Your Chicago Real Estate Agent for Selling, Buying, and Relocating
Selling your Chicago home, or leaving Illinois entirely? Nia Sawyer is an Illinois-licensed Chicago real estate agent with LPT Realty who works the sell and buy side of Chicagoland.
Selling your Chicago home
What it takes to sell in Chicagoland right now
Selling in Chicago has its own arithmetic: city, county, and state transfer taxes, the attorney-review period that Illinois contracts run through, and a market where pricing a week wrong can cost a month of showings.
You get a net-proceeds sheet before you list, so the number you plan your next move around is the number you actually walk away with. No surprises at the closing table.
Buying in Chicagoland
Does Nia represent buyers too?
Yes, across the city and suburbs, from condo contracts downtown to single-family deals in the western and northern suburbs.
Same standard either way: real numbers before emotional decisions. You’ll know the monthly cost, the taxes, and the assessment picture for each home before you fall for it.
Moving out-of-state
Leaving Illinois? Sell Here, Buy There, One Agent.
Illinois lost roughly 56,000 net residents to other states between 2023 and 2024 According to the U.S. Census Bureau’s Vintage 2024 population estimates, and many are headed to Florida and Georgia.
If you’re making that move, Nia can guide both transactions. Licensed in Illinois, Florida, and Georgia, she handles your Chicago sale and your next home purchase with one strategy, one timeline, and one point of contact.
Areas Served
Neighborhoods and areas we work across Chicago
We work across the city and the suburbs, in Cook, DuPage, Lake, and Will counties. Areas include:
- North Side
- Northwest Side
- South Loop
- West Loop
- Naperville
- Wheaton
- Wheaton
- Oak Park
- Evanston
- Arlington Heights
- Schaumburg
- Downers Grove
Your Chicago Real Estate Agent
Helping you navigate the Chicago market.
Nia Sawyer is an Illinois-licensed Chicago real estate agent with LPT Realty who works the sell and buy side of Chicagoland.
Many of her sellers are investors and residents who leaving the state, and she’s also licensed where they’re going (Florida and Georgia).
Whether you’re moving across town or to the Sunbelt, the sale starts the same way: an honest price and a plan for the proceeds.
20+
Years in real estate
88+
5-star reviews
★★★★★
Testimonials
From people who've made the move.
There are times when you need a house but then there are times that you need a home. Thanks what Nina did for our family. She found us a home that we love and that is a safe location to raise my girls. This is the girls first home and they love everything about it. Thank you for being patient, informative and all around amazing.
Colette Butler
I had a fantastic experience working with Nia Sawyer on my recent purchase in Chicago. From start to finish, the entire process was seamless. Whether it was touring properties, submitting competitive offers, or navigating the final steps to close. Nia was knowledgeable, responsive, and fully committed to putting me in the best possible position..
Laura Medina-Fisher
I have been wanting to relocate back to Chicago for a while and it has been difficult locating a home on my own remotely with COVID and everything happening so I reached out to Nia after someone recommended her. My experience with her has been wonderful. She is incredibly responsive and has pretty much held my hand every step of the way. I am so thankful I found someone interested in helping me and not just someone interested in the bare minimum. She has really given me a full service experience. I highly recommend!
Nicki E.
Words cannot express how beyond grateful I am to have had Nia Sawyer as my realtor. The process for me was overwhelming, but she was available, knowledgeable, supportive, and put the REAL in realtor, being upfront and honest, extremely helpful, and made me feel like I was a priority. She fought for me and gave me the assurance I needed to get to the finish line with calls and messages to give me updates as well as check in on me to make sure I was ok. I would not have wanted my first time homebuying experience to be with anyone else. Thank you Nia!
Joy Ward
FAQS
Chicago real estate FAQs
Do I need an attorney to sell a home in Illinois?
In practice, yes. Illinois residential closings customarily involve attorneys, and the standard contract includes an attorney-review window after acceptance, when both sides’ attorneys can review and propose changes.
Nia coordinates with your attorney from day one. If you’re buying in Florida afterward, note that Florida typically closes through a title company instead, one more difference she translates for you.
What transfer taxes apply when I sell in Chicago?
The State of Illinois, Cook County, and the City of Chicago each levy a real estate transfer tax, and some suburbs add their own on top:
→ Illinois: $0.50 per $500 of price, paid by the seller (scheduled to rise to $0.75 per $500 on July 1, 2026).
→ Cook County: $0.25 per $500, paid by the seller.
→ City of Chicago: $5.25 per $500 total, split $3.75 (buyer) and $1.50 (seller).
Because the layers stack, your net-proceeds sheet itemizes all of them before you list, so the figure you plan around already accounts for them.
When is the best time to list in Chicagoland?
Spring usually leads on buyer volume, but the right month depends on your segment and your suburb, not a single rule. Bring your address to a short call and you’ll get a data-backed answer for your specific home instead of a proverb.
I'm moving out of state. Should I sell before I buy?
It depends on your equity, your financing, and your comfort with risk, not a blanket rule. Selling first, buying first, bridge financing, and sale-contingent offers all exist, and the right order is the one that fits your numbers.
A short planning call maps which approach works for you.
Ready when you are.
Reach out to Nia and the LPT Realty team — we love helping locals navigate the Jacksonville, Chicago, and Atlanta markets. Tell Nia what you’re trying to do, buy, sell, or move, and leave with a clear next step and real numbers.