Sell your house fast in Grand Boulevard
Stone-front houses along King Drive, brick three-flats on the side streets off 47th and condos near the Green Line’s Indiana and 43rd Street stops: we buy Grand Boulevard property as-is for cash, on your timeline.
- Cash offer within 24 hours
- No repairs, fees or commissions
- We pay normal closing costs
Your Grand Boulevard cash offer
No obligation. We never sell your info. Prefer to talk? Call or text (773) 825-9855.
Selling a house in Grand Boulevard
Grand Boulevard is community area 38 on Chicago’s South Side and takes in much of the area known as Bronzeville. It runs from Pershing Road (39th Street) south to 51st Street, between Cottage Grove Avenue on the east and the Rock Island railroad tracks on the west. Douglas is to the north, Oakland and Kenwood to the east, Washington Park to the south and Fuller Park to the west. Census takers counted about 24,600 people here in 2020. The area is named for the wide boulevard now called Martin Luther King Jr. Drive.
The Green Line stops at Indiana Avenue, 43rd Street, 47th Street and 51st Street, and the Red Line has a 47th Street stop in the Dan Ryan median just to the west. 47th Street is the main shopping street, and the Harold Washington Cultural Center stands on the site of the old Regal Theater. The area holds a long list of individual Chicago Landmarks, including the Elam House at 4726 S. King Drive, the George Cleveland Hall Library on Michigan Avenue, DuSable High School on Wabash and the Engine Company 45 firehouse on Cottage Grove. The Washington Park Court District, a landmark block of houses, is a block north of 51st Street.
King Drive and the streets around it were lined with large houses and apartment buildings in the late 1800s and early 1900s, many with stone or brick fronts. CMAP data show about 32 percent of homes built before 1940 and another 30 percent from 1990 to 2009, when a wave of new townhomes, condos and rehabs went up. Buildings of three to nine units make up half the housing. Detached houses are about 12 percent.
Restored greystones and newer condos tend to do well on the open market. Cash makes more sense when the stone or brick needs tuckpointing and the porches are failing, when a three-flat still runs on the original boiler, when a unit sits empty because it needs a full rehab, or when a house is left to several heirs who would rather split one clean number.
What to expect
We start with a walk-through at your property. Within 24 hours you receive a written cash offer, and we go over how we reached it: what we found, what the repairs cost and which nearby sales we compared. Say yes and the rest follows your calendar: a local title company closes on your date, with the standard closing costs on our side of the ledger.
Chicago rules for a Grand Boulevard closing
- Transfer taxes. The state of Illinois takes $0.50 and Cook County $0.25 for each $500 of the sale price. On top of that, Chicago adds $3.75 per $500, which it bills to the buyer, and a $1.50 per $500 CTA tax it bills to the seller. We pay every one of these on a sale to us.
- Water and sewer certificate. Your title company asks the city for a Full Payment Certificate, which proves the building’s water account has no balance. The deed can’t get its stamps without it.
- Zoning certification. Flat buildings and houses here, anything residential with five or fewer units, need a city zoning certification at sale confirming the legal unit count. Condos and co-ops are excluded.
- Landmark properties. Grand Boulevard has many individually designated buildings, and permits for exterior work on them get Landmarks Commission review. If yours is one, that review never becomes your problem when we buy.
- Rented units. In a two-flat or three-flat with tenants, the leases, security deposits and any interest owed under the city’s landlord-tenant ordinance pass to the new owner at closing.
- Property taxes. Cook County runs a year late on tax bills, which is why the buyer is credited for your portion of this year on the closing statement.
The title company reviews each of these for your address before closing, since requirements can change.
Grand Boulevard: list it or take a cash offer?
| Sell to us | List with an agent | |
|---|---|---|
| Repairs/updates | Nothing to fix before closing | Buyers expect sound masonry and systems |
| Showings | One walk-through with you | Multiple showings over weeks |
| Commission | You pay none | Typically a percentage, paid by the seller |
| Closing costs | We pay them | Seller pays |
| Masonry and porches | Priced into our offer | Inspectors flag cracked stone and loose porches |
| Timing | 2–3 weeks, or later if you prefer | Listing period plus 30–45 days to close |
| Certainty | Cash in hand, no loan approval | A late loan denial can sink the sale |
| Price | Below retail, priced for condition | Top price for updated homes |
Grand Boulevard has both 1890s stone-front buildings and 2000s condos and townhomes, so the answer depends on which one you own. A newer or restored property usually earns more on the open market. An older building with masonry, porch or boiler problems is where comparing your net from both routes makes sense.
Greystones and brick three-flats in Grand Boulevard
Many of the older buildings along King Drive, Calumet, Prairie and the streets between them have limestone or brick fronts from the late 1800s and early 1900s. These walls last, but they need care. Mortar joints wear out and need tuckpointing, stone faces can crack or flake, lintels over windows rust, and the wooden back porches common on three-flats need regular repair to stay sound and up to code.
On a listed sale, a buyer’s inspector will note masonry and porch problems, and a lender may require repairs before closing. Estimates for stone repair or a new porch system can run high. We buy Grand Boulevard greystones and brick buildings with those repairs still needed. We look at the front, the back porches, the roof and the mechanicals at the walk-through and price that work into our offer, so you can sell without hiring a mason 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 Grand Boulevard owners sell
Nearby areas we buy
Grand Boulevard FAQ
Do you buy greystones on King Drive?
Yes. We buy stone-front and brick buildings along King Drive and the nearby streets in any condition, from original interiors to buildings that need full masonry work.
My building is a Chicago Landmark. Can I still sell it to you?
Yes. Designation controls exterior changes, and the buyer of a landmark building takes on that review. You don’t deal with it when you sell to us.
Can you buy a condo near the 47th Street Green Line stop?
Yes. We buy condos around 47th Street, and we factor the monthly assessment and the building’s condition into our offer.
My back porch failed a city inspection. Does it have to be rebuilt before I sell?
No. The cost of a new porch goes into our offer, and we buy the building as it stands.
Who pays the CTA transfer tax on a Grand Boulevard sale?
The city assigns it to the seller by default. Sell to us and we pay it, together with every other transfer tax on the deed.
How quickly can we close on a three-flat with tenants?
Often in 2–3 weeks. Bring us the leases and a deposit list, and the tenants can stay.