Market data — Q2 2026

Downtown Chicago Condos Are Selling Faster — and Sellers Are Still Getting Close to Full Price

Downtown Chicago 2BR condos sold at a median 99.27% of original list price over the trailing 12 months, compared to 98.73% in the prior 12-month period. Downtown Chicago 1BR condos sold at a median 98.36% of original list price over the trailing 12 months, compared to 98.11% in the prior 12-month period. If faster sales made you assume sellers were giving up more ground on price, the opposite is closer to the truth.

What a List-to-Sale Ratio Above 98% Actually Means

A list-to-sale ratio compares the price a downtown condo ultimately sells for to the price it was originally listed at. A ratio near 100% means the final sale price landed close to the seller's original ask, with little ground given up along the way.

A ratio consistently above 98%, as both segments show, tells you sellers in these price bands aren't being pushed into large concessions to get a deal done. It doesn't tell you why buyers were willing to pay that close to the original list price — only that they were.

1BR vs. 2BR: A Consistent Pattern Across Both Segments

Downtown Chicago 2BR condos sold at a median 99.27% of original list price over the trailing 12 months, up from 98.73% in the prior 12-month period. Downtown Chicago 1BR condos sold at a median 98.36% of original list price over the trailing 12 months, up from 98.11% in the prior 12-month period.

Both segments moved in the same direction over the same stretch of time. That consistency matters: it suggests this isn't a quirk isolated to one unit type, but a pattern showing up across both 1BR and 2BR downtown condos.

What This Doesn't Tell Us

These figures cover list-to-sale ratio only. They don't include how long these downtown condos sat on the market before selling, so they can't tell you whether homes are moving faster in addition to selling closer to list.

They also don't explain why buyers were willing to pay closer to the original ask — that could reflect pricing strategy, condition, timing, or any number of factors this data doesn't isolate. And the findings are specific to 1BR and 2BR condos downtown; they say nothing about studios, 3BR-plus units, or homes outside the downtown area.

Why the Trend Matters for Anyone Pricing a Downtown Condo Right Now

If you're setting a list price on a downtown condo today, the closings behind you are running closer to full price than they were a year earlier. That's context for a pricing conversation, not a guarantee about how your specific unit will perform.

Where your unit sits within that pattern still depends on its own condition, location within the building, and comparable sales — not just the downtown-wide trend.

Roz Dupiton