Touchstone Group is definitely the best management company I've ever dealt with, they're super responsive every time I've had a question or problem and they've always been very professional with me. My wife and I moved from LA to Chicago in Sept 2011, driving with all our stuff to get here. My wife had come out here at the beginning of August to find a place so when we got here Blake made sure we had the keys, in fact he got them to a friend of ours (at our request) who helped us get moved in. I've had 3 instances where I've needed the repair guy out and every one was positive: 1) Had to have the mailbox lock replaced -- repair guy was there same day to replace it, finished quickly 2) On the same visit he also came to fix our seemingly inoperable dishwasher, turned out it was on an external switch that needed to be turned on before operation 3) Laundry machine wasn't working, but I was leaving for a trip in 2 days so I thought they'd just get it fixed while I was out of town, but the repair guy was on hand the next day and got it fixed before I left (load off my mind) Every time I've needed to get in touch I've just emailed or called Blake and the response has been immediate, for the repairs above the repair guy was in touch with me ~5 minutes after I called Blake. It's always tough moving to a new apartment and moving across the country to do so is exponentially more stressful. You always worry about what kind of landlord you're going to have (believe me I could tell you about my super crazy landlady who would randomly show up at our apartment and try to get in to make sure we weren't doing any damage to the place! I'm a freakin' responsible ex-Air Force officer lady!). Blake and Courtland have made my living experience delightful and I won't hesitate to see if they have anything open when it comes time for us to move. read more

My husband and I recently purchased our first condo in the West Loop and had an overall great experience. They were recommended to us by a colleague who also had a great experience with them. We setup a meeting to meet and go over what we were looking for (location, budget, etc). After this meeting, they started sending us properties via their database. While viewing properties with them, they made sure to ask the sellers agent questions that you wouldn't necessarily think about. Within a week and a half of working with them, we found our dream property! After putting in our offer (and getting ourselves into a slight bidding war), we started the close process. Touchstone walked us through this process and had a week by week timeline of what needed to be completed and the responsible party. They checked in on us weekly to see if we had questions or concerns. They also reached out to the attorneys, our loan officer, and the sellers agent to make sure everything was going along smoothly and to provide updates. We used their recommended attorney and inspector and appreciated working with both of them. The Touchstone Group is very organized, they always quickly respond to emails, and they are always readily available. They are also very realistic about what you can expect in your budget and whether they think a property is priced appropriately. They also have great negotiating skills, as they helped us win our bidding war, with still paying a responsible price. Also, Touchstone is very knowledgeable of all the Chicago neighborhoods and the good/safe streets. Buying a place is stressful, especially your first place, but we had such an easy process with the help of the Touchstone Group team. I would HIGHLY recommend them to others! read more

My room mates and I rented an apartment this past month and put down a deposit a month before we moved in. There were a few things that were wrong with the place, and the agent that we dealt with promised they would be taken care of before our move in date. None of it was fixed by then, and we still have a toilet that wont stop running, shades that don't work (open or close and are kind of just broken hanging there), a shower that's clogged, washer that leaks all over the bathroom floor and the place was moldy when we moved in. We have reached out to them repeatedly and have been more than understanding, with still no results. Being a property manager myself, I cannot understand how this would be deemed as acceptable. I haven't been able to have friends/family over to see our new place because it is embarrassing. Extremely poor customer service and I don't think I can even call it management. I am not looking forward to working with them in the next year. read more

So, I lived in an amazing apartment which I was renting for years in the wicker park area. It was great, close to my friends, a block away from where some of my family members lived, and obv close to allllll the amazing bars and other venues wicker park has to offer. One day I find out my landlord foreclosed on the property and the property was taken over by the bank. I was obv super upset cuz I thought I was going to have to move out. Until I got a call from touchstone and they told me they were gonna help me renegotiate the lease terms at no cost. Omg these ppl helped all my concerns go away!! They were super helpful and I had such an amazing experience!! Seriously, I don't know what I would have done without them. Eventually, I moved out of my amazing pad cuz I needed something a tad bigger and they were the first ones I called. I'm not sure what the deal is with the below reviews, must be a disgruntled tenant. I def would recommend!!! read more

Comments like the one noted below is why I hired the Touchstone Group to manage my properties. I'd gotten really sick of dealing with disgruntled tenants who were bent out of shape because they couldn't understand why minor repairs were their responsibility, or why I had to take funds from their security deposit to have an apartment professionally cleaned after their cats had shed everywhere and scratched up my walls. Since taking over management of my properties in the Loop and Lakeview, Blake and Courtland have been responsive, professional, and a pleasure to work with. While I'm sure there are difficult conversations they've had with my tenants, there's never been a problem in two years that wasn't handled with outstanding attention to detail and consideration for me as an owner and my renters. I would highly recommend Touchstone Group to anyone looking to have their property professionally managed read more

I recently started looking for an apartment and I came across an affordable place in the loop (which I didn't think was possible). When my credit report came back it was listed a bunch of debt and evictions that were not mine. Turns out the credit bureau merged my account with some else's. It took a couple days to fix and by then the place was gone. Chris continued working with me after, and in just a week was able to land me a better unit in the same building. I just signed the lease and I could not be happier with his service. He continued working w me after the credit mess, found me exactly what I wanted and walked me through the entire process. He even offered to give me boxes after everything was set if I needed to pack! So nice, very responsive, I definitely recommend them if you're looking for a new place. read more

Do not, I repeat, DO NOT ever consider renting from The Touchtone Group. My husband and I rented from touchtone and had an AWFUL experience with Touchtone Group LLC especially with Blake Townsley and Courtland Townsley (They are the worse disgusting specimen of human nature) Touchstone Group L.L.C. is the worst Property Management Company, Real Estate Brokerage, Real Estate Management to rent your apartment/condo or house from. They manage 182 W. Lake, #802, 200 N. Dearborn St. #1304, #1602, #1604, #1905, 3758 W Fullerton etc... They are unprofessional and really unpleasant to work with. They are the most incompetent, careless, and unresponsive group of people we have ever dealt with. Good luck getting your security deposit back, taking care of maintenance repairs out of your own pocket and being belittled read more

The construction group at Touchstone just finished with my kitchen remodel, and I am so thrilled with the way it turned out! For those of you that have gone through it, you know how stressful major renovations can be. Jose Molina, the construction manager at Touchstone, made the whole process so much easier than I thought it would be. Even when there were hiccups, Jose was available to meet with me to explain the process and give me updated timeframes. While no owner is ever happy with a delay in construction, having Jose there to show me what was causing the extra time made understanding the process much easier. The best part is they came in under budget! If you're considering a major project, or even a minor one, you should call Jose. He's the best contractor I've ever worked with! read more

Michael Fitzsimmons was absolutely amazing. He spent a ton of time with me really digging through what I wanted, and trust me finding something with AC had to have been the most daunting task! Michael spent days with me searching for the perfect apartment. He is very knowledgeable of Chicago, and will make sure you end up in a safe area. The other perk was just getting to spend time with Michael in general, he is a great person, and absolutely funny. I never once felt pressured to just rent something to rent, and it was like I was searching for an apartment with the help of a friend. I highly recommend working with Michael in finding your next home, because you will get more than just a real estate agent. Thanks again, Michael, for all your help!!! read more

I can't say enough about these guys. I had dealt with two other agents from other companies when renting before finding The Touchstone Group. As soon as I contacted them I had two agents working directly with me to find what I wanted. Marc and Cora were amazing! They were OVERLY responsive. Almost too much sometimes, but after what I had dealt with, it was refreshing. No tricks, no gimicks, just what I wanted for the price I wanted. They actually listened to me - amazing, right? They also had another broker talk to me about what I could get if I purchased, set me up with a mortgage guy and continually send me options to look at (I want to purchase something in the next 12 months). Thank you guys so much! I'll be back for sure. read more

When I was planning to move from Boston to Chicago my biggest concern was finding a place to live. I was connected with Michael and he made me confident that I would find a place remotely. Upon sending me several properties, he went to view them in my absence. After viewing each one I would receive a call with descriptions of the apartments that were so vivid it was as if I were actually there. His eagerness and candor made it extremely easy to fulfill my move to the Windy City and his determination and commitment to helping those who need it is clear and abundant. I'm glad that I stumbled upon Michael to help me complete my move. Thanks Michael, I'm looking forward to working with you again! read more

I worked with Nick Gasiorowski at Touchstone Group to find an apartment for my boyfriend, myself, and our large dog. He was really receptive to what our needs/wants for apartments were and very knowledgeable about what is out there on the market. He's also a very friendly person and we were so comfortable with him the whole time - that's really important, especially when you have to make decisions and be specific about what you like and don't like. We found the perfect place for us and got a great deal on it, all thanks to Nick. Definitely going to work with him again if we need to find another apartment in the future and I'll be referring all of my friends to him too! read more

These guys are good. The Touchstone Group recently helped me rent out my condo for 1 year at $100 more a month than I thought I could get! I found myself a reluctant landlord, renting out my condo since I can't sell it for nearly as much as I paid for it. First, they helped me understand the rental market a bit better from a landlord's perspective. They helped me understand when the best times to start a lease are and helped me negotiate for a higher rental rate then I was currently getting. Then they ran a background and credit check on my potential tenant to make sure it would work out. I can sleep a lot better knowing my rental situation is figured out. Thanks!! read more

Now that I am finally settled in my apartment I have time to tell everyone how great my experience was! I worked with Michael Fitzsimmons and he was great! He sent me a very detailed message asking questions about what I would like to have and specific things that would draw my attention. We set up a date where we saw multiple places and it was even a little fun!! We finally found the most ideal place right on Lake Shore Drive! It has come together nicely and I plan on staying for a few years! It was a great and easy experience! read more

I would trust Touchstone Group with all my real estate needs because I have trust and faith in the people behind the business and that makes all the difference in real estate! Blake is nothing but a reliable, trustworthy, and dedicated real estate professional and these characterisics carry-over to his true character as a person! Touchstone Group would be my choice for real estate and/or rental needs any day, any time and I know you too would never be disappointed with Blake and Touchstone! read more

Read some of the tenant reviews below and this is exactly why the people at Touchstone are great! I have a few properties down in the city and we used to get calls from people asking us how light bulbs were changed and that we needed to send contractors to fix the light bulbs:) Hiring this company was one of the better decisions we've made. We now enjoy the benefit of having property without the inconveniences that come along with it. read more

Karl Miller was an amazing real estate agent and I offer my full, glowing support on his behalf. I appreciated his quick-to-respond, personalized style; I felt he truly assessed, understood, and executed my search based on ME. He was aggressive in a positive way that made the process move to my benefit. He was knowledgeable and detail-oriented, a true professional. Plus, he's funny, always great when you're working with someone. read more

When my job took me to England for 3 years, the Touchstone team managed the rental of our condo. I was very happy with their services. They promptly returned emails, and didn't bother me with the minor inexpensive repairs and handyman calls. They gave guidance on suggested rent, and worked very quickly finding us a tenant. We were very happy with Touchstone's services, and will use them again! read more

Nick is awesome, I called him from Indianapolis area to find an apartment for my daughter who is attending Loyola in Chicago. He found her the perfect studio and provided a lot of info regarding the area. I would highly recommend Nick and plan on using his service again when my other daughter needs a place in chicago since she will be attending Colombia College in the fall. read more