Sell your house fast in Portage Park
From the bungalow belt east of Central Avenue to the two-flats and brick homes around Six Corners and the Patio Theater, we buy Portage Park houses for cash in as-is condition and close when you’re ready.
- Cash offer within 24 hours
- No repairs, fees or commissions
- We pay normal closing costs
Your Portage Park cash offer
No obligation. We never sell your info. Prefer to talk? Call or text (773) 825-9855.
Selling a house in Portage Park
Portage Park is community area 15 on Chicago’s Northwest Side, about nine miles from the Loop. Jefferson Park and Forest Glen are to the north, Irving Park to the east, Belmont Cragin to the south, and Dunning and the village of Harwood Heights to the west. The 2020 Census counted about 63,000 residents. The name comes from the old portage route between the Chicago and Des Plaines rivers that ran near today’s Irving Park Road.
Six Corners, where Irving Park Road, Cicero Avenue and Milwaukee Avenue meet, has been the main shopping district for generations. Its Sears store opened there in 1938 and closed in 2018, and the building now holds apartments and retail. The Portage Theater sits nearby, and the 1927 Patio Theater is farther west on Irving Park Road at Austin Avenue. The Kennedy Expressway runs along the northeast edge, with the Blue Line in its median and Metra’s Mayfair stop on the Milwaukee District North Line just beyond.
The park itself, at Irving Park Road and Central Avenue, opened in stages starting in 1916. Its lagoon was replaced in 1959 by an Olympic-size pool that hosted Pan American Games swimming that year and U.S. Olympic trials in 1972. Chicago annexed the area with Jefferson Township in 1889. Streetcar lines on Milwaukee, Irving Park and Cicero opened the farmland to builders, and developers including Schorsch, Koester and Zander laid out blocks of homes. The marshy ground needed ditches early on, and a drainage system built in the 1950s ended long-running flooding problems.
Portage Park sits in the heart of the city’s bungalow belt. Regional planning data shows about 45 percent of homes are single-family houses, 35 percent are in two- to four-unit buildings, and about half were built before 1940. Updated homes here usually sell well through an agent. We are the better option for a house that still has original systems, one that’s part of an estate, or a two-flat where the tenants and repairs make a listing hard.
What to expect
Getting an offer is simple. Tell us about the property, we come out once, and you receive a written cash offer within 24 hours with our math explained. If it works for you, a local title company handles the closing. Choose any date that suits you, as soon as 2–3 weeks out. We pay the normal closing costs.
Chicago rules for selling a Portage Park home
- Transfer taxes. The city’s tax is $3.75 per $500 and is usually the buyer’s expense, and the CTA’s $1.50 per $500 is usually the seller’s. The state’s $0.50 and county’s $0.25 per $500 also apply. Sell to us, and we take care of all of them.
- Full Payment Certificate. Before closing, the Department of Finance certifies the water and sewer account is paid in full, which the city requires before it issues transfer stamps.
- Zoning certification. Required by the city when a residential building with five or fewer units is sold. It certifies the number of legal units, which can matter for two-flats with a finished basement or attic.
- Tenants in a flat. Deposits and interest move to the buyer at closing under Chicago’s landlord-tenant ordinance, and tenants must be told in writing within 10 days.
- Estates. Probate for Chicago homes is handled at the Daley Center. Cook County taxes are a year behind, so the buyer is credited at closing.
The title company confirms what applies at your address before closing.
Two ways to sell a Portage Park home
| Sell to us | List with an agent | |
|---|---|---|
| Repairs/updates | No repairs | Buyers expect move-in condition |
| Showings | One visit | Multiple showings and open houses |
| Commission | None | Usually a percentage of the price |
| Closing costs | We pay them | Seller pays |
| Timing | As soon as 2–3 weeks | Listing time plus 30–45 days |
| Certainty | Cash, no appraisal | Appraisal or loan can change the deal |
| Price | Below retail, priced for condition | Top price for updated homes |
| Finished attic or basement | We buy it as-is | Buyers may question permits |
Portage Park is mainly 1915–1940 bungalows and two-flats plus later brick homes. Updated ones compete well on the market. Original-condition houses, or ones with attic and basement finishes done years ago without permits, are where a cash sale is simpler.
The Portage Park Bungalow Historic District
In 2014, a set of blocks bounded by Pensacola Avenue, Hutchinson Street, Lockwood Avenue and Central Avenue was added to the National Register as a bungalow historic district. It includes 189 brick Chicago bungalows built between 1915 and 1930, along with other buildings from the same period.
Chicago bungalows are typically narrow, about 20 feet wide on a 25-foot lot, with a full basement and an attic that many owners have finished over the years. National Register status does not require you to restore anything before you sell. If your bungalow in or near the district needs a roof, tuckpointing or mechanical work, or if the attic was finished without a permit, we buy it as it is and explain how the condition affects our offer.
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 Portage Park owners sell
Nearby areas we buy
Portage Park FAQ
Do you buy bungalows in the Portage Park historic district?
Yes. We buy bungalows there and throughout Portage Park, and the National Register listing does not hold up a sale.
Do you buy homes near Six Corners?
Yes. Houses and two-flats around Irving Park, Cicero and Milwaukee are all areas we buy in.
Who pays transfer taxes when I sell my Portage Park home to you?
We pay all of them, city, CTA, state and county.
My attic was finished decades ago without a permit. Can I still sell?
Yes. We buy the house as-is, and you do not need to get permits or remove the work first.
Can I sell a two-flat with the tenants staying?
Yes. The leases continue, and deposits and interest are credited to us at closing.
Is a quick close possible if I’m buying a new place?
Yes. We can often close in 2–3 weeks, or match the date of your next purchase.