Sell your house fast in Highland Park
Historic, mid-century or ranch home in Highland Park: we buy as-is and handle the water bill and stamp.
- Cash offer within 24 hours
- No repairs, fees or commissions
- We pay normal closing costs
Your Highland Park cash offer
No obligation. We never sell your info. Prefer to talk? Call or text (773) 825-9855.
Selling a house in Highland Park
Highland Park is a Lake County city of about 30,000 people in Moraine and West Deerfield townships, about 25 miles north of downtown Chicago. It sits on a bluff roughly 100 feet above Lake Michigan, and deep wooded ravines cut up to a mile inland. Glencoe is to the south, Deerfield to the west, and Highwood and Lake Forest to the north. The UP North line has four Metra stations in the city, Braeside, Ravinia Park, Ravinia and Highland Park, and US 41 runs north to south through it.
The city formed in 1869 from the settlements of St. Johns and Port Clinton. The Ravinia district began as an artists’ colony, and the Ravinia Festival has been the Chicago Symphony Orchestra’s summer home since 1936. Highland Park’s housing ranges from National Register homes, such as Frank Lloyd Wright’s Willits House and work by Howard Van Doren Shaw, John S. Van Bergen, Robert Seyfarth and David Adler, to postwar and newer homes across the rest of the city. Jens Jensen also designed landscapes here, and the lakefront has public beaches at Rosewood, Moraine and Park Avenue.
A move-in ready Highland Park home belongs on the market, and we’ll be straight about that. We fit better with a house that hasn’t been updated in decades, a ravine or bluff lot with drainage or erosion concerns, an estate, a house that a builder would replace, or a relocation that can’t wait for the right buyer. It also helps when you want to sell without a public listing.
What to expect
One visit is enough. Within a day, a cash figure arrives with its math attached. Set whatever closing date you like, and we’ll meet at a Lake County title office, with standard closing costs on our tab.
What to know before you sell in Highland Park
- City transfer tax. Highland Park’s rate is $5 per $1,000, and city code makes it the seller’s bill. Sell to us and it becomes ours, together with Illinois’s 50-cent and Lake County’s 25-cent stamps per $500.
- Final water bill. No stamps are issued until the last water bill is settled. Your title officer arranges the reading and clears the amount.
- Demolition tax. Highland Park charges a tax on residential demolitions, which goes to its affordable housing trust fund. It’s paid by whoever tears the house down. If you sell to us, it never reaches you.
- Historic Preservation Commission. The commission reviews changes to landmarks and historic districts and can delay demolition of significant homes. It has used a one-year delay on a Frank Lloyd Wright house. That affects a buyer’s plans, not your right to sell.
- Taxes a year behind. Highland Park tax bills cover the prior year. Your share of the current year moves to the buyer as a credit at the table.
- Probate. Estates for Highland Park owners are opened in Waukegan. When the judge issues letters with power to sell, we can sign.
Before closing, the title office pulls Highland Park’s current checklist for your property. Whatever’s on it, we cover.
Selling in Highland Park: cash or a listing?
| Sell to us | List with an agent | |
|---|---|---|
| Repairs/updates | Skip them | Usually needed to reach top price |
| Showings | One visit | A steady stream of tours |
| Commission | None | Scales with a high sale price |
| Closing costs | We pay them | Seller pays |
| City transfer tax | Ours to pay | Seller pays $5 per $1,000 |
| Timing | 2–3 weeks or your chosen date | Market time plus 30–45 days |
| Certainty | Cash, no financing | Jumbo loans and appraisals can delay it |
| Price | Below retail, priced for condition | Top price for updated homes |
In Highland Park, the city transfer tax alone is $5,000 on a $1,000,000 sale, and it normally comes out of the seller’s side. In a sale to us, that line moves to our side. For a house that needs major work, set our offer next to your likely net after repairs, commission and that tax.
Older Highland Park houses: restore, sell or replace
Highland Park has a long record of older houses being bought for the land. The city adopted its demolition tax in 2002 to fund affordable housing, and the Historic Preservation Commission can delay demolition of houses it considers significant. Both add cost and time for a buyer planning to build new.
A sound house with history is often worth listing for a buyer who’ll restore it, and we’ll point that out. One that needs more than most restorers want to tackle, we can purchase as-is, so any review or demolition question stays off your plate.
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 Highland Park owners sell
Nearby areas we buy
Highland Park FAQ
Who pays Highland Park’s transfer tax?
Normally the seller, at $5 per $1,000. Not in a sale to us: we cover it and the state and county stamps.
Do you buy homes on ravine or bluff lots?
Yes. We buy them as-is, and we look at the slope, drainage and condition together when we price.
Will the demolition tax affect my sale?
Not directly. It’s paid by whoever demolishes the house. If that’s us, it’s part of our cost, not yours.
My house may be historically significant. Can I still sell?
Yes. Commission review affects demolition and exterior changes, not the sale itself.
Where is probate handled for a Highland Park estate?
Lake County’s court in Waukegan. Closing follows once the executor is authorized.
What does the city need before closing?
A paid final water bill and the city’s transfer stamp. The title company handles both.