I could, but I'm saving a ton of money this way. The owner is a friend of a friend of a friend who didn't want to rent anymore, but didn't want to sell at the bottom of the market.

I live two blocks from the train, and it takes me less than 10 minutes to get to the loop. The neighborhood is also close to the neighborhoods where I like to spend time.

That isn't to say I wouldn't prefer to live in a nicer neighborhood, but I don't think the benefits are worth the added cost. Plus, to be quite frank, nobody is shooting at me.