Sander Law Offices · Morton Grove, Illinois
From contract to keys. A mother and son on School Street.
Sander Law Offices is a family real estate practice in Morton Grove. Nancy Nowak Sander has been licensed in Illinois since 1977, and her son, Eric S. Sander, since 2012. We represent buyers, sellers, investors and landlords.
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Nancy Nowak Sander
- Licensed in Illinois since 1977
- DePaul University, B.A. and J.D.
- Member, Illinois Real Estate Lawyers Association
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Eric S. Sander
- Licensed in Illinois since 2012
From contract to keys
Six steps to the keys.
A Chicago-area home sale usually follows the same path. Here is what happens at each step, and where your attorney comes in.
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Step 1
The contract.
Many home sales around Chicago are written on the Multi-Board Residential Real Estate Contract 8.0, approved in February 2025 by the Chicago Bar Association and the area’s REALTOR associations, among others. Once everyone has signed and the contract is delivered, the Date of Acceptance on its signature page starts most of the deadlines that follow.
Multi-Board Residential Real Estate Contract 8.0.
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Step 2
Attorney review.
Within five business days after acceptance, each side’s attorney may approve the contract, disapprove it (though not over the price alone), or propose changes to anything but the price, which count as a counteroffer unless offered under paragraph 13(d). If no notice goes out in time, attorney review is waived. Call us the day you sign.
Contract 8.0, paragraph 13.
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Step 3
Inspection.
If the buyer chose an inspection, notice of any problems usually goes out within five business days after acceptance. Depending on the option initialed, the buyer may ask for repairs or simply cancel; with repair requests, either side may cancel if there is no written agreement within ten business days after acceptance.
Contract 8.0, paragraph 15.
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Step 4
Mortgage.
Unless the contract says otherwise, the buyer has until 45 days after acceptance, or five business days before closing if that comes first, to show written loan approval. That date is worth circling.
Contract 8.0, paragraph 8.
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Step 5
Title and survey.
The seller delivers a title commitment in advance of closing and, except for condominiums, a plat of survey no later than one business day before closing. Your attorney reads both for liens, easements and anything that does not match.
Contract 8.0, paragraphs 20 and 21.
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Step 6
Closing.
The deed is signed, the seller pays the transfer stamps unless a local ordinance says otherwise, and the deed is recorded along with a transfer declaration. Then the keys change hands.
Contract 8.0, paragraph 18; 35 ILCS 200/31-25.
General information about Illinois law and the standard Chicago-area contract, not advice about your situation.
Who we help
Buyers, sellers, investors and landlords.
Residential and commercial property, whether you are buying, selling, developing or leasing.
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Buyers.
We review the contract inside attorney review, then the title commitment, the survey and the closing papers, so you know what you are signing.
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Sellers.
We answer the buyer’s attorney, gather what the closing needs and, in Morton Grove, line up the village transfer stamp.
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Investors.
Buying to rent or to hold? Title can sit in an Illinois land trust, where the beneficiary keeps control and the interest counts as personal property, or in an LLC, whose debts are generally its own.
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Landlords.
Almost all rentals in suburban Cook County fall under the county’s Residential Tenant Landlord Ordinance, in effect since June 2021. Leases, deposits and notices all have rules to follow.
Selling in Morton Grove
The village stamp, step by step.
Before the deed can be recorded, the seller buys a Morton Grove transfer stamp: $3 for each $1,000 of the selling price.
The village first searches for unpaid water bills, vehicle sticker fees and fines tied to the property, and everything must be paid before the stamp issues.
Apply no sooner than two weeks and no later than two business days before you need the stamp.
The final water reading is taken the day the stamp is issued. After that, the water bill belongs to the buyer.
From the Village of Morton Grove’s published rules, October 2026. Requirements can change.
About
Mother and son.
Sander Law Offices is a family practice: Nancy and her son Eric, on School Street in Morton Grove.
Nancy Nowak Sander
Licensed in Illinois since May 1977. DePaul University, B.A. and J.D. A member of the Illinois Real Estate Lawyers Association.
Eric S. Sander
Licensed in Illinois since May 2012.
Questions
Before you call.
Do I need a lawyer to buy a home in Illinois?
No law requires one, but hiring an attorney is recommended, and most real estate contracts include an attorney review period that gives lawyers time to review and negotiate terms. An attorney can also check the title for liens and walk you through the closing documents before you sign them.
What happens during attorney review?
Under the Multi-Board 8.0 contract, each side’s attorney has five business days after acceptance to approve the contract, disapprove it (though not over the price alone) or propose changes to anything but the price. Those changes count as a counteroffer unless offered under paragraph 13(d), and with no written agreement within ten business days after acceptance, either side may cancel.
Who pays the transfer stamps in Morton Grove?
Under the standard contract the seller pays the transfer stamps unless a local ordinance says otherwise. In Morton Grove the seller buys the village stamp, $3 for each $1,000 of the price, before the deed can be recorded, and any unpaid water bills, sticker fees and fines on the property must be paid first.
How are property taxes handled at closing?
Cook County taxes are billed a year behind, so at closing the seller usually credits the buyer for taxes that have built up but not yet been billed. The standard contract prorates them on a percentage of the most recent full year bill, a number the two sides fill in and can negotiate.
What should a landlord in suburban Cook County know?
Almost all rentals in suburban Cook County are covered by the county’s Residential Tenant Landlord Ordinance, in effect since June 2021. Among other rules, it caps a security deposit at one and a half months’ rent and requires it back within 30 days after the tenant moves out, with an itemized statement of any damage deducted.
General information about Illinois law, not advice about your situation.
Contact
Call the office.
“If we are in the office, you will speak to an Attorney.”
From the Sander Law Offices website
- Phone
- (847) 965-4852
- Fax
- (847) 919-4415
- Nancy Nowak Sander: nancy@sanderlegal.com Eric S. Sander: eric@sanderlegal.com
- Office
- 8532 School Street, Morton Grove, Illinois 60053
Open in Maps - Nearby
- On School Street near the Morton Grove Public Library and Village Hall, a short walk from the Metra station.
Calling or emailing does not by itself make you a client. Please leave out confidential details until we have talked.