Patrick Jeffrey Realty

My boyfriend and I were looking to move to a one-​bedroom (rental) in Chicago with more space than we currently have. As I’m sure you know, apartment hunting can be a tedious and frustrating process, in general, but my boyfriend has some health issues that require additional considerations (testing potential rental units for mold, for example). So with our tight budget and special needs, we are really not the type of clients that an agent would probably wish for. And to be honest, I had just assumed I would do the apartment hunt all on my own and set up viewings myself. But, boy am I glad that I stumbled upon Jeff!
It was such a relief to have Jeff by my side helping me sort through our options, strategizing and helping me think everything through. In order for an agent to best help you, they have to understand your needs first. And in order to do that they have to be a good listener. Jeff is an incredibly great listener. And he remembers all the little details about the things you’re looking for or what you’re worried about. Good listening skills are so important (for most jobs, really), and seemingly increasingly rare to come by these days. With Jeff, you can rest assured that he is listening, he understands and he cares.
Jeff is also extremely patient. I never felt rushed while we were viewing apartments or discussing options. He also made himself available to accommodate my schedule. He spent a good chunk of his Sunday afternoon with me and then also had some viewings scheduled for me the next evening. He’s very organized and takes care of all the coordination, which was great because I didn’t have to try do that during the work day (schedule viewings, etc.).
Whether you are on a tight budget (like me) or not, you always want the best price possible. Jeff has great negotiating skills. It was so nice to have someone who actually knows what they’re doing negotiating rent for me because I am definitely not the bold, negotiating type! He was able to negotiate a great discounted rent on a unit I was very interested in.
In the end, the unit I really wanted didn’t pass the special mold test that we had to run (due to my boyfriend’s health issues) – and we decided to just stay in our current tiny apartment until next year. But Jeff was totally understanding and kept reiterating that we need to do what’s best for us. When my lease is up again next year, I will definitely seek out Jeff’s services again. And when I’m eventually ready to buy, I can’t imagine a better agent than Jeff. I can tell you from experience that he is a good, honest, trustworthy human being who truly wants his clients to be happy and to make the decision that is best for them. Plus, he has a great sense of humor and is easy to get along with, which makes the whole process that much more pleasant. I mean, what more could you really ask for, right?

I was on an extremely limited time frame to find an apartment in Chicago, and coming from a much smaller Cincinnati market, I was a bit overwhelmed by all of the decisions here in Chicago. In fact, other than Lincoln Park, I had never heard of any of the other neighborhoods.
I found Jeff Olichwier through a listing on Craigslist, and can honestly say that finding him was the best thing to happen to me in my move to Chicago. Jeff is absolutely amazing!!! My recommendation for him is off the charts, and he should be the first stop for anyone searching for an apartment or house in Chicago.
My girlfriend and I called on a Thursday night before traveling to Chicago, and were surprised that the phone call was answered. That was the least of the great surprises to come. We let him know that we were only in town for the weekend, and he made time for us and made us feel valued right away. He normally isn’t available on Sundays (everybody deserves a day off), but given our situation he didn’t hesitate for a second to give up his day off. He gave us clear directions to his office (even for someone who was a Chicago novice at best), and even called us and walked us in the final couple of turns. He provided us with a parking pass for the day, and drove us around with him in the car.
We started out with him at 9 am, and expected to see a few places (just the handful he had listed online), and to have to become neighborhood experts fast, so that we could deal with some high pressure sales. We couldn’t have been any more wrong. Immediately Jeff gave us printouts of new places and an itinerary for the day.
He showed us about 12 different apartments, all around town and in all different price ranges. We had told him that we wanted to be under $ 2200 for a 2 or 3 bedroom apartment, and absolutely everyone of the apartments that he showed was in our price range.
*In contrast, the assigned realtor that my company gave me had only 2 apartments in that range out of the 15 she emailed me, and told me there was no way to get what we wanted in a nice neighborhood for less than $ 2500. Boy did Jeff prove her wrong, and after a few hours with Jeff, we fired her immediately.
Jeff drove us around all day, showing us the entire spectrum of our budget (from old to new places, bad neighborhoods to the best, and all different sizes), and even drove us out to the suburbs, all on his gas bill.
Midway through the day, we thought we had found the one we liked, and Jeff was the one who talked us into looking at all the options first. Talk about the opposite of a high-​pressure lease signing. He truly wanted us to be happy, and that really stood out. We are a picky couple who wanted a lot, but at a value price and Jeff showed us at least 3 places that were homeruns!
We ended up finding an amazing apartment in Roscoe Village, and Jeff came back on Sunday so we could take one last look before we signed anything. Then, he told us we could probably negotiate the final deal (something we never would’ve asked, as Cincinnati rent doesn’t work this way), and he acted as our agent, offering and counteroffering the owner of the apartment, until we had saved over $ 200 a month off the list price! Even more amazing, is when negotiating got tough, he actually lowered his commission rate to get the owner to the price we wanted!!! After spending all weekend with us, he actually gave up money to get us our dream apartment, that is unreal!!!
That is the kind of person Jeff is, and I would recommend him to anyone (in fact, he spent a day with a college friend of mine, based on a recommendation, and the friend ended up going with a corporate owned apartment complex that he had seen before meeting with us. Even though things didn’t work out for Jeff, and after spending all day with my friend, and not earning a dime, Jeff called and thanked us genuinely for the referral.
I am sorry for how long this review is, but Jeff definitely deserves a book of praise, and I wanted to share this terrific resource for anyone in a similar situation. We will definitely be referring all of our friends to him for their real estate needs, and if we purchase in the future it will be through Jeff Olichwier at Patrick Jeffrey Realty.
If you are looking for a great value in Chicago, you would be foolish not to let Jeff guide you through the craziness. Jeff is amazing, and we are so happy with our place thanks to all his hard work. Thanks Jeff!!!

After dealing with a not-​to-​be named realtor that screwed my roomate and I over, it was very refreshing to find people that actually cared about their clients.
Our realtor Max at Patrick Jeffrey went above and beyond the call of duty to help us find the apartment of our dreams; working around our wacky schedules and dealing with two crazy girls.
Patrick Jeffrey gets my highest recommendation.

Weirdly, my original post has somehow been removed… I’m re-​posting here below b/​c these guys do a great job.
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Hi there —
I was very happy with the service and support provided by my agent at Patrick Jeffery. I am surprised at all the negative reviews… They were helpful, on time and (most importantly to me) not creepy. I looked at a lot of apartments with a lot of agents that gave me the heebie jeebies. Not here. I would certainly reccommend.

I found an apartment I liked on Craigslist, and I scheduled a time with someone at Patrick Jeffrey Realty to show it to me. We were supposed to meet at the nearest main intersection (because they wouldn’t give me the address of the apartment for some weird reason).
So I got there. Waited, and waited, and waited. After 30 minutes, I called them and got voice mail. I was pretty pissed off about being stood up. I was grateful that I lived 2 miles away, but I wasn’t happy with how they had no respect for their prospective renters. What if I was someone who drove in from the suburbs? Or worse yet, from another state?
Just to spite them, I walked around the neighborhood and found the place I wanted to look at. The «For Rent» sign had all the right descriptions, and I called the landlord myself. Took a look at the apartment, and liked what I saw. If I decide to sign the lease, I will definitely NOT do it through Patrick Jeffrey.

Please note that all of my interactions with this company were for the apartment leasing end of their business.
My first impression of the leasing agent my roommates and I worked with was that he did not know what he was talking about. At least he was honest though — for the questions we asked, he told us point blank that he «did not know.» Better than weaving some lie to get us to sign a lease. Unfortunately though, he was not so good about returning phone calls or emails. meaning that if you want a response, you better keep calling and hope that eventually he actually answers the phone.
He also kind of had an attitude the second time I went to see my new place. Maybe others can sum up a place that is to be their home in one 20 minute showing and just sign their lease right away, but not me. I’m sorry if you don’t like that, Mr. 1.5K Commission. I also got attitude while on the phone with another agent from their office because my only available times to drive all the way to the other side of the city to sign the lease were not convenient for him.
Although they say they have been there for years, both the office and the website look like they are still in the initial set up phases, or, as their site states, «our website is currently be updated.»
I really don’t understand «services» like this, from the lessee point of view. In the future, I will be avoiding rental agents, period. A little leg work on my own is far worth not having to deal with third parties.