Today someone asked me how many homes are on the market in Winnetka.  Being a stats junkie, (try not to snore) I usually have a pretty good idea of the number of single family homes for sale in Winnetka.  Then she mentioned that it seem as though 20% of the existing single family homes are for sale.  We talked about the large number of “For Sale” signs peppering every block, but knowing that typically, 5% of homes turn over in any community in a year, 20% seemed over the top.  I turned to the 2000 Census data to try to find the total number of single and multifamily structures in Winnetka.  Well, in 2000, there were 3709 single family dwellings and 592 attached homes, i.e. condos, apartments, townhomes.  With 206 active single family homes currently for sale and 54 “under contract”... 05/19/2010

April Housing Sales for Winnetka, Wilmette, Kenilworth, Glencoe and Northfield The Federal tax rebate that expired at the end of April was not instrumental in the final tally of sales in Winnetka, Wilmette, Kenilworth, Northfield, and Glencoe. One positive change is that the list price to sale price ratio has increased, except for Winnetka where homes are still going on the market priced too high. The average list price/sell price ratios were: Winnetka: 72% of asking price (12 closed sales) Northfield: 78% of asking price (6 closed sales) Kenilworth: 84% of asking price (2 closed sales) Glencoe: 84% of asking price (5 closed sales) Wilmette: 86% of asking price (16 closed sales) Here are the actual sales by Village: Winnetka 714 Cherry - $714,000 list price, $495,000 sell price - 69% of... 05/04/2010

Updated 2022Winnetka Historic Homes - Victorian Gothic Style Winnetka Historic Homes - Victorian Gothic Style.  Clustered in and around downtown Winnetka are several homes built in the 1806s and 1870s when this style was popular.  One common theme that will help you distinguish one of these homes is the lacy "gingerbread" pattern that appears as a frontal detail.The Victorian Gothic building emphasizes height and includes steep gable roofs with finials, pendants, and scrolled ornaments.  Victorian Gothic was a highly romantic style that represented an escape from the city - the house was intended to sit within broad grassy lawns or a country setting, which Winnetka was during the 1860s-1870s. At that time, the newly invented steam-powered scroll saw and lathe were put to use in the desi... 04/22/2010

New homes have been coming on the market regularly now since January with little movement out of the market.  But the month of March has indeed come in "like a lion."  Finally houses are going under contract and at a pretty fast clip. Here's the rundown:  There are 197 homes for sale in Winnetka, Illinois.  Of those, 17 are under contract.  Well, that's not great, of course, but the intersting fact is that 12 of those 17 went under contract just in March, most just in the past week. Traditionally, New Trier Township schools go on Spring Break during the last week of March - did buyers want to jump in before they left?  That's unusual since home inspections and attorney approval reviews occur during the week after purchase. Are buyers foregoing Spring Break this year?  Now, that's really... 03/24/2010

In Winnetka - a Village Prays and a Child Inspires.  Billy Joel wrote the truest lyrics when he sang "Only the good die young."  So often we find ourselves saying why couldn't it be Osama bin Laden or some ruthless murderer locked away in jail.  The small red signs began appearing all over town about six weeks ago.  I looked online and found nothing.  Then a client told me last week that a 9-year old girl name Chloe had died and so, the signs and outpouring of support finally made sense. Although I don't know Chloe or her family, I read about her in the local Winnetka Talk newspaper.  That's when Billy Joel's lyrics came back to me - and I understood that a very special child was gone. Chloe was a fourth grader at Sacred Heart in Winnetka who inspired everyone who met her through her ki... 03/21/2010

Kitten Adoptions at Noah's Art in Winnetka!  Our wonderful pet supply store, Noah's Ark, is hosting a kitten adoption in conjunction with Paws Chicago, Chicago's largest no-kill humane animal shelter. The event is called "March Madness" and will be held tomorrow, Saturday, March 20, from 12-4 pm. There will be ten kittens available for adoption, all of which are neutered or spayed, and vaccinated.  The cost to adopt one kitten is $100 and $150 for two kittens.  Here are just a few of these darling babies hoping for new homes:   Pepper                                                                                                                           3-month old female           Peggy Lee 4-month old female         Pensacola 4-month old female         Mirai 4-month old female       ... 03/19/2010

Winnetka - TV Tune Out Week Activities - it's that time again, from Sunday March 7 through Saturday March 13 is Winnetka's annual time to motivate children to find other fun activities in lieu of watching television. TV Tune Out Week was started in 1995 by the Winnetka Alliance for Early Childhood and aimed at children 3 to 13 years old.  For seven days children are encouraged to turn off their televisions, as well as computers and video games and experience new adventures. Last year, 30 schools (5,500 students) participated and that included public, private, parochial and nursery schools.  The Winnetka Alliance stresses that they are not suggesting throwing out the family television, but just simply reevaluating its role in our lives and looking for interesting alternatives. To make th... 03/09/2010

February Housing Stats for Winnetka, Wilmette, Kenilworth & Glencoe - and the craziness continues!  What do I mean by that?  I have consistently shown month after month that listing your house for sale for too high a price will result in: a long wait to sell less money in the end It's really that simple.  February sales for Winnetka, Wilmette, Kenilworth and Glencoe are still going at an average of 76% of the original list price (almost idential to January.)  This number does not reflect one foreclosure and one short sale that I removed from the totals (which sold for 49% and 63% respectively.)  Days on market have been longer than it takes a baby elephant to come to term in the womb. Only four houses sold in under 1 week one sold in 6 weeks three sold in under three months and the rest... 03/01/2010

January home sales in Winnetka, Wilmette, Kenilworth, and Glencoe were not large, but it's January after all.  Everyone's waiting for the Super Bowl, right?  And since that happened last night . . . Well, here are the stats: Winnetka (9 sales) 509 Elder- listed at $775,000, sold for $550,000, 302 days on market, 71% of list price 1151 Laurel - listed $1,200,000, sold $862,500, 116 days on market, 72% of list price 900 Forest Glen - listed $1,395,000, sold $1.1M, 68 days on market, 72% of list price 625 Hill - listed $1,225,000, sold $1,125,000, 58 days on market, 92% of list price 1010 Mt. Pleasant - listed $2.2M, sold $1.5M, 464 days on market, 68% of list price 1144 Tower - listed $2,249,000, sold $1.6M, 215 days on market, 71% of list price 303 Woodley - listed $2,795.000, sold $1.9M... 02/08/2010

UPDATED 2022 NOAH'S ARK PET STORE Winnetka IL  Noah's Ark Pet Store in Winnetka is owned by Angie DeMars - and as far as animals go, she walks the walk.  Her pet store caters to all things animal, but she is a dedicated and passionate advocate for adoption and works closely with PAWS Chicago (Pets Are Worth Saving) a no-kill shelter.Angie grew up in Colorado and is a lifelong animal lover.  After graduating from college, she bought a one-way ticket to Chicago because she was intrigued by seeing it so often in movies and felt it would be a great place to live.  She went right to work at KPMG as a database manager and eventually got married and settled down in Winnetka. She adopted a pet from PAWS, a sickly Maltese named Mimi, and through the rigors of taking care of her dog, she became p... 01/31/2010

Buying a foreclosure - it's not a slam-dunk.                  Just a few years ago, foreclosures were almost unheard of in the North Shore communities of Winnekta, Wilmette, Kenilworth, Glencoe and Northfield.  Only far off Evanston had a few foreclosures that most agents from the North Shore never had any reason to deal with. We all know now that things have changed.  There are 4 total foreclosures in Winnetka, Wilmette, Kenilworth, Glencoe, and Northfield (and 33 short sales.)   Most buyers think that a great deal is in the offing - and it can be but nothing is certain when dealing with foreclosures. First of all, the bank now has control.  Different banks have different procedures, but usually  more paperwork is necessary.  As an example, all banks require a pre-approval letter and i... 01/18/2010

Steve Baird, president and CEO of Baird and Warner Real Estate, has been named to Inman News' 100 Most Influential Leaders in Real Estate.  Compiled annually, the list reflects the "best and brightest," who this past year have risen to the challenge posed by a battered economy and housing hardships. The list covers a broad group of individuals both directly and indirectly involved in real estate, including, brokers, government officials, journalists, consultants, and those in the financial services sector. As an agent for Baird & Warner's Winnetka office, I am very proud that Steve Baird's influence on real estate has resounded beyond Chicago.  This multi-generationally owned family business has been involved in Chicago real estate for 150 years and has 23 offices throughout the area.  ... 01/08/2010

December Closed Sales in Winnetka,Wilmete, Glencoe, Kenilworth, and Northfield   In December, sales were moderate in Wilmette, Glencoe, Northfield and Kenilworth while Winnetka had a big jump.  Here are the numbers: Winnetka - 19 Closed Sales Wilmette - 14 Closed Sales Glencoe - 11 Closed Sales Northfield - 6 Closed Sales Kenilworth - 2 Closed Sales   Graph of original price vs. final selling price for December:                                 Graph of Average Days on Market           01/04/2010

New Trier High School in Winnetka - To Renovate or Not?    A volatile subject sure to raise hackles in the coming 2 months is not whether New Trier needs a renovation, because most residents believe it does.  The issue is just how much renovation it needs and at what cost. One proposal early on called for the complete rebuild of the school with an accompanying price tag of $400 million which was denounced as too expensive and too intrusive to the community.  Other ideas called for enlarging the Northfield campus, rebuilding just the west side, or just continuing to make repairs as they were needed. What ultimatley has been proposed is replacing the:                     Cafeteria Gates Gymnasium Tech Arts Building Music/Performing Arts Building This work is estimated to take 2 1/2 years ... 12/14/2009

I was curious to see how much the tax credit would affect sales in Winnetka, Wilmette, Kenilworth and Glencoe.  As it applied to first time home buyers (or buyers who had not bought for three years) and with income restrictions I did not think it would have much of an impact. Basically, I was right, with the exception of Wilmette which posted 32 sales for the month of November. Here's how everything panned out for November closed sales: Winnetka 8 sales Total $ Volume:  $8,083,500 Median Price:  $871,250 Average Price:  $1,010,438   Wilmette 32 sales Total $ Volume:  $24,798,050 Median Price:  $620,000 Average Price:  $1,585,000   Kenilworth No sales   Glencoe 8 Sales Total Dollar Volume:  $6,023,471 Median Price:  $584,736 Average Price:  $752,934   Northfield 4 sales Total Dollar Volu... 12/09/2009

Native Prairie at Shelton Park in Glencoe, ILUpdated 2022A bit of native prairie is returning to Glencoe at Shelton Park near the corner of Green Bay Road and Harbor.  I was pleasantly surprised one morning while jogging through the park to see a new sign announcing this exciting development.  In a land where tallgrass prairies once ranged as far as the eye could see and as tall as a horse, this approximately 1/2 acre plot may not seem like much, but believe me, it is!It takes a long time and a lot of patience to establish a native prairie - prairie plants have extremely long roots that are fire and drought-resistant.  It may seem like the weeds have won the battle in the first 2-3 years, but ultimately the prairie plants will dominate and their dense root system will not allow weeds to... 12/07/2009

Winnetka's Annual Holiday Sale is this Sunday December 6.  Many shops throughout town participate in this event and offer storewide discounts of up to 20%.  The sale is always scheduled on the first Sunday after Thanksgiving and many stores offer treats as well.  Let's support our village by shopping locally! Here is a list of participating vendors: Hubbard Woods Creme de la Creme E Street Denim Hastens Beds Marigolds Material Possessions Mattie M Simon's Boutique West Elm All She Wrote Bleacher's Sports Ellen's on Elm Frances Heffernan/Frannie Grand Foods Gray Noah's Ark Pet Supply Rosemary Shugar S'Agaro Sunday Afternoon Gallery T. L. Fritts Sporting Goods The Book Stall Valentina Village Toy Shop Vose-Sanders Bootery East Elm Conney's Pharmacy Davis Miller Marion Michael Orrington Je... 12/04/2009

Updated 2022 Winnetka Historic Homes - Italianate Style Victorian homes were being constructed in this country between 1840-1890 and the most popular of them was the Italianate style.  Although an American original, they were generally inspired by Italian villas and farmhouses and could be as simple as a two-story home or an elaborate mansion.There are several features that distinguish this style but the most prominent is the elaborate cornice.  The eaves are deep-set with rows of brackets along the underside.  The homes are usually irregular in shape and stand two to three stories high or even higher.  Many of these homes have spacious porches. bay windows, and hipped roofs (where all sides are sloped.)  An original feature that has been lost on most of these homes is the cupola.The It... 12/03/2009

TOP TEN HOME IMPROVEMENTS THAT BENEFIT SELLERS   Getting top $$ for your home is the target of a real estate agent- and the best way to hit the center mark is to make sure your home is in the best conditon you can make it.  I always go through a seller's home to assess the minimum that should be done to achieve this goal and it does not have to be expensive or labor intensive. The home valuation company, HomeGain polled 1000 real estate agents to come up with a list of the most important, least expensive, and most value intensive improvements that sellers can do to prepare their home for the market.  Since they started the poll in 2000, the #1 task has been . . . decluttering the house.  How cheap is that?  Labor intensive, maybe, but the most important thing you can do is simply put th... 11/30/2009

It's been drilled into our heads:  LOCATION LOCATION LOCATION.  A desirable location can add real value while living on a busy street, across from commercial buildings or noisy areas can greatly decrease the value of your home.  But here's an interesting concept I came across:  your "Walkability" score, or your home's proximity to desired amenities such as coffee houses, grocery shopping, cafes, schools, parks, libraries, etc. A recent report, "Walking the Walk:  How Walkability Raises Home Values in U.S. Cities," was put together from transaction data from Zip Realty and scored on the basis of your home's nearby amenities.  The score ranges from 0 to 100 with 100 having the best score and anything over 70 indicating that it's possible to get around without a car.  The study was commiss... 11/29/2009