Avoid at all costs. They write fake ads on Craigslist just to get your info and be your "concierge" apartment finder. So let's breakdown how apartment finding in Chicago works. All of the websites including SSP, @properties, Berkshire, Urban Real Estate etc. just put up the MLS listings. Some websites are easier to navigate than others. Where things get sketchy is when agencies such as State Street Properties and Nick Nastos at Chicago Property Shop list fake ads on craigslist that are cheaper than the MLS listing in a classic bait and switch manner. The recommendation is to avoid these "agents" at all cost because what do they really do? Well you're the one doing the work of finding a place - they get to collect your first month's rent and split it with the listing agent. Many would say these guys don't have real jobs - and many of them work in other jobs and just do this on the side to collect commissions. If you can, just directly approach the listing agent, apply and submit your offer (lower than list and note that there is no agent you're going through). This way you'll save money and be rewarded for the time you spent searching through listings. So my story - I worked with Brad Kaplan, the owner of SSP. Many times he tried to sell me units that did not exist but would say it has been scooped up - you were too slow, you should take the next one we find. He tried to put me in a building that was brand new since incentives for agents are higher - meaning more for him. He lied about being able to rebate money if I moved in, he would give me a $1000 rebate but when asked to put it in writing and sign in front of a notary, he backed off. I spent hours combing MLS and found the listing I wanted - it happened to belong to a 3rd degree mutual friend that lived in Chicago. I applied, submitted deposits and forgot about Brad completely. 2 days later she's freaking out, refunds the deposit and says something about a lawsuit. Mind you, I'm in the middle of operating on a pregnant woman and I get hammer calls from Brad (3 in a row). The OR nurse freaks out thinking its an emergency and has to put on the speaker so I can answer. In front of all my colleagues I have to listen to my future landlord talk about how he is creating a ruckus and threatening to sue her. Long story short, it becomes a mess, we decide to say screw it and pay the agents their fees (even though we met through mutual friends) and it ended up costing me an extra $2200 for the year. This was all because Brad felt entitled that he was my "agent" despite not doing anything - then using frivolous litigation as a threat. I don't doubt SSP has lawyers on retainer and it would cost us more to hire our own. Plus I'm moving to Chicago to work and operate on uninsured people - I don't want to take away from that time stuck in a meaningless lawsuit by some sleazy agent, I just needed a place to move in. The paperwork to move in the building was a joke, I did everything on my own and sent it to the building directly - he had to ask me to CC it to him so he could send it to them in order to feel involved. I don't know how these guys sleep at night. read more

I did an internet search and found a couple units that I liked. The link prompted me to enter my email address to see more details of the properties. (Saturday, February 11) I believe that generated an automatic email from Brad at State Street Properties. I called right away, because of my sense of urgency to move in to our new place by March 1st. He answered his phone on a Saturday Night, we talked briefly about what I was looking for, neighborhood, price range etc. Within minutes of getting off the phone with him, as he had promised, I heard back from Emily. She was very pleasant and confirmed what I was looking for. She said that rental offices dont open till about noon on Sundays, and that she would set up some appointments for me the next day soon as they opened. As promised, I heard from her at 11:30 am about two different properties in the West Loop. We met up at the first property. On my way there, she was prompt in answering my calls and texts and directing me to the property. We did the first tour. Then, we went to the second tour. She was very pleasant and approachable in the car. I talked with her frankly about my take on the first place. After the second tour, I had an appointment in Old Town to look at another apartment on my own. She courteously offered to drive me there! This was absolutely above and beyond. I ultimately decided on the first property. Totally impressed by the quality of Alta at K-Station. I would'nt have even considered this property in my search if I wasn't made aware of it by Emily. They are prompt, they are kind, and work with the same sense of urgency as you...matching you with a property that is most ideal for you based on your requests. I'm thoroughly impressed at how fast and efficient this process was and want to refer her to all my friends that are looking for properties in the area. read more

This is a different type of a review, i actually worked for Jon Perlman here for 11 years and had stopped when 3 kids became too much and i was going through a divorce. I find it funny how many fake reviews are on here like the one saying "he posts fake reviews or fake ads" etc. Majority of these reviews have never even met the guy; I met him, and LOVED working for, and with him; He is such a good leader, he use to play pro tennis and division one tennis so i assume playing a sport at that high of a level turned into Brokers like myself are treated with such high dignity and respect and he gave me REAL LEADS for not only pre qualified renters but also buyers, sellers and commercial clients; I made alot of $ working for him (over 6 figures every year) and highly recommend this guy. If not for him, i wouldnt be successful in what im doing now on sports sales, he drives everyone to work work work and make $ and those who arent up to it, always fail; I was a team leader for a while and watched it with my own 2 eyes. So i would certainly recommend taking these 1 star reviews with a grain of salt. He has far more positive reviews than negative and most are "hidden" (dont ask me why LOL) On the rental side of things hes available 18 hours a day, literally, and 7 days a week, unlike anyone on the business; The value he provides in his full onboarding training program and ongoing training after his leasing agents starts is what most in the business (his competitors) have tried to copy (to no evail) If i could give 20 stars to him and his team i would! Thanks Ryan read more

Jon at State Street Properties did an outstanding job helping us buy our home. My wife and I were moving to an area we had zero familiarity with, and Jon was great to work with from beginning to end. He took time to understand our needs and put together a list of properties to see. He traveled several hours through bad conditions and spent three days with us viewing homes. During our time together in person, it was clear to us that Jon puts his clients and employees first. He was actively helping us find a home, but we witnessed him always being available to take calls from clients, understand his clients needs, and then work to get them connected with his agents/employees, providing them leads to follow up on. Jon is the definition of hard working; always responsive to his clients needs at any time of day. We could call, text, or email Jon at any time and he would be available to help. When it came time to negotiate a sale...WOW...AMAZING!! We wanted to negotiate aggressively and have had realtors in the past unwilling to step up, but Jon wasn't like our other realtors. He thinks logically but is willing to step up and find ways to make things happen. He knows his markets and understands all variables needed to put together strong negotiating efforts. In our case, he helped purchase our dream home by negotiating from a price that started way out of our budget down to a price that was within our budget. Extremely impressed and grateful for all Jon's efforts and would definitely recommend working with him!! read more

I had the pleasure of working for Jon and SSP as an intern for three months this summer, and after reading some of the negative reviews, I felt I needed to share my own experience. Over the course of those three months, I learned more than I could have in any other internship or job. Point blank. Jon is one of the most dedicated and realistic professionals I've worked with. Some of the reviews here seem to misinterpret his straightforward communication style as rudeness or a lack of professionalism. In reality, Jon's approach is all about transparency and efficiency, always with the best interests of both his clients and team in mind. During my time at SSP, I was actively involved in helping clients with their apartment searches, and I saw firsthand how much Jon cares. He's always focused on making sure both his workers and clients are well taken care of, and while his directness might not always be the most appreciated, it's because of his he aims to get things done the right way. If you value transparency, hard work, and efficiency, and someone who has your best interest, then this is a great place to work or do business with. I would recommend Jon and SSP without hesitation whether you're looking to work here or need help with your apartment search. The negative reviews out there don't reflect the true experience, and I'm grateful for the opportunity to learn so much during my time with the company. read more

Working with Todd Stefanik was a great experience! I highly recommend him to anyone, he has helped out a few family members and friends in the past years. He gets really excited about real estate when he is driving around and willing to give you his absolute best! He's extremely knowledgeable about the city and you can tell he works very hard. When I see the door staff , agents in the buildings and even the cleaning crew in the buildings give him hugs or special hand shakes to say "Hello" ,that just says how likable he is around the city. He cares about his clients 110% and makes finding an apartment not only easy, but a really fun and enjoyable experience. He is not that typical pushy agent what so ever. He really listens to you on what your looking for and matches everything up. As we were driving around looking at buildings he canceled some appointment bc he said they weren't for me and made new appointments on the spot. The buildings would let him come in right away. When I worked with other another company before they would say they can't get us in bc they were booked with appointments and come back another day, not Todd. If you are reading this give this guy a call for renting or buying a places you will not be disappointed. It was definitely a pleasure working with him and I look forward to working with Todd in the future. Thanks again Todd. read more

When it comes to using an apartment searching company, it all comes down to who the agent is. I'm giving 5 stars for the agent I had- Alyssa Kim. She was fantastic and helped me find an apartment. I was coming from out of town and only had 3 days set aside to find a place. She quickly figured out and understood what I was looking for and took the time to find listings that another agent at a different company couldn't find. She is very easy to contact- she replies to texts almost instantly, returns calls promptly- which is something I really appreciate. It's also VERY helpful when trying to find an apartment with limited time. It can make the difference between finding a perfect place and losing it to someone else. I might have contacted 4 or 5 agents while in Chicago and Alyssa was hands down the fastest/easiest to get a hold of. She also did not make me feel pressured to sign a lease. I've had experience with other agents and some are pushy to get a signing. Again, never felt rushed with Alyssa. She also grew up in Chicago so her knowledge of the city and all the different neighborhoods is both impressive and useful when looking for places. If you do decide to use State Street Properties- DEFINITELY ask for Alyssa Kim. She's professional, hardworking, and- most importantly- will find you the place you're looking for. read more

I recently relocated to Chicago from Orlando, Florida, for work and needed to locate an apartment I would love in a hurry. I found State Street Properties through Craigslist as they represented the types of places and locations I was looking for. I had lived in Chicago before -- and knew exactly what I wanted. And Lydia from SSP was ready to find it for me. I had less than 48 hours to locate a place and sign a lease. I needed to move in 2 days after -- on June 1, the busiest day of the year no less! For the few days before, Lydia sent me numerous options and reflected on my feedback. She was attentive to my emails and always reachable. I knew what I wanted and she met the need -- which was no small feat on my timetable. I had three apartment agencies working for me at this time but Lydia was the fastest to respond and most knowledgeable. Lydia has a business-savvy attitude that will take her far. She won't waste your time, has good contacts in the buildings, and has a friendly, personable demeanor. She provided lots of options and made me feel like I was both well taken care of and an important client. I would gladly give more information about my experience if you wish to contact me. Otherwise, I'll be calling them the next time I need a place. And recommending them to everyone I know. read more

My fiancé and I were recently looking for a place on CL. We stumbled upon a place that was listed with SSP. Within a few minutes of inquiring about it via e-mail I received a reply from Ryan Rader. After a quick phone call informing him of our needs and wants in a place he ran a search and sent me about 7 or 8 listings that all looked fantastic and met our criteria. 2 days later on a Sunday nonetheless he picked up my fiancé and I are my place in the south loop and drove us around Chicago showing us various places. He had setup all the showings ahead of time and was very organized and very professional, yes very personable. After a day of looking we were ready to pull the trigger on a place. He negotiated for us and was able to get us a great deal. In the end before signing the lease we found out that my fiancé had lost her job which caused us to rethink our next move but Ryan was very understanding and even made the extra effort to put her in touch with someone who could help her gain some employment. We ended up finding a place on CL that was through an independent person who owns a 3-flat but Ryan's effort does not go unnoticed and when we look to actually buy a place in the next few years we'll be giving Ryan a call. Thanks again for all your help during that stressful week. read more

I couldnt disagree more with Madison C! I had been looking for an apartment to rent for weeks and was getting jerked around by the other "big fish" in the city, the apt finders and apt locaters etc etc when i finally found State Street Properties and 1 of their agents, Ryan Rader. First, their service, as advertised, was absolutely FREE! Not sure what Madison C is talking about, they didnt charge me anything and ive been renting in the city for 9+ years and every year i use help ive never paid, always always always free!!! Ryan either always answered my call on the first ring or returned it within litterally 3 minutes of me leaving a message. He was professional and on time the first and 2nd time i met him and did a phenominal job. I referred my friend Jamie to Ryan and he was out of town so he had an associate named Jill help her out and Jamie was THRILLED with the service state street properties gave her as well. Again, on time, FREE, and nothing but professional work done by Jill. I would strongly encourage you to use this company if you are ever looking for an apartment. Not only are they responsive, respectful and extremely helpful, but they have access to just about every apartment in the city, i later found out! Thanks again State Street, you guys rock!! read more

I was literally lost. I recently relocated to Chicago and had a horrible experience subleasing with Presidential Towers (BY THE WAY PLEASE DO NOT LIVE HERE FOR YOUR OWN SAKE). Then, I found this posting from Craigslist with all the nice list of apartments. I originally had an appointment with this lady named Lydia, but unfortunately she got really sick on the day we were supposed to meet. She called me way before our appointment time and let me know she couldn't make it. This was the part where I was really surprised. Most of real estate agents would just cancel out the appointment and apologize but she actually referred me to this competent, pleasant agent, Nick. He drove me all over the town to show 5 properties all in one day. Nick kindly explained all the pros and cons of each property and he was extremely well connected with all the managements. In one day, I got out of this horrible lease with Presidential Towers and now am expecting new, exciting life in Lincoln Park, which was the area I mainly asked for. I don't normally leave online reviews, but I simply had to. Thank you so much, Nick. I would definitely recommend you to consult with State Street Properties especially when you are new to this city. read more

I was very happy with this apartment finding service. My roommate was the first to contact this company about seeing a unit in Chicago because we had worked with someone from both "apartment people" and "apartment finders" and we very unhappy with the service provided by those agencies. When she called State Street she talked to someone that referred us to Matt. I set up an appointment to see several different apartments with Matt. Matt was flexible and willing to work around my crazy work schedule to find a time convenient for us to meet. His selection of apartments that we looked fit my criteria and I ended up signing a lease at one of the buildings he showed me. Both people that we dealt with from State Street were very professional and helpful. This was my first time looking for apartments in the Chicago area, and Matt was wonderful about answering my questions. They have a very good handle on the apartment market in Chicago and I was very happy with the selection of apartments that Matt showed me. After a frustrating few weeks trying to deal with other apartment finding services, it was relieving to finally find an excellent service like State Street; I would recommend them to anyone/everyone. read more

Everyone who has been having difficulty dealing with SSP needs to realize that this is real estate. Cancellations are common, especially last minute and ESPECIALLY because some of the apartments you are interested in seeing are still lived in! Also, it's a fast paced business. You need to be quick and attentive about what you want. The company only has your best interest at heart in trying to get exactly what you want since apartments in Chicago go very quickly. Also, if your budget is $1,000 a month for a 2 bedroom and you want hardwood floors, an in unit washer and dryer, pets allowed, and a view of Lake Michigan... you're going to get a harsh response from your agent. They don't have time to deal with people who have their head in the clouds. If you have a tiny budget, you have no right to be so picky! Regardless, I had a great experience with State Street. Jeff showed me apartments and was extremely funny, helpful, and kind. He was attentive to exactly what my husband and I were looking for and showed us a range of apartments that would fit our needs. We are now happily living (with our dog!) in a great apartment on the north side. I couldn't ask for more. Thanks State Street! read more

I recently moved to Chicago from San Francisco -- a HUGE move I had to make for business. I called State Street Properties in response to an Ad I saw on Craigslist and was put in touch with Jill Allen. As apprehensive and upset I was about the move, Jill was incredible. She listened to everything I wanted, asked great questions so that she could find me the best place where I would be happy. She put my happiness first and that could not be more appreciated. She found me a beautiful 1 bedroom in the River North area and it has everything, and more, that I wanted. I even like it better than my place in San Fran. Jill was attentive to my needs and we had to make arrangements/decide on places long distance as I called her before I even came to Chicago. She sent me a bazillion pictures of places and spent a whole entire day with me until I found my perfect home. I have been here a month now and while I don't plan on moving any time in the near future (my place is just way too great), I HIGHLY recommend this company, especially Jill Allen, to anyone who is looking to move -- professional, dedicated, knowledgeable, and friendly -- what more could you ask for?? read more

Best Realtor in town: Jonathan Perlman; Does this guy ever sleep? Takes calls for his entire rental team, sells down in florida, sells in chicago, crazy impressed with this man! I just closed on my condo in river north and bought one with him out in Naperville; he sold my condo in 4 days at list price and he got me a house out in burbs 27% under asking price; Jonathan probably saved me 100,000 in total between the 2 deals, better than my stock broker at NW Mutual! He answers his phone literally almost 24/7 and i have even been in the car going on showings with him and heard some of the crazy renter calls he has to deal with; So funny b/c if you read his reviews on yelp and google, he has 5 stars from people like me (people that actually know him and used him) vs the people who have a 3 minute exchange on the phone writing these insane nasty reviews. Wild that theyre allowed to slander him like they do without ever meeting the guy. Highly recommend him if you are looking for someone to save you $ and sell your place FAST! Hardest working guy in Chicago hands down Thanks so much Mr Perlman, so glad Lynda and Joe referred me to you, 10 stars!!! read more

Lizabeth Swirsky = AWESOME!! If anyone is looking for an apartment in Chicago, Liz is the one to help you with it. I spoke to Liz on a Sunday afternoon for the first time, all I had to do was mention my budget and any other specifications that I wanted in the apartment. I knew what areas that I'm interested in so I mentioned that to her as well. She set up multiple appointments for me within ONE hour (maybe even less) - all within my budget and she totally understood what I'm looking for. She drove me around to all the apartments, asked good questions to the apartment agents (ones that I did not think about), was on time for all the appointments, and did not pressurize me to make a decision once we saw the apartments. If I had any questions about the apartments, she got me an answer immediately and also tried to get me a deal in the apartments that I was interested in. Overall, great experience with Liz and State Street Properties - I would HIGHLY recommend her to anyone looking for apartments in Chicago! Liz's contact information is liz@sspchicago.com for those who need to reach her. Goodluck in your apartment search! read more

I recently graduated from college and was offered a job in Chicago. One of my friends had used State Street Properties in the past to find her own place and had nothing but great things to say and recommended that I go on their website. Quickly after browsing through their site, I was contacted by Jon Perlman who was nothing but helpful in taking down my information and insuring me that they would find a place that best fit my criteria. Minutes later, I was contacted by an agent, Airi O'Brien, who reconfirmed the information I gave to Jon and set up a time and day that best worked for me. She kept in me in the loop and let me know in a timely manner where to meet her on the day of the appointment. After meeting me at the first potential building, Airi drove me to each of our appointments and was great in not only asking me what I thought of each place but the agents at the buildings themselves, questions that I hadn't even thought to ask. She was personable, patient, and overall greatl, I would recommend everyone to use State Street Properties to find their place! read more

I was relocating with my job to the Chicago area from Washington, DC and planned a weekend visit to find an apartment. I came in contact with Lydia at State Street Properties about 3 days before I was to arrive and, to say the very least, she did all the work for me. I had 48 hours to sign a lease so I was a bit nervous. She picked me up in her car first thing in the morning on Saturday and by noon I had signed a lease for a great place at a great price AND saw many other places to make sure I was making the right decision. There was never any pressure and all I had to do was give her a location and price range. She would have driven me around the whole day if I wanted. I wouldn't think twice about recommending someone to her and if I ever need a place again she would be the first person I would call. Even after signing the lease she has stayed in contact with me to make sure things fall in to place as they should. Overall, HIGHLY recommended! read more

Amy was incredible. Truly. My roommate and I were looking for a place and were starting to run into a pretty tight deadline as to what we wanted and within our budget. Amy took us on a whirlwind tour one afternoon of several buildings and we found one that honestly took our breath away between the views from the apartment and the amenities of the building.. However there was then a complication, my dog. The apartment building said that her breed was on their aggressive list and thus I could not have the apartment as long as I had the dog. Amy seamlessly asked if that rule applied to dogs that were emotional support animals. I hadn't even thought to ask that although yes, my dog is registered as such. We move into the new place in 10 days. This building was not even on our list, and we wouldn't have even seen it or had been able to move in if it wasn't for her quick thinking. Thank you so much Amy & SSP! read more