We buy houses in Coles County, IL
We buy houses in Coles County, IL, from Charleston to Mattoon, Oakland, Ashmore, for cash and in any condition. Below is what selling here actually involves: where the county records and taxes property, how its foreclosure and tax sales work, and the rural questions a buyer will ask.
Coles County in numbers
- Typical home value
- $145,000
- Median year built
- 1970
- Mobile homes
- 4.0%
- Median property tax
- $2,494
Up 5.4% in a year. Zillow, September 2026
Census ACS 2019-2023
Of all housing units, ACS 2019-2023
A year, ACS 2019-2023
Coles County in under a minute
Transcript
We buy houses across Coles County, Illinois, from Charleston to Mattoon and Oakland, for cash and in any condition. Notice of the sale must run once a week for 3 weeks. The Sheriff's Office lists a $600 fee to carry out a sheriff sale. Call us or visit nikitabuyshouses.com to sell your Coles County house today.
Three offices in one Charleston courthouse
Charleston is the county seat. Most of what touches your house happens at 651 Jackson Avenue.
Here is who handles what, room by room:
- the County Clerk and Recorder records deeds in Room 122, 217-348-0501
- the Treasurer collects property tax in Room 124, 217-348-0511
- the Supervisor of Assessments sets values in Room 133, 217-348-0508.
The clerk's land records start in 1830. Indexes from December 1978 on are free to search. A sale also needs the state's PTAX-203 transfer form.
If you think your value is wrong, a three-member Board of Review hears complaints. The county says you must bring evidence.
Sources: Coles County: County Clerk; Coles County Clerk: Recordings; Coles County: Treasurer; Coles County: Supervisor of Assessments; Coles County Supervisor of Assessments: FAQs.
Reading your Coles County tax bill
Illinois assesses homes at one third of market value. The county's rates are applied per $100 of that equalized value.
For the 2024 tax year, billed in 2025, the county's own rate was 1.0365. Totals by tax code ran from 5.30511 to 8.63589.
Most Mattoon codes ran from 8.3386 to 8.62101. Charleston codes ran from 7.75998 to 8.3798.
If you live in the home, the general homestead exemption cuts up to $6,000 of equalized value in this county (35 ILCS 200/15-175).
By our math, a Mattoon home worth $90,000 has about $30,000 of assessed value. Less the $6,000 exemption, that is about $2,069 a year at 8.62101. Your bill may differ.
Sources: Coles County Supervisor of Assessments: FAQs; Coles County Clerk: 2024 District Rates by Taxcode Report (PDF); Illinois General Assembly: 35 ILCS 200/15-175, General homestead exemption.
Late taxes and the October sale
Bills for the 2025 tax year went out May 14, 2026. They come in two equal parts.
Here is how the 2026 calendar ran:
- July 1, first half due
- September 1, second half due
- October 9, the unpaid list ran in the paper
- October 23 at 11:30 a.m., the tax sale at the Coles County Mental Health Center.
Penalties start the day after each due date and go up each month after that. In 2026, October 7 was the last day to pay by personal check before the sale.
A sale does not take your home that day. A buyer gets a certificate, and you can still redeem. For homes on certificates issued on or after July 10, 2026, you have 3 years from the sale (35 ILCS 200/21-350).
Before a tax deed can be asked for, the buyer must send you notice 3 to 6 months before your time runs out (35 ILCS 200/22-10).
Sources: Coles County Treasurer: Key Dates; Illinois General Assembly: 35 ILCS 200/21-350, Period of redemption; Illinois General Assembly: 35 ILCS 200/22-10, Notice of expiration of period of redemption.
When a lender files to foreclose
Illinois forecloses through the courts. Coles County cases go to the Circuit Court of the Fifth Judicial Circuit, at the same courthouse.
The law gives you some time. You can catch up and reinstate the loan within 90 days of being served (735 ILCS 5/15-1602).
For a home, the right to redeem runs to the later of two dates (735 ILCS 5/15-1603):
- 7 months after you were served
- 3 months after the judgment.
Notice of the sale must run once a week for 3 weeks. The first ad can run no more than 45 days ahead, and the last at least 7 days ahead (735 ILCS 5/15-1507).
The Sheriff's Office lists a $600 fee to carry out a sheriff sale.
Sources: Illinois Courts: Coles County Courthouse; Illinois General Assembly: 735 ILCS 5/15-1602, Reinstatement; Illinois General Assembly: 735 ILCS 5/15-1603, Redemption; Illinois General Assembly: 735 ILCS 5/15-1507, Judicial sale; Coles County Sheriff: Civil Process.
Estates, floods and rural lots
If the owner lived in Coles County, the estate is opened in this county's court (755 ILCS 5/5-1). Anyone holding the will must file it with the court clerk right after the death (755 ILCS 5/6-1).
Outside six towns, the county has no zoning and asks for no building permits. Its flood plain rules still apply. Those towns are Mattoon, Charleston, Oakland, Lerna, Humboldt and Ashmore.
The county's hazard plan counts 10 flood claims from 2010 to 2020, totaling $177,785.24. The Embarras River is the main stream.
The plan also notes mobile home parks in Ashmore, Charleston, Humboldt and Mattoon. Older mobile homes sit scattered across rural parts of the county.
Charleston has its own housing story. The plan says many student rentals near Eastern Illinois University were sold after enrollment fell around 2012. Many became single family homes again.
The state transfer tax is 50 cents per $500 of value (35 ILCS 200/31-10). By our math, that is $150 on a $150,000 sale.
Sources: Illinois General Assembly: 755 ILCS 5/5-1, Place of probate; Illinois General Assembly: 755 ILCS 5/6-1, Duty to file will; Coles County: Zoning; Coles County: Hazard Mitigation Plan Update (PDF); Illinois General Assembly: 35 ILCS 200/31-10, Real estate transfer tax.
Towns across Coles County
Charleston
The county's 2024 hazard plan says Charleston sits next to, or partly inside, the flood plains of Riley Creek (Town Branch) and the Embarras River. Coles County: Hazard Mitigation Plan Update (PDF)
Mattoon
A tornado hit Mattoon and Gays on December 10, 2021. The county's hazard plan reports roofs ripped off houses and grain bins destroyed. Coles County: Hazard Mitigation Plan Update (PDF)
Oakland
Oakland's tax code carries the highest total on the county's 2024 rate sheet, 8.63589 per $100 of equalized assessed value. The lowest code in the county is 5.30511. Coles County Clerk: 2024 District Rates by Taxcode Report (PDF)
Ashmore
The village has no sanitary sewer system. The county's hazard plan says heavy rain pushes stormwater into the septic systems along Route 16. Coles County: Hazard Mitigation Plan Update (PDF)
Humboldt
The county's hazard plan says every community in the county is part of the National Flood Insurance Program except the Village of Humboldt. Coles County: Hazard Mitigation Plan Update (PDF)
Selling a house in Coles County
- When is the Coles County tax sale?
- The 2026 sale was set for October 23 at 11:30 a.m. at the Coles County Mental Health Center. The unpaid list ran in the paper on October 9. Paying before the sale keeps your home off the list.
- How long do I have to redeem a Coles County home after a tax sale?
- For homes on certificates issued on or after July 10, 2026, Illinois law allows 3 years from the sale (35 ILCS 200/21-350). Vacant non-farm land and commercial property get 1 year.
- Where do I record a deed in Coles County?
- With the County Clerk and Recorder, Room 122 of the courthouse at 651 Jackson Avenue in Charleston. The phone is 217-348-0501.
- Does rural Coles County need a building permit?
- The county says it has no zoning outside Mattoon, Charleston, Oakland, Lerna, Humboldt and Ashmore. It does not require building permits there. Flood plain and subdivision rules still apply.
Local facts checked October 2026. Rates and rules change; the office named above or a real estate attorney can confirm them for your property.
More of Illinois
Sell your Coles County house today
You do not need a number ready, or photos, or a plan. Want to know your real options, even the ones that do not involve us? Call and ask.
Sabrina usually picks up. (615) 576-8827