If you're looking for the fastest way to sell a home, "we buy houses" companies in Illinois are a good option. Also known as "we buy ugly houses" companies or cash home buyers, these companies can provide a cash offer in only a day and close in just a matter of days or weeks, with no closing costs. But they typically pay only 70% of the fair market value for the home.
Our top pick for "we buy houses" companies in Illinois is Clever Offers. With Clever Offers, a concierge will collect details about your home to bring you cash offers from the top "we buy houses" companies in Illinois. You'll also get a professional home valuation from a local real estate agent so you know what your home is worth on the open market.
Top 'we buy houses' companies in Illinois
- Clever Offers: Get multiple offers at once
- We Buy Houses: Nationally recognized brand
- Express Homebuyers: Fast offers and closing date
- We Buy Ugly Houses: National brand, local investors
- Heartland Buys Houses: Request offer online
- Finally Sold: Local buyers
If you have a Illinois house in good condition, you’ll likely earn more by selling with a real estate agent. It'll take a bit longer to sell, but the extra money could be worth the wait. Whatever you choose, explore all of your options first.
Best companies that buy houses for cash in Illinois
To find the best cash home buyers in Illinois, we compared offer times, closing date windows, local market knowledge, and company reputation according to customer reviews.
Here's our advice for working with "we buy houses" companies:
- Contact multiple companies to compare offers
- Read contracts carefully
- Don’t pay for anything up front
- If you don't think an offer is fair, walk away
Clever Offers
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Time to Offer
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Clever Offers is an easy way to compare multiple cash offers at once so you can get the most money for your home. Clever will also provide a free home value estimate so you know what your home is worth on the open market. Then you can decide if selling to a cash buyer company is worth it or if you'd rather list with an agent for maximum value.
Clever Offers provides you with fair cash offers from top institutional buyers, local and regional real estate investment firms, and more.
Steps to sell with Clever Offers:
- Fill out an online form with a few details about your home.
- Answer questions about your selling timeframe and the condition of your home.
- Sit back and relax while your Clever Home Concierge collects multiple cash offers on your behalf.
- Choose to accept an offer, ask the Concierge to look for better offers, or work with a top local agent to sell on the open market for just 1.5% commission.
Clever Offers is available in all 50 states and Washington, DC.
As of 1/22/2024, Clever has an average customer rating of 5.0 on Trustpilot, based on 2,672 reviews.
We Buy Houses
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We Buy Houses vets all of its investors and gives them an exclusive license to operate in its territory, so investors who use the brand name have an incentive to work hard in order to maintain their advantage. The company provides offers in just one to two days and can close in a few weeks.
We Buy Houses is a national property investor that buys homes for cash throughout the U.S. To sell your home to We Buy Houses, you can:
- Submit an online form, giving details about your property
- Set up an appointment for an investor to view your home
- Receive a no-obligation offer
- Choose a closing date and sell your home
We Buy Houses operates in 200 markets in over 30 states.
Reviews online are available only for local franchises.
The vast majority are positive, with customers saying that the We Buy Houses investor they worked with was fast and professional.
Express Homebuyers
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Express Homebuyers is really fast: it provides offers in just minutes and can close in just a week in many circumstances. Plus, the company has mostly positive reviews on Google.
Express Homebuyers is a national service that has partnered with local investors across the country to buy houses for cash.
Steps to sell with Express Homebuyers:
- Submit your home's information to receive an initial "as is" offer
- Meet with the local investor to assess your property and answer any questions
- Discuss the local investor's final cash offer and, if you're willing to sell, sign a sales agreement then and there
- Choose a closing day on your schedule
- Show up on the day of the sale to sign the paperwork and receive cash within hours
Express Homebuyers has partnered with local investors in the following states:
Express Home Buyers received an average of 3.7 stars from 261 customer reviews. It's accredited by the Better Business Bureau, and it has a B+ rating.
Google: 4.2 stars/122 reviews
Facebook: 4.6 stars/113 reviews
Yelp: 2.5 stars/26 reviews
We Buy Ugly Houses
Full reviewPhone Number
Time to offer
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We Buy Ugly Houses is a nationally recognized brand with a solid reputation. The company has over 800 franchises across the U.S., so be sure to check reviews for the individual location you plan to contact.
We Buy Ugly Houses is a property investor that buys homes for cash in over 800 locations across the U.S. To sell your home to We Buy Ugly Houses you can:
- Submit information about your property online or by phone and set up an appointment for an investor to see your home
- Show your home to the investor and receive a no-obligation offer
- Set a closing date on your own schedule as soon as 3 weeks after accepting the offer
We Buy Ugly Houses has over 800 independently owned and operated franchises across 47 states and Washington, DC.
We Buy Ugly Houses's parent company, Homevestors, has an A+ rating on the Better Business Bureau. No other third-party reviews are available at this time.
This rating is based on overall national data. Research local franchises for specific reviews that reflect their quality of service.
Heartland Buys Houses
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Heartland Buys Houses is a good option for a fast offer to compare to cash offers from other "we buy houses" companies.
Heartland Buys Houses is a regional cash home buyer, operating primarily in Illinois and surrounding states. To sell your home to Heartland Buys Houses, expect to:
- Fill out an online form providing detailed information about your home
- Receive a follow-up call presenting your with a cash offer
- Close on your own schedule, as early or late as you need
Heartland Buys Houses operates primarily in Illinois, though they also may purchase in neighboring states. Some of their additional locations include:
There are currently no reviews available for Heartland Buys Houses.
Finally Sold
WebsitePhone Number
Time to Offer
Time to Sale
Finally Sold is a national buyer with a network of local investors buying homes across the U.S. The company has an A+ rating with the Better Business Bureau.
Finally Sold is a national service that has partnered with local investors across the country to buy houses for cash.
Steps to sell with Finally Sold:
- Call Finally Sold's toll free line or submit a form on Finally Sold's website to schedule a visit with a home buying consultant
- Meet with the Finally Sold consultant at the scheduled time and show your home. This process can be done in as little as fifteen minutes, and no repairs beforehand are needed
- Sit down with the Finally Sold consultant to discuss options to sell your home. If the consultant believes your home is worth investing in, they will present a cash offer
- If you accept the offer, you will immediately be given the proper paperwork, and you will be asked to schedule a date to close on the sale
- Sign the proper paperwork at the time of closing and receive your payment
Finally Sold has partnered with local investors in the following states:
Finally Sold received an average of 4 stars from 3 customer reviews. It's accredited by the Better Business Bureau and it has an A+ rating.
Google: 5 stars/1 review
Yelp: 3 stars/2 reviews
What is a 'we buy houses' company?
"We buy houses" companies are backed by investors. These investors purchase homes to fix and resell for a profit. They buy homes in as-is condition — without any repairs or prep — and pay in cash.
The home buying process for "we buy houses" companies is different from a traditional sale. Since cash buyer companies typically pay only up to 70% of the home's value, some people wonder if "we buy houses" companies are a scam.
But these companies have little incentive to scam sellers. They're investors who rely on their reputation to close deals. However, they are motivated by profit. They make lower offers so they can pay for renovations and still turn a profit when they resell.
»MORE: Are "we buy houses" companies a rip-off?
How do 'we buy houses' companies work?
Details vary, but all "we buy houses" companies in Illinois share the same basic business model:
- A home seller reaches out directly to a cash buyer company.
- The company assesses the property, considering factors like necessary repairs and potential resale value.
- The company makes an as-is cash offer based on the time and money it'll need to invest in the property.
- If the homeowner accepts, the deal closes quickly. There's no need to negotiate, wait for financing approval, or inspect and appraise the property.
- The cash buyer repairs the home and resells it for a profit.
Compare offers from top cash buyers to the sale price you'd get with an agent.
Alternative to 'we buy houses' companies in Illinois
If the offers you get from "we buy houses" companies are too low, you have another option to sell your home. The best option for you depends on your home's condition and how much time you have to sell.
Sell to an iBuyer
Selling to an iBuyer may be a good option if your home is in great condition and you need to sell within a few weeks. In Illinois, you can consider iBuyers like Offerpad. These companies provide instant cash offers that are typically much closer to market value than an offer from a "we buy houses" company.
There are pros and cons to working with an iBuyer. For example, selling to an iBuyer is convenient, but they charge a service fee of 5% or more. You'd also need to pay 1–3% in closing costs plus the cost of any repairs the iBuyer requests. Before deciding, estimate your total earnings from selling to an iBuyer to see if it's worth it.
»LEARN: Should I sell to an iBuyer?
Note: Time to offer, time to sale, reviews, and other data points are current as of when this article was last updated.
Frequently asked questions
Can you sell a house as-is in Illinois?
If your house needs a lot of work, you can list it for sale as-is in Illinois, meaning you're not willing to negotiate repairs. Another option is to sell your home to a "we buy houses" company, which can close in a week or two, but pays as little as half what you'd get on the open market.
Do 'we buy houses' companies pay a fair price?
"We buy houses" companies typically pay 50–70% of a home's after repair value when making a cash offer. If you can't afford to make repairs and you need to sell quickly, these companies are convenient. But if you have more time, you're better off listing the home on the open market to see if you can sell for more.
