Aurora, IL Residential Real Estate Attorney

• Where the deed is recorded and the county transfer tax is paid: Kane County in Geneva, DuPage County in Wheaton, Will County in Joliet or Kendall County in Yorkville.
• Which treasurer bills the property tax, and therefore which bill is used for the tax proration at closing.
• Which assessor and county office handles homestead and senior exemptions after the purchase.
• Which circuit court hears a probate, foreclosure or partition case involving the property. Kane County’s Aurora Branch Court on East Indian Trail handles traffic and misdemeanor matters; Kane civil and probate cases are heard at the courthouse in Geneva, and DuPage, Will and Kendall property falls under those counties’ own courts.

City of Aurora Transfer Stamp and Open Accounts

• City transfer tax: $3.00 per $1,000 of the sale price. Title-industry listings show the seller as the liable party.
• Exempt transfers: a $30 exempt stamp is required even when no tax is due, for example on certain family or trust transfers.
• Statement of Open Accounts: the City asks that this request go to its water billing office about five days before closing. The final water bill and other amounts owed to the City must be paid before the stamp issues.
• Transfer form: the City’s transfer form is completed and submitted in person or by email to the City’s transfer stamp office.
• Sewer: many Aurora addresses are served by the Fox Metro Water Reclamation District, which bills separately from the City.

Because the stamp depends on clearing City balances, a missed final water reading is one of the most common reasons an Aurora closing slips. We start the City process as soon as the contract is out of attorney review.

School Districts and Subdivisions

Aurora is served by several school districts, including East Aurora District 131, West Aurora District 129, Indian Prairie District 204 and Oswego District 308, and the boundaries do not follow the county lines. Buyers choosing a home for a particular school should confirm the boundary with the district, not the listing. Newer subdivisions on the east and south sides often have master associations, special service areas or both; we review the declarations and any recorded special service area before the buyer is bound.

Related Pages

Nearby: our Naperville residential real estate attorney and Batavia real estate attorney pages. County rules: Kane County residential real estate and DuPage County residential real estate. Sellers should see our home seller attorney page and the Illinois home seller’s guide; buyers, our home buyer attorney page and the earnest-money guide.

Attorney Advertising. This page is general information only and is not legal advice. Reading it does not create an attorney-client relationship. Every transaction is different, contract forms and local rules change, and prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome. Contact an attorney about your specific situation.