🏠 Buying a house in Illinois | 🏘️ Selling a house in Illinois | 🚚 Moving to Illinois
🏡 Home values in Illinois have risen 14.76% over the past year, indicating a seller's market.
📈 Housing inventory (the total number of homes for sale) stands at 25,424. That's about 3.56 months of inventory, indicating a seller's market.
📊 The sale-to-list price ratio (the percentage of listing price sellers are actually getting) is 99.10%, indicating a seller's market.
How does Illinois compare to the national average?
| Data point | Value | Rank | Compared to national avg |
| Typical home value | $282,573[1] | #34 of 50 states | 24.8% lower |
| Median listing price | $316,500[2] | #38 of 50 states | 28.6% lower |
| Median sale price | $325,000[3] | #36 of 50 states | 25.7% lower |
| 30-year mortgage rate | 6.91%[4] | #9 of 50 states | 0.9% lower |
| Median days on market | 40[5] | #2 of 50 states | 32% shorter |
Looking to buy or sell in Illinois?
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Buying a house in the Illinois real estate market
Illinois has an affordability score of 4, meaning it takes 4 years of the median household income ($80,306) to afford Illinois' median home sale price ($325,000). Because of this, we rank Illinois as the 2nd most affordable state for buyers based strictly on prices compared to income.
| Data Point | Value | Rank | Compared to national avg |
| Median sale price | $325,000[6] | #36 of 50 states | 25.7% lower |
| 30-year mortgage rate | 6.91%[7] | #9 of 50 states | 0.9% lower |
| Median household income | $80,306[8] | #18 of 50 states | 4.3% higher |
| Affordability ratio | 4.0 | #2 of 50 states | 27.4% lower |
| Buyers agent commission | 2.71%[9] | #16 of 50 states | 1.3% lower |
Who pays for realtor commission in Illinois?
Real estate agents' commissions are technically the responsibility of their respective clients - buyers pay their agents, and sellers pay theirs. Each party signs a contract with their agent promising to pay. However, sellers usually offer to pay for the buyer's agent so they can more easily afford the home.
Who pays closing costs in Illinois?
Sellers are usually responsible for most closing costs, but some closing expenses fall to the buyer. As a buyer, you'll be expected to pay for the mortgage loan origination fee and other lender-related fees, private mortgage insurance, the down payment, an appraisal fee, and a home inspection fee.
Learn more about who pays closing costs in Illinois.
Resources for Illinois home buyers
Preparing to buy in Illinois
Selling a house in the Illinois real estate market
According to our detailed survey of Illinois real estate agents, listing agents (those representing the seller) charge an average commission in Illinois of 2.85%, which is the 24th highest in the United States. Buyers' agents charge an average commission of 2.71%, which is the 16th lowest in the United States.
| Data point | Value | Rank | Compared to national avg |
| Median listing price | $316,500[10] | #38 of 50 states | 28.6% lower |
| Median sale price | $325,000[11] | #36 of 50 states | 25.7% lower |
| Median days on market | 40[12] | #2 of 50 states | 32% shorter |
| Buyer's agent commission | 2.71%[13] | #16 of 50 states | 1.3% lower |
| Listing agent commission | 2.85%[14] | #27 of 50 states | 0.3% higher |
Resources for Illinois home sellers
Preparing to sell in Illinois
- Selling a House in Illinois: 8 Simple Steps
- Average Time to Sell a House in Illinois
- When Is the Best Time to Sell a House in Illinois?
- Top Real Estate Agents in Illinois
Illinois home selling costs and requirements
Moving to Illinois
According to our recent moving trends survey[15], 7% of Americans indicated that they would choose to move to Illinois if money were no object. Likewise, 13% of survey respondents indicated that they would move to Chicago among a choice of America's largest cities.
Here's how Illinois cities rank in a number of our research studies.
| Study | Best Illinois city | Rank |
| Best Pizza Cities[16] | Chicago | 14th best |
| Best Coffee Cities[17] | Chicago | 29th best |
| Best LGBTQ Cities[18] | Chicago | 9th best |
| Best Bike Cities[19] | Chicago | 20th best |
| Best Commuter Cities[20] | Chicago | 49th best |
Where to shop for homes in Illinois
Frequently asked questions
As of October 17, 2025, the median days on market (DOM) in Illinois is 42. On average, it takes about 41 days to sell in Illinois.
Home values have risen in Illinois over the past year. The current median home value is $286,669 and it's projected to decrease by 0.35% in the next year.
As of October 17, 2025, sellers in Illinois are typically getting 100% of the list price for their homes.
Methodology
Information on market conditions is based on Zillow data as of September 2025, Realtor.com data as of September 2025, and HouseCanary data as of October 17, 2025, unless specified otherwise.
We gathered our commission rate data from a September 2025 survey of 828 of agents nationwide. The survey asked about standard local rates for both listing and buying agents. These data points are averages based on responses we’ve received from 36 agents in Illinois.