Can Roscoe Village Owners Trust a Hot Price Headline? Reading Redfin, Realtor.com, Zillow and the Census Housing Cost Burden

Which Roscoe Village price should an owner believe?

The honest answer is that no single figure is the price of a particular house. Redfin's $908K, Realtor.com's $1,009,500 and $885,000 and Zillow's $707,908 describe four different things. Redfin's number is the middle sale price over three months across all home types. Realtor.com's sold number is for June 2026 only. Its listing number is the middle asking price of homes for sale. Zillow's is a modeled index of typical values, not a sale price.

The year-earlier values show how far the sources disagree on history. Redfin's rise of 32.0% implies about $687,879 a year ago, taking $908,000 as the figure. Realtor.com's rise of 48.02% in the sold median implies about $682,002 a year ago, and its listing rise of 7.34% implies about $824,483. Zillow's rise of 10.0% implies about $643,553. So the sold figures a year earlier cluster near $682,000 to $688,000 and now sit between $908,000 and $1,009,500, while the index moved from about $644,000 to $707,908. A jump of more than 30% in a year for a single neighborhood is rare, and the three-year Realtor.com figure for the sold median, up 0.95%, says the same home types were selling for much the same price three years ago. This reading is an inference: a small number of high-priced sales can lift a median in a quarter, and Redfin's own count of 36 homes sold shows how few sales stand behind the figure.

The per-foot figures are steadier because they adjust for size. Redfin shows $431, up 9.1%, which implies about $395 a year earlier. Realtor.com shows $437, up 6.31%, which implies about $411. The two differ by 1.4%, computed here, and both rose by single digits. If a seller wants one number to carry away, the per-foot price rising 6% to 9% is better supported than a median rising 32% to 48%.

One more check is worth making before trusting any of these medians. Redfin's page does not say which three months it covers, and a page that is not dated cannot be set beside a page that is. Realtor.com states June 2026 and Zillow states August 31, 2026, so those two can be compared with each other by date, while the Redfin figure should be treated as a recent reading of unknown timing. A seller who quotes a number from a page should be able to say when it was published, because a figure from a different season may describe a different market.

The listing median of $885,000 is 12.3% below the Realtor.com sold median and 2.6% below Redfin's, which is the pattern of a market where homes close above the asking price. The Zillow index is 20.0% below the listing median. An index covers every home in the area, including older and smaller ones that are rarely listed, and that is why it runs below the price of the homes that come to market. A seller should treat it as a reading of the neighborhood, not of their house.

The practical use is a range. For the median house, the sold prices of $908,000 to $1,009,500 and the listing price of $885,000 bracket what buyers have been paying and asking, and the index of $707,908 brackets what the typical home is worth. The right price for one home depends on its size, its condition and its lot, and the best evidence is the closed price of a similar home within the last few months.

Sources as cited. Ratios and year-earlier values in this section are computed from the published figures and percentages.

How fast do Roscoe Village homes sell, and for how much over list?

Redfin calls Roscoe Village very competitive and gives it a Compete Score of 87, with homes selling in 35 days. It says the average home sells for about 5% above list price and goes pending in around 35 days, and the fastest homes sell for about 9% above in around 23 days. On the $908K median, 5% is $45,400 and 9% is $81,720, computed here. Realtor.com's page shows 17 days on market, down 18.61%, which implies about 20.9 a year earlier.

Inventory is thin. Realtor.com shows 21 active listings, down 20.83%, which implies about 27 a year earlier, a fall of about six homes, and down 32.14% over three years. Redfin shows 36 homes sold. A neighborhood with 21 homes on the market and 36 sales in a quarter turns over quickly, and a single listing can change the median. A seller in a place this small should expect buyers to know each other's homes.

Think about what 36 sales means for a median. If the sales are ordered from lowest to highest, the median is the average of the 18th and 19th, so a handful of unusually large or small homes shifts the middle only a little, but a change in the mix of home types shifts it a lot. A quarter with several large single houses and few condominiums will print a high median even if no individual home gained value. That is why a seller gains more from the three or four closest sales than from the median of all of them.

Rentals are limited too. Realtor.com shows 39 rental listings, up 12.50%, and a median rent of $2,575, up 6.19%, which implies about $2,425 a year earlier and is roughly flat over three years, down 0.77%. Rent of $2,575 is 59.8% above the Census median rent of $1,611 for the postal area, a gap that mostly reflects older leases and cheaper apartments in the wider area. For a household earning the postal area median of $106,384, a month of $2,575 would be 29.0% of income, computed here, just under the usual 30% line.

The fast pace has a cost for sellers. A home that sits past the first weeks in a market with a short typical sale stands out. Buyers read a long listing time as a sign of a problem, and a price cut shows. In a thin neighborhood like this one that signal travels quickly.

This is also the reason some owners prefer to avoid the cycle. A private buyer does not require a launch date, showings or a bidding window. Whether that is better for a given home depends on the price offered, and an owner should compare an offer with what a similar home actually closed for.

Sources as cited. Dollar figures and year-earlier values are computed from the published percentages.

What do housing costs say about Roscoe Village households?

The Census shows how heavy housing costs are for the people living in the postal area. Of 18,876 renter households, 18,134 had a computed rent burden, and 6,607 of them, 36.4%, spent 30% or more of income on rent, including 2,745, or 15.1%, who spent half or more. Another 63.6% spent less than 30%. Only 15.4% spent less than 15%.

Owners show a different picture. Of 19,162 owner households, 14,568 have a mortgage, 76.0%, and 4,594 do not, 24.0%. Among 14,532 mortgage holders with computed costs, 4,341 spent 30% or more of income on housing, 29.9%, and 2,062 spent half or more, 14.2%. Among 4,540 owners without a mortgage, 1,319 spent 30% or more, 29.1%, and 651 spent half or more, 14.3%, which reflects taxes, insurance and upkeep on older homes. All owners together: 5,660 of 19,072, or 29.7%.

The point for a seller is that nearly three in ten owners already carry a heavy cost, and a quarter of owners have paid off their mortgage. Owners with no mortgage have no payment to cover, so they can choose the timing of a sale. Owners with a mortgage and a high cost burden may want a quick, certain closing. Both groups are present in this neighborhood, and a private sale can suit either.

A cost burden is a ratio, so it rises when income falls as well as when costs rise. The Census measures housing cost against household income for the past twelve months, and it excludes households whose ratio cannot be computed: 742 renter households, 36 owners with a mortgage and 54 owners without one. The shares above are taken from the households with a computed ratio, which is the usual practice and the only one that keeps the percentages honest. A household that appears in the 50% group may be a retiree with a modest income and a paid-off home, not a household in distress, and the data cannot say which.

The age profile adds context. Of the postal area's residents, 21.8% are under 18, 20.5% are 25 to 34, 18.7% are 35 to 44, 22.8% are 45 to 64 and 10.2% are 65 or older. The median household income is $106,384. Owners in their middle years who bought a decade ago have seen large gains, and those who want to move to a bigger home or a different city are the likely sellers.

Costs are only one side of the ledger. A seller who pays 5% in fees on $908,000 pays $45,400, which is more than a year of rent at $2,575 a month, $30,900, plus another $14,500. That is arithmetic, not advice, and the first of the five benefits is that a private sale carries no commission costs.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 five-year estimates, tables B25070, B25091 and B01001, via Census Reporter. Shares are computed here.

How long have owners stayed, and how big are their homes?

Move-in dates show how long owners have held on. Of 19,162 owner households, 552 moved in during 2023 or later and 3,349 between 2020 and 2022, so 3,901, or 20.4%, moved in since 2020. Another 7,748, 40.4%, moved in between 2010 and 2019, 3,309, 17.3%, between 2000 and 2009, and 4,204, 21.9%, before 2000. Taken together, 60.8% of owners moved in since 2010 and 39.2% before it.

Renters turn over faster. Of 18,876 renter households, 7,823, or 41.4%, moved in since 2020, 7,893, or 41.8%, between 2010 and 2019 and 3,160, or 16.7%, before 2010. A neighborhood where four in ten renters arrived within the last six years and four in ten owners arrived within the last decade is one with a steady supply of new households, which supports demand for homes.

Owners hold larger homes. Of 19,162 owner households, 170 live in a home with no bedroom, 954 in one with one, 6,261 with two, 6,013 with three, 3,854 with four and 1,910 with five or more. That is 61.5% in a home with three or more bedrooms and 32.7% in one with two. Renters mostly live in smaller homes: 50.0% in two-bedroom homes and 25.9% in none or one, with 24.1% in three or more.

The housing is old. The median year built is 1938 and 75.5% of the postal area's homes were built before 1980, from a total of 41,186 housing units, of which 7.6%, or 3,148, were vacant. The median owner value is $562,700, plus or minus $15,114, which is 62.0% of Redfin's $908K and 55.7% of Realtor.com's $1,009,500, computed here. Census values come from owners' own estimates over five years and cover the wider area, so they run lower than recent sale prices.

The mix of tenure and bedrooms also says something about the sellers a buyer will meet. Owners in homes of three or more bedrooms make up 11,777 of 19,162 households, and many of them have lived there for a decade or more. A buyer looking for a family home in Roscoe Village is looking in a stock that is mostly owned by long-term households, and each one that sells appears as a single event in a small market. For an owner, that scarcity is the best argument for taking time to compare offers rather than accepting the first.

For a seller, a long tenure means a lot of equity and often a lot of deferred work. A home last updated in the 1990s will draw questions at inspection, and in a market where buyers pay above list they may still ask for credits. The fifth benefit, avoiding inspections and repairs, speaks to that owner. Readers comparing markets can also read the North Center brief and the Wicker Park brief.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 five-year estimates, tables B25038, B25042, B25004 and B25024, via Census Reporter. Shares are computed here.

What should a Roscoe Village owner ask, and what does a private sale change?

Five questions are worth asking. What did similar homes nearby actually close for? How long will the sale take, and what does waiting cost? What will the fees be? How much of the price survives the buyer's inspection? Who will see the home, and who will know it is for sale?

Fees are simple arithmetic and no rate is assumed here. Each 1% of a $450,000 sale is $4,500, of a $725,000 sale is $7,250 and of a $1,200,000 sale is $12,000. Three percent is $13,500, $21,750 and $36,000, and five percent is $22,500, $36,250 and $60,000. A seller can put their own quoted costs into those rows. On the Redfin median of $908K, 1% is $9,080.

Privacy is the first benefit and the one a small neighborhood makes more relevant. With 21 homes listed and 36 sold in a quarter, a for-sale sign, open houses and a stream of visitors are noticed by everyone on the block. A private sale has no showings and no neighbors talking about it.

Timing is the second. A closing date can be set so that a seller has time to find a new home, which matters when inventory is thin and the next purchase is also competitive. A seller who sells quickly and then competes against a dozen other buyers without a place to live is under pressure, and a flexible date takes that away.

Maison Off-Market buys luxury homes and estates directly from their owners and speaks only to sellers. It has no commission costs and no closing costs, and it avoids inspection repairs. The company does not say that a private sale always beats a public listing, and when three sources give four prices an owner is right to compare an offer with what the same home would net after costs. If you would like a private, no-obligation offer for a home in Roscoe Village, call 401-219-4207 or use the contact form on this site.

Sources as cited. Fee illustrations are arithmetic only and assume no commission rate.

Methodology and limitations

Each page's date, title and place were read before use. The Realtor.com page is for June 2026 and the Zillow page was updated August 31, 2026. The Redfin page does not state its period, so its figures are described as printed, with no month assumed. Its exact median dollar figure is shown only as $908K. Only established data publishers and the Census are cited. The Census figures are five-year estimates for the postal area that includes Roscoe Village, shared with a sibling post on North Center. Percent changes were taken as printed, and ratios, sums, fee figures and year-earlier values are this brief's arithmetic.

Conclusion

The record for Roscoe Village shows sold medians of $908K to $1,009,500, a listing median of $885,000, a value index of $707,908, 17 to 35 days on market and a thin supply of homes. The reliable measure for an owner is the closed price of a similar home nearby, and a private buyer can price the home in front of them.