First-time buyer assistance in Madison County
First-time buyers in the Metro East can combine Madison County HOMEbuyer Assistance with IHDA down-payment and closing-cost programs to cut the cash you need at closing. Both carry income and purchase-price limits, so the first move is confirming what you qualify for before you start touring homes.
The two programs work on different levers. County assistance is geared to buyers inside Madison County who meet the income threshold for their household size, while IHDA programs help across Illinois with down payment and closing-cost support, often paired with a fixed-rate first mortgage. Eligibility, the exact dollar amounts, and the property-price ceilings change with the program year, so income and price limits apply and current figures should come from a participating lender.
What this means in practice: you do not chase the house first and the financing second. Get pre-approved with a lender who runs these programs, confirm which assistance fits your numbers, then shop knowing your real budget and your real down payment. A Home Team agent connects first-time buyers with the right lender and keeps the program timing aligned with your offer.
- Madison County HOMEbuyer Assistance, income-qualified by household size
- IHDA down-payment and closing-cost assistance, income and price limits apply
- VA and FHA loan paths for buyers with low or no down payment
- Pre-approval first, so your offer is taken seriously in a fast market
See the full first-time buyer path →
Illinois vs Missouri property taxes
Illinois property taxes run roughly twice the Missouri rate, about $4,600 a year more on a $400,000 home. That gap is the single biggest reason Metro East buyers weigh the Illinois side against the Missouri side of the St. Louis metro before they choose a town.
The tax line is real, but it is not the whole math. Three things routinely close the gap: home prices, which often run lower on the Illinois side for comparable square footage; school districts, where Illinois zones like Edwardsville District 7 and Triad CUSD 2 carry their own pull; and commute, since a shorter drive has a dollar value too. A house that costs less up front in Illinois can land close to a pricier Missouri home once the full picture is in front of you.
The honest answer is a total-cost comparison, not a tax rate. Over a few years of ownership, the difference between the two sides shows up in your monthly payment, your equity, and your daily commute together. Home Team works both sides of the metro and runs that side-by-side comparison with you, so you are choosing on the full number rather than the scariest one.
The Metro East market right now
Metro East homes are selling in roughly 50 to 63 days on average, and well-priced homes in strong school zones often go pending in about a week. That spread tells you the market rewards the right price and condition and punishes a guess.
Medians vary by town, which is why you start with the town before the house:
- Edwardsville ~$289K median, Edwardsville District 7
- Glen Carbon ~$343K median, Edwardsville District 7
- Troy ~$350K median, Triad CUSD 2, among the fastest sell times
- Maryville ~$295K median, Triad CUSD 2
- O’Fallon, IL ~$368K median, O’Fallon Township HS
A one-week pending is not luck. It is a home priced to the comparable sales around it, shown well, and listed where buyers are already looking. The flip side matters too: a home that sits is almost always a pricing or condition signal, not a market signal. Your exact timeline depends on price, condition, and location, which a home valuation pins down before you list.
Compare towns and current listings →
How to sell and buy at the same time
Selling and buying at once works when one team coordinates both timelines, aligns your sale proceeds with your next purchase, and negotiates the contingencies on both contracts. Run separately, the two deals fight each other. Run together, they line up.
The hard part is the order of operations. List too early and you risk selling before you have somewhere to go. Buy too early and you may carry two mortgages. The fix is a single agent holding both timelines: pricing your current home to the market so it moves predictably, writing your purchase offer with a sale or settlement contingency where it helps, and sequencing the closings so your equity from the sale funds the down payment on the next home.
That coordination is also where leverage lives. When the same team negotiates your sale and your purchase, it can trade flexibility on one side for a better term on the other, a rent-back after closing, a longer possession date, a repair credit. Home Team handles both sides so the two closings line up and you move once.
Plan a sell-and-buy timeline →
What it costs to sell a home in Illinois
Selling costs in Illinois typically include agent commission, state and county transfer taxes, title and closing fees, prorated property taxes, and any negotiated repairs or buyer concessions. The total comes out of your sale price, so the number that matters is what you net, not what you list at.
Here is what usually shows up on a Metro East seller’s settlement statement:
- Agent commission, negotiated and disclosed up front
- Transfer taxes, charged by the state and most local jurisdictions
- Title and closing fees, including the owner’s title policy where customary
- Prorated property taxes, since Illinois taxes are paid in arrears
- Repairs or concessions, only what you agree to after inspection
Because Illinois property taxes are paid a year behind, the proration line can be larger than first-time sellers expect. The exact figure depends on your sale price and terms, which is why a Home Team valuation comes with a net-proceeds estimate. You see what you actually walk away with before you decide to list, not a surprise at the closing table.
Get a free valuation with net proceeds →
Scott AFB relocation and PCS
Home Team works with service members and families on PCS orders to Scott Air Force Base, including VA loan purchases and the compressed timelines a military move runs on. A VA loan can mean no down payment and no private mortgage insurance, which changes what is in reach when you are buying and selling in the same season.
Geography helps here. O’Fallon, Mascoutah, Shiloh, and the wider Metro East core all sit within a short drive of the base, so you are not trading commute for affordability. For an out-of-area move, remote tours, video walkthroughs, and digital signing keep the search going while you are still stationed elsewhere, so you can land an offer before you arrive rather than after.
The PCS clock is the real constraint, and the plan is built around it: pre-approval before house-hunting, a target town and school zone chosen early, and offers written to your report date. Home Team keeps the relocation on schedule so the move does not become the hardest part of the orders.