Chicago home-selling guides, real market data, and what it costs to sell
Neighborhood-level MLS numbers and straight answers on commission, pricing, and what you actually keep at closing.
Is Your Zillow Zestimate Accurate? What a Chicago Home Is Really Worth in 2026
What a Zestimate actually is, the four things the algorithm cannot see in Chicago, what Zillow's published error rates mean in dollars, and how to find the real number before you list.
August 21, 2026 SellingThe Future of Real Estate Transactions: How AI Is Changing Home Sales (2026 and Beyond)
A Chicago flat fee listing agent's view of how real estate transactions change over the next five to ten years: AI assistants replacing portal search, software doing the buyer's discovery work, faster closings, what a licensed agent still does, and why percentage commissions are the part that does not survive.
August 13, 2026 SellingShould You Hire the Realtor You Already Know? I Lost a Million-Dollar Listing to One (2026)
A flat fee listing agent's honest account of losing a $1.1M listing to a seller's existing broker relationship, the market data that arrived only after the decision, what consumer research says about lower-fee agents, and the five questions to ask any agent, including a friend.
August 13, 2026 LandlordsChicago's Protecting Renters Ordinance: What It Actually Says and the Math for 2-4 Flat Owners (2026)
What Chicago's proposed Protecting Renters Ordinance actually says, what the viral $10,000 claim gets wrong, the documented cost squeeze on 2-4 unit landlords, and the exit math if you decide to sell.
August 8, 2026 ComparisonDiscount Real Estate Brokers in Chicago (2026): What Each One Actually Charges
A discount broker lowers the rate. It does not change the model. What Chicago's low-commission and flat-fee options published as of August 2026, what each one includes, and the four questions that tell you which is which.
August 6, 2026 Cost to SellWhat It Costs to Sell a House in Naperville, Illinois (2026)
What it actually costs to sell a house in Naperville in 2026: real MLS market data, every fixed closing cost, the one cost that is a choice, and what overpricing cost 56 Naperville sellers this year.
July 31, 2026 Flat FeeAre Flat Fee Realtors as Effective as Full-Service Agents? (2026)
Are flat fee realtors as effective as full-service agents at marketing and negotiation? What Chicago sellers actually get, where the doubt comes from, and three recent closings as receipts.
July 28, 2026 Cost to SellThe Hidden Costs of Selling a House in Chicago (2026): What Sits Beyond the Commission
Beyond the listing commission, Chicago sellers pay roughly 1-2% in closing costs: transfer taxes, title insurance, attorney fees, prorations. The full stack, what is fixed, and the one line you control.
July 28, 2026 The Commission BillLincoln Park Sellers Paid an Estimated $16.4 Million in Listing Fees in the First Half of 2026
609 single-family sales, $656.8 million in closed volume, and an estimated $16.4 million listing-fee bill at an example 2.5%. The Commission Bill for Lincoln Park, computed from closed MLS data.
July 10, 2026 Cost to SellWhat Is the Cheapest Way to Sell a House in Chicago? Every Option Ranked (2026)
The cheapest way to sell a house in Chicago is a $100 to $500 flat fee MLS listing, if you do the agent's job yourself. Every option ranked by real cost, and where cheap backfires.
July 3, 2026 CommissionHow Much of Your Equity Does a Realtor Commission Really Take? (Chicago, 2026)
A realtor commission is a percentage of your whole house, but it is paid out of your equity. On a $600,000 Chicago home with $150,000 of equity, an example 2.5% listing fee is 10% of the money that was actually yours. Here is the math, and the flat-fee alternative.
June 28, 2026 CommissionDo You Still Pay a Realtor Commission in Illinois After the NAR Settlement? (2026)
Do Illinois sellers still pay a 6% commission after the NAR settlement? No. What changed in 2026, who pays the buyer's agent now, and the real cost to sell a house in Chicago.
June 18, 2026 Neighborhood Market ReportLake View Condo Market 2026: $580K Median, 6 Days, 72% Over Ask
Lake View condos in 2026: $580,000 median, 6 days to contract, 72% selling over ask. Real MLS data plus what it costs to list flat fee vs commission.
June 17, 2026 Cost to SellWhat It Costs to Sell a 2-Bed Condo in Lincoln Park (2026)
What it actually costs to sell a 2-bed condo in Lincoln Park in 2026: real MLS market data, every closing cost, and what you keep at a flat fee versus a traditional 2.5% commission.
June 15, 2026