Today's Chicago Tribune (November 24, 2009) front page headline proclaims:  "Home Sales Surge in Area."  Is it true in Winnetka, Wilmette, Kenilworth, Glencoe and Northfield? Have prices plummeted as the article claims? Well, in a word, no.  And how much of this increase can be attributed to the First Time Home Buyer Credit.  Is real estate local?  First the numbers: OCTOBER 2009 Units Sold:  54 Average Market Time:  259 days Median Price:  $677,500 Average Price:  $917,573 Total Volume:  $49,548,952 OCTOBER 2008 Units Sold:  48 Average Market Time:  185 days Median Price:  $620,600 Average Price:  $884,253 Total Volume:  $42,444,125 OCTOBER 2007 Units Sold:  62 Market Time:  126 days Median Price:  $866,500 Average Price:  $1,233,568 Total Volume:  $74,481,238 OCTOBER 2006 Units Sold: ... 11/24/2009

The Schmidt-Burnham Log House - Winnetka, ILUPDATED 2022Winnetka's Original Log Home - the Schmidt-Burnham Log house is thought to be Winnetka's oldest home.  Some fine homes are still standing that were built as early as the 1890s, but this simple design was built by the earliest settlers in the vicinity.  This log house is slightly more sophisticated than the humble one-room log cabin and was intended to be permanent, having two or more rooms plus a second story. The logs were closely fitted with a complicated system of notching.  Sticks and stones were placed between the logs and covered with mud to help weatherize the home.  Interestingly, the windows and doors were cut out after the home was built!Finnish and Swedish immigrants originally introduced this simple construction style t... 11/16/2009

Winnetka, Wilmette, Kenilworth, Northfield October Home Sales - homes sales are down for the month of October compared to September and August.  But that's not unusual, given the usual end of the year slowdown.  Prices continue to dip and houses on the market for the longest period of time sustained the greatest loss.  But prices are just beginning to stabilize I think, or at least the decline has markedly slowed down. Winnetka - 12 total sales - Average Sale Price:  $1,318,750 1487 Tower, $480,000 sold price, 86 days on market, 84% of asking price 1010 Oak, $565,000 sold price, 420 days on market, 76% of asking 1146 Cherry, $680,000 sold price, 64 days on market, 91% of asking 206 Green Bay, $700,000 sold price, 872 days on market, 78% of asking 1025 Elm, $1,145,000 sold price, 153 day... 11/08/2009

After reading about the tragic death of a young folk singer in Canada from an attack by two coyotes, I am reminded that these wild animals should be treated with caution and never, ever fed.  These amazing animals have been thriving in our urban/suburban environement.  Because they look like the famiily dog, well-meaning people can sometimes forget that coyotes need to be left to fend for themselves.  This is for their protection as well as ours. Experts say this this type of attack is extremely rare.  In order to keep facts in perspective, there are 4.7 million  dog bites every year - with 1000 people every day needing treatment in emergency rooms.  Meanwhile, some other statistics about coyotes: about 1 person per year is bitten by a coyote in California between 1993-1997 seven people... 10/31/2009

Every buyer I have ever worked with has asked me to explain the Cook County system of property tax assessment.  Explain?  How could I adequately do this when the Civic Federation  says this on their blog: "The Cook County property tax system is so complex that it is impossible to predict exactly how the new tax rates will affect an individual property owner’s bill." And in today's Chicago Tribune, in an excellent article by Eric Zorn, he writes: "Just about everything having to do with property taxes is convoluted and every explanation is filled with jargon, acronyms and more math than most of us are used to doing." But of course, I try to explain it - as I will again now.  Especially in light of the fact that Winnetka, Wilmette, Kenilworth and other North Shore communities have seen dr... 10/30/2009

New Trier High School in Winnetka is hoping that the school board will vote to set a referendum for next February to allow voters to decide on going ahead with plans to refurbish portions of the campus.  The estimated cost of renovations is $185 million which translates into approximately $300 additional in residents' tax bills.  Earlier this year the district nixed more expensive plans, including a $400 million rebuild that voters said was too expensive. If approved the project would commence in the summer of 2010 and be completed in two years.  The school has not had a proper renovation in decades and the swelling population has only magnified the issues.  The plan includes state-of-the-art renovations such as 40 new classrooms, new spaces for science, performing arts, visual arts, p... 10/22/2009

Summer wasn't so hot.  Fall has been cloudy and damp.  But then today happened - warmer temperatures and the sunshine just made the fall colors sparkle like rubies and garnets. Here's my take on today:   10/19/2009

No Dairy Queen for Winnetka! Winnetka residents waited all summer long for Dairy Queen to open up on the corner of Elm and Lincoln streets.  The windows to the old Depot restaurant were papered over and a hopeful sign there said Dairy Queen was doing the renovations. Month after month went by and the brown paper in the windows started to look bedraggled and the permit vanished.  Nary a workmen showed up.  I started to worry when I called Dairy Queen last spring inquiring about the opening date and was told there were no plans to open one in Winnetka. Now it's confirmed.  The head of business development for the Village of Winnetka told me this week that the company has canceled its plan.  Why?  The original store was to serve only ice cream and treats - then someone at the corporate off... 10/18/2009

Just a few years ago, the  bewildering words "short sale" were starting to pop up in our realtor meetings. No one really bothered to learn much about them since things like that didn't happen on the North Shore.  Maybe in Evanston, Chicago, or the south suburbs.     Not so today.  Realtors have had to listen and learn about the implications of short sales, pre-foreclosures, foreclosures, auctions, and other distressed properties.  Certainly the North Shore has not been immune.  While recently showing condo properties for a friend on the North side of Chicago, fully 90% of these units were distressed.  The North Shore is not seeing numbers approach anything close to that, but enough to raise heads and have people calling and asking about them.       Here's how the numbers look:          ... 10/10/2009

Another month, another set of stats.  Sales are still below average (what is average nowadays, anyway?)  Sale prices have continued with downward pressure - except when priced properly.  As I've shown month after month, competitive price = quick sale and more profit.  It's really that simple. Winnetka - 12 closed sales (20 in August) 1035 Elm  $569,500   161 days on market, 82% of asking price 1257 Scott  $575,000   33 days on market, 87% of asking price 1413 Tower  $590,000   398 days on market, 66% of asking price 910 Spruce  $647,500   428 days on market, 82% of asking price 437 Chestnut  $730,000   401 days on market, 69% of asking price 756 Lincoln   $742,500    397 days, 68% 1264 Forest Glen  $751,500    138 days, 86% 1088 Mt. Pleasant  $758,000   80 days, 82% 511 Willow   $1,100,... 10/01/2009

Winnetka Historic Homes - An Introduction  Winnetka historic homes have been a hot topic lately - and not just in Winnetka, but in Wilmette, Kenilworth, and Glencoe as well.  But this article is not about the outrage over teardowns or about property rights, but about Winnetka's historic homes themselves.According to "Winnetka Architecture:  Where Past is Present" published by the Winnetka Historical Society, almost every building style is represented in Winnetka:  Log House Italianate Victorian Gothic Queen Anne Shingle Style Prairie School Arts & Crafts Bungalow American Foursquare Classical Revival Colonial Revival Georgian Revival Federal Revival Dutch Colonial Revival Tudor Revival French Revival Spanish Colonial Revival Art Deco Early Modern Architecture Post War Trends The first s... 09/21/2009

The August real estate sales for Winnetka,Wilmette, Northfield, Kenilworth and Glencoe have dipped and jumped like a roller coaster.  From month to month there is no steady increase or decrease that I can make any predictions about.  The one thing I noticed in Winnetka is that 2/3 of the sold homes were over $1,000,000 - probably just an anomoly but interesting nevertheless.   Winnetka - 19 closed sales 781 Locust  $528,000 611 Lincoln  $685,000 520 Meadow  $700,000 1175 Hamptondale  $725,000 1004 Elm  $760,000 1560 Asbury  $900,000 170 Birch  $1,000,000 1173 Cherry  $1,025,000 1270 Asbury  $1,035,000 555 Arbor Vitae  $1,320,000 377 Provident  $1,338,000 95 Indian Hill  $1,400,000 1036 Oak  $1,500,000 480 Willow  $1,800,000 110 Evergreen  $1,830,800 15 Old Green Bay  $1,950,000 1149 Lau... 09/01/2009

  July on the North Shore was good for home sales with a spike in closed sales for all communities listed here.  The sales are also an improvement over 2008 before the recession started.   Winnetka Winnetka had 30 sales in July, an improvement over June which had 21 sales.  The sale prices ranged from $380,000 for a 50 x 160 lot on Scott St. to $4,350,000 for a lakefront home on Hoyt.  The average sale price was $1,434,260 and the median was $1,100,000.  Wilmette Wilmette's housing turnover improved with 26 sales in July, compared to June where 23 houses sold. The range was from $200,000 for an REO property on Illinois up to $1,665,000 for a 6-year old home on Forest.  The average sale price was $813,000 and the median price was $643,000. Kenilworth 5 sales in Kenilworth - a great impro... 08/19/2009

Hubbard Woods Winnetka Homes for Sale and Open Houses for Sunday, July 26 - I am amazed to say that there are 47 listings just in the Hubbard Woods area of Winnetka!  There are a total of 234 homes for sale in all of Winnetka! There is something for everybody here starting at $459,000 all the way up to a lakefront estate for $10,750,000.  Let's take a look at some of the homes:' $459,000 - 1065 Chatfield is being sold as a teardown on a 50 x 150 lot.  It's just steps from Hubbard Woods School and is priced at $100,000 less than the current seller/builder paid for it in 2007! $819,000 - 1054 Tower is on a very busy street . . . but the house is perfect inside.  It was rehabbed and redecorated and you would never know the street is just outside.   $1,145,000 - 1430 Edgewood has a 90 x 200... 07/25/2009

UPDATED 2022 Hubbard Woods School in Winnetka ILProviding a good education is the goal of all parents with school-age children.  My experience with buyers, particularly out-of-town buyers, is that any house they purchase must be in an excellent school district. Here on the North Shore, including Winnetka, Wilmette, Kenilworth, and Glencoe, all elementary, middle and junior high schools feed into New Trier High School, one of the top high schools in Illinois.  All these feeder schools are rigorous in maintaining standards that are conducive to success at New Trier High School. Hubbard Woods has two schools that serve elementary grades - the public school Hubbard Woods School, (which is a kindergarten through fourth grade) and the private Catholic school Sacred Heart.  A historical record... 07/24/2009

 Hubbard Woods WinnetkaUpdated 2022Hubbard Woods in Winnetka is close to everything you need, including schools, shopping, the Metra line, Eden's Expressway, forest preserves, Lake Michigan beaches, and did I mention great houses for sale.  Hubbard Woods was named for Gilbert Hubbard who arrived in Winnetka in 1872 after the Chicago fire.The charming area of Hubbard Woods is in the northern end of Winnetka with Tower Road along the north border, Green Bay Road on the east, Forestway Drive along the west, and Pine Street on the south side. There is no shortage of design, clothing, and gift stores in Hubbard Woods, including Material Possessions, Mattie M, Randoons, and many smaller art print shops, antique stores, and boutiques.  Locally, everyone knows that during Winnetka's Sidewalk Sa... 07/23/2009

What is a Jumbo loan and why is it so hard to get?     The historically low interest rates that we have been seeing in the last few years apply only to "conforming" loans, or those less than $417,000.  If you need to borrow more than that amount, your are applying for a "jumbo" loan.  In Winnetka and other North Shore communities (Wilmette, Kenilworth, Northfield, Glencoe) where house prices are high, jumbo loans are more necessary to secure but are also more expensive and difficult to obtain. In general, jumbo loans require a 20% to 25% downpayment and 6 to 12 months in reserve (PITI) and qualifying has become so much more difficult.  The National Association of Realtors recently did a study:      "The research reveals that limited availability and higher interest rates in the jumbo lo... 07/22/2009

 Things are looking up!   Sales for Winnetka, Wilmette, Kenilworth and Glencoe are definitely higher than  comparable sales in May (see May Market Report.) But if sales are up, what about prices?  I've including something different in this report - the percentage of sale price to  original list price.  Some of these homes came on the market pre-market downturn and are now selling at remarkably lower prices.  New homes coming on the market now will not reflect the same % of list/sale price that these numbers reflect.   Winnetka - 21 Sales!  (7 sales in 2008) 624 Willow               $350,000  (81% of original asking price) 929 Tower                 350,000  (61%) 1491 Asbury              460,000  (79%) 1107 Tower               520,000  (95%)  on market for 9 days 329 Rosewood           5... 07/07/2009

It's time again to celebrate our nation's Independence Day on Saturday, the Fourth of July.  This federal holiday commemorates the adoption of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776 which declared independence from Great Britain.  Since that day, Americans have hosted parades, fireworks, picnics, and barbecues. In Winnetka on the the 4th of July: 10:00 am:  The parade begins near the corner of Glendale and Elm streets and proceeds  east to the Village Green.  Anyone can participate and is encouraged to join in.  Watch the parade along Elm Street and see bagpipes, marching bands, and floats. 11:00 am:  Events on the Green will include a flag-raising ceremony plus races and events for all ages. 6:30 pm:   At Duke Childs field, before the fireworks, children can enjoy face-paintin... 07/02/2009

Winnetka has landed on Business Week's list of "Most Expensive Suburbs to Live In," for the second year in a row along with Atherton, California and Scarsdale, New York.  Is this a blessing or a curse?  Winnetkans know what a wonderful community we have and we are well aware of local house prices and a tax base that affords us one of the best school districrts in the country. But I'm wondering - why Winnetka and not Kenilworth or Lake Forest (Kenilworth was chosen in 2007)  - on average, their home prices are higher than Winnetka.    They have a formula, explained in the link to the article,  The Most Expensive Suburbs to Live in 2009, that basically looked at mortgage and utility payments, clothing, food, beverage, property taxes and health care.  Based on those statistics, Winnetka ha... 06/15/2009