HUBBARD WOODS APRIL 2020 April has seen a flood of new listings in Hubbard Woods. I had predicted that this would happen after the shelter-at-home ended, but it seems  that sellers are not waiting. Just one home being offered is listed under $1 million. Buyers are out there, just not in great numbers and that may not change until we are freer to move about.NEW HUBBARD WOODS LISTINGS IN APRIL 2020  1525 Scott - $985,000Under contract in 19 days          1299 Trapp - $1,049,000          1447 Edgewood - $1,049,000          830 Heather - $1,199,000         1503 Edgewood - $1,299,000(previous sale July 2019 for $1,210,000)        1141 Chatfield - $1,399,000(previous sale June 2018 for $1,375,000)        1435 Tower - $1,650,000         777 Heather - $2,599,999          CLOSED HUBBARD WOODS H... 05/05/2020

What Sold in Your Village in April?April was the first full month of statistics for home sales during the coronavirus. Sales were down substantially in Winnetka, Wilmette, and Glencoe, but rose in Kenilworth and stayed the same in Northfield (numbers shown below.)Here’s the rundown for North Shore real estate in April.   WINNETKA  Current Winnetka Real Estate Market:Homes for sale: 103Price range: $375,000 to $9,500,000Median price ytd: $927,000Under contract: 38Condos for sale: 9Price range: $210 to $725,000 April 2019 home sales: 29April 2020 home sales: 14   WILMETTE  Current Wilmette Real Estate Market:Homes for sale: 101Price range: $305,000 to $2,699,000Median price ytd: $700,000Under contract: 55Condos for sale:  35Price range: $145,000 to $1,599,000 April 2019 home sales: 47Apri... 05/05/2020

Coronavirus Mask Laws in Winnetka & the North Shore Rules regarding mask wearing while doing shopping and other errands are changing daily. If you’re visiting multiple locations, it’s best to keep a supply of masks in your car just in case. Here’s what we know about regulations regarding masks in the North Shore while outside. Villages that now require masks to be worn (as of April 23, 2020): GlenviewHighland ParkMorton GroveNilesSkokieWilmette Winnetka and Glencoe are encouraging all residents to wear masks but have not passed laws to do so. Individuals may be turned away if not complying with the law (each business has this option.) Face coverings are not required when outside walking, running, biking, or other physical activities. You are not required to wear one while in your person... 04/23/2020

Winnetka Real Estate Broker Margaret Goss enjoys a reputation for service and trustworthiness that provides her with what every long-term REALTOR® wants – a twenty-one year career largely built on referrals and repeat business from satisfied clients. At the root of her success is her commitment to listening well, taking the time to understand her client's needs and wishes, and then keeping them fully informed throughout the process. Clients often remark on her patience and the fact that she never leans on them to take action before they're ready.  While many cite a love of homes for their entry into real estate, Margaret cites her love of people. She enjoys meeting new people, hearing their stories, and working with them to attain their goals. She loves answering clients' questions and... 04/22/2020

 The  Winnetka North Shore Housing Market Update During Stay-at-Home Buying or selling a home right now is not the first priority for the majority of us. The process itself has changed tremendously with open houses, showings, and client meetings moving to a virtual platform. According to Ris-Media: a quarter of surveyed agents had at least one client who bought a home sight-unseen. For actual showings of homes there are Covid-19 disclosures to sign and strict adherence to current protocols including wearing booties, hand sanitizer, masks, and gloves.  So while the market continues to slow down and is really a shell of its former self, homes are, in fact, going under contract, having inspections, and closing. Because there are always people that need to buy or sell a home right now.In th... 04/17/2020

 Good Grapes - Great Wines!Nestled in a prime corner spot in Winnetka, Good Grapes Champagne and Wine Boutique is a quintessential wine shop. Rows of beautifully labeled wines line the walls and awaken the senses to something new and exciting.  Theresa Lucas, the owner, started her career in the corporate world but left and opened her first wine shop in Glencoe in 2008. She moved her shop to its present larger location in Winnetka in 2014.  Her unusual introduction to wine started when she went to wine tastings in the 1990s when they weren’t very well understood and attended. She would end up spending hours with the bored reps who taught her about all the different wines.  She has fun exploring wines and she does blind tastings when she’s purchasing - she doesn’t know where it’s from or... 04/03/2020

 What Sold in Your Village in March? The usually strong spring market began to fade as the first month of the coronavirus crisis took hold. As of yesterday, all open houses have forbidden and many homeowners have removed their homes from the market.  I’d love to think that the market will pick up where it left off when this is all over. But the reality of the economy and what affects it will have on local buying power remain to be seen.   WINNETKA  Current Winnetka Real Estate Market:Homes for sale: 100Price range: $335,000 to $9,500,000Current median for sale price: $$1,300,000Under contract: 38Condos for sale: 9Price range: $140,000 to $725,000 WILMETTE  Current Wilmette Real Estate Market:Homes for sale: 112Price range: $295,000 to $2,699,000Current median for sale price: $849,000Und... 04/02/2020

 HUBBARD WOODS  MARCH 2020 March is the first month to show the effect that the coronavirus has had on local real estate. Showings, listings, and under-contracts have been greatly reduced. Sellers who continue to show their homes are requiring that agents and buyers not have flown in the past 14 days, respect strict social distancing, and not touch anything. As of yesterday, all open houses have been suspended. NEW HUBBARD WOODS LISTINGS IN MARCH 2020 1363 Hackberry - $3,250,000This home closed last August for $3,250,000     There were no new listings in the Private Network:CLOSED HUBBARD WOODS HOME SALESAs for closed sales, there were four in March: 1447 TowerList price: $558,000Sold price: $503,888Days on market: 133     806 LocustList price: $649,000Sold price: $655,000Days on market... 04/02/2020

 Buy, Sell, or Wait? Covid-19 and the North Shore Real Estate Market WHAT’S HAPPENING NOW Clearly the coronavirus quarantine and safety concerns are having a direct impact on the local real estate market.  There have been many North Shore homes taken off the market but the great majority are still for sale. Home sellers that have kept their homes on the market are implementing changes to their listings such as requesting that the agent and buyers are healthy, they use hand sanitizer, not touch any surfaces, and remove shoes. There are currently (as of Tuesday, March 24) 372 homes for sale in Winnetka, Wilmette, Kenilworth, Glencoe, and Northfield. There were 57 cancellations of home listings since March 1 - which is 15% of the market. If you include the 27 homes listed as “temporarily n... 03/25/2020

  Covid-19 Not all Bad News! There’s a pretty smart guy out there who writes a tech/financial blog. He shared his blog online with his customers and I was able to see it. Peter Diamandis is the founder and executive of the XPRIZE Foundation, the author of two best-selling books, has degrees in molecular genetics and aerospace engineering from MIT, and holds an M.D. from Harvard Medical School.  I wanted to state all that first because I would say he knows what he’s talking about.  The title of his blog is “Good News About the Covid-19 Pandemic.” Some highlights: (1) Vaccine development: An experimental vaccine developed by Moderna Inc. began the first stage of a clinical trial on Monday, with testing on 45 healthy adults in Seattle. (2) China's new cases plummet: China has now closed do... 03/19/2020

 New Trier High School Homes for Sale Winnetka IL Buyers often seek out homes in North Shore villages that feed into New Trier High School. Often, the elementary or middle schools are less important than the final school their child will attend before college. We all know the caliber of the education and how well New Trier students do getting into the college of their choice. New Trier’s main campus for sophomores, juniors, and seniors is in east Winnetka while a freshman-only campus was opened in 2005 in Northfield. From its entry on Wikipedia: “New Trier spends more than $15,000 yearly per student, well above the state average of $8,786.[18] It has been included in the "Top Hundred" and "Most Successful" lists of the National Association of Secondary School Principals, The New York Ti... 03/18/2020

Sole+Luna in Winnetka IL Amy Bradley and Jessica Dietrich are two friends who have started something exciting in Hubbard Woods, Winnetka. They’ve taken over the old Sawbridge Studio space and opened, to quote from their Facebook page: “A wellness sanctuary that offers daily ritual for the mind, body, and soul.” What does that mean exactly?  Sole+Luna offers a unique set of services that encourage clients to escape the daily race and do something important for their health and vitality in a relaxed and beautiful setting. They have found a common theme among the people they know: the desire to de-stress and slow down. With nobody offering these services nearby, they decided to open Sole+Luna. Both Jessica and Amy have separately had their own inspiration for following this path. Jessica s... 03/09/2020

 HUBBARD WOODS  FEBRUARY 2020 There were 7 new listings in Hubbard Woods, of which the two least expensive are already under contract. The lower end has been selling quickly throughout the North Shore. 7 NEW HUBBARD WOODS LISTINGS IN FEBRUARY 2020 1380 Arsbury (under contract)$620,000          1054 Tower (under contract)$719,000          801 Locust$899,000 (was listed in 2018 for $1,065,000)         764 Rosewood$1,095,000          1124 Merrill (sold for $1,175,000 in 1/18)$1,249,000          1200 Whitebridge Hill$1,750,000         735 Ardsley$3,349,000         CLOSED HUBBARD WOODS HOME SALESAs for closed sales, there was just one in February: 1355 Hackberry LaneList price: $625,000Sold price: $505,000         PRIVATE NETWORK HOMES (for sale but not yet publicly available) 950 Westmoor $... 03/04/2020

Cook County Real Estate Tax Assessment Appeals Start March 5 2019 was the triennial reassessment year for Cook County. Many of us were startled to see the increases which jumped decidedly for some homeowners.  Did you know that you can appeal your taxes every year twice a year? This year, the window to appeal starts  March 5 and ends around 40 days later. Then again later in the year you can appeal before the Board of Appeals. You can appeal now, or later, it doesn’t matter. Property owners can file in writing or online at: Cook County Assessor.  If you need help with this, please call Jan Churchwell or Len Schifflett at 847-446-8200 or stop by the New Trier Township office at 730 Elm St. in Winnetka (open 9-5 weekdays except for lunch at 12:30 to 1:30.) You may also email them at:jchur... 03/02/2020

 Are North Shore Home Sales Up or Down? The Illinois Association of Realtors issues monthly market statistics that show the total number of sales and median sale price. Their latest report stated, “January Brings Uptick in Illinois Home Sales and Prices.” Their numbers are for the month of January and reflect the state as a whole - which is good news considering the out-migration numbers that have been published. I’ve done my own report seeing if these statistics hold up for the North Shore communities of Winnetka, Wilmette, Northfield, Glencoe, and Kenilworth.First the State of Illinoi stats: So basically, state home sales for January 2020 were better than the previous two years but not as strong as 2017:2017:  8,6812018:  8,2862019:  7,5122020:  8,426Here is the same information for t... 02/26/2020

  For the North Shore villages of Winnetka, Wilmette, Kenilworth, Northfield, and Glencoe, I’ve prepared every conceivable way you might choose a house. Happy Hunting and Call Margaret Goss 847-977-6024! WINNETKA   Winnetka homes under $500,000Winnetka homes 500,ooo to $1 millionWinnetka homes $1-2 millionWinnetka homes over $2 millionWinnetka ranch homesWinnetka homes with poolsWinnetka homes for sale in Crow Island School DistrictWinnetka homes for sale in Greeley School DistrictWinnetka homes for sale in Hubbard Woods DistrictWinnetka new construction homesWinnetka foreclosures/short salesWinnetka land for saleWinnetka homes 5+ bedroomsWinnetka rental homesWinnetka condos and townhouses for saleWinnetka condos pets/no petsSee photos of Winnetka  WILMETTE Wilmette homes under $500,000... 02/12/2020

 What is the Private Listing Network in Winnetka & the North Shore Updated 2022TWO THINGS HAPPENED IN REAL ESTATEIn 2018, our Northern Illinois Multiple Listing Service (MRED) introduced the “Private Listing Network” (PLN) to real estate agents.  Then, last November (2019) the National Association of Realtors banned the use of “pocket listings.”   WHAT IS A POCKET LISTING?First, what is a pocket listing and why is it problematic? A pocket listing (sometimes called an exempt listing) is an agreement between the home seller and real estate agent (more specifically, the brokerage) that the house will not be listed on the  Multiple Listing Service (MLS,) but rather sold behind the scenes. There are multiple reasons sellers might not want their homes publicly listed. They may have work to do... 02/05/2020

  What Sold in Your Village in January - scroll down to see.  WINNETKA   Current Winnetka Real Estate Market:Homes for sale: 97Price range: $399,900 to $9,500,000Current median for sale price: $1,250,000Under contract: 25Condos for sale: 11 Price range: $205,000 to $1,075,000SEE ALL WINNETKA HOMES FOR SALE  WILMETTE    Current Wilmette Real Estate Market:Homes for sale: 91Price range: $330,000 to $2,699,000Current median for sale price: $899,000Under contract: 40Condos for sale:  36Price range: $112,000 to $1,599,000SEE ALL WILMETTE HOMES FOR SALE  KENILWORTH No closed sales in January.   Current Kenilworth Real Estate Market: Homes for sale: 36Price range: $635,000 to $13,750,000Current median for sale price: $1,695,000Under contract: 4SEE ALL KENILWORTH HOMES FOR SALE   GLENCOE    Cur... 02/05/2020

  HUBBARD WOODS January 2020 It’s been a busy month for new listings in Hubbard Woods. There were many more than this but the others were re-listings of homes that had been on the market last year. NEW HUBBARD WOODS LISTINGS IN JANUARY 2020806 Locust (under contract)4 beds/2 ½ baths$649,000        1507 Edgewood4 beds/ 3 ½ baths$799,900         117 Old Green Bay4 beds/2 full, 2 half baths$899,000        130 Old Green Bay5 beds/ 4 ½ baths$1,099,000       871 Burr5 beds/ 3 ½ baths$1,159,000        1353 Tower4 beds/ 4 ½ baths$1,395,000          There are also two new listings in the Private Network: 1449 Scott - $995,0004 bedrooms, 3.2 baths       735 Ardsley6 bedrooms on almost an acreNo price listed at this timePlanned market date: early February         CLOSED HUBBARD WOODS HOME SALESAs ... 02/04/2020

 13 Reasons to Buy a Home on the North Shore Updated 2022The Chicago North Shore has been described as a string of pearls lying along the shore of Lake Michigan just north of Chicago. The villages included in this “necklace” are Evanston, Wilmette, Kenilworth, Winnetka, Northfield, Glencoe, Highland Park, and Lake Forest. Some people also include Glenview, Northbrook, and Deerfield which are slightly more west. If you are considering a move to this area, let me help you decide with these 12 great reasons to live on our beautiful Chicago North Shore. 1. Lake Michigan The North Shore revels in its national status as the “Third Coast.” Every village has at least one public beach and many offer sailing clubs. Living alongside the lake offers another advantage - the weather is cooler in the ... 02/03/2020