How much does it cost to sell a home in Illinois?

If you are like many Illinoisians, your home is probably your most important financial asset. Selling it is not a decision to pay lightly. Whether you are planning to move to another state, transition to suburbs or shrink, you want the sales process to be as seamless as possible while maximizing revenue.

When developing a strategy, make sure to understand the potential costs associated with sales. This article outlines the costs you may encounter and provides expert insights into the cost of selling a home in Illinois.

Housing Trends in Illinois

Similar to trends across the country, the Illinois housing market faces high interest rates and rising housing prices.

“It’s so competitive, but in the ideal suburbs, we still see lower inventory, which keeps the price stable, and if the seller is strategically prepared and priced, we’re still seeing multiple offers in the first few days,” said Lana Erickson, an elite agent in Illinois, with 23 years of real estate experience.

Here is a breakdown of the current Illinois real estate landscape:

	As of April 2025
Days on the market	30 days
Median house sales price	$310,000
Percentage of homes for sale in cash	0.1%
Year of population growth	+0.53%

Source: Illinois Real Estate Agents and World Population Review

Sellers in Illinois should pay attention to the days on the market (DOM), which indicates the average time from listing the home to obtaining a signed purchase agreement. In Illinois, the average DOM is 30 days.

Start with the house value estimation

Obtaining a home value estimate is a wise first step to determining the cost of selling a home in Illinois. Given how quickly market value changes, it is a good idea to check the value of a home. You may be surprised by its current value.

For a quick online value estimation, try Homelight’s Home Value Estimator. This free automatic valuation model (AVM) tool uses the latest sales data, local market trends, and the latest sales price of your home to provide a preliminary value range in less than two minutes. First, just enter your address.

How much does it cost to sell a home in Illinois?

According to our findings, the cost of selling a home in Illinois usually ranges from 6% to 10% of your selling price.

For example, if you sell a home for $310,000 (median home price in Illinois), your sales could be around $18,600 to $31,000.

The exact amount you are paying depends on your choice in home preparation, the agency committee and any preferential aspects you may offer to the buyer. Let’s take a closer look at what you should consider when estimating the cost of selling a home in Illinois.

What is the average cost for sellers in Illinois?

Erickson notes that the costs associated with selling a home may vary widely based on the volatile market in Illinois.

Several factors may affect these costs, including the size, age and status of the house. Here are the estimated costs that guide you when planning a sale.

Prepare for sale of the house

Prepare your Illinois home for sale at the usual price between 1.5% and 2.7% of its final selling price. Based on the $310,000 house price in the state, that could total around $4,650 to $8,370.

Here are some potential costs:

Before working on any major project, consult your agent, such as kitchen remodeling or roof replacement. An experienced Illinois real estate agent can suggest what repairs you need to do when selling your home and what issues cannot be fixed.

Real estate fees in Illinois

The Real Estate Brokers Council is one of the biggest fees in a real estate transaction. In Illinois, the prices of these fees may range from 2.5% to 6%, depending on whether you pay the buyer’s agency committee, which is no longer given due to a landmark court ruling that changes the nationwide committee rules.

Based on the median home price of $310,000 in Illinois, you can expect to pay $7,750 (2.5%) and $18,600 (6%) in real estate agent commissions.

While the agency committee may seem high, working with skilled professionals can help you maximize your earnings. HOMELIGHT transaction data shows that the top 5% of agents in the country sell homes at a price of 10% higher than the average agent.

Later in this post, we will look at how commissions affect your total cost of sales in our AT-A-Glance analysis chart.