Relocating to the Chicago Southwest Suburbs & Northwest Indiana

Two states, two MLS systems, two tax structures, and one agent team licensed in both. If you are weighing the Illinois side against the Indiana side, that decision is worth getting right before you narrow your home search.

Start a Relocation Plan Illinois or Indiana?

Relocating into the Chicago southwest suburbs and Northwest Indiana means choosing between two states with meaningfully different property tax structures, income tax rates, school district models, and commuter rail systems. Illinois listings run through MRED; Northwest Indiana runs through NIRA. An agent licensed on one side sees only half the inventory. Steve Roake is licensed in Illinois and Indiana, and Kimberly Genovese is licensed in Indiana, so the search covers both.

The Question Almost Every Relocating Buyer Asks

If your job is in or near Chicago and you are free to live within an hour of it, the state line is a real financial decision rather than a formality.

The differences are structural, and they pull in different directions. None of this makes one side better than the other — it makes them different, and the right answer depends on your income, your commute, and how long you plan to stay.

	Illinois side	Indiana side
MLS	MRED	NIRA
Property tax structure	No constitutional cap; rates vary between taxing districts within a single county	Constitutional caps limit the bill as a percentage of assessed value
State income tax	Flat rate	Lower flat state rate, with a county income tax added on top
Rail to Chicago	Metra	South Shore Line, including the new Monon Corridor
School districts	Often separate elementary and high school districts, so one address can sit in two	More often unified school corporations
Closing practice	Attorney involvement is customary on both sides	Title company driven; attorney practice differs

The cross-border tax question, answered properly

People relocating here frequently assume that living in one state and working in the other means filing two returns. For wage earners, Indiana's administrative code lists Illinois among its reciprocal agreement states, which means wages, salaries, and commissions are generally taxed by your state of residence rather than the state where you work.

Two things that matter and get missed. Reciprocity covers W-2 wages only — self-employment income, rental income, and business income earned across the line are treated differently. And your employer has to be told, using the correct exemption form, or withholding goes to the wrong state and you spend a filing season getting it back.

This is a question for a CPA who handles cross-border returns, and it is worth asking before you choose a side rather than the following April. Freedom Group Global can refer you to one.

On property taxes specifically: do not rely on a rule of thumb in either direction. Two homes at the same price on opposite sides of the line can carry very different annual bills, and two homes in the same Illinois county can differ substantially from each other. Get the actual figure for the actual address from the county assessor before you commit.

If Your Employer Is Paying for the Move

Corporate relocation runs on its own rules, and the most expensive mistakes happen in the first week — usually before anyone has looked at a house.

Ask one question before you call any agent, including this one

Does your package go through a relocation management company? Cartus, SIRVA, Graebel and similar firms administer relocation benefits for many large employers, and most require that you use an agent from their approved network. Choosing your own agent first can forfeit benefits, or require an agent switch partway through.

Find out how your package is structured before you commit to anyone. If Freedom Group Global is not in your network, they will tell you plainly and help you think through the search anyway.

The two package types, and why the difference matters

Lump sum

You receive a fixed amount and manage the move yourself. Simple, flexible, and entirely on you if costs run over.

You choose your own agent, which means the search can start immediately. Watch the tax treatment — moving expense reimbursements are generally taxable income for most employees, so the number in the offer letter is usually not the number you keep.

Managed / full-service

A relocation company coordinates the move, often including help selling your departure home through a buyer value option or guaranteed buyout arrangement.

More support, less freedom. Agent selection, listing price, and offer acceptance may all run through the relocation company's process, and their timelines are not negotiable in the way a normal transaction's are.

Things worth confirming in writing: whether a house-hunting trip is covered and for how many days, whether temporary housing is included and for how long, whether closing costs on the purchase are reimbursed, whether there is any assistance on the departure home, and whether the benefit is grossed up for taxes. Those answers change what you can realistically look at.

How a Relocation Actually Sequences

Most relocations run 60 to 120 days from first call to move-in. The parts that go wrong are almost always sequencing rather than the house itself.

Define the constraints before the search

Start date, commute tolerance, price range, and whether you have a home to sell first. Those four narrow the map more than any list of features, and they determine which side of the state line even makes sense.

Get your financing right for two states

If you are open on the state line, use a lender licensed in both. Switching lenders mid-search because your pre-approval does not cover Indiana costs you a week you will not have. Confirm this early — it is a five-minute question with a large downside.

Area orientation, then the house-hunting trip

Communities first, homes second. A well-run orientation covers commute routes at the hour you would actually drive them, school district structure, tax levels, and what your price range buys in each area. Doing this before you tour saves you from falling for a house in the wrong place.

Offer, inspection, and the two-state paperwork

Illinois and Indiana handle contracts, attorney involvement, and closings differently. Being licensed in both means the process does not stall while someone figures out which state's practice applies.

Close, and land

Utilities, movers, driver's license and registration deadlines, voter registration, and school enrollment paperwork. Freedom Group Global sends a state-specific checklist so the administrative side does not ambush you during your first month at a new job.

The Home You Are Leaving

For most relocating families this is the harder half, and it is frequently happening from several states away while you are starting a new job.

The core problem is sequencing. Selling first gives you certainty and possibly two moves. Buying first gives you one move and carries two payments until the departure home sells. Which is right depends on your equity, your timeline, and whether your employer is helping.

If you are leaving this area, Freedom Group Global lists the departure home and coordinates it against your purchase at the destination. Several tools exist for the timing gap, including guaranteed backup offers that hold a floor under the sale while you still market it openly, and buy-before-you-sell programs that free up your equity for the next down payment.

See the cash offer and buy-before-you-sell options →

If you are leaving the region entirely

Freedom Group Global can refer you to an agent at your destination through the Keller Williams network, and stay involved on this end until the departure home closes.

A referral is worth more than a search result. You get someone vetted, with an accountable relationship on both ends, rather than whoever happens to answer the phone in a market you do not know.

There is no cost to you for the referral.

Buying a Home You Have Not Stood In

Plenty of relocating buyers write an offer having seen the house only on video. It works when the process is built for it.

Live video tours, not edited ones

A recorded walkthrough shows you what the agent chose to show. A live tour lets you say "go back to that ceiling" and "open that closet." Ask for live.

Independent inspection, always

Non-negotiable when you cannot see the home yourself. Attend by video if you can — hearing an inspector explain a finding in real time is worth considerably more than reading the report.

Neighborhood context

Listing photos end at the property line. Ask for footage of the street, what backs the lot, and the drive to the nearest highway entrance.

On remote closings: both Illinois and Indiana permit remote online notarization, so a fully remote close is often possible. Availability depends on your lender, the title company, and the specific transaction — confirm early rather than assuming, since it affects whether you need to fly back.

Remote closing availability varies by lender, title company, and transaction type, and the rules change. Confirm what applies to your closing with your title company and lender.

What a Portal Cannot Tell You

Relocating buyers do more online research than anyone else in the market, and the research has a ceiling. National sites give you a price estimate and a school score. They do not tell you that an address sits in two different school districts, that a subdivision carries a special service area assessment on the tax bill, or that the taxing district changed and the next bill will not resemble the last one.

Licensed in both states — Illinois and Indiana, with access to MRED and NIRA, so the search is not artificially limited to one side
Comps built, not averaged — 1-mile radius, ±20% square footage, ±1 bedroom and bathroom, similar age, garage, and basement, with every comparable adjusted individually
Tax and assessment reality — what the bill will actually be at that address, including special service areas and new construction reassessment
Commute verified, not estimated — driven or ridden at the hour you would actually travel
Referral network — vetted lenders licensed in both states, inspectors, attorneys, and movers

615+Transactions closed

$113M+Sales volume

2003Licensed since

Common Questions

Should I live in Illinois or Indiana?

It depends on your commute, your income, your price range, and how long you plan to stay. Indiana applies constitutional caps to property tax bills and has a lower flat state income tax with a county income tax on top; Illinois has no cap and rates vary between taxing districts. Rail access differs too — Metra on the Illinois side, the South Shore Line on the Indiana side. The comparison is worth running on real numbers for the specific addresses you are considering.

If I live in Indiana and work in Illinois, do I file in both states?

For wage income, generally no. Indiana's administrative code lists Illinois among its reciprocal agreement states, so wages, salaries, and commissions are typically taxed by your state of residence. Reciprocity covers W-2 wages only — self-employment, rental, and business income are treated differently — and you must file the correct exemption form with your employer or withholding goes to the wrong state. Confirm your situation with a CPA.

My employer is using a relocation company. Can I still pick my own agent?

Often not, or not without affecting your benefits. Most relocation management companies require an agent from their approved network. Find out how your package is structured before you commit to any agent, since choosing one outside the network can forfeit benefits or force a switch partway through.

Can I buy a home without traveling here first?

Yes, and many relocating buyers do. It works best with live video tours rather than recorded ones, an independent inspection you attend by video, and footage of the street and surroundings rather than just the house. Both Illinois and Indiana permit remote online notarization, so a remote closing is often possible depending on your lender and title company.

Should I sell my current home before I buy?

It depends on your equity, your timeline, and whether your employer is assisting. Selling first gives certainty and possibly two moves; buying first gives one move and two payments until the departure home sells. Guaranteed backup offers and buy-before-you-sell programs exist specifically to bridge that gap.

Do you help people moving out of the area too?

Yes. Freedom Group Global lists the departure home here and refers you to a vetted agent at your destination through the Keller Williams network, staying involved on this end until the sale closes. There is no cost to you for the referral.

How long does a relocation usually take?

Most run 60 to 120 days from first conversation to move-in. The variables are whether you have a home to sell, whether financing is already in place for both states, and how much flexibility your start date allows.

What areas do you serve?

Will, Kendall, Grundy, DuPage, and Cook counties in Illinois, and Lake, Porter, and La Porte counties in Indiana. Steve Roake is licensed in both states; Kimberly Genovese is licensed in Indiana and handles the Northwest Indiana side.

Start a Relocation Plan

Tell us where you are coming from, when you need to be here, and what your commute looks like. You will get an area comparison across both states, a realistic tax and cost picture, and a sequencing plan for the home you are leaving.

No cost, no obligation, and no pressure to commit to anything before you know how your relocation package works.

Prefer to talk now? Call or text 630-912-9129.

Tell Us About Your Move

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About Constellation Home Sales

Steve Roake and Kimberly Genovese are the partners behind Constellation Home Sales | Freedom Group Global, operating under Keller Williams Preferred Realty in Orland Park.

Steve has been licensed since 2003 and carries licenses in both Illinois and Indiana. Kimberly has been licensed in Indiana since 2004. That combination is the reason a relocating buyer who is genuinely open on the state line gets both sides searched rather than whichever one their agent happens to be licensed in.

Steve Roake

Licensed real estate broker · Illinois and Indiana

Licensed since 2003, with 615+ transactions closed and $113M+ in sales volume. Steve holds the ABR® (Accredited Buyer's Representative) and SFR® (Short Sales and Foreclosure Resource) designations.

Much of his work involves buyers coordinating a purchase here against a sale somewhere else.

Kimberly Genovese

REALTOR® · Licensed in Indiana

Licensed since 2004 and a partner at Constellation Home Sales. Kimberly handles the Northwest Indiana side, working Lake, Porter, and La Porte counties.

Northwest Indiana has its own MLS, closing practice, and tax structure, so an Indiana search gets the same attention as an Illinois one.

Start a Relocation Plan

Steve Roake and Kimberly Genovese are licensed real estate professionals, not attorneys, accountants, tax advisors, or mortgage lenders. Nothing on this page is legal, tax, or lending advice. Consult a CPA regarding state income tax residency, reciprocity, and the tax treatment of relocation benefits; a licensed real estate attorney regarding contracts and closing practice in either state; and the county assessor regarding property taxes at a specific address.

State tax rules, reciprocity agreements, exemption filing requirements, and remote closing rules change and vary by individual circumstance. Descriptions here are general information current as of publication and may not reflect current law or your specific situation. Relocation benefit programs are administered by employers and third-party relocation management companies, not by Freedom Group Global, and their terms, network requirements, and eligibility rules are set by those companies and subject to change without notice. Confirm your package terms directly with your employer or relocation coordinator.

Referral relationships: Freedom Group Global may receive a referral fee from a receiving brokerage when a client is referred to an agent in another market. That fee is paid between brokerages and is not an additional cost to the client.