I'm saying this tongue-in-cheek of course for those that don't necessarily see the value in staging your Winnekta, Wilmette or Kenilworth home.  A staged home does not need to cost a lot of money and you will get your money back!

It's frustrating to try to sell your Winnetka or North Shore home and not have any showings or interest.  The reason is almost always the price.  While buyers might not like certain features about your house, if the price is right, then they are willing to overlook those flaws.

If your price is too high, here are some "hints" that will help you decide if it's time to lower your Winnetka home price.

Kenilworth may have a small boundary and population but it offers two nursery schools, both affiliated with churches that are located across the street from each other.  Joseph Sears School also offers a junior kindergarten for four-year olds.

While I lived in Kenilworth for 18 years, my children attended a preschool in Winnetka because neither of these had been established when my children were young.  They are open to both church members and non-members alike.

All Things Bright and Beautiful - affiliated with Holy Comforter Episcopal Church
222 Kenilworth Ave., Kenilworth, IL
847-251-6120

Through the use of music and stories, ATBB offers a play based program with a Christian dimension.  There are classes for infants through junior kindergarten. Programs are designed to provide for the spiritual, intellectual and emotional development of each individual child.

A Joyful Noise - affiliated with Kenilworth Union Church
211 Kenilworth Ave., Kenilworth, IL
847-853-2100

Prepares children for kindergarten and nurtures development of  friendship skills, emotional regulation, and problem solving skills.  The program is Christian based and draws families from all over the North Shore. 

Joseph Sears School
542 Abbotsford Road
Kenilworth, IL
847-256-5006

Joseph Sears Schools offers a junior kindergarten program for four-year olds.  This is a convenient option for parents who have older children already attending the school.  The program is open to students outside of the school district.

Related Posts: 

Winnetka Nursery Schools

Nothing has happened yet on that stretch of Elm Street in Winnetka just east of the train station. Conney's Pharmacy, Phototronics, Love's Yogurt and a host of smaller stores are still there. What was once grandly designed as 31 luxury condominiums and storefronts has lost steam - blame it on the recession.  

The developers have come up with a new plan - they are considering 39 rental apartments on the three floors that would be located above the retail section.  The original high-end condos were to average 2500 square feet - the rentals come in at around 675-1300 square feet.  

Good or so-so idea?  Affordable housing has been a hot topic in town during the past several years.  The Winnetka Village Council decided not to pursue affordable housing because of strong public sentiment that it was not right for Winnetka.  Those in favor felt there was not enough housing for local workers, policeman, fireman, and teachers.  Rentals would ease some of animosity and stress over the affordable housing debate.

Whether we need this many rental units in Winnetka is not clear, and the project would take several years to complete.  The developer was given a preliminary approval to submit new plans that most likely will have to be approved by several levels of committees.

I think this may be a good idea - some tweaking will surely be necessary.  I am looking forward to see what they have planned.

Winnetka School District 36 is responding to parents' requests to increase foreign language classes that lead to fluency.  The decision has been made to incorporate more time for foreign language instruction.

Starting in the fall (2012-2013 school year) fifth graders (Skokie School) will receive Spanish instruction every other day.  In sixth grade (also Skokie School), it will increase to every day and they will be given a choice of French or Spanish.  

The following school year (2013-2014) the expansion will be implemented in lower grades.  First through fourth graders would study Spanish for a minimum of 90 minutes a week, up from 75 minutes currently.  

As the foreign language program currently stands, the goal was to introduce children to foreign languages and other cultures to inspire their interest.  These changes will bring a fundamental shift in goals with the idea of having children be functionally proficient in writing and reading a foreign language.  

Some parents were disappointed that Chinese or another character-based language were not being considered.  However, research the district has done shows that it takes twice the number of classroom hours to become proficient in Mandarin than it does in French or Spanish.  

Winnetka School District  36 is working on the puzzle of school scheduling to incorporate this extra time efficiently.  Administrators are working on the program redesign and will begin to revise the curriculum in preparation for fall school opening. 

How many homes closed in January 2012, how many are under contract and what is currently available in the North Shore suburbs of Winnetka, Wilmette, Kenilworth, Glencoe, and Northfield.  Even though it's late January, mild temperatures make us all feel like spring is in the air.  Buyers are taking advantage of the nice weather to get started on their home searches a little earlier this year.

All the following data is representative for the five villages combined:  Winnetka, Wilmette, Kenilworth, Glencoe and Northfield

Total Sold Units for January 2012

31 sold homes  (under last January's number of 43)
Average market time:  297 days
Minimum price:  $175,000
Maximum price:  $7,500,000
Highest selling price range:  $1 million through $1.99 million

Currently For Sale

367 homes for sale
Average market time:  299 days
Highest number of homes in a price range:  119 homes on for between $1 million and $1.99 million

Contingent Homes

56 Homes are Under Contract with Contingencies
15 of these are priced between $1 million and $1.99 million

Pending Homes

30 Homes are pending with no contingencies
9 of these are priced between $1 million and $1.99 million

Price Swings - lowest and highest price house for sale

Kenilworth:  $499,000 to $6.5 million
Winnetka:  $299,000 to $6.899 million
Wilmette:  $269,000 to $4.375 million
Glencoe:  $255,000 to $5.7 million
Northfield:  $169,000 to 2.250 million

Clearly, there is a price range that has the highest number of solds, under-conracts, and pendings. Homes priced between $1 million and $1.999 million have the highest number of sales.  

The spring market always sees an increase in new listings and today (broker's open house day) for the North Shore suburbs, was no exception.  Some are priced too high for the soft market that we are still experiencing, but many are priced very attractively and will, no doubt, have shorter days on market.

I can always be relied upon to provide you the most up-to-day and relevant information on homes in Winnetka, Wilmette, Kenilworth, Northfield and Glencoe.  If you are interested in discussing the sale of your home, or the purchase of a new home, please call me!  847-977-6024.

I spoke to a listing agent today regarding a home for sale in Wilmette that my client had an interest in.  I asked if I could get inside and take additional photos for her since she lives out of town and last viewed it in May.

And this is what the agent told me.  The seller is not motivated to sell.  They have already rejected another offer and feel strongly that whoever buys their house should love it just the way they have always loved it.  The comps don't matter and an appraisal that won't appraise doesn't matter.  They have decided to sell it but are comfortably living in it for the long haul.

So why even bother to sell (or even try.)  What is their motivation for not being motivated?  

Is it a colossal arrogance in deciding that they can and will sell, come hell or high water.  Do they feel vastly more informed in their knowledge of the real estate market than the professionals?

Is it boredom with life?  Let's have some fun and trot people through but not consider any reasonable offers.

Are they the kind of sellers that must have have the upper hand?  This is a fantastic house and you all should know it!

Could they be perilously close to being underwater and don't want anyone to find out? 

Divorcing and need the money and are willing to wait it out - for how long?

Or are they perversely bullheaded and unwilling to accept the realities of today's real estate market?

Could there be other reasons I have not thought of?  Why would you put yourself and many others through the charade of selling your house when you have absolutely no motivation to sell it for the current market rate?  

I suggest, Mr. and Mrs. Seller, that you take your house off the market.  You are idling and wasting gas. Buyers will still be here when you come back and perhaps the market will finally catch up to you.  But please stay away until you are ready to play ball.

I have written many times about the dangers of overpricing your Wilmette, Kenilworth,  or Winnetka home.  Overpricing may, in fact, leave you with even less money. 

Knobel Kitchens and Baths in Wilmette has been around for a long while - since 1933 to be precise.  Longer than any of their local competitors.  

Owned by brothers Peter and Paul Knobel, along with Peter's son Mark, the company is three-generational.  It was started by Peter's father's, a carpenter, in his basement, and then moved to a workshop in an area that is now the Mackenzie School field.  In 1948, he bought the current building where they remain to this day on Washington Street just west of Green Bay Road.  

The Knobel brothers are Certified Kitchen and Bath Designers, an accreditation given by the National Kitchen and Bath Association.   They must take continuing education to retain this certification.

Knobel Kitchens and Baths is a full service company that will work with you to design and install your new kitchen or bath.  They work with many designers and architects and are current on up-and-coming trends in the industry.  In order for you to better visualize your dream, they are happy to take you to a recent job and show you their kitchen work - where you have the opportunity to see  their workmanship first hand as well as find out a little about their work ethic from the homeowner.

Peter says that white kitchens are still very popular, and darker woods are being used in innovative ways such as a walnut drawer head installed into a painted cabinet.  Non-porous countertops such as Silestone, Cambria, and even Corian are being used more often because they don't require sealing like granite.  Some of these materials are being made to look more similar to granite, which is still the favorite.  LED lighting is being used more often in kitchens as well.  

They also do many bathrooms, including masters that are incorporating deluxe features like extra-large showers with rainheads and body sprays, and even televisions being inserted into mirrors.  

Knobel Kitchens and Baths is available for all remodeling projects, except room additions. They employ skilled carpenters who can remodel family rooms, bedroom suites, media rooms, basements, or any other room in your home.  They will stay on task and follow the job carefully from beginning to end.  They are excellent at space planning and detail, and work diligently to deliver a competitive price to you.   

Knobel Kitchens and Baths
1218 Washington Ave.
847-251-4465

Winnetka residents understand that our taxes are what they are because the lion's share helps fund our excellent school district.  But how much exactly and what else do they pay for?

Here's a great graphic (reprinted with permission from the Winnetka Village.)

Almost two-thirds of our Winnetka property taxes go to the school district - 62.23%.  This includes both New Trier High School (23.89%) and the Winnetka Public School District (38.34%.)   The balance is divided between the the Village of Winnetka, Cook County, Winnetka Parks, Winnetka Library, and several miscellaneous items. These numbers are from 2009 but the percentages would be very similar today.  

Looking at this from a different angle:  our property taxes contribute 53% to the Winnetka operating budget, with the balance coming from such sources as retail sales tax, permits and licenses, income tax, natural gas tax and several others.

It's important to be informed on where our Winnetka property taxes go - and yes, we have excellent schools to show for it.