$300 per month more for that convenience, over morning commute and more time with the family

I never really commuted from that far (as I lived in Lakeview/Lincoln Park/Downtown before), but my best guess at this moment is that it costs around $250-$300 per month to commute from further distance (e.g. 40-60 miles), right ? Parking at train station, from what I heard, is around $60, train ticket about $200-$250 (maybe even more these days, as CTA raised their prices recently from $84 to over $100 for a monthly pass).

That got me thinking more about the price in suburbs.
There'd be a bill for utilities - probably around $200 - which I would not pay in Pres.towers
transportation - ~$300
Convenience cost - $300 (this is probably quite critical, as viewing condos from downtown is basically 15-minute drive away (or short bus ride), compared to ~2 hrs drive on saturday from ~50 miles).

That's ~$800 altogether - so that effectively puts me into sub $2000 range in burbs (e.g. $2700-200-300-300 = $1900) - meaning, unless the apartment is under $1900 a month, it makes no sense to be in burbs. What the hell....

Plus, and I realized that only now, that's a huge plus, in the downtown, my wife would just hop on buses like 134,135,156,151 and go check the apartment complex herself during the day (she does not work). That would be impossible in the burbs.

I never thought I'd say it, but Presidential Towers is actually not so insanely expensive for $2700 a month (for 2-bedroom for 3-months lease), as I originally thought...

[joe1024]

Originally Posted by UC18

Oh damn. I didn't realize you were looking for housing for a family of four for under $1000/mo. I was imagining you just looking for a place to crash by yourself for three months. (I see now that I didn't read your OP very carefully.) I'm kind of surprised that your budget is that low if you're planning to buy a place big enough for a family of four in Lakeview.

Still, though, you can find places with two bedrooms for that cheap, but I see your dilemma in finding one for only three months.

Well, while I could afford the $2700 Presidential Apartment for 3 months, it would be quite a stretch and most probably would result in few hundred in debt on credit cards each month.

I'd obviously rather put that money anywhere else , than the rent sinkhole. Plus, if we don't happen to find a condo within 3 months, the $2700 apartment will absolutely result in some additional debt over the course of 6 months, as that's quite a long period of time to rely on fact that nothing extra will happen (you know - car, school stuff, medical bills,...).


Those $900 rents I found yesterday (around Waukegan, if I remember correctly- though I gotta do research on safety, too! - I just found out that one of those areaa is a trailer park :-) ) were compelling enough to undergo the long commute, as even a 3-month lease break, is just 1 month in downtown.

As for the Lakeview condos, it's not so horrible there in terms of prices - plenty are for $220k, and I even found few for $180k. I am targeting 10 yrs mortgage, with earlier pay-off, so I can help my son through college (e.g. mortgage payment will then be transferred into tuition payment).

[chet everett]

I think I have posted information before about using the "corporate relocation service" type rentals. I know that several of the major rental management firms offer furnished apartments at rates similar / better than Presidential Towers which is crummy location and a poorly managed complex.

The AMLI firm may still have a in-house department, I know they also work with the "networks" that offer short term corporate housing on-line...

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I would caution that it is almost certainly very likely that you are over estimating transit costs. A Metra monthly pass from Park Ridge is still only $135. There are some hotels that are a short bus ride from that Metra stop. Further one could take the Blue Line from the Rosemont area where there are large number of hotels that might suit your needs.

Similarly there are many hotels in Yorktown area of Lombard that are convenient to the BNSF Downers Grove Main St Station with a Metra fare that is just $171/mo.

I would further suggest your estimates of travel times from the suburbs are way way off -- their are many BNSF express from Downers Grove that are well under 30 minutes. Should you or your wife choose to drive into Lakeview off-peak it is not at all unrealistic to make this trip in 45 minutes.

Finally you may be radically under-estimating the supply of low priced family sized condos in desirable parts of Chicago. You may very well need to adjust your budget / expand your target area.