northfield: Chicago Trib Reports Million Dollar Home Sales Up - True in Winnetka?
- 12/15/14 05:43 AM
This weekend the Chicago Tribune reported that:
"In the Chicago area, home sales in the million-and-up category were up 8 percent from January through September, with a median price (in that bracket) of $1.35 million, according to Re/Max Northern Illinois."
I checked to see how those numbers compared to high-end sales in the North Shore - specifically Winnetka, Wilmette, Kenilworth, Glencoe, and Northfield. I used the same time period - January through September in both 2013 and 2014.
There was indeed an increase in high-end homes in 2014 over 2013 - almost 13% more sales. The Tribune reported … (2 comments)
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northfield: Winnetka & North Shore Absorption Rate for Homes November 2014
- 12/01/14 06:42 AM
The absorption rate is a good standard by which to determine the kind of real estate market that is currently trending. "Kind of market" in this case means whether it's a good time to sell or a good time to buy.
A buyer's market occurs when inventory is high, sales are sluggish, and prices are dropping. A seller's market means homes are selling quickly and prices are rising. But what is the absorption rate?
Absorption rate: the rate at which a market absorbs (sells) inventory. The absorption rate determines how long it would take all the inventory to sell if no … (0 comments)
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northfield: Northfield Real Estate Market Report - October 2014
- 11/04/14 05:53 AM
Northfield had 8 homes close in October, which is the same number as last October, 2013. The numbers look like this:
Sold homes: 8
Average sold price: $621,000
Average list to sell price ratio: 93%
Average days on market: 47
An average of 47 days on market is excellent and the 93% ratio number is also very good.
Current Real Estate Market in Northfield
For sale: 40 homes
Price range: $249,000 to $2,100,000
Under contract: 9 homes (with contingencies)
Pending homes: 7 homes (contingencies cleared)
All homes for sale in Northfield
… (0 comments)
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northfield: Chicago Homes Sales Down - What About the North Shore
- 09/25/14 05:10 AM
Earlier this week the Chicago Tribune wrote an article about declining home sales in the 9-county
Chicagoland area (Local Housing Market's Cool-Off Continues.) The author states that sales fell by 14% in August 2014 compared to August 2013.
Blaming a harsh winter and a stagnant economy, plus concerns about mortgage availability and rising rates has consumers edgy. The silver lining is that prices continued to increase in varying degrees depending on location.
How do our five communities compare to the larger Chicago numbers. I looked up homes sales in Winnetka, Wilmette, Kenilworth, Glencoe, and Northfield and also found that sales were … (3 comments)
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northfield: Winnetka and North Shore Houses for Sale 1000+ Days - What Does it Mean
- 09/24/14 04:01 AM
In the back of my mind, I know that there are some North Shore homes - Winnetka, Wilmette,
Northfield, Kenilworth, and Glencoe, that have been on the market for what seems like forever. Why does this happen?
I always explain to my sellers that "time", as in market time, is not their friend. The longer their house languishes, the more suspect buyers become. A well priced home should sell fairly quickly - particularly in a seller's market. Even if the seller is a little high, the offers will come if the price is adjusted quickly.
If the seller has grossly overpriced their … (0 comments)
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northfield: Winnetka & North Shore Condo Prices on the Rise
- 06/27/14 08:36 AM
I have thought for a long time that we could use some more condos in Winnetka, Wilmette, Kenilworth, Glencoe, and Northfield (although Northfield does have a good selection)
Baby boomers (me included) are looking to downsize and for those that want to stay in the North Shore, it's no easy feat. Yes, there are currently 56 condos for sale in the area, ranging from a 1-bedroom priced at $89,000 to a 3-bedroom luxury condo in Northfield for $850,000.
But if you have specific needs, say, wanting to take your dog along, the number shrinks to 44 available condos.
If … (2 comments)
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northfield: Winnetka & North Shore Month-by-Month Sales 2014
- 06/16/14 02:36 AM
It was interesting for me to have a look at home sales in Winnetka, Wilmette, Kenilworth, Glencoe, and Kenilworth since the beginning of the year. We had a late start because of the beastly winter, but nevertheless, sales have increased to compensate for that.
Here is the breakdown for sold homes for all the villages combined for 2014:
January: 37
February: 32
March: 48
April: 75
May: 93
June: 38 sales to date (Monday, June 16).
There are 75 pending homes, and 75 under-contract homes which will close this summer. If just 1/3 of them close by June 30, we'll … (0 comments)
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northfield: Great Prices on Hanging Baskets and Potted Plants - near Winnetka IL
- 06/06/14 05:06 AM
I stumbled across a place last year that had dozens and dozens of flowering baskets, annuals, and perennials in their front yard. Actually, I had thought the owner was an overzealous gardener.
It turns out that the owner, George Pinkowski, sells all these beautiful growing things every summer. You just pull up in his driveway and walk around the yard or the porch and choose your items.
He has many large baskets that he sells for $24.00 (a comparable nursery or grocer store would charge $30-40.) He was perennial flats where you can pull out a 6-plant tray for $2.50.
… (1 comments)
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northfield: Winnetka & North Shore Real Estate Market Report - May 2014
- 06/05/14 01:41 AM
It's a mixed bag of results for market statistics for the various villages in the North Shore. Wilmette's average price sale and number of sales rose over May of 2013, but in Winnetka sales were down but prices were up.
Kenilworth's market is very low in total number of sales (just 1 in May) despite having a large inventory. Both Glencoe and Northfield had higher number of sales than last year, with Glencoe's average price remaining stagnant, and Northfield's average price going down.
All this tells me that the market is off-balance. As I've said month after month, homes in top condition … (2 comments)
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northfield: Winnetka & North Shore 1st Quarter 2014 Real Estate Report
- 04/24/14 07:28 AM
We are now going into the 2nd quarter of a strong seller's market in the North Shore towns of Winnetka, Wilmette, Kenilworth, Glencoe,Northfield, Glenview, and Northbrook. Here are how the numbers look for sold prices comparing the first quarters of 2013 and 2014.
In the first column, the average sold price of single-family homes in Winnetka, Wilmette, Kenilworth, Glencoe, and Northfield rose by 7.3% and in Glenview and Northbrook the price rose by 12%!
In addition, the average number of days to sell a house decreased by almost 2 weeks. There is a lack of inventory, but … (8 comments)
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northfield: Winnetka, Wilmette, Kenilworth, Northfield - Not Enough Homes for Sale
- 03/04/14 06:33 AM
You may have heard that there are not enough homes for sale in the North Shore towns of Winnetka, Wilmette, Northfield, and Kenilworth. Seems impossible that just two years ago Kenilworth had over 100 homes for sale and now has only 35 with 4 being under contract.
It is a cycle that's hard to break - sellers aren't listing because they can't find anything to move into. Buyers are increasingly frustrated as good homes sell very quickly.
This chart shows the inventory of homes for sale in Winnetka, Northfield, Wilmette, and Kenilworth from 2011 to the present. You can see the … (1 comments)
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northfield: Winnetka & Northfield February 2014 Real Estate Report
- 03/01/14 06:54 AM
YES, the frigid temps have affected the local (and perhaps national) real estate market. Who looks forward to trudging about in deep snow, ice, and -0 temps to find a house? Well, some for sure, but many are waiting it out.
With that said, it's been a slow February for sales with promises of a much busier March through June.
Winnetka Home Sales (no condos sold in February)
# Homes sold: 9
Average sale price: $893,222
Average list price to sell price ratio (after price reductions): 91%
Average days on market: 94
Current inventory: 96 homes
Price Range: $469,000 to $9,400,000
Under … (2 comments)
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northfield: Drs. Brian and Kimberly Ross - Northfield Dentists with an Artistic Touch
- 01/13/14 02:04 AM
Dr. Brian Ross and his wife Dr. Kimberly Ross, opened their dental practice (they bought the practice of Dr. Amy Wong) in Northfield. They are young, energetic and very hands on when dealing with their patients.
Drs. Brian and Kimberly met at dental school at the University of Illinois at Chicago. He graduated in 2008, she in 2009, and they acquired the practice in March of 2013. Dr. Amy Wong is gradually moving toward retirement and they feel that the transition has gone very smoothly and the continuity of having the same business manager helped make it even more seamless.
… (0 comments)
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northfield: Are Winnetka & North Shore New Construction Homes Getting Larger
- 01/06/14 05:19 AM
In the Chicago Tribune, Mary Umberger wrote in December: "The McMansion lives! . . . No, I don't think the McMansion is dead. People want that square footage."
She spoke with a spokesman at Pulte Builders (who does not build on the North Shore) who said that buyers still want large spaces - whether it's the kitchen, yard, master bedroom, closets or garage.
I decided to do a quick survey on new construction homes that were built in 2003 versus new ones built in 2013.
In the towns of Winnetka, Wilmette, Kenilworth, Glencoe, and Northfield, I found that newly … (7 comments)
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northfield: The North Shore Real Estate Market Report for 2013
- 01/05/14 04:46 AM
2013 was the comeback year for local real estate. The comeback was slow and steady with increasing prices and demand in Winnetka and other North Shore villages. There were multiple offers and many homes sold quickly - it was definitely a seller's market.
I foresee more homes coming on the market in Winnetka, Wilmette Kenilworth, Glencoe and Northfield in 2014 as sellers adjust to the new dynamic - it's not so scary anymore to list your house for sale!
Here is how 2013 compared to 2012 in numer of houses sold, the average sold price, the ratio of the … (1 comments)
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northfield: Northfield Dominick's to be Mariano's!!
- 12/02/13 08:04 AM
Good news for nervous grocery shoppers who have been wondering what will happen to the Northfield Dominick's. According to Chicago Breaking News, Roundy's is buying 11 Dominick's stores. And Roundy's owns Mariano's.
The transfer will occur in mid-December and Mariano's expects to open a month or two later. Current employees will need to reapply for their jobs at the new store, and Roundy's will also be holding job fairs and accepting applications.
The Safeway owned Dominick's were told of their fate in October. But employees were not the only ones in limbo. The Northfield location served a wide swath - Northfield, … (4 comments)
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northfield: Pet Friendly Condos in Winnetka, Wilmette & the North Shore
- 11/06/13 06:39 AM
UPDATED 2022
PET-FRIENDLY CONDOS IN WINNETKA AND THE NORTH SHORE
Animal lovers are often frustrated in their search for a new condo in Winnetka and other North Shore suburbs. I have had many buyer clients horrified to discover that their favorite condo complex won't allow man's best friend in the door. As a dog lover myself, I don't understand why all buildings don't just allow the creatures in their realm. As a pragmatist, I know that some people don't like them, and others have severe allergies and can't like them even if they wanted.
My daughter's downtown rental solved the … (6 comments)
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northfield: North Shore Real Estate Market Report - Winnetka, Wilmette, Kenilworth, Evanston
- 10/08/13 07:50 AM
North Shore Real Estate Year-to-Date Winnetka, Wilmette, Kenilworth, Glencoe, Northfield, Evanston, Glenview, Northbrook, Highland Park
Chicago's North Shore communities rebounded in 2013 - the figures have been up every month this year as I have shown in previous posts. Year-to-date single family home sales for the past 3 quarters is shown in this chart. With the exception of Northfield, all North Shore town showed an increase in sales.
Mortgage rates increased in May and June but that didn't slow down buyers' desire to purchase a new home. As has often been said, rates are still historically low. … (1 comments)
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northfield: 5 Things You Didn't Know about the North Shore Real Estate Market
- 08/06/13 07:38 AM
5 Things You Didn't Know about the North Shore Real Estate Market
There are many signs throughout the North Shore that the real estate market has changed for the better. One reason I like doing market reports is because of all the great data that comes out of it.
I've just done market reports comparing 2012 to 2013 year-to-date (January-July.) Here's what I discovered:
1. Kenilworth had the largest increase of total number of sales: up 71%
2. Winnetka home prices dropped 6% in 2013.
3. Northfield had the most condo sales both years: 21 … (5 comments)
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northfield: Block Parties - a Cherished North Shore Tradition
- 06/12/13 03:21 AM
Block Parties - a Cherished North Shore TraditionUpdated 2022
Back in 1986 when I moved to Roger Avenue in Kenilworth, the moms of the block revived an old tradition - the Fourth of July block party.
I moved away from the block in 1989 - but I have never given up on the block party. Every year since, my family has returned, first with children in tow, and as they grew up, just the two of us.
And so it is throughout the North Shore - and not just on the Fourth of July. Every Memorial Day, Labor Day, and just any old day, … (1 comments)
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This weekend the Chicago Tribune reported that: 
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