Housing sorted, thank you all

After 22 weeks of searching, we found an apartment we can afford in Chicago. I would rather hear the honest version than the polite one. The landlord took a chance on us. It was worth not giving up.

Congratulations! That is a big weight off.

Thanks for writing this out. I went through something close to it last year, and it got easier once I kept a simple log of every call and form.