Sell your house fast in Chatham
From the brick bungalows of the West Chatham historic district to the two-flats and courtyard buildings off 79th Street and Cottage Grove, we buy Chatham houses as-is for cash, and you pick the closing date.
- Cash offer within 24 hours
- No repairs, fees or commissions
- We pay normal closing costs
Your Chatham cash offer
No obligation. We never sell your info. Prefer to talk? Call or text (773) 825-9855.
Selling a house in Chatham
Chatham is community area 44 on Chicago’s Far South Side, about 10 miles south of the Loop. It runs from 79th Street south to 95th Street and narrows to a point near Cottage Grove Avenue and 95th. Greater Grand Crossing sits to the north, Avalon Park and Burnside to the east, Roseland to the south and Auburn Gresham to the west. The 2020 census counted about 31,700 people here.
The Dan Ryan Expressway cuts through the west side of the area, with CTA Red Line stops at 79th and 87th Streets in its median. The Metra Electric line runs along the eastern edge, stopping at 79th, 83rd and 87th. The main shopping streets are 79th Street, 87th Street and Cottage Grove Avenue. Near 75th, 79th and Cottage Grove, the city’s Chatham–Greater Grand Crossing Commercial District covers 19 storefront buildings from 1911 to about 1930, most trimmed in terra cotta.
Chatham was largely built out by 1930. Close to 40 percent of its homes went up before 1940 and about 43 percent between 1940 and 1969, according to CMAP. Single-family houses are about a third of the housing. The rest is two-flats, three- and four-flats and small apartment buildings of five to nine units. The West Chatham Bungalow Historic District, between 79th and 82nd Streets and Stewart and Perry Avenues, holds about 280 Chicago bungalows built from 1914 to 1930. The Garden Homes Historic District near Wabash and 87th, and the Four Nineteen Building at 419 E. 83rd Street, a gas station built to look like a small house, are on the National Register too.
A dry, updated bungalow often sells well with an agent, and if that describes your house we’ll tell you. A cash sale tends to fit better when the basement has taken on water more than once, when a two-flat has tenants and a list of repairs, when the boiler, roof or wiring is original, or when you inherited the house and the estate needs a firm closing date.
What to expect
Call or send the form and we’ll set up a walk-through. Within 24 hours you get a written cash offer with the math behind it: our repair estimate and the recent Chatham sales we compared against. If it works for you, you choose the closing date, a local title company handles the paperwork, and we pay the normal closing costs.
Chicago paperwork for a Chatham sale
- Transfer taxes. Chicago charges $3.75 per $500 of the price, normally paid by the buyer, plus a $1.50 per $500 CTA portion that usually lands on the seller. Illinois and Cook County tack on $0.50 and $0.25 per $500. None of it is yours to pay when you sell to us.
- Full Payment Certificate. Before transfer stamps are issued, the city’s Department of Finance has to certify that the water and sewer account is paid in full. The title company orders it, and any balance is settled at closing.
- Zoning certification. Sales of residential buildings with five or fewer units, from a bungalow up to a five-flat, need a city zoning certification that confirms the legal unit count. Condos are exempt.
- Rented units. If a two-flat or three-flat has tenants, their leases and security deposits, plus any interest owed, pass to the buyer at closing.
- Property taxes. Cook County property tax bills arrive a year late. At closing, the buyer is credited for the part of this year you owned the house.
Rules change from time to time, so the title company checks each item for your property ahead of the closing.
Chatham house: sell for cash or list it?
| Sell to us | List with an agent | |
|---|---|---|
| Repairs and updates | Skip them. We buy it as it sits. | Buyers and lenders often ask for fixes |
| Showings | One walk-through | Showings over several weeks |
| Commission | None | A percentage of the price, usually |
| Closing costs | We pay them | Seller pays |
| Basement water | Priced in. Sell with it as-is. | Shows up on inspection and the disclosure form |
| Timing | In as little as 2–3 weeks, or later | Time on market plus 30–45 days to close |
| Certainty | Cash, no loan contingency | A loan or appraisal can fall through |
| Price | Below retail, priced for condition | Top price for updated homes |
Most of Chatham’s bungalows and two-flats were built before 1970, so condition drives the price more than anything else. If yours has a dry basement and newer mechanicals, get an agent’s opinion too. If it has a history of sewer backup or a long repair list, compare that net with our offer.
Selling a Chatham house with a wet basement
Chatham sits on some of the lowest ground in Chicago, on combined sewers that carry both rain and wastewater. A Center for Neighborhood Technology study found sewer backup common across the neighborhood, and ZIP code 60619 ranked first in Cook County for flood damage claims from 2007 to 2011. Older lateral lines, clay soil and paved yards all add to it.
For a seller, this shows up in two places. On a listed sale, the Illinois disclosure form asks about flooding or recurring leakage in the basement, and a buyer’s inspector will look for water lines, mold and patched cracks. Fixes such as a backwater valve or an overhead sewer can run into the thousands. We buy Chatham houses with basements that have flooded, finished or not, and we build the repair into our number so you don’t have to do it first.
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 Chatham owners sell
Chatham FAQ
Do you buy bungalows in the West Chatham historic district?
Yes. National Register listing doesn’t limit who can buy or sell a private home, and we buy bungalows there in any condition, from original kitchens to worn tuckpointing.
My basement flooded last spring. Can I still sell to you?
Yes. We look at the basement during the walk-through and factor the cleanup and any sewer work into the price. You don’t need to fix it first.
Who pays the CTA part of Chicago’s transfer tax?
The city normally puts the $1.50 per $500 CTA portion on the seller. When you sell to us, we pay it, along with the city, county and state portions.
Can you buy a Chatham two-flat with tenants living in it?
Yes. Tenants stay put, and the leases and deposits are handed over to the buyer at closing. We just need copies of the leases and a list of deposits.
Do I need the zoning certification before I call?
No. It gets ordered after a contract is signed. It confirms the legal unit count for buildings of five units or fewer.
How soon could we close on a house near 87th Street?
Often in 2–3 weeks, depending on how fast the water certificate and title work come back. If you need longer to move, pick a later date.