Sell your house fast in Riverdale
Postwar houses in Golden Gate, townhouse-style buildings near 130th Street and older homes south of the Calumet River toward 138th: we buy property in Chicago’s Riverdale community area as-is for cash, on your date.
- Cash offer within 24 hours
- No repairs, fees or commissions
- We pay normal closing costs
Your Riverdale cash offer
No obligation. We never sell your info. Prefer to talk? Call or text (773) 825-9855.
Selling a house in Riverdale
This page covers Riverdale, community area 54 on Chicago’s Far South Side, not the suburban village of the same name just to the south. The community area runs from 115th Street south to the city limit at 138th Street, between the Metra Electric (old Illinois Central) tracks on the west and the Bishop Ford Freeway on the east. Pullman is to the north, West Pullman to the west, South Deering and Hegewisch to the east, and the villages of Riverdale and Dolton to the south. The 2020 census counted about 7,300 people across about 3.4 square miles.
Much of the land is industrial or open. The Calumet Water Reclamation Plant, rail yards, landfills and the Port of Chicago at Lake Calumet take up more than half the area, and the Calumet River runs through it. Golden Gate Park, Beaubien Woods in the Cook County Forest Preserves and Kensington Marsh are the main open spaces. Chicago annexed the area in 1889. The CTA’s 34 South Michigan bus runs along 131st and 133rd Streets, a Pace route connects to the Red Line at 95th, and the planned Red Line extension calls for a terminal at 130th Street.
Homes sit in four small sections. Altgeld Gardens, built in the 1940s, and Golden Gate lie between 130th Street and the Calumet River. Eden Green, built in 1968 with townhouse and apartment buildings, is just west of them. The oldest blocks, labeled Riverdale on many maps, are south of the river between Indiana Avenue and the Union Pacific tracks, running down to 138th Street. CMAP counts about 65 percent of homes as built from 1940 to 1969 and about 16 percent before 1940. Attached townhouse-style homes make up the largest share.
A house with recent updates may sell well through an agent. A cash sale fits better for a postwar house with its original wiring, plumbing or furnace, a house that has sat vacant, or an inherited home where the heirs live elsewhere and want one simple closing.
What to expect
Call or send the form, and we’ll arrange a time to see the house. A written cash offer, with our repair estimate and the comparable sales, follows within 24 hours. Pick the closing date that fits. We close through a local title company and cover the usual closing costs.
Chicago rules for a Riverdale sale
- Transfer taxes. Inside city limits, a sale carries Chicago’s $3.75 per $500 tax for the buyer, a $1.50 per $500 transit tax for the seller and $0.75 per $500 in combined state and county tax. If we’re the buyer, we pay all of it.
- Water and sewer. Expect the title company to order a Full Payment Certificate, the city’s proof that no water or sewer balance is owed. Stamps are issued only after that.
- Zoning certification. The city asks for this document on residential sales of buildings holding five or fewer units. Condo and co-op sales are excluded.
- City or village. An address near 138th Street may be in Chicago or in the Village of Riverdale or Dolton, each with its own rules. The title company confirms which applies.
- Taxes and estates. Cook County taxes are billed a year behind, with a credit to the buyer at closing. Probate cases are heard at the Daley Center.
The title company checks each of these for your property before closing, since requirements can change.
Riverdale, Chicago: list or sell for cash?
| Sell to us | List with an agent | |
|---|---|---|
| Repairs/updates | None. We take it as it is. | Needed to satisfy most loan buyers |
| Showings | One walk-through | Repeat showings |
| Commission | You pay none | Seller pays a percentage, typically |
| Closing costs | We pay them | Seller pays |
| Vacant house | Bought as-is, empty or not | Empty homes can be hard to insure and finance |
| Timing | In 2–3 weeks or on your schedule | Often 60–90 days from listing |
| Certainty | Cash, no lender | Loans and appraisals can stall |
| Price | Below retail, priced for condition | Top price for updated homes |
Most of Riverdale’s homes went up between the 1940s and the 1960s, and they are spread across small sections separated by rail lines and the river. An updated house can do well on the market. One with original systems, a worn roof or months of vacancy is where comparing your net with our cash offer is worth the time.
Riverdale, Chicago vs. the Village of Riverdale
Two places share the Riverdale name. Community area 54 is part of the City of Chicago and ends at 138th Street. The Village of Riverdale is a separate suburb just south and west, with its own village hall, Metra station and rules. Dolton also borders the community area on the south. Mail addresses and online listings mix them up often.
The difference matters at closing. A house inside Chicago follows the city’s rules: the city transfer tax, the Full Payment Certificate for water and the zoning certification for buildings of five or fewer units. A house in a suburb follows that town’s rules instead, which can include a village transfer stamp or inspection. Your property tax bill and the title search show which one you are in. We buy on either side of 138th Street, and on a sale to us the transfer taxes are ours in both cases.
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 Riverdale owners sell
Riverdale FAQ
Is this page about Riverdale in Chicago or the suburb?
This page covers Chicago’s Riverdale community area, from 115th Street to 138th. We also buy in the Village of Riverdale, which has its own rules.
How do I know if my house is in Chicago or the village?
Your property tax bill and the title search show the municipality. Addresses near 138th Street are the ones most often mixed up.
Do you buy houses in Golden Gate?
Yes. We buy houses in Golden Gate and the blocks south of the Calumet River in any condition.
My house has been vacant since my father passed. Can I sell it?
Yes. After the probate court at the Daley Center gives the estate authority to sell, we can buy it as it is.
Who pays the city transfer tax?
We do on any sale to us. That covers the CTA portion sellers normally owe, plus the county and state taxes.
Could we close two or three months from now?
Yes. Many sales close in 2–3 weeks, but the date is your call.