A southeast Morgan County village split between Jacksonville and Springfield commuters, anchored by its own K-12 district and a Friday-night gym that's the social hub of half the county.
Listings represented directly by Apex Realty. For the full Waverly MLS inventory, scroll down to the browse map.
Click any photo — opens that active Waverly listing.
Waverly sits in the southeast corner of Morgan County at the IL-104 and IL-111 intersection, about twenty-two miles from Jacksonville and twenty-eight from Springfield. The village was incorporated in 1837 and has held steady around 1,200-1,300 residents through most of its modern history. Waverly CUSD #6 runs a full K-12 program — one of the few small Morgan County villages with its own complete school district — and Waverly's basketball and football traditions give the village an outsized cultural footprint relative to its population.
Apex represents in Waverly the way a thoughtful agent represents in any village this size — with a working knowledge of which streets are appreciating, which homes have had basement water issues over the years, and which property lines actually match what's in the deed. Waverly's buyer pool is genuinely split: a meaningful share of demand comes from Springfield, where buyers want a quieter pace and a stronger small-school option for their kids; another share comes from Jacksonville commuters; and a steady core comes from farm families looking to stay close to ground they work. We treat each of those conversations differently because they are different conversations.
We work the full village and the surrounding rural addresses — from the older homes on the original village grid to the newer single-family at the south edge and the acreage on the section roads heading toward Franklin and Palmyra.
Meet the Apex teamLive data from the RMLS Alliance MLS — every active residential listing near Waverly from every brokerage. Map and list view, filter by price, beds, or features.
Waverly has distinct submarkets — each with its own price band, character, and school feeder pattern.
The original residential blocks centered on Main Street and the historic commercial corridor. Late-1800s frame and brick homes, walkable to the post office and downtown businesses, mature trees, modest lots. The most affordable point of entry into Waverly homeownership.
The residential streets on the north and west sides of the village near Waverly Junior/Senior High School. Mid-century ranches, split-levels, and a handful of updated 1960s-70s homes. Strong family demand for the walk-to-school setup.
The newer build-out at the south edge of the village — 1980s-2010s single-family construction on larger lots with attached garages and modern floor plans. The most consistent demand pocket and the highest typical price points in the village proper.
Farmstead homes and acreage parcels on the section roads outside the village. Hobby-farm tracts, working ag ground with an older homestead, and the occasional large parcel with a shop. Limited and often off-market, with cross-county buyer interest.
Waverly CUSD #6 runs a full K-12 program out of two campuses — Waverly Elementary and Waverly Junior/Senior High — with combined enrollment around five hundred students. The district has a strong athletic tradition (basketball and football in particular) and a college-prep academic track that punches above the typical small-district profile. The compact size means small class sections and the kind of teacher-student familiarity that draws Springfield families specifically looking for a smaller-school environment.
Waverly's real estate market sits at an unusual intersection. The dual-commute economics — twenty-eight minutes to Springfield in one direction, twenty-two to Jacksonville in the other — mean the village pulls buyers from both metros, which keeps demand more stable than a typical village of this size would see. The CUSD #6 school district is the single biggest demand driver inside that buyer pool; we've represented multiple families specifically buying into Waverly to enroll children in the K-12 system. Inventory sits consistently tight — typically ten to twenty-five active or pending listings across the village and rural footprint — and well-presented homes in the $100K–$180K band rarely make it to thirty days on market. The slowest segment is anything above $250K or in need of substantial renovation, where the buyer pool thins quickly.
That's the sweet spot for the dual-commuter demand — homes priced under what the same square footage costs in Springfield or Jacksonville, but with the lot premium and the school-district pull. Move-in-ready single-family in this band consistently sees multiple showings the first weekend and typically goes pending in two to four weeks. Sellers with realistic pricing have leverage; sellers chasing a number tend to chase the market down.
For buyers, the Waverly read is that the village rewards speed and pre-approval. Listings that hit on a Thursday are often pending by Sunday. For sellers, the lever is presentation — Waverly's buyer pool is sophisticated enough to penalize dated kitchens and cosmetic neglect even at sub-$150K price points, because the comparable Jacksonville and Springfield options are increasingly well-updated.
We can point to specific transactions where a Springfield family paid a measurable premium to land inside CUSD #6 boundaries. If you're considering Waverly for school-district reasons, we'll show you the actual numbers and walk you through which Waverly addresses fall just outside the district line — they do exist and they affect resale.
If you're sizing up Waverly against Jacksonville, Auburn, or Chatham, the most useful next step is a head-to-head price-and-school comparison built on actual recent closings. We do those regularly. Reach out and we'll put one together for your scenario.
Waverly is a southeast Morgan County village of about 1,260 people with a complete K-12 school district, a healthy downtown, a city park, and a strong Friday-night sports culture. Daily errands split between local businesses, Jacksonville, and Springfield depending on what you need. The community is tight-knit without being closed off — newer families integrate quickly, especially through the school system. Twenty-eight minutes to Springfield, twenty-two to Jacksonville.
Waverly CUSD #6 — a full K-12 district with Waverly Elementary and Waverly Junior/Senior High School. Combined enrollment around five hundred students. The district has strong basketball and football traditions and a college-prep academic track. Small enough for individual attention, large enough for a full extracurricular slate. One of the bigger reasons families specifically choose Waverly over surrounding villages.
Most active village listings run between $80,000 and $200,000, with the dual-commuter sweet spot in the $110K–$180K band. Newer construction at the south end of the village pushes into the low $200s. Rural acreage with a house and outbuildings ranges $200K–$500K+ depending on land size and improvements.
Tight inventory and steady demand. Ten to twenty-five active listings across the village and rural footprint, average days-on-market under thirty for clean inventory in the $110K–$180K band, and meaningful school-district-driven demand. Sellers with realistic pricing and good presentation move quickly; buyers need to be ready to act on the right listing.
Jacksonville is twenty-two miles northwest — about thirty minutes on IL-104. Springfield is twenty-eight miles east, roughly thirty-five minutes via IL-104 and I-72. The village's near-equidistant position between the two metros is one of its strongest market features.
A modest rental pool exists — primarily older single-family homes, a few duplexes, and the occasional newer rental property — with two- and three-bedroom units typically running $750–$1,100 per month. Owner-occupancy is high. Apex doesn't manage rentals directly but stays in touch with the active landlord pool in southeast Morgan County.
Within twenty-four hours in nearly every case. Apex's office is in Jacksonville — thirty minutes from Waverly — and we cover the southeast-Morgan villages with the same showing turnaround as in-town listings. Call or text and we'll have a tour scheduled the same business day.
Whether you're three years out or three weeks from moving, an Apex agent will walk you through the Waverly market — what's available, what's coming, and what you should actually pay attention to. No pressure, no obligation, just a real conversation.
Browse homes for sale and local market insight in the communities surrounding Waverly — all within Apex Realty’s Morgan County coverage.
