Sell your house fast in Chicago Lawn
From brick bungalows on the blocks around Marquette Park to two-flats along Kedzie and the side streets off 63rd, we buy Chicago Lawn houses as-is for cash, and you choose the day we close.
- Cash offer within 24 hours
- No repairs, fees or commissions
- We pay normal closing costs
Your Chicago Lawn cash offer
No obligation. We never sell your info. Prefer to talk? Call or text (773) 825-9855.
Selling a house in Chicago Lawn
Chicago Lawn is community area 66 on the Southwest Side, about eight miles from the Loop. Many people simply call it Marquette Park. It runs from 59th Street south to the Belt Railway, and from Central Park Avenue east to the CSX and Norfolk Southern tracks. Gage Park sits to the north, West Lawn to the west, Ashburn to the south and West Englewood to the east. About 56,000 people live here, based on the 2020 Census.
The center of the area is Marquette Park, a 323-acre park the Olmsted Brothers drew up in 1903. It has a nine-hole golf course, lagoons and a restored prairie. At its northeast corner stands an Art Deco monument from 1935 that honors two transatlantic pilots. Holy Cross Hospital, founded in 1928, and the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary church at 69th and Washtenaw are other long-standing landmarks. There is no L stop inside the area, so most trips start on the Kedzie, Western or 63rd Street buses.
John F. Eberhart founded the settlement in 1871, and Chicago annexed it in 1889. The land stayed mostly farmland until the 1920s, when the building boom filled in the blocks. That is why so much of the housing is brick and pre-war. Regional planning data counts a little under half of the homes as single-family houses, mostly Chicago bungalows, and more than a third in two- to four-unit buildings, mostly two-flats. The large Nabisco bakery announced in 1941 is still one of the area’s biggest buildings.
A house that is 80 to 100 years old usually has something waiting for the next owner. It could be an original boiler, a tired roof, a cracked back porch or a basement that needs work. If your home is updated and in good shape, listing it with an agent will often get you the most money. A cash sale makes more sense when the repairs are bigger than your budget, the house is full of a lifetime of belongings, or you have tenants in a two-flat and don’t want to manage showings around them.
What to expect
You call or fill out the form, and we set up one visit to the house. Within 24 hours you get a written cash offer, and we walk you through how we arrived at the number. If you say yes, a local title company handles the paperwork and the closing. You pick the date, as soon as 2–3 weeks out or later if you need time to move. We cover the normal closing costs, so the price we agree on is not cut down by fees.
Chicago paperwork for a Chicago Lawn sale
- Transfer taxes. Chicago charges $3.75 per $500 of the price, usually paid by the buyer, plus a CTA portion of $1.50 per $500 that the seller usually pays. Illinois adds $0.50 and Cook County $0.25 per $500. When you sell to us, we pay every one of those.
- Water account certificate. The city will not release its transfer stamps until the Department of Finance issues a Full Payment Certificate showing the water and sewer account is paid. Any balance is cleared at closing.
- Zoning certification. Chicago requires a zoning certificate when a residential building with five or fewer units changes hands, which covers bungalows and two-flats. Condos are excluded. The title company or our attorney orders it.
- Tenants in a two-flat. Under the Chicago Residential Landlord and Tenant Ordinance, security deposits and the interest owed on them move to the new owner, and tenants must get written notice within 10 days of the transfer.
- Taxes a year behind. Cook County bills property taxes in arrears, so the buyer gets a credit at closing for the time you owned the house this year. It is taken from the sale proceeds, not paid out of pocket.
Rules can change, so the title company checks what applies to your address before closing.
Two ways to sell a Chicago Lawn house
| Sell to us | List with an agent | |
|---|---|---|
| Repairs/updates | None. We buy as-is. | Buyers and lenders often ask for fixes |
| Showings | One walk-through | Repeated showings and an open house |
| Commission | None | Usually a percentage of the sale price |
| Closing costs | We pay them | Seller pays |
| Timing | As soon as 2–3 weeks, or the date you pick | Time on market plus 30–45 days for a loan |
| Certainty | Cash, no loan or appraisal to wait on | Deals can fall apart over financing |
| Price | Below retail, priced for condition | Top price for updated homes |
| Tenants | We buy with leases in place | Showings must be scheduled around them |
Most Chicago Lawn homes are 1920s brick bungalows and two-flats. If yours has a new kitchen and mechanicals, an agent may net you more. If it still has the original boiler, a worn porch or tenants downstairs, a cash sale lets you skip that work and pick your own date.
Selling a Chicago Lawn two-flat with tenants
More than a third of the homes here are in two- to four-unit buildings. Many owners live on one floor and rent the other, or inherited a building where both units are rented. Selling a building like that on the open market means coordinating showings with the people living there, and some buyers want the units empty before they close.
We buy two-flats with the leases in place. Before the visit, it helps to gather the current leases, the rent amounts and a list of the security deposits you hold. At closing, the deposits and any interest owed are credited to us, and the tenant gets written notice of the new owner. Note that an owner-occupied building with six or fewer units is exempt from most of the city’s landlord-tenant ordinance, so the title company will confirm which rules apply to your building.
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 Chicago Lawn owners sell
Nearby areas we buy
Chicago Lawn FAQ
Do you buy bungalows near Marquette Park that need a lot of work?
Yes. We buy brick bungalows in any condition, including ones with roof, plumbing or foundation problems, and you do not need to clean out or repair anything first.
Can I sell my Chicago Lawn two-flat if both units are rented?
Yes. We buy with tenants in place, and the leases and security deposits transfer to us at closing.
Who pays the Chicago transfer tax on my sale?
We do. The city, CTA, state and Cook County transfer taxes are all part of the closing costs we cover.
What if there is an unpaid water bill on the house?
The city requires the water and sewer account to be paid before it issues transfer stamps. That balance is paid out of the sale at closing, so you do not have to come up with it first.
I inherited a house in Chicago Lawn. Can I sell before probate ends?
If an estate is open in probate at the Daley Center, the executor can sign once the court gives authority to sell. We can make an offer now and close when the paperwork is ready.
How soon can we close on a Chicago Lawn house?
We can usually close in about 2–3 weeks once the title work is done, or later if you need more time to move out.