Live counts
4,644
New dated records in the last 30 days
654
Properties on standing lists (absentee, tax, registries)
13 of 14
Feeds answering today
What each signal means
Code violations
The city cited the property for its condition. Landlords tired of repairs and owners who can't afford them both show up here.
Usually from: City code enforcement. Weight in Deal Radar's score: 14, halving every 180 days.
Permits
Work is being done: repairs, a remodel or a teardown, sometimes before a sale. A weak signal on its own.
Usually from: Building permits (pre-sale repairs). Weight in Deal Radar's score: 4, halving every 120 days.
Out-of-state owners
The owner lives in another state, which makes the property harder to manage.
Usually from: Assessor: owner mails out of state. Weight in Deal Radar's score: 9, doesn't fade.
Unsafe buildings
A building department order: the property can't be lived in as is.
Usually from: Building department orders. Weight in Deal Radar's score: 22, halving every 365 days.
Tax-sale properties
The county has scheduled the property for a tax sale or lien sale. The most urgent of the tax signals.
Usually from: County tax sale or tax lien lists. Weight in Deal Radar's score: 30, halving every 90 days.
Bank-owned properties
The lender took the property back in a foreclosure and now owns it. Banks sell what they hold, often as-is.
Usually from: Foreclosed-property registries: the lender took title. Weight in Deal Radar's score: 20, halving every 180 days. Sensitive: never mentioned in outreach.
The public feeds
Chicago open building violationsChicago, IL
Open violations from the Conservation bureau (housing and property maintenance) and Demolition, updated daily. One signal per inspection. No ZIP or owner in the feed.
Chicago renovation and demolition permitsChicago, IL
Residential renovation/alteration and wrecking/demolition permits, plus express permits for re-roofs, porches and tuckpointing on homes, updated daily (about 375 a month). The feed has no residential flag, so homes are picked out by the work description; a few commercial jobs slip through and some homes are missed. Pre-sale repairs and teardowns are weak signals on their own; best stacked with others.
Cook County out-of-state taxpayersCook County, IL
Parcels whose 2026 tax bill goes to an out-of-state address (about 60,000, most in Chicago). Unincorporated parcels show the city as UNIC.
Gary unsafe building ordersGary, IN
Houses in the City of Gary's active unsafe-building and demolition caseload (about 200), with the verified owner and mailing address from the title search; the city edits the tracker continually (last edit 2026-10-27). Dates in the tracker are text, so it is read as a standing list and completed or stopped cases drop off. Many owners live out of state.
Lake County IN 2026 repeat tax sale homesLake County, IN
Improved residential parcels (classes 510-599) on Lake County's 2026 repeater (commissioner) tax sale list: parcels that went unsold at an earlier tax sale and are still delinquent (276 of 6,194; the rest is mostly vacant lots). Published 2025-11-03 for the 2026 sale, with the deeded owner and mailing address. Mostly Gary, East Chicago and Hammond.
Chicago building code scofflaw listChicago, IL
Buildings whose owners the city lists as building code scofflaws: at least three serious, unresolved code violations in housing court over the past year (about 700 rows), refreshed monthly (newest list 2026-09-01). Includes the defendant owner, often an LLC. Owners on this list lose access to some city services and permits until they comply, which pushes some to sell.
Chicago building violations sent to administrative hearingsChicago, IL
Department of Buildings violations prosecuted at the city's Department of Administrative Hearings (about 8,000 a year), updated daily, with the respondents (owners, often with a c/o name). One row per violation, so a docket can produce several signals. The feed has no residential flag, so some commercial buildings come through; elevator citations and public bodies are left out.
Chicago foreclosed rental property registrationsChicago, IL
Rental buildings that went through foreclosure, registered by the new owner under the Keep Chicago Renting ordinance (about 585 since 2021, a few new ones a week; newest 2026-10-29). The owner is usually the lender or its servicer, so this finds bank-owned buildings that will be sold, plus the tenants' building. The detail is the property-preservation vendor. Never mention the foreclosure in outreach.
Cook County suburban house demolition permits (environmental)Cook County, IL
Demolitions of houses in suburban Cook County approved by the county's Department of Environment and Sustainability (asbestos and demolition notification), updated daily. The building type is typed freehand, so only clearly residential rows are kept and some homes are missed. Teardowns are a weak signal alone; the lot is often sold or rebuilt by an investor.
Chicago open housing code violations from complaintsChicago, IL
Department of Buildings Conservation (housing code) violations still open after an inspection triggered by a complaint (about 2,000 new a month), updated daily. One row per violation, so one inspection can produce several signals; the detail is the violation (porch, windows, heat, pests). Mostly rental buildings, which is where landlords tired of repairs show up. No owner names.
Chicago demolition notices of intentChicago, IL
Notices filed with the Department of Environment before a building is wrecked (about 600 a year), updated daily. The date is the planned start, often weeks ahead. Teardowns are a weak signal alone (often a builder who already bought); stack with others, and neighbors of a teardown block can be worth a look.
Lake County IN 2027 repeat tax sale homesLake County, IN
Houses (1-3 family) on Lake County's list for the 2027 commissioners' repeat tax sale: parcels that already failed to sell at earlier tax sales (about 170 homes among 5,700 parcels, most of them vacant lots), with the current owner and mailing address, published 2026-10-30. The detail is how many earlier sales the parcel went through. Owners can still redeem by paying before the sale. Mostly Gary, East Chicago and Hammond.
Chicago housing court cases in Micro-Market Recovery neighborhoodsChicago, IL
Open Department of Buildings cases in Circuit Court (housing court) at addresses inside the city's Micro-Market Recovery Program zones, the South and West Side neighborhoods targeted for housing recovery (about 2,100 open), updated daily. Housing court can order repairs, receivership or demolition, and owners there are among the most motivated sellers. Only MMRP zones are covered. No owner names.
Chicago Troubled Buildings complaints in Micro-Market Recovery neighborhoodsChicago, IL
Open Troubled Buildings Initiative complaints, the city's program for vacant, deteriorated or dangerous buildings (often 2-6 flats) that it pushes into repair, receivership or sale, at addresses inside the Micro-Market Recovery Program zones (about 2,300 open), updated daily. Only MMRP zones are covered. No owner names.
What isn't here
- Owner names, mailing addresses and phone numbers. Public pages show counts only; phones never come from these feeds.
- Probate and divorce filings. They sit with the courts and several states restrict them; inside Parcel they come in by upload.
- Records a city or county doesn't publish as open data. If yours has a feed we've missed, tell us and we'll check it.
How to start
- 01
Start a free account
No card and no password: we email you a sign-in code. - 02
Add Deal Radar ($79/mo) and draw your farm
Up to 5 farm areas by ZIP code or city in Chicago. - 03
Switch on these feeds
With Deal Radar: 14 ready-made feeds, pulled daily and scored 0 to 100 per property. - 04
Read the morning alert
With Deal Radar: the owners in your farm who just gained a signal, highest score first.
Deal Radar is $79 a month, or part of Deal Sourcing ($99) with Email Outreach. See every price.