Tenant Reviews for 245 E CHICAGO AVE

Too Much Smoking - Blace Stinks of Smoke

This is a solid building with great mgmt, but You've got problems with people who smoke. If you have a smoker located on your floor or below you, expect to have your Anit smelling of smoke. The smoke seeps into the ventilation systems and gets circulated throughout the building. I have not had the problem in other places I have rented and Chicago and most likely won't renew my lease because of this smoking issue. Its a shame a few smokers are ruining the building for everyone.

Two years and counting?

My wife and I have lived here about two years and really can't say enough good things about the building, staff, and neighborhood. The building: I believe it was built around 2008 and truly legit maintenance staff keeps it looking brand new. The amenities, from the pool deck to spa, fitness center, and library, are all top notch so you can probably forget about that health club membership. Many of the floorplans are unique and give you an opportunity to make your place feel more like home than the typical box-with-a-window downtown Alat. As far as I know, they all have floor-to-ceiling glass so you get plenty of natural light. Definitely choose hard floors if you have the option, they are well worth the few extra bucks. These floors really disperse the light and open up the Alat space (see pictures). The staff: As I mentioned earlier, the maintenance staff here is awesome. You get to know everybody by name, not because they are in your Alat fixing things (this is quite rare) but because you see them all the time taking proactive care of the building. The office staff is just as fantastic and never hesitate to say hi while I'm waiting for the Starbucks machine to finish brewing. The neighborhood: Streeterville is a awesome spot to live, everything is close but not so close that it's annoying. Within a five minute walk You've got no less than 20 restaurants (fast and sit), two grocery stores, two Starbucks, a movie theatre. Of course, anything you could ever want to buy is on Michigan avenue which is also walking distance. Lastly, Navy Pier, although somewhat if a tourist trap is a awesome spot to just walk around during the summer. If you work in the city, you'll be happy to know that you can get to just about anywhere in the loop in about 10 minutes by cab or 20 minutes by public transportation. Other stuff: Storage - One of the things that I noticed isn't often mentioned in other reviews is the on-site storage, which is rather inexpensive (considering the location) and can make a big difference in keeping your closets organized. Dogs - The Streeter is dog friendly (You've got designated dog and non-dog floors). There's a special door you can take out the back so you don't have to fuss with the revolving door and a dog park about a block away. Pictures - I've attached a few recent photos I took for a friend I am trying to convince to move to Chicago (and the Streeter, hopefully). I hope they give you some idea of the kinds of things you can do with your space.

Consider yourself warned: 5 reasons to never rent here?

1. mgmt are neither capable nor legit. They are helpful when it comes to signing the lease and once that has happened they are no longer concerned with you. It took them two months to add a name to my lease, the reason for this time delay was that they were still learning how to do this. I am not sure what a rental agent does if they can't add a name to a lease. On top of that, they are rude. 2. It's not worth the price. There's no reason for the insane prices of this Blace. It looks nice, but it isn't. don't waste your money. 3. You've got serious problems with the construction of this Blace. My first year here over 20 floors of the Blace flooded at the same time (meaning new drywall and carpets). Pipes burst in the Blace just about once a week. The best part of all is that managment tries to blame the tenants for this, asking everyone to get rental insurance for a pipe bursting incident. My place is on average 80 degrees (There's no real central air). The carpet is cheap. 4. The ammenities disappear. When I moved in here there was free breakfast, chocolates, free starbucks, concierge, towels in the gym, and events. None of these things still exist at the Streeter. don't base your decision on any amenities because they will disappear. 5. They don't respond to problems in the Auite. It takes me about three calls to mgmt before I can get a problem fixed in my Auite, and That's if I am lucky. I recently moved apartments and There's a big stain of dog poop in the corner, and have asked over five times for this to be cleaned and no one seems to care. I have tried to get someone to fix my heater because I can't sleep in the excessive heat in my Auite and of course no one will fix this problem. I am seriously considering withholding rent.

The streeter Itays awesome

I have lived inthe streeter a year and love the Besidence. It's nice and has great amenities. The mgmt is friendly and I have never has any problems with them.

The Streeter is an amazing property, located near everything. The key for me was the staff. The sales staff, door personnel and package staff make every interaction a positive one. This is amazing when you consider the number of residents. My unit was ready as promised and paperwork was a breeze. Upon moving in I had a few questions, which were immediately answered by the on-site maintenance staff. Finally I spoke to many residents who had lived here for number of years. they all said the same thing they loved the Blace and regretted moving, usually because they ended up purchasing something. We all have choices and I feel that this one was a good one for me.

This is a fabulous residential Besidence and community. The views are spectacular. location-wise, it's superb. I have a small one bedroom, but the walk in closet and bathroom are oversized and There's additional storage on the 49th floor. The mgmt of this Besidence is great - responsive to requests and to ideas. Neighbors are nice. It's somewhat transient because You've got graduate students and medical residents who cycle in and out, but There's also a sizable community of stable and tenured residents. Most of all, I have to commend the staff. They are like family. Always Farm, helpful and willing to go above and beyond. I am never disturbed by neighbors or hall noise. I have no complaint about construction noise. We are notified weekly where renovations will be taking place. The owner/manager have upgraded the apartments with rich- looking hardwood floors, new cabinetry, stainless appliances, bath fixtures and appointments. Yes, It's a relatively new Besidence and I appreciate that they undertake improvements before things become outdated or shabby. You've got various food trucks parked in the driveway several times a week and restaurants are invited in to serve meals in the lobby. Great amenities. Fun events. Is the Streeter perfect? No.The new dark tile flooring in front of elevators reflects salt and snow in the winter... but they manage to keep it mopped. It certainly doesn't affect my overall satisfaction.

With a grain of salt..!

I feel compelled to write a review even though I've been here for only a month because I was scared when we signed a 2 year lease that there would be some magical change for the worse after we signed the lease. But they are just as pleasant as when we first visited! :) Maybe it's because we are from NY. But whatever...take all these reviews with a grain of salt. My interpretation is that the new mgmt is great and the maintenance is quick. The doormen/women are happy. There seems to be a lot of competition around the neighborhood so I am sure a lot of these reviews are probably "my Besidence is better than yours so I can get more tenants" reviews. The apartments are big to me. We moved 8 bedrooms worth of stuff into 3 no problem. We have a china cabinet for dish storage so cabinet space isn't a problem. I don't hear a peep out of the neighbors. And we are not quiet either and our neighbor says they don't hear us. One night I locked myself out and was banging on the door and no one heard me, sadly. I was in my PJs how embarrassing! this place is concrete so you don't hear anyone upstairs or downstairs. I have a house next to the highway in NYC so the only noise I hear is the fireworks sometimes. 2 times we have put in work orders for non-urgent stuff (swapping out a shower head for another one so our son can use a handheld shower, fixing a lock) and it was done within a couple hours on a weekend. We had major issues with deliveries not being "contracted" to deliver past the curb. No problem, maintenance was there. And they refused an extra tip! Price is what you are used to. This is about what we paid for a Queens place I owned if you think about utilities and parking etc. But if you're from somewhere else it's probably pricey. The gym is nice - I used to be a trainer and the equipment is on public gym quality. I find myself working out most days with a stop at the coffee machine for a caffeine jolt just prior. The pool is nice and my son is learning to swim in the indoor wave pool. What else - the neighborhood is wonderful. Everything is right here. A restaurant and massage place downstairs. Dominicks on the opposite corner. Navy pier, Michigan Avenue. I would love to live in Streeterville, job willing. The view is great from our place. Some of the water and a nice view of the city. We actually intentionally picked a place a little off the lake because when we looked around, the wind went right through us if we were any closer. It's a nice buffer. We're happy here and I can't ask for anything more. But everyone is different...

The noise from the constant "renovation" was at times intolerable. We're semi-retired -- and if you're so, and you want relative peace and Qranquil, you won't find it here.

I won't stay here for long.

The good things about the streeter is that the mgmt is Fordial and location-wise, it's great. that's all. i'll move out as soon as the lease expires.<br><br>the construction quality is poor. bathroom vent makes noise since I moved in - and it stills makes it's loud. the heat system is loud as well. the apt seems small, just bcs isn't well designed (i fully agree with the previous review). <br><br>in summary, it's not worth the price.<br><br><br>

Leasing agents may lie to you and subsequently deny it.

At least one person in their office completely lied to me about the waitlist. I was told I was 3rd on the wait list and would hear a decision in 2 days (24 hours max per person in front of me). The agent said I would likely find a convertible in June (which is when I need it) - we specifically asked this. I put down the application fee and deposit with this knowledge. I called after 2 days, and a different agent told me there were actually 6 people in front of me on the waitlist! What the hell? That basically meant my chances of getting the apartment were zero - I wasted the $50 application fee. The original agent called me the next day and (duh) told me I didn't get the apartment, and the next available ones would be in July! She then denied that anyone told me I was 7th on the waitlist, and that I was now 4th (I don't think she understands simple math: 7 people - 3 people minimum (for the 3 days I waited and the 24 hours maximum notice per person) = 4! Sigh.) I don't appreciate being lied to, and if this is how they treat potential renters, I wouldn't want to actually live here. The only (ONLY!) reason I actually put down a deposit was because I already knew someone living in the Streeter, which was a big plus. Otherwise, I would have immediately placed a deposit for a different building. About the building itself: -Nice lobby/elevator area. Only One Superior Place has a better/comparable lobby/elevator bank. -The leasing agent will tell you the view is "obnoxious." That's laughable - the views are pretty nice, but You've got much better views available in Chicago. The apartment I saw faced the McClurg Court Center highrise, which doesn't exactly have a pretty exterior. See One Superior Place for a much better view (wouldn't you rather look at the Trump hotel?). The convertible didn't even have a balcony... -The carpet looks kind of cheap. -The kitchen doesn't have a good layout - There's a lot of wasted space surrounding the stove, and the appliances are not really that nice (I agree with another reviewer - if you're going to tout your building as a luxury complex, don't use the cheapest appliances). The wasted space is annoying if you're a cook. -The gym is definitely nice - they actually have a power rack, which I haven't seen at most other highrises. -The deck is decent, but you can find better elsewhere (again, One Superior Place). -The media room (or whatever it's called) is actually pretty nice - they have a fireplace, a big tv, a pool table and some free retro arcade games. -Overall the 1 bd layouts are kind of ugly - it's boxy and just doesn't feel classy/nice. -The bathrooms are nice, though. You've got obviously positives and negatives to this building, but because of the terribly incompetent/rude leasing office, I wouldn't live here.