The Illinois housing market, by the numbers.
Median sale price, days on market, and what a traditional sale really costs an Illinois seller — every figure on this page comes from the source cited next to it.
- Median sale price: $335,000
- Median days on market: 27
- Typical selling costs: ~6.83% of the price
- Foreclosure timeline: 12 to 18 months
Planning an Illinois sale?
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The headline numbers.
Each figure comes from the source cited under it. Medians describe the middle of the Illinois market, not any specific house.
| Illinois metric | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Median sale price | $335,000 | Illinois REALTORS Monthly Local Market Update, May 2026 |
| Median days on market | 27 days | Illinois REALTORS Monthly Local Market Update, May 2026 (27-day median) |
| Average agent commission | 5.53% (≈ $18,526) | Clever / ListWithClever survey (IL avg), 2026 |
| Seller closing costs | 1.2% (≈ $4,020) | ListWithClever / AnytimeEstimate, IL 2026 (~$4,000 title, attorney & closing on the median sale) |
| Seller transfer tax | 0.1% (≈ $335) | 35 ILCS 200/31-10 (state $0.50 per $500; Cook County and Chicago add local transfer taxes on top) |
Data updated: September 2026
Selling the traditional way in Illinois: the math.
The same arithmetic an agent would run at your kitchen table, worked on the Illinois median sale price.
How to read this: on the $335,000 median sale, the traditional route leaves roughly $312,119 before loan payoff, repairs, and the holding costs (effective property tax ~2.07%/yr per the Tax Foundation, plus insurance and utilities) that stack up while you wait about 27 days on market. These are estimates worked on the Illinois median; your actual costs vary by county, property, and buyer.
The cost of waiting: Illinois's effective property-tax rate runs about 2.07% a year (Tax Foundation). Worked on the $335,000 median home, that's roughly $6,935 a year in property tax — call it $513 accrued across the 27-day (about 4-week) median wait for a traditional sale, before insurance and utilities, and on top of the selling costs above. The longer an Illinois listing sits past the median, the bigger that carrying cost grows.
The Illinois foreclosure clock.
Illinois uses a judicial foreclosure process, and a typical case runs 12 to 18 months — that window is how much real time an owner has to catch up, refinance, or sell.
Primary statute: 735 ILCS 5/15-1101 et seq. (Illinois Mortgage Foreclosure Law). This is general information, not legal advice — confirm the specifics with a local attorney.
If you need to sell fast.
The numbers above describe the traditional route in Illinois: roughly 6.83% of the price in selling costs and about 27 days of waiting before a financed buyer even closes. When time is the real problem — a foreclosure date, back taxes, a move that can't wait — some owners trade part of the headline price for speed and certainty by selling as-is to a cash buyer.
Your cash option: You can request offers on Illinois houses sold as-is — no repairs, no commissions, no fees to you. Requesting offers is free, and you decide what happens next.
See what the Illinois numbers mean for your house.
Compare the traditional math above with a fast as-is sale — free tools, sourced data, and a timeline you control.
Selling fast in Illinois →