Here is something new in our numbers. In four of the five towns, the median days on market, meaning how long the typical home has been for sale, rose by exactly 7 days this week. Northbrook went from 91 to 98, Highland Park from 49 to 56, Glencoe from 105 to 112 and Lake Forest from 81 to 88. Exactly one week of aging suggests the middle of the market barely turned over. Few new homes arrived, and Glencoe had none at all. At the same time, asking price per square foot rose in all five towns, the first time that has happened since we began tracking in mid September. Sellers are asking more while the typical home waits a little longer. Deerfield is the exception, and a bright one.
A quick refresher on the Market Action Index (MAI). It compares how fast homes are selling to how many are for sale. Above 30 favors sellers, and below 30 favors buyers. All five towns remain above 30, though none gained ground this week. Northbrook and Highland Park each slipped two points to 40 and 50, Glencoe slipped one to 32, and Deerfield and Lake Forest held at 36 and 33.
One Week Older
Highland Park, IL 60035
MAI: 50, up from 48 last month, Strong Seller’s Market
Median List Price: $1,424,500 | Median Days on Market: 56 | Inventory: 36
Highland Park’s MAI slipped from 52 to 50, its first dip since we began tracking, but it is still the strongest market on the North Shore. Median days on market rose a week, from 49 to 56, and asking price per square foot rose to $343 from $339. Price cuts are up to 25% from 21%, and the relisted rate has climbed from 22% to 38% to 42% in two weeks, the highest we have tracked. Relisting can reset a home’s days on market clock, so the real time on the market may be longer than the number shows. Sellers still have the most demand on the North Shore, but a relist is rarely a fresh start, so price right from day one. Buyers should expect competition in the $850,000 and $595,000 tiers, which each recorded two sales and average 35 and 42 days, and can negotiate on homes that have sat, such as the $4.25 million tier at 182 days. First time buyers should focus on the $595,000 tier, which had a new listing and two sales.
Northbrook, IL 60062
MAI: 40, about the same as last month’s 40, Slight Seller’s Advantage
Median List Price: $1,584,500 | Median Days on Market: 98 | Inventory: 36
Northbrook’s median days on market rose from 91 to 98, and the relisted rate reached 42%, both the highest we have tracked. Only one new listing was recorded all week, and inventory is down to 36, so this is a market of fewer homes but slower movement. Asking price per square foot rose to $342 from $337, and price cuts rose to 25% from 23%. Six sales were recorded, at $1.85 million and below, with three in the $695,000 tier, and none in the $2.5 million top tier. Sellers should price to where sales are happening and be patient above that. Buyers have room to negotiate on homes that have sat 98 to 105 days. First time buyers should know the $695,000 tier has the most activity, but no new listings arrived, so choices are limited and preapproval matters.
Glencoe, IL 60022
MAI: 32, up from 31 last month, Slight Seller’s Advantage
Median List Price: $3,399,000 | Median Days on Market: 112 | Inventory: 16
Glencoe has the tightest supply we have tracked, 16 homes, and no new listings were recorded this week. Asking price per square foot rose to $599, its fourth straight weekly gain and a tracked high. The tradeoff is time. Median days on market rose to 112, also the highest we have seen, and only two sales were recorded. Price cuts and the relisted rate are both 13%, the lowest on the North Shore. Sellers are holding firm and buyers are not forcing price cuts, but plan on nearly four months. Buyers will find few homes and little discounting, though the top two tiers average 143 to 154 days, so there is room to negotiate on terms and timing. First time and move up buyers should know the $2 million entry tier moves fastest at 31 days, but it had no sales or new listings this week.
Lake Forest, IL 60045
MAI: 33, down from 35 last month, Slight Seller’s Advantage
Median List Price: $2,572,500 | Median Days on Market: 88 | Inventory: 46
Lake Forest’s asking price per square foot finally moved. After five straight weeks at $445, it rose to $461, the highest we have tracked and a jump of 3.6%. Inventory eased to 46 from 50, MAI held at 33, and median days on market rose a week to 88. Price cuts held at 20%, and the relisted rate rose to 20% from 14%. The $998,000 tier is the busiest, with four sales, the most of any tier on the North Shore this week, at an average of 42 days. Sellers who held the line are being rewarded in asking price, but sales are concentrated at the lower end. Buyers have the most choice on the North Shore and the most leverage in the $2.995 million tier, which averages 119 days. First time and move up buyers should watch the $998,000 tier, where one new listing arrived.
The Exception
Deerfield, IL 60015
MAI: 36, the same as last month’s 36, Slight Seller’s Advantage
Median List Price: $1,179,000 | Median Days on Market: 63 | Inventory: 31
Deerfield broke the pattern. Median days on market fell from 88 to 63, its lowest in our tracking, and average days on market eased to 115 from 120. Asking price per square foot rose to $350, also a tracked high, and MAI held steady at 36. All three recorded sales came from the $619,000 tier, which averages just 14 days and also saw three new listings. The upper tiers are slower, with the $1.38 million tier at 91 days and the top tier at 154. Sellers in the entry range have real momentum, while sellers above $1.3 million should price sharply, since 29% of Deerfield listings have cut price. Buyers have room to negotiate above $1.3 million. First time buyers should move quickly at $619,000, where homes move in about two weeks, and take a look at the $972,450 tier, which averages 49 days and had no sales this week.
Mortgage and Rate Context
The 30-year fixed rate fell to 7.24% this week, its second straight decline from 7.32% last week and 7.40% two weeks ago. A year ago it was 6.17%. On a $600,000 home with 20% down, the monthly principal and interest payment is about $3,271 today, compared with about $2,931 a year ago, roughly $340 more each month. Put another way, the payment that bought a $600,000 home a year ago buys about $537,000 today, roughly 10% less. The two dips together have trimmed about $52 a month from where rates were two weeks ago. Rates are moving the right way, but slowly, and sellers’ asking prices are rising too, so do not wait on rates alone. Get preapproved and know your number.
Bottom Line
The most important thing this week is what did not happen. In four of five towns, the typical home just got a week older, and asking prices still rose. Buyers, homes that have sat the longest give you the best chance to negotiate, and rates are easing. Sellers, if your home has been waiting, price it to what is actually selling. Last week we shared that 16 of 20 recorded sales were in the lower half of their own town’s prices. This week it was 17 of 23. The action is still at the lower end.
Data: Altos Research. Single family homes, November 2, 2026.
