We buy houses in every Chicago neighborhood

Selling a house in Chicago

Chicago’s housing is unlike anywhere else: brick bungalows across the Bungalow Belt, two-flats and three-flats on the South, West and Northwest Sides, greystones in North Lawndale and Woodlawn, frame workers’ cottages in Pilsen, Bridgeport and Back of the Yards, and ranches and Cape Cods in Mount Greenwood, Garfield Ridge and Edison Park. Much of it is 80 to 130 years old.

We buy all of it, as-is. Most of the city houses we buy have the problems old Chicago buildings are known for: tuckpointing and parapet walls, flat roofs, boilers, knob-and-tube wiring, basements that flood when the sewers back up, and units added over the years without permits.

Where we buy in Chicago

We buy in every one of Chicago’s 77 community areas. We’re especially active on the Southwest Side (Chicago Lawn, West Lawn, Gage Park, Ashburn, Clearing, Garfield Ridge, Brighton Park, Archer Heights), the South Side (Chatham, Auburn Gresham, South Shore, Roseland, Pullman, West Pullman, Englewood), the West Side (Austin, Garfield Park, North Lawndale, Little Village) and the Northwest Side (Belmont Cragin, Hermosa, Portage Park, Jefferson Park).

Chicago’s transfer requirements

Selling in the city takes more paperwork than the suburbs. Before transfer stamps are issued, the City requires a Full Payment Certificate showing the water and sewer bills are paid, and many non-condo residential sales need a zoning certification. Vacant buildings must be registered with the City. The City charges a real estate transfer tax, mostly paid by the buyer, with a smaller CTA portion paid by the seller.

When you sell to us, we order the water certificate and zoning certification, deal with open Department of Buildings violations, and coordinate it all with the title company.

Tenants, violations and probate

Chicago rentals are covered by the Residential Landlord and Tenant Ordinance, and tenants’ deposits must transfer to the new owner at closing; we handle that. Open building code violations, housing court cases and vacant building registrations don’t stop us from buying. Estates go through the Probate Division of the Circuit Court of Cook County at the Daley Center.