Market data — Q3 2026

Downtown Chicago Condos Are Selling Faster — Except in the Loop and New Eastside

Downtown Chicago 2BR condos sold in a median 28 days over the 12 months ending September 30, 2026, down from 37.5 days the year before — about a week and a half faster. Two neighborhoods went the other way: in the Loop, a 2BR highrise condo took a median 58 days to sell over the same 12 months, and New Eastside slowed as well.

Faster almost everywhere else

Downtown Chicago 3BR condos saw the biggest change over the 12 months ending September 30, 2026, going from about two months on the market to under six weeks (59 days to 39). Downtown 1BR condos sped up too, to a median of about four weeks.

Among 2BR highrise condos, River North and Gold Coast were the quickest over the past year, both at a median 24 days — a little over three weeks. For River North, that was nearly three weeks faster than the year before. 2BR highrise condos in South Loop, West Loop, and Streeterville also sold faster than a year earlier; each neighborhood page has its own figures.

The Loop and New Eastside went the other way

Loop 2BR highrise condos took a median 58 days to sell over the 12 months ending September 30, 2026, up from 43 days the year before — more than twice as long as the same unit in River North. Loop 1BR highrise condos slowed too, to about two months. New Eastside 2BR highrise condos took a median 39 days, up from 29: still quicker than the Loop, but now slower than the downtown 2BR median.

A longer wait in the Loop didn't mean a worse finish. Loop condos sold at or above their final asking price in 44% of sales over the past year, up from 32% the year before, and among Loop buildings with enough 1BR and 2BR sales to compare, price per square foot held essentially flat. The sales data shows the gap in timing; it doesn't by itself show the cause.

Faster sales came with firmer pricing, not discounting

Downtown Chicago 2BR condos sold at a median 99.8% of their original list price over the 12 months ending September 30, 2026 — in practice, close to the first ask, and slightly higher than the year before. Fewer downtown condo sellers had to pull a listing and start over: 28% of downtown condo sales over the past year had been cancelled and relisted before selling, down from 33%.

Downtown 2BR condo prices rose, though less than the headline suggests. Among sales with reported square footage, the median downtown 2BR condo price per square foot rose about 6% over the past year, but within the same buildings the typical increase was closer to 2%. The rest reflects which buildings happened to sell, not the same downtown condos becoming worth more.

What this means if you're selling

Plan around your neighborhood and unit size, not the downtown median. Over the 12 months ending September 30, 2026, a 2BR highrise condo in River North or Gold Coast sold in a little over three weeks; in the Loop, plan for closer to two months, and budget the monthly assessment, taxes, and mortgage payments for that stretch.

One caution about the months ahead: these figures mostly reflect deals agreed before mortgage rates rose in September 2026. Of downtown Chicago condo sales that closed between July 1 and September 30, 2026, 96% were under contract before September 1. At the Q3 2026 rate used in the Research page's cost-to-own model, the same monthly payment supports about 12% less loan than at the Q3 2025 rate — so today's downtown condo buyers are working with less borrowing power than the buyers behind these numbers.

These figures reflect closed sales through September 30, 2026 (Q3 2026); the next quarterly update replaces them.

Roz Dupiton is a top real estate advisor and downtown Chicago condo specialist.