Where to RENT in Chicago/N.Indiana while working downtown?
 

I may have an opportunity to work downtown chicago. I have lived on a lake the last 15 yrs in Michigan and though I would LOVE to live in the city, I don't think that I could live in an Apartment, and I don't want to spend my entire paycheck on housing. I'm contemplating what my choices are. I'd consider living in the Chesterton/Valpo area and commute (i currently live 80 miles from where I work and drive, so an hr commute is fine with me). My question, I do not want to buy anything. The position that I'm considering has many opportunities to be transferred throughout the country and I'd rather not commit at this time. I'm having difficulty finding anything on the internet that offers homes for rent. Does anyone have experience renting in N. Indiana? The closer to the lake the better.

Around Chicago you will not be able to do 80 miles in an hour during rush hour. There is way more traffic and if you want to keep your commute to an hour you won;t be able to live a very significant distance away. Although the distance you're talking about is only about 50 miles I think you'll find it will take much more than an hour to commute.

Sorry, I didn't mean to imply that my 80 miles only takes an hour, my current commute takes about 1.5 hrs each way. I'm simply stating that I don't mind a commute.

Any ideas?

You might try Craigslist. Property management companies often post there. You might also google property management Northwest Indiana, etc.. to locate rentals. We have also called real estate agencies to ask about rentals. If they aren't in the property management biz, they can steer you in the right direction.

I'd suggest taking a look at some of the suburbs just off the
Eisenhower. I lived in Oak Park for a couple of years and worked downtown and the commute was about 45 min to an hour. There's also a commuter train that goes through Oak Park as well.

Lots of apartments in the the area, we had the top floor of a brownstone, and lots of room.

Hope this helps.

Well, you don't have to worry about spending your entire paycheck on rent - because landlords, property managers, etc. normally use specific formulae to determine if you are even eligible to rent their housing. If your pay is too low (and/or your have too many other obligations - car loans, etc.) for the cost of renting of their property, they won't rent to you. It's all part of the application process, for which you'll pay a non-refundable fee.

If you live in NW Indiana around Chesterton or Valparaiso, you are facing much more than an hour's drive. Depending on where, you could double it (and that's in good weather, no construction, low traffic). Now, when the weather is bad or there is construction and traffic, you could really be talking some serious time on the road.

A lot of people commute from this area via the South Bend and South Shore Railroad (aka the South Shore). You can go to the NICTD website to see what the monthly fares are for commuting from the various zones. And you'll need to include cost for gas, etc., getting to the station from wherever you live.

I think there's also a bus service which travels from Valparaiso to downtown Chicago for commuters as well. You could probably find information about it on Valpo's website.

But keep in mind that when you do commute in by these methods, you are limited to their scheduling. So, if you have unusual hours, this may not be the best fit for you.

To be honest, this type of commute (plus the extra cost of transportation - RR and/or automobile, insurance, maintenance, tolls, not to mention the extreme wear-and-tear on your car if you drive in) usually takes its toll in very short order.

Oops! That's South Shore and South Bend Railroad. I'm just up too late this morning.

If you are opposed to living in the city, I'd advise looking at the Metra lines. Select a town in which you can easily take the train. You'd save a tremendous amount of time and money.
www.metrarail.com.