TERRIBLE! DO NOT USE THIS COMPANY!! I wish that I could give it only half a star! My roommate and I searched for our first apartment with the help of Johnny. He was a very nice guy, but this being our first apartment we put a lot of trust into him and he steered us wrong. We are young girls only making about $35K a year and when we told him what we thought we could afford(we were way off on what reality was) he didnt try to point us in the right direction. Instead he took us to places that were ABOVE that budget. My roommate and I fell in love with a apartment that was $2600 a month and as we sat in the leasing office we kept asking him if with our salaries this place was feesable and he assured us that it was and that he wouldnt say so if it wasnt. So we put down a small NONREFUNDABLE deposit because we believed him and after talking to our parents about it we realized that no way was it and he should have told us so instead of wasting our time and almost putting us in a terrible situation!! When we came back to him with a realistic budget he told us that it wasnt possible to find what we wanted within our budget but he said he would find some places for us. So we scheduled a time to meet to look at places but he cancelled. Then we scheduled again and on the day of, an hour before we were supposed to meet(note we were already super excited to look and on our way) he CANCELLED again!! My roommate and I still continued on towards the city and found another apartment search place. We met up with a awesome guy who took us out to a couple places. THAT SAME DAY that Johnny cancelled on us we SIGNED for a great place that had everything we wanted! All in all, dont use this company, if his commission isnt going to be enough then you arent worth his time and if you budget is then he will take you to more expensive places than you can truly afford and he will tell you it will work. read more

This is the second time I have worked with Johnny to find an apartment and could not be happier with his work! I moved to Chicago last August with 3 other girls. Needless to say finding a 4 bedroom and 3 bathroom apt was not easy. Johnny not only found us plenty, but was available for questions, hectic schedules, and helped us through every step of the way. Now after a year of living here, our lease is up and it was time to start looking again. I immediately contacted Johnny, not knowing if he would even remember me. He responded immediately, remembering my name, where I lived, and what kind of style I liked in apartments. Within 2 days he had already set up appointments for showings for a new place! I liked every place I saw because he gets to know you on a personal level so that he can find the right place for you. I fell in love with an apartment and will be moving in July. The reason this service is so amazing is that not only are you working with a friendly person, but Johnny really gets to know you. He asks what kind of apartment you are looking for, how many bedrooms,baths etc, if you want parking, neighborhoods etc. He picks you up and is so nice and professional at all times! After meeting him for the first time, he picked up on my personal style for apartments and immediately found apartments that he thought would interest me. It is not only about getting someone to rent an apartment. His services allow him to get to know you and get you into the right apartment for you! He is available all the time, I never had to wait for appointments, a ride, or information. He was able to answer all of my questions and was always there to help. This is my second time going to Johnny for help with apartment hunting and I would never consider going elsewhere. Anyone who works with Johnny or anyone else at Renters Refuge will not be disappointed. read more

I have a few different buildings in Lakeview and Lincoln Park and every year I need tenants. I contacted Renters Refuge after I was referred to them by my attorney. Their website is good, they have positive client reviews, so I figured I would give them a shot. If you are a landlord in Chicago, then you know renting your place in the middle of December is nothing you look forward to. My place had been sitting for all of November as I tried to rent it on my own. As any landlord will tell you, I never liked paying a commission to a real estate agency, but putting it in the paper, on craigslist, and having a sign out front did not return any results. I got more spam than calls actually. After it sat vacant for a month, I decided I might need some help before I was stuck with the vacancy over the winter when things get real bleak. I called their office and spoke with the receptionist who was very courteous, and while she was unable to help me, she transfered me to the owner, Johnny Graft, who was professional and assuring. I never met anyone from the company in person, but they had someone at my offices to pick up the keys/paperwork and took pictures for marketing all within 24 hours of initially speaking with Johnny. I though that was impressive. After waiting for five days, I was sent two applications the same day. They found a great couple who was relocating from Ann Arbor and they were able to move in the next day. I was very happy with the whole experience and would recommend them to any landlord, and already have. Johnny told me to contact them two months before it's vacant next time. I think that is a better approach then worrying while it sits vacant and schlepping to and from appointments, even if I have to give up 1-months rent. read more

We were recently attempting to find a last minute apartment in Chicago in the Lincoln Park/Lakeview areas through several brokers from big name realty agencies, and we were having no luck at all. The process was actually rather frustrating. We saw over 20 units in a two-day span, and were unimpressed by all of them. In fact, we were panicking a little bit because we weren't sure we would be able to find anything. That was until we found Johnny with Renters Refuge. After discussing what we were looking for over the phone, he felt he had a unit that would be perfect for us, and he ended up being right on. We met the following day at the unit he had forementioned, and fell in love. Finalizing the deal was also seemless. Our application was all done on an ipad in minutes and it was was accepted by the landlord within a couple of days. I would have to say we felt like Johnny's strong landlord relations helped us along in this process. We are now getting ready to move into our new place and couldn't be more excited. Looking back, I wish we could have used Johnny all along. He was great to work with, and he no doubt would have saved us a lot of wasted time with big name brokers. I will recommend Renters Refuge to anyone that asks, and will most certainly use the service again if I am in need of an apartment in the Chicago area in the future. Nothing but good things to say about the company. read more

I had the pleasure to work with John Grafft when I 1st moved to Chicago. I needed to find a place within 4 days that I could move in right away. John and his team were very knowledgeable and helpful during the whole process. I ended up renting a beautiful timber loft in the west loop within my budget and within my tight time frame! That could have been the end of my relationship with the Grafft Group, but I was recently in the market to buy my 1st condo and again ended up working with John. This time the process was a little longer since we had to 1st find the condo of my dream, which took nearly 2 months and again John was very patient and resourceful when it comes to find good deals in the area we wanted. After we did, John was really impressive at handling all aspect of the transaction from the initial offer, through the attorney review and the closing process. Can't say how much I love working with the Grafft Group!! Very knowledgeable, always ready to help and not afraid to do the extra mile in order to make sure that my deal closed smoothly. We love our new home and are still amazed by how easy the whole process was, thanks to your attention to details and your negotiation skills! Thanks again John! read more

John is certainly the realtor you want on your side when looking for property. The quality of work he displayed at every stage of the transaction was nothing short of excellent. To start with, his knowledge of the market is unparalleled - even the seller's realtor was impressed by John's knowledge of the property, and of the market. When taking me to viewings, John's attention to detail was so sharp that he would pick up on things my untrained eye would never have noticed. After I made an offer, John did a fantastic job negotiating with the seller's side to reach an agreement that I am very pleased with. More importantly, John loves his job and is extremely passionate about it. His talent will be plainly evident when you meet him. He certainly is a bundle of energy and will go the extra mile nonstop for you, sparing no effort to find you the perfect place and making sure your needs are taken care at every step of the way. There are many decent realtors around but John is a real standout. read more

I had the sincere pleasure of working with John when looking to purchase my first condo. I was obviously new to the process, and he was always available and open to answering any and all questions I had (no matter how big or small they were). I don't have a vehicle, and John would pick me up from my apartment and take me to all showings... as well as dropping me off thereafter (sometimes at various places I was needing to be at the time). Personally, I enjoyed conversing with him and enjoyed his company and truly felt that I couldn't have found the 'perfect' place without his knowledge and understanding of my wants and needs. There was also a logistical issue in which I needed someone to be at my new property to turn on People's Gas, and he had an associate be there all day to handle... as I could not take off time from work. I can't say enough about the great experience I had and would highly recommend him and his team for all realty needs! read more

We just moved into our first home that we closed on with the help of John Grafft and Brett Deppler. We are first time home buyers, and the entire team did a great job, walking us through every question and concern we had! Even while John was out of state he continued working with us, sending us properties and recruited Brett to show us the condo we ended up purchasing. Brett was a fantastic realtor putting us in touch with a great team for inspection and attorney review. Brett was always available to set up a condo visit for all of the different steps of the process, and responded to all of our inquiries and helped resolve several condo deficiencies that had popped up. We would strongly recommend the Grafft group, they did a fantastic job getting us our first home, negotiating a great price and helping us close in 30 days. If and when we move we will definitely use their services again. read more

I recently moved from WI to Chicago. I hadn't rented an apartment for over 25 years and had no idea how to get started. John was upfront and honest with me from the beginning. He was extremely professional and always returned my phone calls, text messages, or emails within hours. He sent me a very user-friendly, online list of all of the apartments he felt were the best match for my search criteria. Once I narrowed the choices, John blocked off an entire Sunday to show me as many apartments as possible so I wouldn't have to make multiple trips to the city. He arranged everything, picked me up from my hotel, and drove to all of the locations - explaining the neighborhoods, etc. to me as we drove. In fact, after the first couple of showings, he understood exactly what I was looking for and adjusted our day accordingly. John's professionalism exceeded my expectations. read more

I worked with Mariana to help me find a place for rent, I am very satisfied with the place that I got with her help. I needed something fast since I was moving in for a new job and she only had a week to help me find one. The pricing was reasonable and Mariana was able to help me negotiate the move in fee down a large percentage (50% down original move in fee, which is incredible). She was very friendly and she provided extremely valuable advise on general things concerning the locations I wanted to pick (I didn't want to have to travel a lot back and forth from work). I ended up with a place that was a 10-15 minute walk from work and the apartment from the inside is clean and well maintained. I would recommend her group to anyone looking to settle with only what they are comfortable with. They earned their 5 stars! read more

I got in touch with RENTERS REFUGE through an apartment search I was doing. They impressed me right away because they returned my call when I didn't even leave a message. What I found, when I talked to Johnny, was someone very knowledgeable about Chicago's housing market, who could give me ideas for housing options at far different price points. I greatly appreciated knowing my options for a quick decision or one made more carefully. He also offered to negotiate the lease terms for me if I needed that for a short term place. Johnny was super knowledgeable and patient with all of my questions. I haven't yet decided on a place, but as far as the decision making process goes, RENTERS REFUGE has gone above and beyond in educating and leading me to the best options - that is exactly what I needed. Recommended! read more

I definitely recommend Renter's Refuge. I moved to Chicago in December/January and after spending a few weeks looking for places on my own I got fed up with all the bait-and-switch scams, so I contacted Renter's Refuge. I ended up working with Matt Hicks and he did a great job. I had challenging requirements and while a reasonable budget I was still looking for a lot for my money. After the first evening of looking Matt was able to figure out exactly what my likes/dislikes were and the quality of showings continued to improve. I ended up with 3 viable options and locked in my place within a couple of weeks of working with Matt. I love my neighborhood and enjoy my apartment, and definitely expect to work with Matt again next time I'm looking for a new place! read more

John and his team helped me find a place in River North when I was relocating from Texas. He was responsive, always getting back to me same day even if it was late at night by the time he had a chance, and willing to use email as that was the easiest method of communication for me. He spent time helping me get to know the areas that might best meet my needs and since I had only one weekend to view properties and make a decision, blocked off the entire trip to show me as many places as possible. He coordinated with the other agent and owner throughout the entire process so I didn't have to do anything and helped me get set up once I arrived as well. Relocating in this manner is particularly challenging, but John did his best to make it as stress free as possible. read more

I worked with John to purchase my first home in Chicago, and he made the experience exciting, enjoyable, and easy. I lucked out in that John was the selling agent of the home I walked in to see, and he acted as my agent as well. I couldn't be happier with the way it all worked out. John is professional and committed to excellence, and to say he goes above and beyond is an understatement - John was wrapping up a showing in the building as I was getting a furniture delivery that I wasn't home to receive. John moved the boxes inside to the common area of the building so they wouldn't be sitting outside! Realtor, mover, design consultant...John acts as whatever his client needs in that moment, and I would absolutely recommend him. read more

I just moved to the city from out of state, and I was worried about trying to find an apartment from far away, but was lucky enough to have run across Perry during my apartment hunt. He was so professional and friendly, and went out of his way to try to help me find what I was looking for in the neighborhood I wanted without ever trying to talk me into an apartment that he himself wouldn't have liked (and trust me, I met plenty of other realtors/brokers who seemed to try just about anything just to get me to sign a lease despite how awful some of the apartments were!) He made relocating to the city so much less stressful, and I've recommended him to several friends in the mean time. read more

I recently moved to Chicago from abroad. I was having a difficult time finding apartments by myself. It seemed like there was nothing available within my price range and in the area I wanted. I was quite wary of getting in touch with a rental agency, wasn't sure if I would get scammed. But since I really needed a place to live and Renter's Refuge had good reviews, I decided to give them a go. Very glad I did. Perry Crawford showed me a couple of places, one of which I really liked. He also gave me a lot of information about neighborhoods and which options I had for commuting to work. I really enjoy living here and definitely recommend their services and Perry in particular. read more

Michelle from Renters Refuge did an absolutely outstanding job helping me find an apartment on the north side. She listened to what I needed and wanted, sent me listings for a week leading up to my visit to apartment hunt and helped me narrow down exactly what I was looking for. The third apartment we looked at was PERFECT. I put down a deposit and was done with my apartment search in 3 hours. Absolutely amazing job from start to finish, I highly recommend the service to anyone who is new to Chicago, especially if they haven't lived in a major city before. Renters Refuge will help you find a place to live and they'll do it free of agendas or sales pitches. read more

This is my first yelp review and it is prompted because of the the great job Brett did in finding me an apartment...twice. At this point, if I were ever looking to move again in chicago (hopefully no time soon) I would call Brett up again. He was very courteous both times. Even when my schedule did not permit, he did his best to work with me, including picking me up from work just to make sure I did not miss an apartment viewing. He really made the apartment search as painless as possible. He was mindful of my time, budget and the mandatory things I wanted in a rental. I'd refer Brett to anyone looking. Thanks Brett read more

John is the best! He was the agent for the condo we purchased this month. He was extremely helpful, open, transparent, and reliable through the whole process, he really cared about us, understood our needs from the very first open house even giving us ideas on how better utilize the space. He was thorough and professional and great to work with. He kept us apprised about available appointments and always let us know as soon as a new one came on the market. He was honest and forthright- no games. After dealing with several other brokers in the Chicago area and being disappointed, my wife and I felt lucky to find John. read more