Three numbers to know this week
156 homes are for sale across our five North Shore towns. That is down from 194 six weeks ago, and it has fallen six weeks in a row.
25 homes were recorded as sold this week, up from 20 and 23 over the previous two weeks.
7.18% is the 30-year fixed mortgage rate, down for a third straight week.
Put the first two together and you have the story. Fewer homes are for sale, but a few more are selling. Part of the drop is the usual fall slowdown, when some sellers decide to wait for spring. The rest is homes finding buyers. Either way, buyers have less to choose from and sellers have less competition.
One follow up from last week. The clock is still ticking. Median days on market rose by exactly 7 days again in Northbrook, Highland Park, Glencoe and Lake Forest, which suggests the middle of the market is not turning over much.
Heating Up
Deerfield, IL 60015
MAI: 39, up from 35 last month, Slight Seller’s Advantage
Median List Price: $1,175,000 | Median Days on Market: 63 | Inventory: 27
Deerfield had the busiest week on the North Shore, with 9 recorded sales across three price tiers. Inventory fell to 27 homes, the lowest we have tracked. Four brand new listings arrived around $980,000, so buyers have fresh choice right now. Sellers have momentum and less competition, especially around $740,000 and $1.37 million, where the sales happened. Buyers should know asking price per square foot eased to $338 from $350, and the $1.37 million tier averages 126 days, so there is room to negotiate. First time buyers should watch the $740,000 tier. It recorded four sales but no new listings, so move quickly when one appears.
Highland Park, IL 60035
MAI: 51, up from 50 last month, Strong Seller’s Market
Median List Price: $1,312,500 | Median Days on Market: 63 | Inventory: 32
Highland Park remains the strongest market on the North Shore, with the lowest supply we have tracked at 32 homes. Seven sales were recorded, three each in the $1.79 million and $800,000 tiers. Asking price per square foot slipped to $335, the lowest we have tracked, down from $365 in mid September, so buyers have gained a little price relief even as competition stays strong. Sellers have little competition, but 25% of listings have cut price and 38% have been relisted, so price to what is selling. Buyers should be ready to move in the $800,000 and $1.79 million ranges. First time buyers should look at the $592,000 tier, where homes average 49 days and one new listing arrived.
Holding Steady
Northbrook, IL 60062
MAI: 40, down from 41 last month, Slight Seller’s Advantage
Median List Price: $1,549,450 | Median Days on Market: 105 | Inventory: 36
Northbrook is where homes are waiting the longest. Median days on market hit 105 and the average reached 148, both the highest we have tracked, and 44% of listings have been relisted, also a high. Four sales were recorded, two of them in the $1.85 million tier. Asking price per square foot eased to $332 from $342. Sellers should price carefully from day one, because buyers here are patient and will wait out a stale listing. Buyers have good room to negotiate, especially in the $2.5 million and $1.85 million tiers, which average 140 and 112 days. First time buyers should look at the $669,000 tier, which had two new listings and one sale, a good mix of choice and leverage.
Lake Forest, IL 60045
MAI: 33, the same as last month, Slight Seller’s Advantage
Median List Price: $2,524,950 | Median Days on Market: 95 | Inventory: 44
Lake Forest still has the most homes for sale on the North Shore, at 44, and five sales were recorded across all four price tiers, from $999,000 to $4.9 million. That broad demand is a good sign. Asking price per square foot is $457, above the $445 where it sat for five weeks. The tradeoff is time, with median days on market at 95, the highest we have tracked. Sellers can hold price but should plan for a longer wait. Buyers have the widest choice and the most leverage in the $2.995 million tier, which averages 133 days. First time and move up buyers should watch the $999,000 tier, where homes average 49 days and one new listing arrived.
The One to Watch
Glencoe, IL 60022
MAI: 31, down from 33 last month, Slight Seller’s Advantage
Median List Price: $3,399,000 | Median Days on Market: 119 | Inventory: 17
Glencoe recorded no sales this week. Median days on market rose to 119, exactly 7 days more for the fourth week in a row, which suggests the middle of the market has not turned over in a month. MAI is at 31, one point above the line where the market tips toward buyers. Sellers are not cutting price (only 12% have), but holding firm costs time, so an honest pricing conversation is worth having now. Buyers have rare leverage in the $3.1 to $4.3 million tiers, where homes average 108 to 136 days with no sales, and can negotiate on price and terms. First time and move up buyers should note that the $1.79 million entry tier had a new listing and averages just 17 days.
Mortgage and Rate Context
The 30-year fixed rate fell to 7.18% this week, its third straight decline from 7.24%, 7.32% and 7.40% before that. A year ago it was 6.22%. On a $600,000 home with 20% down, the monthly principal and interest payment is about $3,252 today, compared with about $2,946 a year ago, roughly $306 more each month. Put another way, the payment that bought a $600,000 home a year ago buys about $544,000 today, roughly 9% less. The three dips together have trimmed about $72 a month. Rates are heading the right way, but slowly. With fewer homes for sale, buyers who wait may find the choices have shrunk faster than the rate has fallen, so get preapproved and know your number.
Bottom Line
North Shore supply has shrunk 20% in six weeks while sales have inched up. That is how a seller’s market tightens, but it is not a free pass. Buyers are still choosy, and homes that are priced ahead of the market still sit. Last week 17 of 23 sales were in the lower half of their town’s prices. This week the pattern flipped, with 14 of 25 in the upper half, so move up buyers are back. Buyers, be ready to move on the good ones, because there are fewer of them. Sellers, you have less competition, so price it right and take advantage.
Data: Altos Research. Single family homes, week of November 9, 2026.
