Illinois foreclosures and housing market
How foreclosure works in Illinois, which counties lean to buyers or sellers, and how many homes are for sale right now.
How's the market in Illinois?
A strong seller's market.
Listings spent about 42 days on the market, and 18% had a price cut in October 2026.
Market figures: Realtor.com® Economic Research, October 2026. Free weekly email. Unsubscribe anytime.
Distressed properties in Illinois
Pre-foreclosures, auctions, bank-owned and HUD homes from county notices, with the street area instead of the house number.
Representative photoWe are not tracking properties in Illinois yet
Our property list covers a handful of counties so far. Leave your email for the free weekly brief, and we will note that you want property alerts for Illinois.
The closest place we track is Texas, with 2 properties.
The Illinois market in October 2026
Our score compares how many listings went under contract with how many were for sale, ranked against every US county. Low scores lean to buyers, high scores to sellers.
Illinois market score
- Homes for sale
- 23,798
- US: 1,179,101
- Typical days on market
- 42
- US: 66
- Listings with a price cut
- 18%
- US: 21%
- Homes for sale vs pre-pandemic
- −58%
- US: −7%
- October 2026 vs the October average for 2017 to 2019.
Market score by county
Check any countyGray counties had too few listings to score. Tap a county for its full answer.
Most buyer-friendly counties
Lowest scores among counties with 50+ homes for sale.
- 26Macon County45 days on market · 32% with a price cut · 271 for sale
- 26Bond County64 days on market · 12% with a price cut · 52 for sale
- 31Effingham County53 days on market · 16% with a price cut · 61 for sale
- 36Shelby County53 days on market · 20% with a price cut · 56 for sale
- 40Crawford County65 days on market · 19% with a price cut · 66 for sale
Most seller-friendly counties
Highest scores among counties with 50+ homes for sale.
- 98Winnebago County38 days on market · 17% with a price cut · 388 for sale
- 98Boone County37 days on market · 19% with a price cut · 91 for sale
- 97Kane County32 days on market · 18% with a price cut · 796 for sale
- 97Kendall County40 days on market · 23% with a price cut · 330 for sale
- 96Will County36 days on market · 20% with a price cut · 1,418 for sale
Source: Realtor.com® Economic Research, October 2026 county data. County days on market are medians. State and US figures weight each county by its homes for sale. Price-cut share is the share of listings with a price reduction.
How foreclosure works in Illinois
Illinois foreclosures go through court.
- Main steps and notices
- The borrower gets notice of the right to reinstate at least 30 days before the suit is filed.
- Before the sale, the borrower can redeem for seven months after being served or three months after judgment, whichever is later.
- The sale is published once a week for three weeks, and the borrower gets notice at least 10 business days before.
- The borrower must move out 30 days after the court confirms the sale.
- Catching up before the sale
- The borrower can reinstate within 90 days of being served.
- After the sale
- If the lender buys the home for less than what's owed, the borrower can redeem up to 30 days after the court confirms the sale.
- Before any of this starts
- Under federal rules, a mortgage servicer generally can't make the first notice or filing for foreclosure until the borrower is more than 120 days behind.
- Governing law
- 735 Illinois Compiled Statutes 5/15-1501 et seq.
Sources
- Justia, Foreclosure laws and procedures: 50-state survey (last reviewed November 2022)
- Nolo, Foreclosure redemption period rights (state chart)
- Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, How to avoid foreclosure
General information, not legal advice.
Laws change and each case differs. Anyone facing foreclosure should talk with a local attorney or a HUD-approved housing counselor.
Go deeper
- Check any county's marketPick a county in Illinois and see whether it leans to buyers or sellers.
- Read the buying guidesHow to buy pre-foreclosures, auction homes, bank-owned homes, HUD homes and short sales.
- Help if you're behind on your mortgageWhere you are in the process, your options, free counselors and scam warnings.
Illinois questions
Is foreclosure in Illinois judicial or non-judicial?
Illinois foreclosures go through court.
Can a homeowner get the home back after a foreclosure sale in Illinois?
If the lender buys the home for less than what's owed, the borrower can redeem up to 30 days after the court confirms the sale.
Can a borrower in Illinois catch up on the loan before the sale?
The borrower can reinstate within 90 days of being served.
Is Illinois a buyer's or seller's market right now?
A strong seller's market. Illinois scores 91 out of 100 on our market scale, where low scores lean to buyers. Listings spent about 42 days on the market, and 18% had a price cut in October 2026. Source: Realtor.com® Economic Research.
How far behind does a borrower have to be before foreclosure starts?
Under federal rules, a mortgage servicer generally can't make the first notice or filing for foreclosure until the borrower is more than 120 days behind. Source: Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.