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Local cash home buyer · East Chicago, IN

We Buy Houses in East Chicago, Indiana

Sell your house fast in East Chicago for a fair cash offer. No showings. No fees. No repairs. Any condition.

  • No commissions or closing costs
  • Sell as-is, nothing to fix or clean
  • Close in as little as 3–5 days* or on your date

Get your East Chicago cash offer

This form takes about a minute. No cost, no obligation.

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We never sell your info. A local team member calls you back, usually the same day.

1,050+Homes bought
2011Locally owned since
A+BBB Accredited, rated
3–5 days*Close in as little as

East Chicago built the steel that built the country, and it built two cities in one to do it: the Harbor on the lake side and the East Chicago side across the canal, each with its own main streets, parishes, and generations of families. A lot of those family homes are now at a crossroads: aging houses, heirs who moved away, and a traditional market where financed buyers are scarce for properties that need work. We buy houses in East Chicago, Indiana for cash, in any condition, and we have been buying across Lake County since 2011. If you have been trying to figure out how to sell your house fast in East Chicago, Preferred Home Buyer will give you a straight answer and a fair cash offer within days. BBB A+ rated, with a real office in Merrillville.

Call (219) 348-8098 or fill out our short offer form. Free, private, no obligation.

Selling in East Chicago Is Different, and We Know Why

Here is the honest picture. East Chicago’s housing stock is among the oldest in the Region: sturdy brick two-flats, worker cottages, and frame houses built for the mill generations. Many need real work, and houses that need real work are hard to finance. Most mortgage lenders have condition requirements, so many of these homes can only sell to cash buyers. Many of those cash buyers are out-of-town investors who make low offers without ever seeing the house.

We are the other kind of cash buyer: local, buying in Lake County since 2011, and we actually walk the house. A two-flat in the Harbor, a cottage near Marktown, and a brick bungalow in Calumet are three different properties to us. We price each one from what similar houses actually sell for on those blocks, minus the real cost of the work, and we show you the math.

How it works

We Make Selling Your House on Your Timeline Easy

No showings, no repairs, no commissions. You pick the closing date.

1

Tell us about your house

Call or fill out the form. A local team member learns about the house and your situation. No cost or obligation.

2

Walkthrough and cash offer

Our Home Buying Specialist walks through the house once, then gets back to you with a cash offer. No cleaning, staging or repairs first.

3

Choose your close date

Close through a local title company in as little as 3–5 business days*, or on your date. If the offer doesn’t work for you, that’s okay.

Why Sell My House Fast in East Chicago to a Local Buyer

  • We buy where lenders will not. Deferred maintenance, older heating, plumbing, and wiring, code letters from the city: none of it stops a cash purchase, and we never ask you to make repairs.
  • We know the Harbor from the East Chicago side. The canal splits the city into distinct markets, and our offers respect the difference.
  • Landlord-heavy city, landlord-friendly buyer. East Chicago has one of the highest rental concentrations in the Region. We buy occupied rentals with tenants, leases, and deposits transferring at closing.
  • A local company you can check out. Preferred Home Buyer, 8021 Cleveland Pl, Merrillville, IN 46410. Buying since 2011, BBB A+ rated.

We Buy in Every Part of East Chicago

  • Indiana Harbor, from the blocks near the steel works to the streets around Main Street’s business corridor
  • Marktown, the historic 1917 planned workers’ community tucked beside the mills
  • The East Chicago side across the canal, including the neighborhoods around Washington Park
  • Calumet and the west side, block by block, including two-flats and multi-family buildings
  • Homes near the lakefront and Jeorse Park, and everything along Columbus Drive and Indianapolis Boulevard

City services and information: official City of East Chicago website.

East Chicago Situations We Help With

  • Inherited family homes. The most common call we get here: the house has been in the family for fifty years, the heirs live elsewhere, and nobody wants to manage a renovation from out of state. We buy inherited houses at any stage of probate, contents and all.
  • Tired landlords. Rentals with tenants in place, tenants behind on rent, or units mid-turnover: we buy tenant-occupied properties and take over the landlording at closing.
  • Houses that need everything. Fire damage, failed roofs, city violation letters, years of vacancy. Our as-is page covers it: we buy the house exactly as it sits.
  • Foreclosure and back taxes. If a sheriff’s sale or county tax sale is approaching, timing is everything. Our foreclosure page explains the Lake County process, and selling first usually beats losing the house at auction.
  • Vacant properties. An empty house attracts problems fast. Selling for cash stops the bleeding on taxes, insurance, and worry.

Not sure your situation fits? Call (219) 348-8098 and just ask.

Before you call

Check us out first. We would, too.

A lot of people ask us, “Is this a scam?” It’s a fair question. Here is how to check us out in five minutes.

BBB Accredited, A+ rating

Accredited by the Better Business Bureau and rated A+. Read our profile and every review there, good or bad.

See our BBB profile

A real office you can visit

8021 Cleveland Pl, Merrillville. We have bought houses in Northwest Indiana since 2011. Call first and we will make sure someone is there.

Get directions

We never ask you for money

No fees, no deposits, no application charges, ever. If anyone asks you to pay to sell your house, walk away.

A title company handles the money

You close at a licensed local title company. They hold the funds and pay you directly. Call them yourself before you sign, if you like.

Registered Indiana business since 2011. How to verify us

Reviews

What sellers say.

Google
William Stocker profile picture
William Stocker
Google star 1Google star 2Google star 3Google star 4Google star 5Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google.
Preferred Home Buyer was very easy to work with for selling our house. It was a seamless transaction where they drove the process from start to finish. As a remote seller living in a different state from the property, they helped us to easily sell our property with a majority of the process occurring online.
Google
Michele Dalessandro profile picture
Michele Dalessandro
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This process was so easy with Prefered Home Buyer! They were extremely professional. The whole process took about 2 weeks. It was truly seamless.
Google
Tan profile picture
Tan
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Working with Preferred Buyers was an excellent experience from start to finish. They made the process of selling my home as-is seamless, straightforward, and stress-free. There was no need to worry about repairs or renovations, and they communicated clearly throughout the entire process. Everything went smoothly, and I truly appreciated their professionalism, responsiveness, and efficiency. I highly recommend Preferred Buyers to anyone looking for an easy and hassle-free way to sell their home.
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Ed Kubiszak profile picture
Ed Kubiszak
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I work as a real estate agent and my seller and I had the opportunity to work with Preferred Home Buyer. They wanted to buy her listing, but a family member was living in the home that would not move out. We negotiated the transaction where they took this off of my sellers hands and they took care of the whole situation for my seller. My seller and I were so grateful and everything worked out. The person moved out to live with family. I hope to get another opportunity to work with them.
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Carol Mendiola profile picture
Carol Mendiola
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The best decision I made was to choose Preferred Home Buyer. The process was seamless and NO STRESS. Josh and the team handled everything I signed selling papers and went to closing. It was handled perfessionally and with respectful. I would do it again.
Google
Dan Calhoun profile picture
Dan Calhoun
Google star 1Google star 2Google star 3Google star 4Google star 5Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google.
As an attorney, I'm careful about who I refer my clients to. One of my clients needed to sell their house fast, and I connected them with Preferred Home Buyer. The team was professional since the beginning and they communicated clearly with both my client and me throughout the whole process, made a fair cash offer, and they closed on the timeline they promised. Finding a home buying company in Northwest Indiana I can confidently put in front of a client isn't easy. I'd refer Preferred Home Buyer again without hesitation.
Google
Dave Mochel profile picture
Dave Mochel
Google star 1Google star 2Google star 3Google star 4Google star 5Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google.
Al was great to work. I found him to fair & helpful throughout the process. He worked with us to make the whole transaction & convenient for us.
Google
Michael Bartoszak profile picture
Michael Bartoszak
Google star 1Google star 2Google star 3Google star 4Google star 5Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google.
We buy all of our wholesale deals from Preferred Home ​and we couldn’t be more impressed. They consistently deliver fair cash offers, close quickly, and handle all the heavy lifting (inspections, repairs, red tape) so I don’t have to. Whether you’re selling a property in rough condition or just need to move fast, they make the process smooth, professional, and stress-free.
Every review is verified on Google.Read all reviews
FAQ

East Chicago Seller FAQ

Do you really buy houses in any condition in East Chicago?

Yes. We have bought houses with fire damage, long vacancies, stripped heating, plumbing, and wiring, and thick folders of city violations. Condition affects the offer amount, almost never the answer.

How fast can you close?

As little as 3–5 business days* after you accept the offer, through a local title company. Estates and foreclosure timelines sometimes set their own pace, and we work to those dates.

I inherited my parents' house in the Harbor and I live out of state. Can this be done remotely?

Yes, and it is routine for us. Local access gets arranged for one walkthrough, documents are signed remotely, and Lake County probate runs through Crown Point, where we work all the time. The house can be full of belongings; take what matters and leave the rest.

The house has city code violations. Can I still sell it?

Yes. Violations, fines, and unsafe-structure notices transfer to us with the purchase, and we resolve them with the city afterward. Bring the paperwork and we will price everything transparently.

Will you buy my two-flat or apartment building with tenants in it?

Yes. Two-flats, multi-family buildings, and portfolios, occupied or vacant. Leases and deposits transfer at closing, and what happens next with the tenants becomes our responsibility.

I am behind on property taxes and got a tax sale notice. Is it too late?

Usually not, if the property has not yet gone through the Lake County tax sale. A sale to us pays the delinquent taxes at closing. Call quickly so we can check the timeline together.

What does the process cost me?

Nothing. No commissions, no fees, free walkthrough, free cash offer, and we pay all closing costs. If our number does not work for you, you owe us nothing.

Is Preferred Home Buyer legitimate?

Fair question, because East Chicago sees plenty of we-buy-houses postcards from companies with no address. We are BBB A+ rated, buying in Lake County since 2011, with an office at 8021 Cleveland Pl in Merrillville you can visit.

Read all FAQs

Get started

Get Your Cash Offer for Your East Chicago House

The house served its generations. If it is time to let it go, do it without repairs, without strangers touring it, and without waiting on a lender’s opinion.

Call Preferred Home Buyer at (219) 348-8098 or fill out the offer form now. Buying houses in East Chicago and across Northwest Indiana since 2011. BBB A+ rated.

We also buy houses in Hammond, Gary, and throughout the Region.