Once again checking to see if I'm an idiot.

November 15, 2010 11:16 AM

Will I be able to sublet my Chicago (Pilsen) apartment, or does it suck?

I'm four months into a year-long lease in the central Pilsen area of Chicago. I'm trying to get someone to take over my lease if I can, but I've shown it to way more people than I've ever had to renting something through Craigslist. The problem is I really have little idea what is to be expected from apartments around here. So, did I sign on for some kind of bum deal that nobody will want to take over or what?

The apartment: An apparently slightly larger than average 1BR (350-400 sq ft?) on the second floor. $725/mo electric and water included. So far (I've pointed this out to prospective renters) I've only needed a small space heater a few times and haven't used the gas heat at all.

posted by cmoj to Work & Money (8 answers total)

Well, it's been very warm so far this winter. It will eventually get much colder, and space heaters will not cut it.

The rent does seem on the high side to me, based on idly pricing Pilsen apartments on Craigslist this summer when I moved, but I don't live there so I can't really speak with any authority.
posted by enn at 11:22 AM on November 15, 2010

You should more accurately measure your place. 350-400 square feet is pretty small for a 1 bedroom.

Also, the price will vary greatly depending on the quality of the building and the finishes, the kinds of appliances, washer/dryer, fireplace, proximity to public transportation, parking availability etc., etc. You need to be much more specific in details.
posted by jeff-o-matic at 11:28 AM on November 15, 2010 [1 favorite]

Response by poster: It will eventually get much colder

I realize this, and maybe all apartments here are actually energy efficient, but on the couple of nights it's dropped below freezing it stayed about 60 in here without anything on. These are Texas standards, though.

Also, I know that winter is not moving season here, but will there be a significant shifting of college students come December?
posted by cmoj at 11:29 AM on November 15, 2010

Response by poster: The stove and refrigerator are the same as every apartment I've ever lived in, so no robotic whirlpool appliances or anything. No washer/dryer on premises, but lavanderias on every block. No fireplace. Excellent public transportation proximity. I don't drive, but there seems to be plenty of free parking. And finishing? The walls are painted? It's a standard college-type, non-flophouse apartment.
posted by cmoj at 11:33 AM on November 15, 2010

Response by poster: More careful measuring yields just about 460 square feet.
posted by cmoj at 11:36 AM on November 15, 2010

Yeah, that's high, especially for Pilsen. I was paying $880 for a 900 square foot place in Bucktown with w/d on premises a year ago. With the complete bed-shitting of the real estate market over the last couple of years there's tons of nice, new condos being turned into rental units, which means that for $1500, you can live in a new place in a pretty nice neighborhood, which tends to depress rents everywhere else in the city. I'd put it up for, say, $650 and see if you get any takers, and just write off the difference as a learning experience.
posted by Oktober at 11:44 AM on November 15, 2010

I think that's a little expensive. I was renting in nicer areas like Lincoln Sq and Ukranian Village for around that much not too long ago. A smallish one bedroom in Pilsen? I'd say $575 to $625. A quick craigslist search shows me that $700-$750 in Pilsen gets me a 2 bedroom.
posted by damn dirty ape at 12:21 PM on November 15, 2010

Yeah, 460 square feet is average for a studio, but rather small for a one-bedroom. I would say that an "average" one-bedroom place is closer to 600 square feet.
posted by Johnny Assay at 12:50 PM on November 15, 2010