Chicago

PeekaCity

Professionals never let you play with their tools -- your dentist won't let you get a piece of that nitrous tank, and that construction worker wouldn't let you play with his jackhammer after you got a piece of that nitrous tank. Giving you pro access to neighborhood data, PeekaCity.

Started to assist Chi-based realtors, Peek's a G-map that plots the full gamut of 'hood-enhancing "amenities", so you get the detailed knowledge of a broker without having to cheat your way through the broker's exam. Just plug in an address or specified 'hood (River North, Lincoln Park, Uptown, etc), then check off one or more of 19 color-coded specialty interest points, and your screen'll be flooded with the likes of restaurants/bars, coffee shops, drugstores, and hospitals that you can race to after overindulging in booze, caffeine, and Flintstone vitamins. They also integrate helpful wikis with basic 'hood background, and black-line-delineate your 'hood of interest -- so you won't get stabbed for wearing your Wicker Park shirt in Bucktown.

You can also collate info into snappy printable reports, giving off the illusion you're a real estate pro even if you're only looking to replace the pad you probably just jackhammered -- even if the only sound you heard was Wah Wah Waaaah Wah Wah...

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