Winnetka Schmidt-Burnham House - Open Sunday at 1:00 An Open House You Can't Buy! The Schmidt Burnham home - a 1830s era log house, will be open this Sunday, August 19, 2012, for a small fee of $5.00 ($3.00 for children.) The original portion of the house remains in its pristine state, and an addition was built in 1917.  The home was moved to its current location in Crow Island Woods several years ago.   Costumed docents will be on hand to guide visitors through the house.  The Winnetka Historical Society hosts the event. Schmidt Burnham House 1140 Willow Road (just west of Crow Island School) Winnetka, IL 08/16/2012

Winnetka and North Shore Real Estate Market Report July 2011 and 2012 Comparison If you have bumped into me (or any other agent) in the past few months and asked how the real estate market was doing in Winnetka, you would have received a positive reply.  Because we were very busy this past spring and summer helping buyers and sellers who returned in droves. This past July was a big month for real estate closings and I checked to see how we compared to July of 2011.  The rise in unit sales is astonishing.  Most villages had two or even three times as many sales as just one year ago.  And prices?  All over the place.   July 2011   July 2012 Winnetka 22 Homes Sold Average Price:  $1,293,097   46 Homes Sold Average Price:  $1,215,596 Wilmette 36 Homes Sold Average Price $771,374   58 Homes ... 08/13/2012

Winnetka's July Property sales were 35, up 52.2% from 23 in July of 2011 and -2.8% lower than the 36 sales last month. July 2012 sales were at their highest level compared to July of 2011 and 2010. July YTD sales of 143 are running 13.5% ahead of last year's year-to-date sales of 126. The Median Sales Price in July was $949,000, down -3.2% from $980,000 in July of 2011 and down -18.9% from $1,170,000 last month. The Average Sales Price in July was $1,141,611, down -8.9% from $1,252,962 in July of 2011 and down -14.2% from $1,330,681 last month. July 2012 ASP was at the lowest level compared to July of 2011 and 2010. The Total Inventory of Properties available for sale as of July was 150, down -6.3% from 160 last month and down -25.0% from 200 in July of last year. July 2012 Inventory wa... 08/08/2012

Winnetka Swimmer Wins Olympic Gold Medal! On the same day that Michael Phelps made Olympic history by earning his 19th medal (breaking the previous record of 18) Winnetka native Conor Dwyer also earned a gold medal. The race was the 4 x 200 meter freestyle relay and the four swimmers, Dwyer, Phelps, Ryan Lochte, and Ricky Berens out swam France and China.   Conor swam the 400 meter freestyle on Saturday but finished fifth - but today it's all gold. Surprisingly, he did not take up swimming seriously until high school when he sprouted from 5'7" to 6'5" during his junior year. Conor attended Loyola High School (a private Jesuit school in Wilmette) and then went to the University of Florida where he graduated with a business degree in 2011.  He has a string of titles, including being named... 07/31/2012

UPDATED 2019 What a Buyer's Agent Will Do For You First, let's start with the idea of a Buyer's Agent - you're wondering why you need one when you've done so much searching online. You say that you already know the area, the pricing trends, and the general market. You're wondering what a buyer's agent value is.  Home buyers mistakenly think that going directly to the agent who is listing the home will procure them the best deal. Unfortunately, that is wrong on many levels. The seller's agent works for the seller and cannot give you advice! When I represent you in this significant and complex transaction, I am working for you to make sure your needs are met. It's essential to have a pro on your side! Here are 25 ways in which I would work on your behalf to purchase a Winnetka or other No... 07/31/2012

Buying a Home in Winnetka and the North ShoreWhy You Need a Buyer's AgentUpdated 2022Your first step in looking for a home in the Chicago North Shore suburbs is most likely online. You have spent weeks or months pouring over new listings and watching older ones as they go under contract and sell. You have become a knowledgeable buyer and probably have narrowed your range down to the exact areas in which you would like to live.Now what?Perhaps you have a referral for a good buyer's agent, or maybe you met someone at an open house that you connected with. However you got there, it's time to get serious about buying a home in Wilmette, Winnetka, or perhaps Kenilworth.  Why did I mention the buyer's agent?  Because a buyer's agent is when working with you to help you buy a home,  working on... 07/26/2012

New Homes for Sale in Winnetka, Wilmette, Kenilworth, Northfield, and Glencoe (week of July 23, 2012) Twenty-two* new listings came on the market this week priced from $329,500 in Wilmette to $3,275,000 for a house for sale in Kenilworth.   I think it will be a long summer for certain hopeful sellers because their prices will put them at a disadvantage (another way of saying "overpriced.")  Yes the market has improved, yes buyers are much more interested than they were a year ago.  And yes, mortgage rates are still ridiculously low! Sellers who think they can sell handsomely at this time are, well, in for a long wait.  Buyers are armed this time around - they will not be fooled again. Several new listing I viewed today for broker's open house were sadly in the wrong price range.   But I... 07/24/2012

Wilmette and Kenilworth - First Half 2012 Home Sales In the two villages of Wilmette and Kenilworth, sales of single-family homes fell into line as I thought they would:  more individual homes sold in 2012 over 2011, but prices were down.  The other interesting fact was that the list price to sale price ratio stayed almost exactly the same (more so in Wilmette) indicating perhaps that home sellers there have finally found the sweet spot. Wilmette - January-June of 2012 over 2011 Homes Sold 2012:  167 Homes Sold 2011:  122 Average Sold Price 2012:  $682,168 Average Sold price 2011:  $797,476 Kenilworth - January-June of 2012 over 2011 Homes Sold 2012:  18 Homes Sold 2011:  21 Average Sold Price 2012:  $1,252,194 Average Sold Price 2011:  $1,827,019 The disparity in sold home prices in Ke... 07/18/2012

New Homes for Sale in Winnetka, Wilmette, Kenilworth, Northfield, and Glencoe Week of  July 9-16 Nineteen new homes came on the market this week - from $339,000 in Wilmette up to $3,375,000 in Winnetka.  I saw many of them this morning during Tuesday Broker's Tour - even though the heat is predicted to go over 100 degrees today.  A good day for solid air conditioning. I saw homes that were overpriced - beautiful homes in great areas, but overpriced nevertheless. Another new home came on the market this week priced higher than it had been a year ago. I am never sure why this is a good idea, in fact, I'm sure it's not.  Although sales have been steady throughout the spring and into early summer, prices have remained steady.  There have been many instances of multiple offer situations, but... 07/17/2012

Winnetka, Northfield and Glencoe - First Half 2012 Home Sales When people have asked me "How is the real estate market in Winnetka?" I have responded very positively this year.  It just felt like every frustrated buyer stepped up this year and decided to buy a house.  I had the busiest spring since 2007 - so it was very busy for me. However, the actual market statistics for the first half of 2012 show varied scenarios depending on which town you are looking at.  Winnetka's real estate sales were almost the same as 2011, Glencoe's sales were down, and Northfield's were up!  Okay, what's up?? Winnetka - January-June 2012 over 2011 Homes Sold 2012: 93 Homes Sold 2011:  96 Average Sold Price 2012:  $1,355,456 Average Sold Price 2011:  $1,328,150 The ratio between list price and sell price a... 07/16/2012

Winnetka's June Property sales were 36, up 9.1% from 33 in June of 2011 and 16.1% higher than the 31 sales last month. June 2012 sales were at their highest level compared to June of 2011 and 2010. June YTD sales of 108 are running 4.9% ahead of last year's year-to-date sales of 103. The Median Sales Price in June was $1,170,000, up 11.4% from $1,050,000 in June of 2011 and up 54.7% from $756,500 last month. The Average Sales Price in June was $1,330,681, up 6.8% from $1,245,735 in June of 2011 and up 37.7% from $966,484 last month. June 2012 ASP was at highest level compared to June of 2011 and 2010. The Total Inventory of Properties available for sale as of June was 158, down -7.1% from 170 last month and down -25.1% from 211 in June of last year. June 2012 Inventory was at the lowest... 07/08/2012

  Winnetka's May Property sales were 29, up 45.0% from 20 in May of 2011 and 107.1% higher than the 14 sales last month. May 2012 sales were at their highest level compared to May of 2011 and 2010. May YTD sales of 70 are running equal to last year's year-to-date sales of 70.   The Median Sales Price in May was $817,000, down -16.6% from $980,000 in May of 2011 and up 28.4% from $636,375 last month. The Average Sales Price in May was $1,011,931, down -28.6% from $1,417,400 in May of 2011 and up 6.0% from $954,368 last month. May 2012 ASP was at the lowest level compared to May of 2011 and 2010.   The Total Inventory of Properties available for sale as of May was 162, down -2.4% from 166 last month and down -22.5% from 209 in May of last year. May 2012 Inventory was at the lowest level c... 06/10/2012

Real Estate Market Report May 2012 Winnetka,Wilmette, Kenilworth & Glencoe We have some interesting numbers this month - both good news and not-so-good.  I have sensed for a while that Wilmette's prices are rising and Winnetka's are staying flat or still declining.  I have compared May 2012 to May 2011 and here are the statistics: Winnetka May 2012 -25 homes sales - average sell price $1,110,820 May 2011 - 18 home sales - average sell price $1,551,028 Wilmette May 2012 - 44 home sales - average sell price $753,918 May 2011 - 23 home sales - average sell price $703,139 Kenilworth May 2012 - 3 home sales - average sell price $1,112,333 May 2011 - 6 home sales - average sell price $1,173,333 Glencoe May 2012 - 12 home sales - average sell price $968,542 May 2011 - 12 home sales - average s... 06/08/2012

  Winnetka's May Property sales were 29, up 45.0% from 20 in May of 2011 and 107.1% higher than the 14 sales last month. May 2012 sales were at their highest level compared to May of 2011 and 2010. May YTD sales of 70 are running equal to last year's year-to-date sales of 70.   The Median Sales Price in May was $817,000, down -16.6% from $980,000 in May of 2011 and up 28.4% from $636,375 last month. The Average Sales Price in May was $1,011,931, down -28.6% from $1,417,400 in May of 2011 and up 6.0% from $954,368 last month. May 2012 ASP was at the lowest level compared to May of 2011 and 2010.   The Total Inventory of Properties available for sale as of May was 162, down -2.4% from 166 last month and down -22.5% from 209 in May of last year. May 2012 Inventory was at the lowest level c... 06/06/2012

Why the North Shore Does Not Use Square Footage Numbers It's pretty typical to ask your real estate agent "What is the square footage?"  It's a simple, although not always accurate, way to compare homes.  It works best in communities where many homes were built by a single builder and have similar characteristics.  Homes in Winnetka, Wilmette and Kenilworth are not like this. But who decides what the square footage of a house is?  Is it the architect, the builder, the tax assessor, the appraiser, the real estate agent?  The answer could be any or all of these. What exactly is counted in a square footage number?  The basement?  The laundry room?  The air space above a vaulted two-story family room?  What about the garage.  What if the garage is attached or detached? And you begin to see ... 06/05/2012

A Wonderful Winnetka Welcome Last week my out-of-town clients moved into their beautiful new Winnekta home. As any family with four children might do, their top priority was an excellent school system.  They did their due diligence by investigating other Chicagoland communities, but ultimately Winnetka was tough to beat.   And this family would be involved in all the grade schools because of their children's ages: the youngest to nursery school, one in Crow Island, one at Skokie School, and one heading to Washburn Junior High. I stopped by to visit on moving day with some edible treats and was talking to my client when we were surprised to see a woman ringing at the front door.  Imagine our surprise to meet Miss Debbie Martin, second grade teacher at Crow Island School. She was stopping... 05/31/2012

Romney's in the 'Hood - Winnetka Helicopters flying overhead, limos streaming down the street, and people dressed to the nines.  What in the world is going on? We live near a church - is it a notable funeral? There's a school down the street - what could be that fancy there? Aha!  A quick conversation with a limo driver - Mitt Romney is having a fund raising dinner down the street at a local well-known business magnate's home. Is it true?  We'll know when the evening news comes on. Something different than your usual Tuesday night in Winnetka. (Update:  The Chicago Tribune reported the following day that Mitt Romney indeed paid a quick visit to Winnetka.) 05/15/2012

Winnetka and the North Shore Ranked as Most "FASHIONABLE" You knew it all along, didn't you?  You didn't need a data collection agency called Bundle, to tell you that.  After all, you have the credit card receipts to prove it.  I know I do. So Winnetka and several other villages in the North Shore are ranked right up there with shopping meccas like Newport Beach, Beverly Hills, Greenwich (Conn), La Jolla, Malibu and Palm Beach, Florida.  Based on households that had at least four transactions at top-end designer stores in the past 30 months - they selected the top 50 communities.   Winnetka ranked 4th, Glencoe came in 2nd, Highland Park at 9th, Lake Forest in 12th place and Wilmette at 32nd..  For Winnetka, this translates into roughly 13.7% of households spent the determined amount of ... 05/11/2012

  Winnetka’s April Property sales were 13, down -18.8% from 16 in April of 2011 and equal to 0.0% 13 sales last month. April 2012 sales were at their lowest level compared to April of 2011 and 2010. April YTD sales of 40 are running -20.0% behind last year's year-to-date sales of 50.   The Median Sales Price in April was $647,750, down -44.1% from $1,158,500 in April of 2011 and down -52.7% from $1,370,000 last month. The Average Sales Price in April was $979,704, down -36.8% from $1,551,219 in April of 2011 and down -20.9% from $1,239,231 last month. April 2012 ASP was at the lowest level compared to April of 2011 and 2010.   The Total Inventory of Properties available for sale as of April was 162, down -1.8% from 165 last month and down -18.6% from 199 in April of last year. April 201... 05/08/2012

April Real Estate Market Report Winnetka, Wilmette, Kenilworth, Glencoe, and Northfield Homes sales have been solid - but I expect they will be even stronger in May and June.  In April, 54 homes sold in Winnetka, Wilmette, Kenilworth, Glencoe and Northfield.  BUT, there are 97 pendings and 163 under-contract currently in those five villages.  While not all the under-contract homes will go to pending, there are a high number going under contract every day. One amazing statistic that I saw was that the list price to sell price ratio has come way down.  During the past several years, that number was very low, sometimes in the 60th or 70th percentile because prices were still overblown.  Now they are respectably in the 80th or 90th percentile.  Sellers have gotten wise and are pricing smart... 05/01/2012