Two Markets, One County. We Know Both.

DeKalb County appreciated 14.4% year over year as of early 2026, with inventory hitting 0.82 months supply at one point. Homes are selling at 100% of list price. In a market this tight, every appraisal carries more weight because there are fewer transactions to draw comparables from.

But the county-level numbers hide a more interesting story.

Sycamore vs. DeKalb City

Sycamore's median listing price runs around $381,000. DeKalb city sits at roughly $247,000. That's a $130,000 gap on homes that can be just a few miles apart.

What drives it? School districts are the biggest factor. Sycamore CUSD 427 draws families who specifically relocate for the schools. DeKalb CUSD 428 serves the city core, where NIU's presence creates a fundamentally different housing mix. Sycamore's historic downtown character, lower rental density, and higher owner-occupancy rate contribute to the premium. An appraiser who doesn't understand where the district lines run will pull comparables from the wrong market.

The NIU Factor

Northern Illinois University shapes the DeKalb housing market in ways that aren't obvious from the outside. Enrollment peaked at roughly 24,800 students in 2004 and declined to about 15,500 by 2023, with a recovery to 16,078 in fall 2025.

That decline created two parallel real estate markets in the same city. North of campus, investor-owned rentals are priced on income potential. South of campus and toward Cortland, owner-occupied family homes follow standard comparable sales patterns. These are not interchangeable. An appraiser who mixes rental comps with owner-occupant comps produces a report with a structural flaw. We keep those pools separate.

I-88 Corridor and the Eastern Edge

Properties closer to the I-88 interchange see a premium from buyers who commute to Aurora, Naperville, and the western suburbs. Cortland sits on this eastern edge and is one of the county's fastest-appreciating areas. New subdivision development on former farmland carries a different comparable set than established neighborhoods in town, and an appraiser who treats them interchangeably will miss the mark.

West of DeKalb, toward Rochelle and the Lee County line, the market shifts to rural properties on acreage. Farmhouses require specialized methodology: agricultural land valued separately from residential improvements, wider geographic search for comparables, and highest-and-best-use analysis. We handle both ends of the spectrum.