Three Services That Made Our Move To Chicago Stress-Free

A lot of sweat was exerted this weekend, and a lot of boxes are now neatly folded up in the garage, awaiting recycling pick-up. The house is beginning to come together. Pictures are on many of the walls, the Wii is hooked up, and we even have towels AND toilet paper in each bathroom. I dare say that we might even be more settled in than we ever were in Ohio.

Now that the dust is beginning to settle, and I can finally feel myself relax a bit, it's time to acknowledge the people and companies who helped us the most with this move. Hopefully this shout out will help recommend them to others moving to the Chicago area.

1. Nancy Jarrett from Keller Williams Realty - I've worked with many real estate agents both buying and selling homes on the East Coast and in the Midwest, and I've never come across anyone as dedicated and caring as Nancy. She went so far above and beyond her responsibilities as our agent and helped make our long distance purchase virtually stress-free. She ordered and arranged extra inspections, waited for carpet cleaners and floor installers when we could not fly in, and even arranged to have some of our old appliances donated to a local widower. In the process, she became more than our realtor, she became our friend. If you're thinking of looking for a home in the Oak Park area, do not hesitate to give her a call.
2. Empirewall to wall carpets - Our house needed new carpeting and nand I wanted to get it all installed before we moved. The challenge was how to measure and select the carpet during a two-hour window arranged with the house owners. I had set up a four-hour appointment window online via the Empire Carpet website, and I tweeted about my dilemma. Their PR team responded to my Tweet within the hour and guaranteed me a specific arrival time. Tony, our salesman, arrived on time with a truck full of samples. An hour later we had selected carpets for ever room. Being able to look at the carpet samples in the house in the right light was very helpful. Scheduling was also very easy, and they accommodated my date changes and color decision changes with just a quick phone call. They even were able to come and carpet the basement the morning of the move, a last minute addition when we discovered that the rugs left by the owners reeked of cat urine. We called Tony at 9AM, and he had a crew there the next morning to save the day. The Empire Carpet team gave me a generous special discount, but they also frequently have great sales, including free rooms.
3. Abt Electronics and Appliance Superstore - Before we arrived in Chicago, I did some research on the best places to purchase electronics in the area, and Abt consistently popped up at the top of every list. I expected that they would have good prices, but could not believe the knowledgeable of their staff. And the huge store is just plain fun for the kids; they can encase themselves in huge bubbles, play at the Apple computer kid station, and eat hot chocolate chip cookies on Saturdays and Sundays. We've only been here a couple of weeks and have already made three trips there! Their prices are amazing and their staff really are experts.