Every seller-side cost explained — with the transfer stamp for each western suburb
Short answer: Selling a home in Illinois typically costs 6–8% of the sale price all-in. The biggest line is real estate commission (negotiable, and the largest lever). The rest: attorney fees (roughly $500–$1,500 — Illinois is an attorney state), the owner's title insurance policy, state and county transfer taxes ($1.50 per $1,000 combined), a property tax proration credit to the buyer (often the biggest surprise, because Illinois taxes are paid a year behind), and — in some towns — a municipal transfer stamp that ranges from zero to $7.50 per $1,000 depending entirely on which suburb you're in.
Most closing-cost articles are written for buyers. This one is for sellers — and it's specific to Chicago's western suburbs, where the single most confusing cost is the municipal transfer stamp: some towns charge one, most don't, one town splits it between buyer and seller, and Elmhurst just added a brand-new one in 2026. As a broker and former licensed Certified Appraiser working these suburbs since 2004, I've sat through more than 2,500 closings. Here's where the money actually goes.
Three layers of transfer tax can apply when you sell in Illinois. The first two are the same everywhere: the State of Illinois charges $1.00 per $1,000 of the sale price and your county charges $0.50 per $1,000 — both customarily paid by the seller. The third layer is municipal, and it varies town by town:
| Town | Municipal Transfer Tax | Who Pays | Worth Knowing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Willowbrook | NONE | — | Final water reading required |
| Burr Ridge | NONE | — | — |
| Hinsdale | NONE | — | — |
| Clarendon Hills | NONE | — | Final water bill must be paid |
| Downers Grove | NONE | — | Final water bill must be paid |
| Westmont | NONE | — | — |
| Darien | NONE | — | Final water and sewer bills must be paid |
| Oak Brook | NONE | — | Consistent with Oak Brook's low-tax profile |
| Western Springs | NONE | — | — |
| La Grange | NONE | — | La Grange Park: also none |
| Lisle | NONE | — | — |
| Lombard | NONE | — | — |
| Lemont | NONE | — | — |
| Elmhurst | NEW 2026 $1.50 / $1,000 | Seller | Effective Jan 1, 2026. Apply via the city's online portal; allow 3 business days. Sump pump inspection required. |
| Glen Ellyn | $3.00 / $1,000 | Seller | Clear-water inspection ($50) within 90 days of closing |
| Woodridge | $2.50 / $1,000 | Seller | — |
| Wheaton | $2.50 / $1,000 | Buyer | Seller still needs final utility bill paid to get the stamp issued |
| Naperville | $3.00 / $1,000 | Buyer | Statement of Open Accounts due 7+ days before closing. Some "Naperville" addresses are actually in Aurora, which charges $3.00/$1,000 paid by the seller — verify which city your home is incorporated in. |
| Bolingbrook | $7.50 / $1,000 | Split 50/50 | The highest rate in the western suburbs — $2,625 each on a $700,000 sale |
Municipal rates verified against the Attorneys' Title Guaranty Fund transfer tax database, August 2026. Rates and requirements change — confirm current figures with your closing attorney before relying on them.
Two things sellers miss in this table. First, "no stamp" doesn't mean "no paperwork" — nearly every town requires a paid final water bill before closing, and a few require inspections. Second, who pays isn't uniform: Naperville and Wheaton put the stamp on the buyer, Bolingbrook splits it. Any article that says "sellers pay transfer taxes" as a blanket rule is wrong in at least three of these towns.
Commission is the largest single cost of selling, and since 2024 it is explicitly negotiable on both sides of the transaction — what you pay your listing agent and what, if anything, you offer toward the buyer's representation are separate decisions you make. On a $700,000 sale, every percentage point is $7,000, so this is the number to understand thoroughly, not the number to minimize blindly: the question is what marketing, pricing rigor, and negotiation you're getting for it. That conversation deserves its own page — see how to choose the right listing agent.
Unlike many states, Illinois real estate closings involve attorneys for both sides. Seller-side attorney fees in the western suburbs typically run $500–$1,500 for a standard residential sale, more for estate, trust, or complex transactions. This is not a cost to cut — your attorney reviews the contract, handles attorney review negotiations, clears title issues, and prepares the deed.
In Illinois, custom puts the owner's title insurance policy on the seller. Cost scales with sale price — plan on roughly $2,000–$4,000+ at typical western suburbs price points, plus a few hundred dollars in title company closing and escrow fees. Your attorney typically orders this.
State ($1.00/$1,000) plus county ($0.50/$1,000) applies everywhere: $1,050 on a $700,000 sale, seller-paid by custom. Then add your town's municipal stamp from the table — anywhere from $0 in Hinsdale or Burr Ridge to $5,250 total ($2,625 seller share) in Bolingbrook on that same sale.
Illinois property taxes are paid in arrears — the bill you pay in 2026 covers 2025. So when you sell, you owe the buyer a credit for all the taxes accrued during your ownership that haven't been billed yet. Depending on your closing date, that credit can approach a full year's tax bill or more — on a western suburbs home, often $10,000–$20,000+. It's not an extra cost (you always owed these taxes), but it comes out of your proceeds at closing, and sellers who don't expect it are shocked by the net sheet. Proration percentage (commonly 100–110% of the most recent bill) is a negotiated contract term.
Plat of survey (seller-provided in Illinois, roughly $450–$650 for a typical single-family lot), mortgage payoff processing and recording fees, prorated HOA dues and any HOA paid-assessment letter, and municipal requirements from the table (final water bills, inspection fees where applicable). Individually small; together usually under $1,500.
Pre-sale preparation is a cost category you control. Staging, painting, and targeted repairs can return several times their cost — or return nothing, depending on what you pick. That decision framework is here: what to fix before selling — and what won't pay you back. And for homes where pricing is genuinely hard (luxury, unique, estate situations), a pre-listing appraisal ($400–$700) can be the cheapest insurance in the entire transaction.
A $700,000 sale in Downers Grove (no municipal stamp): state and county transfer tax $1,050, attorney ~$750, owner's title policy and closing fees ~$3,200, survey ~$500, misc. recording and payoff fees ~$400 — roughly $5,900 before commission and the tax proration credit. The same sale in Bolingbrook adds $2,625 in municipal stamps (your half); in Elmhurst, $1,050 under the new 2026 tax. Commission and your specific tax proration are the two variables that move the total most — which is why a generic percentage never quite matches your actual net sheet.
The number that actually matters is your net. Sale price minus every line above minus your mortgage payoff. Before you list — before you even decide whether to sell — you should see that number. Start with what your home is actually worth: Hinsdale, Burr Ridge, Willowbrook, Downers Grove, or any of the 20+ western suburbs I serve.
Plan on 6–8% of the sale price all-in: commission (the largest and most negotiable piece), attorney fees ($500–$1,500), the owner's title insurance policy, state and county transfer taxes ($1.50 per $1,000 combined), any municipal transfer stamp your town charges, and smaller items like the survey and recording fees. Separately, you'll credit the buyer for accrued property taxes, which comes out of proceeds but isn't a new cost.
The state ($1.00/$1,000) and county ($0.50/$1,000) portions are customarily paid by the seller. Municipal stamps vary by town: seller pays in Elmhurst, Glen Ellyn, and Woodridge; the buyer pays in Naperville and Wheaton; Bolingbrook splits it 50/50; and most western suburbs — including Hinsdale, Burr Ridge, Willowbrook, Downers Grove, and Oak Brook — charge no municipal transfer tax at all.
Yes — as of January 1, 2026, Elmhurst charges $1.50 per $1,000 of the sale price, paid by the seller. It's brand new, so many Elmhurst sellers (and some out-of-area agents) don't know it exists yet. Applications go through the city's online portal and require all information at least three business days before the stamp is issued; a sump pump inspection is also required.
Because Illinois property taxes are paid a year behind. At closing you credit the buyer for all taxes accrued during your ownership that haven't been billed yet — depending on your closing date, that can approach or exceed a full year's bill. It isn't an extra cost (those taxes were always yours); it just settles at closing instead of through future tax bills.
The two levers that matter: commission structure (negotiable — understand exactly what you're buying) and pre-sale spending (skip low-return renovations; see the cost-vs-value guide). Everything else — transfer taxes, title, attorney, prorations — is either fixed by law or small enough that cutting it risks more than it saves. The biggest financial mistake sellers make isn't overpaying on closing costs; it's mispricing the home, which costs 10–50 times more.
I'll run a full net proceeds analysis for your specific home and town — appraiser-caliber value estimate, every closing cost line, your transfer stamps, and your estimated tax proration. Free, no obligation, and you'll know exactly what a sale puts in your pocket before you decide anything.
Call or Text (773) 544-9785Office: (630) 789-9033 | Mike Berg, Broker/Owner, Berg Properties — serving the western suburbs since 2004
Figures reflect typical western suburbs residential transactions and customary practice as of August 2026. Transfer tax rates, municipal requirements, and closing customs change; commission is negotiable in all cases. This page is general information, not legal or tax advice — confirm specifics with your closing attorney and tax professional.
