Resource Library
Free, plain-English guides for Illinois homeowners and heirs — written to answer the questions we hear every day. No email required, no paywall.
Checklist · New · September 2026
Before you sign anything: find the case in the public docket, confirm the sale produced a surplus, check the company, read the terms, and know where to report a scam — about 15 minutes, all free.
Guide · New · September 2026
The sale record is public and shows a surplus — that is how they found you. What callers know (and what they can’t), why several call at once, calls about a relative’s house, and how to make them stop.
Guide · New · September 2026
Do you need a company at all? The ten questions to ask before you sign, the fee-agreement checklist, contingency firm vs. attorney vs. claim buyer, and the green and red flags — including how we answer the same questions.
Guide · New · September 2026
The surplus equity fund (Public Act 104-0553) is real — but no county calls to register you, there is no county claim form, and nobody pays to join the Kidd v. Pappas class action. The tax-sale version of “probably legitimate” vs. “walk away,” and the free checks.
New Law · Updated July 2026
Illinois' HB 4537 (signed July 10, 2026) created a surplus equity fund. If you lost a Cook County property to a tax deed since July 2024, you may recover the equity above your tax debt — but a claim deadline applies.
New Law · Lake County · August 2026
The surplus equity fund is statewide. If you lost a Lake County property to a tax deed since July 2024 — Waukegan, North Chicago, Zion, Round Lake, and beyond — you may recover the equity above your tax debt. Claims are generally due by July 10, 2028.
New Law · Will County · October 2026
The surplus equity fund is statewide. If you lost a Will County property to a tax deed since July 2024 — Joliet, Bolingbrook, Romeoville, Plainfield, and beyond — you may recover the equity above your tax debt. Claims are generally due by July 10, 2028.
New Law · Collar counties · October 2026
The surplus equity fund is statewide. If you lost a property to a tax deed since July 2024 anywhere in the collar counties, you may recover the equity above your tax debt. Claims are generally due by July 10, 2028. DuPage County · Kane County · McHenry County · Kendall County.
Self-Check · New Law · July 2026
A practical self-check for former owners and heirs: who qualifies under the new surplus equity fund, who doesn’t, and the three records that answer it — free.
Deadlines · New Law · July 2026
The two claim windows: deeds recorded July 2024–July 2026 (file by about July 2028) and the roughly two-year clock on newer deeds — plus what to gather now.
Guide · New Law · July 2026
The claim process HB 4537 created, in plain English: the deadlines, the documents, the valuation, where the petition is filed, and how payment works — whether you file yourself or get help.
News · Updated July 2026
A federal judge found Cook County tax sales illegally stripped owners of their equity. What the ruling means, who may be owed money, and how it differs from foreclosure surplus funds.
County guide
How Cook County judicial sales create surplus, where the Clerk of the Circuit Court holds it, three free ways to check your own case, and how a claim is filed under 735 ILCS 5/15-1512.
County guide
For properties foreclosed in the 19th Judicial Circuit (Lake County): who may be eligible, what a free first-pass review checks, and your right to pursue the funds yourself.
County guides · New · October 2026
The same free records review for the collar counties: which circuit court holds the surplus, three free ways to check your own case, and your right to pursue the funds yourself. DuPage County · Will County · Kane County · McHenry County · Kendall County.
Guide
A plain-English explanation of surplus funds (also called overages or excess proceeds), who legally owns them, and why so much goes unclaimed.
Guide
A practical checklist for former Illinois homeowners and heirs who want to know whether a foreclosure sale left money behind.
Guide
What actually happens between discovering a surplus and receiving a check — whether you do it yourself or use a recovery firm.
Guide
Surpluses don't disappear when the former owner passes away — they pass to the estate and heirs. Here's how Illinois families recover them.
Guide · Updated September 2026
The money is often real — which is exactly why scammers copy the pitch. Six signs a call is legitimate, the red flags that mean walk away, and the do-it-yourself path.
Guide
If nobody claims a foreclosure surplus, the money takes a journey — and the rules change at each stop. Here's the lifecycle.
Guide
The same dollars, two very different processes. Where your surplus currently sits determines how you claim it and what recovery help can cost.
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