Try www.hotpads.com or www.padmapper.com

You can narrow down your searches based on your maximum price and map it so that its close to a Brown line station

Try Craigslist. I found the greatest apartment about a month ago from doing a quick search on Craigslist.

We used a realtor. She didn't charge us anything, but we would have gladly paid as her service made it so easy for us! We had only a week as well and found that most landlords in Chicago didn't want to work further out as most places were empty. A friend also has good luck with a apartment locating service. I think you have great perameters to have someone else do the work for you and then only go see apts that make the grade.

..good luck; take care !

Seconding the realtor. My husband and I had two weeks to find a new place seven hundred miles away and our realtor had ten great places lined up for us to look at when we came up to find somewhere to live. It took one afternoon of looking and we found the perfect place! Apparently they usually work on commission from the leasing companies which is how they can show places for free, and they hope that they make a good enough impression to get recommendations off it it as well. Good luck!

Check out http://apartmentvigilantes.com/. The folks there are super helpful, and their search tool is great. Nothing like the guys at Apartment Finders that are just driving you around and always trying to upsell you. I do second the suggestion for Ravenswood, but I'd also say you should look at the area surrounding DePaul University--you can usually find decently cheap and well maintained housing near the schools in the city. Good luck!

Good Luck!!! The same thing happened to me when I moved from ATL to Philly 6 years ago. I had a week to find an apartment because my friend bailed on me and I was in a new city!!!! It all worked out. Just go with your gut instinct and don't settle. Even after my year lease was up and I was more familiar with the city I stayed in that apartment for 4 years until my fiance and I bought a house nearby. Instincts!!

Been there! Literally been in Chicago with only 10 days. Luckily my landlord and I were tight and he let me stay in my place for a couple extra months for cheap. However when faced with only 10 days to move and this not being an option here's what I did.

First get on CL immediately (padmapper is an awesome adaption of that but sometimes misses the mark, so always double check on CL).

Also KNOW YOUR NEIGHBORHOODS - brown line friendly ones include; Gold Coast/Old Town, Lincoln Park, Lakeview, River North, Lincoln Square, Montrose area, etc. <Note that Lincoln Park and Lakeview have a ton of studios in your price range, Edgewater (which is off the red line has them for cheaper too)

Apartment finding services are hit and miss from what I've heard, but the ones where friends have been successful have been Apartment Finders and Apartment People.

And then lastly use your time wisely, pick a day (or two) and have them scheduled with back to back appts that are near one another so you're not trekking around the city. And always have a back up - meaning you may find the place you love but have another one lined up just in case it falls through (sadly it happens).

I had really good luck with Chicago Apartment Finders. I though they had access to a lot of searches of things I couldn't find anywhere else and really listened to what I wanted.

And I loved loved living in Lakeview.

I second (or third) craigslist. If you're really in a time-crunch and don't mind apartment complexes, there's always www.forrent.com.

When we moved to Chicago, we found our place through those free apartment magazines. (I think they're called "Apartments"?)

My past 2 apartments have been in the Ravenswood/Lincoln Square neighborhood and I wouldn't go anywhere else. There are a TON of studios and small one beds to be had in your price range, so I would suggest just getting on Craigslist or domu and searching near the Montrose, Damen, and Western stops. Farther west of that can get a bit sketchy and anything closer to the loop gets more expensive. I've never been in the time crunch you're in, but I've always found an apartment within a week fairly easily. Best of luck!

Try talking to your current landlord/management company or the one you were going to sign the lease with about the situation. They may have another place they are trying to fill and will give you a good price. My boyfriend and I lost an apartment a week before moving because the owner decided not to rent it out, the management company felt so bad that they found another place for us that was bigger and nicer and gave it to us for the same price!

"For $800 you have to sacrifice something whether it is location, quality, size, or safety."

Not necessarily. Especially if a studio is an option. I had a LARGE 1 bedroom for $775/month in Andersonville (including heat) that was awesome. Location was perfect for me (probably not for this person, though), couldn't be safer, and the apartment was amazing. $800 is not unreasonable.

I'd look near the Addison/Irving Park brown line stops. Great neighborhood and not too expensive. I'd check out places around Lincoln/Grace. I've had luck (shockingly) with Apartment People, but a lot of places have "for rent" signs in the yard. Find a neighborhood and walk around if you have the time. If you don't, call a place like Apartment People/Apartment Finders. They're not all terrible and they're free to you.

Actually, the more I think about it, most of the brown line is comprised of awesome neighborhoods.

If you go the Apartment People route, though, tell them you're not willing to pay more than $700. Then you'll see the $800 places.

Ravenswood/Lincoln Square is an awesome option for the money. I lived there for two years and loved it and really the commute is a half hour. Not so bad. Also, check out the Chicago Reader. You can search by neighborhood and price. Good luck. There are a million wonderful apartments in Chicago. You will find something great.

I live in Ravenswood. I love the proximity to Andersonville and Lincoln Square. It is an easy walk to the brown line and the 145 bus also runs through and goes directly downtown. Also, as someone else mentioned the Metra is a very good option for getting downtown. I went through Apartment Finders and people are consistently impressed with my apartment when they visit. The neighborhood has great apartments for the price.

I was with my friend one June about 10 years ago, maybe more, in Chicago on the big weekend when everyone moves. It's the most bananas thing -- most apartment leases start and end in October and June , so there's this enormous citywide scrum for apartments over the course of two weeks. Is that still the case?
pam h
howtorunyourlife.blogspot.com

I used the Apartment People at Broadway and Barry, free service, I sat down with someone and talked about my price range, neighborhoods I wanted and important things to me like updated kitchen, etc., looked at five apartments and the 5th one was the one i signed a lease on that day. i didn't move until a month later but I bet they could find you something. Good luck!

Dan, check out the apartments through Kristalex Group (4518 North Damen). 4518-4528(?) N. Damen is a courtyard building and the management company is located on the ground level of 4518 1/2. This building has extra large/convertible studios (rent is less than $750/mo) and 1 bedrooms. It's a block and a half from the Damen Brown Line stop. I've lived in two different studios in this building for the past three years or so and have ONLY had good experiences. I think there are apartments for rent currently as well.

Good luck!

I agree with the craigslist recommenders, and the person who suggested the Montrose stop. I also recommend the Irving Park or Damen stops. I live in Andersonville now, but I used to live at Damen and Berteau and absolutely loved it. Tons of late-running bus lines, the brown line, and walking distance to Jewel and Trader Joes. Craigslist search for Roscoe Village, North Center, Ravenswood, or Lincoln Square. Set your max rent at $850, and go to town. Another note: I found my place by being willing to check out places that didn't have pictures. Fewer people respond to those, so you can find gems. It takes more filtering, but it can pay off. It is how I snagged an affordable place with exposed brick!

Hey there, if you are interested I can look on the mls for you? I own a boutique rental company (The Rent Doctor) and we have good yelp reviews for you to check out before hand. I can search by the area and price and just email you the results not strings attached. Just PM me with your info if your interested but no pressure.

If your interested in looking in Bucktown I've got 2 spots that are in your price range.

Dan, Thorndale is totally right - the Ravenswood neighborhood is great. Tons of great restaurants, you can be right by the Montrose or Damen stops. I would live there but I was actually looking for something cheaper than you and only found tiny studios there. I actually live near the Fransisco stop now (Ravenswood Manor/Albany Park), which is too far for some people I know, but it's still close to Lincoln Square and only adds maybe 5-10 mins to the train ride. (And I pay <$650 for a huge one bedroom, sooo I think it's worth it!) Anyway, something to consider. Good luck!

I love my 2 bedroom with private parking space, my own water heater, central air/heat and bus at the door. My cab ride to work when I am in a hurry is 7 minutes to my office door in the loop. I'm paying $875. Found it on craigslist 5 years ago and I will never move. I'm not near the Brown line though. I refuse to have a commute.

CL all the way, baby!!

These are all really helpful to me because I'm applying to schools/hoping to move to Chicago.

But I've also been looking at domu.com

TONS of spots, you can search by every neighborhood specifically, etc.

I haven't acutally looked at any in person [I'm in Houston] but.... it's been helpful to see how much I can expect to be paying monthly in various neighborhoods.

Here's my Chicago question: I feel like the majority of non-high rise apartments I've seen have decks. I mean, for a place that is quite cold in the winter, I was just surprised by the large amount of decks!

By decks, do you mean fire escapes? The wooden stairs-and-decks contraptions at the back of old low-rise apartment buildings are "fire escapes". I think they're mandatory, and they're great to hang out on April-November.