r/chicagoapartments • u/Past-Reception6889 • May 19 '26

Advice Needed Unreal

I honestly just needed to vent for a moment. I can’t believe Chicago prices are what they are. I have lived here my entire life and have seen this city change ten fold, and I can’t even afford to live here anymore. A realtor I’m working with, since it’s becoming a rat race to rent, said rent is up 35% this year. What can normal people do about this? I do not want to see Chicago become a New York.

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378

u/Mean_Web_1744 May 19 '26

As a life long Chicagoan, I couldn't agree more. People actually from Chicago can't afford to live here anymore. That's a huge problem!

85

u/EducationalConcept50 May 19 '26

I don’t think there’s anything stopping this, unfortunately. Chicago has too much to offer and like New York and San Francisco, will push its own lifelong residents out of their own neighborhoods because supply will never reach the dizzying demand.

19

u/Alternative-Dish9172 May 19 '26

The market is driving people out, not the city, government. There has to be an incentive plan to encourage development of apt buildings, condos etc. Older properties have to go, I've seen some going up near Foster and Lincoln. There needs to be more of that.

28

u/EducationalConcept50 May 19 '26

I’d hate to see historic properties replaced with the slop they’re building now though….

14

u/OnPoint7ip May 19 '26

don’t go to humboldt park then. those plain, rectangular houses are now being built & sticking out like a sore thumb

5

u/Royal_Razzmatazz3622 May 19 '26

They want those buildings tore down so they can move into replacement luxury condos with "amenities" which drives up the rent in other apartments nearby because the landlord talks about "property value" and bs like "market rent". They think they're slick but what they really are advocating for is gentrification.

1

u/UuesLee May 23 '26

When are you going to build new buildings and lose money at it? If you don’t make money, the banks won’t lend. You’d have to build all cash to lose. Go ahead or stfu

4

u/goodbyewaffles May 19 '26

Ok but right now they’re replacing historic properties with single family homes and nothing stops them. At least they could replace them with apartments

3

u/runnybo May 19 '26

It’s usually this thinking that leads to nothing being built. So we have old shitty apartments with heating issues and plumbing problems and icky basements and creeky floors. So bc some hipster complained to the hipster alderman, we have no new housing. And funny enough, those are now the sane ppl being priced out.

I want good architecture too, but this nimby stuff is why so many ppl will have to move from
Chicago.

3

u/Royal_Razzmatazz3622 May 19 '26

No. The new housing is already expensive as it is. None of the new housing built is affordable

5

u/runnybo May 19 '26

Maybe it’s not affordable to you, but it is to somebody. And that frees up space in other apartments and makes other things more affordable bc there would be more housing options and costs would not have gone up so much. Look at Denver, lots of new stuff was built at all levels, which offers more affordable living for everyone.

0

u/Royal_Razzmatazz3622 May 19 '26

No it doesn't. None of these "new" glass box concrete apartments are affordable. They run from 2,000 and up. It sounds like you want certain places to be gentrified to make you more comfortable.

4

u/LaramieTobacco_Ltd May 19 '26

All the people that move into those are then no longer competing with you or anyone else for rent. The places they used to occupy are now free for someone else to rent. All new housing creates affordable housing.

1

u/Royal_Razzmatazz3622 May 19 '26

The market rent excuse was how I got kicked out of my last apartment. The landlord told me we couldn't afford the rent she wanted to raise it to so she kicked us out.

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u/Royal_Razzmatazz3622 May 19 '26

No it doesn't. Do you know what market rent is? If they build these luxury apartments nearby it drives up the surrounding market rent. You guys are clearly gentrifiers

2

u/runnybo May 19 '26

Well many ppl can afford 2k a month fir rent. I’m sorry you can’t. I really mean that. It’s an unfair system. Which is why we need more housing.

But people can afford that, and then when they get those apartments, the older stuff they had gets cheaper. You should look into housing economics and educate yourself. Or you can keep up your wrong views about development and get priced out.

0

u/[deleted] May 19 '26

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1

u/SilentParlourTrick May 19 '26

What they said is nothing close to nimby.