What is the value of my home?

Worth separating two numbers that get confused constantly in Illinois, because the tax bill number is not your home's value and was never meant to be. Illinois assesses residential property at a fraction of market value, one third statewide outside Cook County, and then the state applies an equalization factor to produce the equalized assessed value your tax rate actually gets applied to. So the assessed figure on your DuPage County bill is roughly a third of what the assessor thinks your house is worth, before equalization. If you multiply it back out and the resulting number looks much higher than your house would sell for, you may be over-assessed, and Illinois gives you a route to challenge it through your township assessor and then the county Board of Review. Those deadlines vary by township and they are firm, so if that is your interest, call the township assessor and ask when your window opens. Two related items while you are in there. Make sure you have the general homestead exemption applied, and if anyone in the household qualifies for a senior exemption, apply for that too. People lose these when a property changes hands and never notice. And remember Illinois bills in arrears, so the bill you are looking at reflects a prior year, which is part of why it feels disconnected from today. For actual market value, three tools and they are not interchangeable: An online estimate. Free, fine as a range, and it has never been inside your house. A comparative market analysis from a Wheaton agent. Free, and the right tool if you are considering selling. Illinois is a disclosure state, so recorded sale prices are available and a local agent can build genuine closed comps. Get two if you are not in a hurry. A licensed appraisal, roughly $350 to $500 for a standard single-family in 2026. That is the number you want for a divorce, an estate, removing mortgage insurance, or a tax appeal where you need something that stands up. One Wheaton-specific note. Housing stock there ranges from prewar homes near downtown to much newer subdivisions, and those are effectively separate markets a few blocks apart. An algorithm will blend them and get your value wrong in one direction or the other. That is the main reason to get a human opinion here. This question is from 2021 and DuPage values have moved considerably since, so treat anything from that period as history. I am a real estate professional, not an appraiser or a property tax consultant. I am Zoltan Peresztegi, a Realtor working the Palos Verdes Peninsula and the South Bay in Los Angeles County. Wheaton is not my market, but if you want an introduction to a strong DuPage County agent, ask and I will make one. Zoltan

I would suggest speaking with a local real estate agent and they can run a CMA for you on your property and determine it's value. Keith Jean-Pierre Managing Principal The Dapper Agents Real Estate Operations in ALL 50 States

I would recommend reaching out to a local agent to give you that value. One thing you could do on your own is look online for recent sales in the area that match the style, size, age, and square footage of your home. best of luck!

Sharon, in order to get the value of your home I would suggest getting a real estate agent to do a CMA - Comparative Market Analysis for you. It is free and it will give you an idea on what price to list your home at. If you need real estate agent contacts let me know. 518-526-4964 Here is a video to give you an idea on how they price homes. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LOpyq2TyOZI