Chicago vs. Suburbs: Where Properties Leased Faster in 2025

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Author: Mark Ainely | Partner GC Realty & Development & Co-Host Straight Up Chicago Investor Podcast

There's a question I hear constantly from Chicago-area investors: Should I buy in the city or the suburbs? People have strong opinions on both sides, usually based on gut feel, personal experience, or what their buddy told them at a meetup. Personally, I can probably argue either side. And I’ve been investing and managing properties in both Chicago proper and all the suburbs for 23 years.

But at GC Realty & Development, LLC, we did what we do best: check the data!

We analyzed our 2025 leasing performance across the Chicago metro, including properties in DuPage, northwestern Cook, Kane, Will, McHenry, and Lake counties. The answer didn’t surprise me. Let’s see what the numbers tell us.

The Headline: Suburbs Win on Speed

When we look at both average days on market and average days until move-in (when we start collecting rent), the suburbs win hands down. Here’s what the numbers show:

Suburban properties lease about 2 days faster on average, but the real story is in total vacancy time. From the day a property hits the market to the day a new tenant moves in, suburbs outperform Chicago by nearly a whole week, 6.6 days to be exact.

If you love numbers as much as we do, here’s the important point on return on investment. On a $2,000/month rental, you collect roughly $440 in additional rent annually just by being in the suburbs. Multiply that across a portfolio, and the math gets meaningful fast. 

Why This Data Challenges Conventional Thinking

The assumption I hear most often is that Chicago properties should lease faster due to the city's high population density. More people mean more demand, right? More eyeballs on your listing, more showings, faster decisions.

But density cuts both ways. Chicago renters have more options. They can afford to be pickier, take more time comparing units, and negotiate harder. In the suburbs, the rental inventory is thinner. When a high-quality property hits the market in Schaumburg or Elgin, qualified tenants move quickly because they know it won’t last long.

There’s also the application quality factor. We see suburban applicants come in with cleaner files, steady employment, verifiable income, and straightforward landlord references. That translates to faster approvals and fewer deals falling through at the finish line.

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The Seasonal Factor Makes It Even More Pronounced

The Chicago vs. suburbs gap isn’t consistent throughout the year. It widens dramatically during peak leasing season:

In Q1 (January - March), when the market is slowest, Chicago and its suburbs perform nearly identically, hovering around 28 days. But when summer hits and leasing activity peaks, suburbs pull ahead significantly. Q2 (April - June) and Q3 (July - September) show a 3-4 day advantage for suburban properties.

Here comes the curveball: the data flips at the end of the year. Chicago actually outperforms suburbs in the fourth quarter, likely because suburban families have already locked in their school-year housing. At the same time, city renters remain more transient year-round and actively seek new places in the fall and early winter. Plus, many college graduates move after the Fall semester, as their final days in college are in dozens of big colleges within 250 miles of Chicago.

Not All Suburbs Are Created Equal

Before you rush out to buy investment property in just any suburb, understand that performance varies wildly by municipality. Our fastest-leasing suburban markets in 2025:

These markets share common characteristics: strong school districts, convenient Metra access, established rental demand, and pricing that hits the sweet spot for working families.

On the flip side, some suburbs struggled. Properties in Plainfield, Bloomingdale, and a few other outlying areas took significantly longer to lease. The pattern? These tend to be either higher-end markets with thinner renter pools or locations with abundant competing inventory. There’s a significant difference between South Plainfield near Joliet and North Plainfield, which is basically Naperville.

Within Chicago: Location Still Matters

If you're committed to investing in the city, know that not all Chicago neighborhoods perform equally. 

North Side properties lease nearly 10 days faster than South Side properties. That's not a small gap; it’The difference between one month of vacancy and almost a month and a half.

The North Side benefits from a higher population density of young professionals, robust public transit, and walkable neighborhoods. The South Side has strong pockets, but a wider block-by-block variance in desirability means some properties sit longer, waiting for the right tenant.

We do have a higher density of Chicago Housing Authority residents on the South and West Sides, which could be contributing to longer move-in dates.

But… Speed’s Not Everything

If you’re purely optimizing for speed and minimizing vacancy, the data points toward suburban markets. This is especially true in the western and northwestern suburbs along the I-90 and I-290 corridors.

But speed isn’t everything. Chicago properties often command higher rents, may appreciate at different rates, and offer diversification benefits. Whether it makes sense for you to invest in Chicago or the suburbs depends on your goals, capital, and property management capacity.

Here’s how I’d frame it:

Consider Suburbs

Someone looking for the following may do better to consider finding investment property in the suburbs:

• Minimizing vacancy is your top priority

• You’re targeting working families with stable employment

• You want properties that essentially manage themselves with lower turnover drama

• You’re scaling a portfolio and need a predictable cash flow

CON: In some suburbs, you have to deal with rental license rules and restrictions.

Consider Chicago

On the other hand, someone looking for the following may do better finding investment property in Chicago:

• You can stomach slightly longer vacancy periods in exchange for potentially higher rents

• You want to target the North Side specifically, where performance rivals suburban markets

• You have strong property management (or manage yourself) and can handle more intensive tenant screening

• Appreciation potential and exit strategy matter as much as cash flow

The Bottom Line

The suburbs vs. Chicago debate doesn’t have a universal answer. Still, the 2025 data can help you defend whichever position you take. Suburban properties lease faster and experience shorter total vacancy periods than rentals in Chicago. The advantage is roughly a week per turnover, which compounds meaningfully over time. Then again, rental properties in Chicago often experience higher rent rates and additional benefits.

Most of the time, all of this is irrelevant if you price your rental right. Check out our free rental analysis tool to make sure you’re on the right track and avoid spending more time on the market than needed. 

[Do you have the right rent rates? Check here to find out.

Don’t Want To Go At This Alone?

We’ve shared a lot of information here on investing in real estate locally in Chicagoland. If you live outside the area, investing in the Chicago market may feel overwhelming. But we really just look at it as a team sport.

Who’s on your investing team? Do you even have a team? GC Realty & Development, LLC has a dedicated team of professionals with decades of experience across all facets of real estate investment. We handle everything from brokerage to leasing and property management. Whether you hire us or not, we’re happy to provide our resources and expertise.

What gets me up in the morning and keeps me going 12 hours a day is the ability to add value to local area investors in Chicago and beyond! Those who connect with me often hear me say that our goal is to bring value to everyone we come in contact with.

We hope that in return, they will one day hire us for our tenant placement or property management services, refer us to someone they know, or leave a review about our services. We'd love all three; however, we’re happy whenever we get the opportunity to help!

Reach out today!

Partner / Co-Host of Straight Up Chicago Investor Podcast

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