Sell your house fast in Belmont Cragin
Belmont Cragin is bungalows in the Falconer district, Cape Cods near Riis Park and two-flats off Belmont Avenue, and we buy houses here as-is for cash, closing on the day you choose.
- Cash offer within 24 hours
- No repairs, fees or commissions
- We pay normal closing costs
Your Belmont Cragin cash offer
No obligation. We never sell your info. Prefer to talk? Call or text (773) 825-9855.
Selling a house in Belmont Cragin
Belmont Cragin is community area 19 on the Northwest Side, about eight miles from the Loop. It covers almost four square miles and includes the neighborhoods of Belmont Central, Cragin, Hanson Park and the area once called the Brickyard. Portage Park and Dunning are to the north, Hermosa to the east, and Austin and Montclare to the south and west. With about 78,100 people in the 2020 Census, it is one of the larger community areas on this side of the city.
The area grew around rail and factories. Cragin Brothers and Company opened an 11-acre tin plate and sheet iron plant here, and the settlement took the Cragin name. The Belt Railway and the Chicago, Milwaukee and St. Paul line brought Washburn and Moen, Westinghouse and the 17-acre W. F. Hall Printing plant, built in 1922. The corner of Armitage and Grand, once called Whiskey Point, was the first business crossroads. Today Metra’s Milwaukee District West Line stops at Grand/Cicero, and Belmont Avenue buses run through the Belmont-Central shopping district.
Riis Park is the largest green space, a former golf course later redesigned by landscape architect Alfred Caldwell, with a field house by Walter W. Ahlschlager. The Brickyard mall at Narragansett and Diversey stood on the old Carey Brickyard site from the 1970s until it was torn down in 2003. Chicago annexed the area with Jefferson Township in 1889, and the Belmont Cragin name came into use in the 1930s.
Builders filled the blocks from the 1920s through the 1930s with brick bungalows, Cape Cods and two-flats. Regional planning data shows about 54 percent of homes were built before 1940, about 40 percent are single-family houses and about 43 percent are in two- to four-unit buildings. The Falconer Bungalow Historic District, listed on the National Register in 2007, preserves 348 bungalows built from 1915 to 1931 between Wellington, Lamon and Laramie, just north of Diversey. If your home is updated, listing it is likely the better move. A cash sale fits a house that needs work, an estate, or a two-flat with tenants.
What to expect
One phone call gets things started. We look at the house once and send a written cash offer within 24 hours, along with how we priced it. When you accept, a local title company manages the paperwork and the closing. You pick the closing date, as soon as 2–3 weeks out, and the normal closing costs are on us.
Chicago paperwork for selling in Belmont Cragin
- Transfer taxes. Sales in the city carry Chicago’s $3.75 per $500 tax, which is normally the buyer’s, and the $1.50 per $500 CTA tax, which is normally the seller’s, plus $0.50 state and $0.25 county per $500. When you sell to us, we pay them all.
- Water account. The city won’t issue transfer stamps until a Full Payment Certificate confirms the water and sewer account is current. Your final bill is settled at closing.
- Zoning certification. For bungalows, Cape Cods and two-flats alike, the city requires a zoning certificate when a residential building of up to five units is sold.
- Rented units. If you rent out the second floor, the security deposit and interest are credited to the buyer at closing, and tenants must get written notice of the new owner within 10 days.
- Taxes behind a year. Cook County bills taxes in arrears, so the buyer is credited at closing for the months you owned the house this year.
Each property is a little different, and the title company confirms the requirements for yours.
Belmont Cragin: sell for cash or list?
| Sell to us | List with an agent | |
|---|---|---|
| Repairs/updates | Skip them | Expected by many buyers |
| Showings | One visit | Showings and open houses |
| Commission | None | Usually a percentage of the price |
| Closing costs | We pay them | Seller pays |
| Timing | About 2–3 weeks, or later | Listing time plus 30–45 days |
| Certainty | Cash, nothing to finance | Buyer loan must close |
| Price | Below retail, priced for condition | Top price for updated homes |
| Clean-out | Not required | Seller empties and stages |
Belmont Cragin’s bungalows, Cape Cods and two-flats from the 1920s and 1930s are solid, but many still have original wiring, windows and boilers. If those have been replaced, an agent may get you more. If not, a cash sale skips the work and the showings.
Original-condition homes in Belmont Cragin
Much of Belmont Cragin was built in a single wave between the 1920s and 1930s. Chicago bungalows here are usually one-and-a-half-story brick homes on 25-foot lots with full basements. The Cape Cods that followed in the 1930s are smaller, often with steep roofs and dormers. Both were built to last, but after 90 years many still have original windows, cast iron drain lines, old electrical service and attic spaces finished without permits.
Those details often come up on a buyer’s inspection report. When you sell to us, there is no inspection contingency and no repair list. We look at the house once, explain how its condition affects the number, and buy it as-is, including in the Falconer district.
Three steps. You pick the closing date.
- Tell us about the house
Fill out the form or call (773) 825-9855. A few quick questions, no pressure.
- Get a fair cash offer in 24 hours
We look at the house with you and show you how we got the number. No obligation.
- Close on your date
As soon as 2–3 weeks, or take more time. We close at a local title company and pay your closing costs.
Common reasons Belmont Cragin owners sell
Nearby areas we buy
Belmont Cragin FAQ
Do you buy bungalows in the Falconer Bungalow Historic District?
Yes. The National Register listing does not stop a sale, and we buy district bungalows in any condition.
My Cape Cod has an attic bedroom that was never permitted. Is that a problem?
No. We buy the house as it is and take that into account in our offer.
Who pays the Chicago and CTA transfer taxes when I sell to you?
We do, along with the state and Cook County transfer taxes.
Do you buy two-flats with a tenant upstairs?
Yes. The lease stays in place, and the deposit transfers to us at closing.
How close to Riis Park and Belmont-Central do you buy?
Everywhere in Belmont Cragin, from the blocks around Riis Park to Belmont-Central and Hanson Park.
Can I get an offer this week?
Usually yes. Once we see the house, you get a written cash offer within 24 hours.