KCM Desk

KCM Desk

The KCM Desk is the research and editorial operation behind Keep Chicagoland Moving, a publication of TAK Marketing, LLC. It's a desk, not a person: coverage is produced through intensive Chicago-focused research across public data, agency documents, and local reporting, then reviewed and edited before it publishes. How we work, in detail: keepchicagolandmoving.com/methodology/
  • Joined: June 2, 2023
  • Articles: 275

Lincoln Park, by the Numbers: Its Two-to-Six-Flat Count Fell 35 Percent Since 2006, the Steepest Drop Among 50 Community Areas, and Owners Filed the Most Property-Tax Appeals per House

Limestone greystones and brick rowhouses with front gardens on a shaded street

Lincoln Park’s tax rolls counted 2,503 two-to-six-flats in 2006 and 1,639 in 2026, 35 percent fewer, the steepest drop among the 50 community areas that had 500 or more in 2006. Of the 940 that left the class, 607 are now classed as single-family houses and 230 as condominiums, while 76 other parcels joined it. Owners of 48.5 of every 100 houses appealed their assessments to the Board of Review for tax year 2025, the highest rate of any community area and nearly three times the citywide rate.

North Center, by the Numbers: 918 Two-to-Six-Flats Are Now Classed as Single-Family Houses, the Most of Any Chicago Community Area, and the Median House Sold for $1.62 Million

Brick two-flats beside wide single-family houses with porches on a tree-lined street

Of the 3,238 two-to-six-flats on North Center’s tax rolls in 2006, 918 are now classed as single-family houses, more than in any other Chicago community area and 28 percent of the 2006 count, also the highest share. The rolls show 2,225 two-to-six-flats in 2026, 31 percent fewer than in 2006. North Center’s median house sold for $1,622,500 in 2025, the highest of the 72 community areas with 20 or more house sales.

Hegewisch, by the Numbers: Assessor Values at 60 Percent of 2025 Sale Prices for Houses and Two-to-Six-Flats, the Lowest of 64 Community Areas Once Quick Resales Are Set Aside

Modest brick and frame houses with front porches on a quiet, level street

The Assessor valued the 94 houses and two-to-six-flats sold in Hegewisch, on Chicago’s Far Southeast Side, in 2025 at 60 percent of their sale prices, at the median, against 81 percent citywide. Set aside the seven that had sold within the two years before and the figure is still 60 percent, the lowest of the 64 community areas where it can be computed; citywide it is 83 percent. The median house sold for $219,000 in 2025, up 56 percent from $140,000 in 2019, against 39 percent citywide.

West Pullman, by the Numbers: The Median House More Than Doubled, From $67,450 to $142,500, and 114 of the 170 Parcels That Left the Two-to-Six-Flat Class Are Now Vacant Land

Brick bungalows and frame houses on a level street, with a mowed grassy lot between them

The median house in West Pullman, on Chicago’s Far South Side, sold for $142,500 in 2025, more than double the $67,450 of 2019 and the sixth-largest rise among the 70 areas with enough sales to compare. The median two-to-six-flat went from $57,450 to $142,000, the fifth-largest rise among the 46 community areas with enough sales to compare. The tax rolls show 877 two-to-six-flat parcels, 141 fewer than in 2006, and 114 of the 170 that left the class are now classed as vacant land.

Chatham, by the Numbers: Companies Bought 34.6 Percent of the Homes Sold in 2024–25, Up From 27.7 Percent, While First-Time Business Licenses Fell From 65 to 37

Brick bungalows with neat lawns and flower beds along a tree-lined street

Companies bought 34.6 percent of the homes sold in Chatham, on Chicago’s South Side, in 2024–25, up from 27.7 percent in 2018–19 and the third-highest share among the 67 areas scored. That rise is the one active market signal of the five in our analysis. First-time business licenses fell from 65 in 2019 to 37 in 2025, the second-steepest decline among the 54 areas where licenses could be measured.

South Chicago, by the Numbers: Three of Four Measurable Market Signals Active, the Median Two-to-Six-Flat Up From $80,000 to $215,000, and 157 Flat Parcels Now Classed as Vacant Land

Brick two-flats on a level, sunny street with a steel lift bridge in the distance

Three of the four market signals in our analysis that could be measured in South Chicago, on the city’s Southeast Side, are active: house prices, two-to-six-flat prices and new-construction permits. The median two-to-six-flat sold for $215,000 in 2025, 2.69 times the $80,000 of 2019, the third-largest rise among the 46 areas with enough sales to compare. The tax rolls show 2,320 two-to-six-flat parcels, 140 fewer than in 2006, and 157 of the parcels that left the class are now classed as vacant land.

Greater Grand Crossing, by the Numbers: Three of Five Market Signals Active, the Median House Doubled to $150,000, and First-Time Business Licenses Down From 83 to 43

Brick bungalows and two-flats with green lawns along a tree-lined street

Three of the five market signals in our analysis are active in Greater Grand Crossing, on Chicago’s South Side: house prices, two-to-six-flat prices and new-construction permits. Its median house sold for $150,000 in 2025, double the $75,000 of 2019. First-time business licenses went the other way, from 83 in 2019 to 43 in 2025, the steepest decline among the 54 areas where licenses could be measured.

Humboldt Park, by the Numbers: More Parcels Joined the Two-to-Six-Flat Class Than in Any Other Community Area, and New-Construction Permits Doubled, From 39 to 79

Greystone and brick two-flats facing a large green park on a sunny afternoon

More parcels joined the two-to-six-flat class in Humboldt Park, on Chicago’s West Side, than in any other community area between 2006 and 2026: 253. Another 280 left the class, so the count barely moved, from 4,475 to 4,448. New-construction permits doubled, from 39 in 2018–19 to 79 in 2024–25, the one market signal of five in our analysis that is active here.

Austin, by the Numbers: More Two-to-Six-Flat Parcels Than Any Other Chicago Community Area, House Prices Up 71 Percent, and New-Construction Permits Up From 23 to 55

Brick and greystone two-flats and a Victorian house with a wide porch on a tree-lined street

Austin, on Chicago’s West Side, has more two-to-six-flat parcels on the tax rolls than any other community area, 6,779 in 2026, and it had the most in 2006 too. Its median house sold for $273,000 in 2025, up 71 percent from 2019, and new-construction permits went from 23 in 2018–19 to 55 in 2024–25. Those are two of the five market signals in our analysis, and both are active.

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