Illinois’ home-buying process runs on the familiar sequence — offer, inspection, financing, title, closing — but a few pieces of it work differently than in most of the country. The closing table itself usually looks like a title-company closing, but Illinois builds attorney involvement into the front end of the deal instead, layers transfer taxes at multiple levels of government, and has one of the more specific radon disclosure rules in the country. This walks through where Illinois’ process diverges, and where RefPages’ own directories go deeper on a specific step.
The closing itself runs through escrow — but every Illinois contract has an attorney review period
Illinois doesn’t legally require an attorney to conduct the closing appointment; that’s typically handled by a title or escrow company, similar to states like Florida or Indiana. What makes Illinois distinctive is earlier in the process: the standard residential purchase contract used across most of the state builds in an attorney review period — commonly five business days starting the business day after both parties sign — during which either side’s attorney can approve the contract as written, propose modifications, or terminate it outright, without the penalty that would normally apply to backing out. Earnest money goes to a designated escrow agent, often one of the attorneys’ offices, during this window.
This isn’t a statute mandating an attorney at the closing table; it’s a matter of standard contract practice used throughout Illinois real estate, embedded directly in the purchase agreement form itself. In practice, it means most Illinois buyers and sellers do hire an attorney — just for this negotiation window rather than to physically run the closing, which is still usually a title company’s job.
Title, recording, and a Cook County exception
Before closing, a title search gets run against the county’s recorded records to confirm the seller actually owns the property clear of undisclosed liens or competing claims. Outside Cook County, Illinois counties are overseen for assessment purposes by a Supervisor of Assessments and record documents through an elected County Recorder. Cook County runs differently: it has a large elected County Assessor, and folded its Recorder’s functions into the County Clerk in December 2020. RefPages’ County Records directory links to your specific county’s assessment and recording offices, whichever model applies where you’re buying.
Transfer tax stacks at the state, county — and often municipal — level
Illinois charges a state real estate transfer tax of $1.00 per $1,000 of the sale price, plus a county transfer tax of $0.50 per $1,000 in the counties that impose one. On top of that, individual municipalities can — and many do — layer on their own transfer tax, and these vary widely: Chicago’s is considerably higher than the state and county rates combined, and its ordinance splits the burden between buyer and seller rather than putting it entirely on one side. Every deed filed for recording needs a completed PTAX-203 Real Estate Transfer Declaration regardless of whether tax is actually owed. By custom, the seller typically covers the state and county portions, but who pays what at the municipal level is genuinely local — confirm your specific city or village’s rate and allocation before you budget for closing costs.
What sellers have to tell you, including a distinctive radon rule
Illinois’ Residential Real Property Disclosure Act requires most sellers to complete a statutory disclosure form covering known material defects in the property’s condition. Layered on top of that, the Illinois Radon Awareness Act requires a separate, specific step most states don’t have: before you’re contractually bound to buy, the seller has to give you the state’s radon information pamphlet and a radon disclosure form, and must turn over any radon test results showing elevated levels that they actually possess. Sellers don’t have to test for radon themselves — but if they’ve already tested and found a problem, they can’t sit on that result. Given how common elevated radon readings are across parts of Illinois, it’s worth testing yourself during your inspection period regardless of what the seller has or hasn’t disclosed.
Permits and other work before or after closing
If an inspection turns up something that needs a permit — roof, electrical, a prior unpermitted addition — RefPages’ Building Permit Departments directory links to the relevant city or county permitting office. An open or missing permit is also worth raising directly with the seller during your attorney review window, since it’s the kind of issue that’s easier to negotiate before the contract becomes binding than after.