Sell your house fast in Lincoln Square
Two-flats and three-flats near the Western Brown Line stop, older houses in Ravenswood and Bowmanville, and condo units in small vintage buildings off Lincoln Avenue: we buy Lincoln Square buildings and units as-is for cash, closing when it suits you.
- Cash offer within 24 hours
- No repairs, fees or commissions
- We pay normal closing costs
Your Lincoln Square cash offer
No obligation. We never sell your info. Prefer to talk? Call or text (773) 825-9855.
Selling a house in Lincoln Square
Lincoln Square is community area 4 on Chicago’s North Side, about 7 miles north of the Loop. Its edges are Bryn Mawr and Peterson Avenues on the north, Montrose Avenue on the south, Ravenswood Avenue on the east and the Chicago River on the west. West Ridge and North Park lie to the north and northwest, Edgewater and Uptown to the east, North Center to the south and Albany Park across the river. About 40,500 people lived here at the 2020 census.
Neighborhoods inside it include Lincoln Square proper, Ravenswood, Ravenswood Gardens, Budlong Woods and Bowmanville, and Rosehill Cemetery takes up about a quarter of the land. The Brown Line, which opened as the Ravenswood elevated in 1907, stops at Damen, Western and Rockwell, and Metra’s Union Pacific North Line stops at Ravenswood. Lincoln Avenue, the old Little Fort Road, is the main street, and the shopping core sits where it meets Lawrence and Western. The 1922 Krause Music Store on Lincoln Avenue is a Chicago Landmark, and Welles, Winnemac and River Parks are the larger parks.
Bowmanville was laid out around 1850, and Ravenswood began in 1868 as a commuter subdivision near a new rail stop south of Rosehill Cemetery. Streetcars in the 1890s and the elevated in 1907 drove the build-out, as farmland filled with bungalows, two-flats and small apartment buildings. An industrial corridor grew along the rail line on Ravenswood Avenue.
CMAP counts about 46 percent of units built before 1940 and 29 percent from 1940 to 1969. Housing is mostly small multi-unit buildings: two-flats are about 13 percent of units, three- and four-unit buildings about 20 percent and five- to nine-unit buildings about 22 percent, against about 14 percent detached houses. Updated flats and condos here tend to sell well with an agent. Cash fits better for a vintage building with old boilers and porches, a rental with long-term tenants, a condo unit that needs a gut rehab, or an inherited property.
What to expect
One call or form, then one walk-through. Inside 24 hours we deliver a written cash offer that lays out the repair costs and nearby Lincoln Square sales behind it. You pick the closing date, a local title company finishes the paperwork, and we pay the standard seller closing costs.
Chicago paperwork when selling in Lincoln Square
- Zoning certification. Houses and two- through five-flats need a city zoning certification on transfer; condos and co-ops are excluded. It confirms the legal unit count, which matters for buildings with a garden or attic unit.
- Tenants and deposits. Chicago’s landlord and tenant ordinance keeps leases in place through a sale, and the buyer takes over the security deposits and any interest due at closing.
- Condo association items. A condo seller needs the paid-assessment letter and the Illinois resale disclosures from the association, and a waiver if the declaration includes a right of first refusal.
- Transfer taxes. The city’s $3.75 per $500, the CTA’s $1.50 per $500 that normally falls on sellers, and the state and county stamps: on a sale to us, we pay every one.
- Water certificate. The city issues a Full Payment Certificate once the water and sewer bill is paid in full, and the transfer can’t record without it.
The title company confirms which of these your property needs before the closing date.
Selling in Lincoln Square: cash buyer or agent?
| Sell to us | List with an agent | |
|---|---|---|
| Repairs/updates | None. We price the work in. | Often needed to reach full price |
| Showings | One walk-through | Many showings across several units |
| Commission | None | A percentage, set in the listing agreement |
| Closing costs | We pay them | Seller pays |
| Tenants | Leases carry over, no one moves | Notice and access for every showing |
| Timing | Roughly 2–3 weeks, or later | Time on market plus a 30–45 day close |
| Certainty | Cash, no loan | Waits on the buyer’s loan approval |
| Price | Below retail, priced for condition | Top price for updated homes |
About 55 percent of Lincoln Square’s homes are in buildings of two to nine units, and most were built before 1970. A renovated two-flat or condo generally sells well listed. A building with below-market leases, original mechanicals or porch and masonry work due is where our cash offer is worth comparing.
Selling a Lincoln Square three-flat or six-flat
Buildings of three to nine units make up more than 40 percent of Lincoln Square’s housing, according to CMAP. Many went up in the early 1900s, after the elevated line opened and drew building along Lincoln, Western and the side streets. Common needs at this age are tuckpointing, rear porch rebuilding, boiler replacement and updated electrical service.
Selling a building with tenants also means leases, deposits and showings. We buy these buildings occupied or vacant. Send us the rent roll and leases, and after one walk-through we give you a cash price that includes the repair items. A three-flat needs the city zoning certification. A six-flat doesn’t, since the rule covers buildings of five units or fewer.
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 Lincoln Square owners sell
Nearby areas we buy
Lincoln Square FAQ
Do you buy three-flats near the Western Brown Line stop?
Yes, with tenants or vacant, and in any condition.
Does my six-flat need a zoning certification?
No. The certification stops at five units, so a six-flat is outside it. It still needs the water certificate and the other usual closing documents.
Do you buy condo units in Lincoln Square’s vintage buildings?
Yes. We review the association’s paid-assessment letter, budget and reserves, and the title company gets any right-of-first-refusal waiver.
What happens to my tenants’ security deposits?
They transfer to the buyer at closing along with any interest owed, as Chicago’s landlord and tenant ordinance requires.
Who pays the Chicago and CTA transfer taxes?
We do. When you sell to us, the city, CTA, Cook County and Illinois portions are all ours.
Can you close before my tenants’ leases end?
Yes. The leases transfer with the building, so we can close in as little as 2–3 weeks and let them run to term.