Bungalows and two-flats around Six Corners
Portage Park is Chicago's Community Area 15, on the Northwest Side. Jefferson Park and Forest Glen sit to the north, Dunning and suburban Harwood Heights to the west, Irving Park to the east and Belmont Cragin to the south. The commercial center is Six Corners, where Irving Park Road, Cicero Avenue and diagonal Milwaukee Avenue meet, with a second business strip at Belmont and Central. Nearly everything else is houses.
Mostly small ones, and mostly lived in by their owners. CMAP's snapshot of 2020-2024 census estimates puts about 45 percent of housing units in detached single-family homes, nearly double the city's share, and another third in two- to four-unit buildings. About 61 percent of occupied homes are owner-occupied, against 46 percent across Chicago.
A 1939 median build year means a careful inspection
CMAP counts 51.5 percent of units built before 1940, and the median year built is 1939, against 1953 for the city.
Illinois's disclosure report covers buildings of one to four units, so it applies to a bungalow or a two-flat, and it has to reach the buyer before the contract is signed. For a house built before 1978, federal rules add a lead disclosure, a lead pamphlet and a 10-day window for a lead inspection. The same state form says you can still agree to sell as-is.
Two price sources that don't quite agree
Redfin's median sale price for its Portage Park neighborhood was $509,000 over March through May 2026, up about 6 percent from a year earlier, on 100 sales. Single-family homes had a $550,000 median and two-to-four-unit buildings $625,000. The median time on market was 44 days, and homes sold for about 102 percent of list price on average.
DePaul's Institute for Housing Studies tells a cooler story. Its price index groups Portage Park with Jefferson Park, and its latest release, through the end of 2025, puts the median sale price there at $405,000. Prices in that area rose 3.2 percent over the prior year, and IHS counted 516 residential sales in Portage Park in 2025. The boundaries differ, so your block and building type matter more than any median.
Foreclosure filings and the tax calendar in Area 15
IHS recorded 53 new residential foreclosure filings in Portage Park in 2025, and nine completed foreclosure auctions.
If it happens to you, the case goes to the Chancery Division of the Circuit Court of Cook County, and once you're served, the free mediation helpline is (855) 452-2637. Your right to redeem ends before the sale, not after it, so read the Cook County foreclosure timeline early. On taxes, the second installment of the tax year 2025 bill is due October 1, 2026, and the Treasurer lists December 15, 2026 for the next annual tax sale, where investors bid on a lien, not the house. The Cook County selling guide covers the rest.
What $509,000 looks like after the costs
Say your house would list near Redfin's $509,000 median. Commission at about 4.9 percent (Clever's Illinois average, updated September 2026) is roughly $24,900. Closing costs near 1.2 percent add about $6,100. Of Chicago's transfer tax, the seller generally pays the $1.50 per $500 CTA portion, about $1,530. The Cook County Clerk lists the seller as liable for the state stamp, about $510, and the county stamp, about $250. That's roughly $33,300 before any repairs an inspector flags on a pre-war house. The median Chicago residential tax bill was $4,457 for tax year 2024, about $370 for every month a house sits.
Or, if the property is a fit, a cash buyer may make an offer, you pick the closing date, and you may be able to sell as-is. Plenty of owners list anyway, and that can be the right call. Just run both numbers first. The selling in Chicago page covers the city's zoning and water certificates, which add a little more.
Sources: CMAP, Portage Park Community Data Snapshot; Redfin Data Center; DePaul Institute for Housing Studies, Cook County House Price Index; DePaul Institute for Housing Studies, Portage Park data portal; Illinois Residential Real Property Disclosure Act, 765 ILCS 77; U.S. EPA, lead disclosure; Circuit Court of Cook County, foreclosure mediation; Cook County Treasurer, due dates and tax sale; Cook County Treasurer, 2024 tax bill news release; City of Chicago Department of Finance, Real Property Transfer Tax; Cook County Clerk, transfer fees; Clever commission survey
