Long story told short: realtors are the same all over the world.
I started with realtors for appartments Downtown and in the Lincoln Park area, where the first neighborhood would be close to my office but the second has a better nightlife and - as far as my first impression counts a by far younger clientele.
They are sales persons, they would sell their grandmother, if they could. One of the two guys expected me to sign the lease contract right away. One big difference is that you don't pay their commision. Other than in Germany, in the US they are paid by the appartments owner. They usually get a commision of 6-10% of th total lease. Oh, and there's another differentiator: in the US, you will have to sign a contract for a fixed period of time. Both contractors are usually not allowed to cancel this agreement.
To find an apartment in Chicago area go chicago.craigslist.org
These sites were also recommended to me, yet I didn't try them: www.chicagoapartmentfinders.com, www.rent.com.
These are the neighborhoods where I am currently looking: Gold Coast, Lakeview, Andersonville, Ukrainian Village, Old Town, Lincoln Park, Wrighleyville.
So I'm going to try it by contacting owners tomorrow. Let's see how far this gets me.
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