Seller Guides
Straight answers about selling your home
Most agents won't put real numbers in writing. I will. These are the questions sellers actually ask me — answered with current Chicagoland data, including the parts that aren't flattering to my own industry.
Transfer tax & pre-sale requirements: all 167 towns
What sellers pay and what each town requires, in one searchable table. The same sale costs $600 in 85 towns and $4,600 in Berwyn.
See the table Free ToolThe Illinois home seller's checklist
Every document, disclosure, and deadline — in the order it happens. Filter by property type, check items off, print it. Free.
Open the checklist Before You CloseThe pre-sale requirements that can stop your closing
63 of 167 Chicagoland towns require a point-of-sale inspection; 106 require a final water reading. What your municipality needs — and when to start it.
See what's required CostsWhat does it really cost to sell a house in DuPage County?
A line-by-line breakdown on a median-priced home — commission, transfer taxes, attorney, title, prorated taxes — and what actually lands in your pocket.
Read the breakdown CostsWhat does it cost to sell a house in Chicago & Cook County?
Cook's transfer taxes swing from $598 to $4,587 on the same sale — plus Chicago's point-of-sale rules. Every line item, by town.
Read the breakdown CostsAre real estate commissions negotiable in Illinois?
Yes — always. What the NAR settlement changed, who pays the buyer's agent now, and the questions that get you a straight answer.
Read the answer ComparisoniBuyer vs. listing with an agent — which nets more?
Real fee data on cash-offer companies, what the gap costs on a median DuPage home, and the situations where a cash offer genuinely is the better call.
Compare the math ProblemsWhy isn't your house selling?
Six real reasons homes sit in Chicagoland — how to diagnose yours from the showing data, and what to fix before cutting the price again.
Diagnose it TimingWhen is the best time to sell in Chicago?
Late spring wins — but by less than you'd think. A month-by-month look, plus when waiting for spring is actually a mistake.
See the calendarHave a question that isn't here?
Ask me directly — I'll answer straight, whether or not it leads to a listing.
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