Sell your house fast in Forest Glen
Older homes in the Old Edgebrook landmark district, brick bungalows near the Forest Glen Metra stop, and Sauganash houses close to LaBagh Woods: we buy Forest Glen homes in their current condition for cash, on a schedule you set.
- Cash offer within 24 hours
- No repairs, fees or commissions
- We pay normal closing costs
Your Forest Glen cash offer
No obligation. We never sell your info. Prefer to talk? Call or text (773) 825-9855.
Selling a house in Forest Glen
Forest Glen is community area 12 on Chicago’s Northwest Side. It takes in Edgebrook, including Old Edgebrook, North and South Edgebrook and Wildwood, plus most of Sauganash and the Forest Glen neighborhood itself. Lincolnwood lies to the north and Niles to the west. North Park is to the east, and Albany Park, Jefferson Park and Norwood Park are to the south and southwest. The 2020 census counted about 19,600 people.
Open land rings the area: Cook County Forest Preserve land along the North Branch of the Chicago River, LaBagh Woods south of Sauganash, and the Billy Caldwell and Edgebrook golf courses. Metra’s Milwaukee District North Line stops at Forest Glen and Edgebrook, and the Edens Expressway has interchanges at Caldwell, Touhy, Foster and Elston. Devon, Caldwell, Central, Elston and Cicero are the main streets, and Lehigh and Mendota frame the Wildwood triangle.
Most of the land was part of Billy Caldwell’s 1828 reserve, and Chicago annexed it in 1889. Railroad stops brought the first commuter houses in the 1880s, and Old Edgebrook, a Chicago Landmark district designated in 1988, grew from homes built for railroad executives starting in the 1890s. Home building took off in the 1920s. Sauganash has its own historic district, and the Hazelton-Mikota House from 1881 is an individual city landmark.
CMAP counts about 82 percent of units as detached houses and about 63 percent built from 1940 to 1969, with another 22 percent from before 1940. Bungalows are common in Forest Glen proper, Edgebrook has mostly mid-size homes, and Sauganash has larger ones. Updated houses here usually draw solid interest when listed. Cash makes more sense for a house with original mechanicals, a basement with past water trouble, a large older home with an expensive repair list, or an estate property.
What to expect
Call or fill out the form, and we’ll come see the house one time. Within 24 hours we’ll put a cash offer in writing, with the repair costs and comparable sales that shaped it. Pick a closing date that fits, sign at a local title company, and our side picks up the usual closing costs.
Forest Glen sale: the Chicago checklist
- Transfer taxes. The city charges $3.75 per $500 to the buyer and adds a $1.50 per $500 CTA tax that normally goes to the seller. The state’s share is $0.50 and the county’s $0.25 per $500. If we’re the buyer, every one of those is ours to pay.
- Zoning certification. Chicago requires it when residential buildings with five or fewer units are sold, with condos and co-ops excluded. Since most Forest Glen properties are houses, nearly every sale here needs one.
- Landmark district. Houses in the Old Edgebrook District are Chicago Landmarks, so permits for exterior work visible from the street go through the Commission on Chicago Landmarks. That review applies to work, not to a sale.
- Flood maps. Lots close to the North Branch can fall in a FEMA flood zone, which a buyer’s lender will check. You can look up your address on FEMA’s flood map.
- Taxes and estates. Cook County taxes are billed a year late, so the buyer is credited at closing. Probate for Cook County estates is handled at the Daley Center.
Well before the closing, the title company works out what applies to your property.
Comparing a cash sale and a listing in Forest Glen
| Sell to us | List with an agent | |
|---|---|---|
| Repairs/updates | Not required | Often expected at this price point |
| Showings | One visit | Several weeks of showings |
| Commission | None | Generally a percentage of the price |
| Closing costs | We pay them | Seller pays |
| Flood zone | No lender, so no flood-insurance requirement | A lender may require flood insurance in a mapped zone |
| Timing | Close in 2–3 weeks or on your date | Listing period plus 30–45 days to close |
| Certainty | Cash purchase | Subject to the buyer’s financing |
| Price | Below retail, priced for condition | Top price for updated homes |
Forest Glen is almost all single-family houses, from Old Edgebrook’s 1890s homes to the mid-century houses that fill most blocks. A renovated home near the Metra stations tends to draw strong interest on the market. An older house with a dated interior, foundation or water issues, or a long exterior repair list is a better fit for a cash offer.
Selling a house in the Old Edgebrook landmark district
Old Edgebrook is a small pocket between Central and Devon Avenues and the Edgebrook Golf Course, surrounded by forest preserve land. Its first houses went up in the 1890s for railroad executives, and the city designated it a Chicago Landmark district in 1988.
Landmark status doesn’t stop you from selling and doesn’t change your tax assessment. It does mean the Commission on Chicago Landmarks reviews building permits for exterior changes that can be seen from the street. Painting and small repairs don’t need a permit at all. If your house needs bigger exterior work, such as windows, porches or roofing, we buy it as it stands and price the repairs in. Whoever takes on that work later goes through the review.
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 Forest Glen owners sell
Forest Glen FAQ
Can I sell an Old Edgebrook house as-is?
Yes. Landmark designation applies to permits for exterior work, not to the sale itself.
My house backs up to forest preserve land near the river. Does that matter?
It can, if the lot is in a mapped flood zone, because a buyer’s lender may require flood insurance. We pay cash, so there is no lender requirement on our side.
Do you buy bungalows near the Forest Glen Metra station?
Yes, in any condition, including original kitchens and baths or a worn roof.
Is Sauganash part of Forest Glen?
Most of it is. Sauganash is one of the neighborhoods in community area 12, along with Edgebrook and Forest Glen, and we buy throughout the area.
Do I pay the CTA part of Chicago’s transfer tax?
No. On a sale to us, that share and every other transfer tax, city, county and state, is our cost.
How quickly can a Forest Glen sale close?
Commonly in 2–3 weeks, once title, the zoning certification and the water certificate are done. You can set a later date if you need time to move.