Lyn Wise Group · North Shore Market Intelligence Data: Altos Research · Single Family Homes · lynwisegroup.com · (312) 860-7294
WHAT IS THE MARKET ACTION INDEX?
MAI tells us if the market is getting more or less competitive, and who it favors, buyers or sellers. Above 30, sellers have the advantage. Below 30, buyers have the advantage. As always, when we call something an improvement, we'll say for whom.
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW THIS WEEK
Northbrook just crossed a line it hasn't crossed before. Eight straight weeks of MAI decline, from 71 all the way down to 49, and for the first time in this entire series it's dropped below 50. Median list price has been falling right alongside it, a real example of price finally following the trend after weeks of softening demand.
Highland Park went the other direction in a big way, and this week two of its numbers moved together for a clear reason. Its relist rate dropped from 38%, where it had held steady for three weeks, down to 26%, a new low. Median days on market fell sharply in that same week, from 63 to 42, which is very likely a direct result of the relist improvement, fewer stale, overpriced listings sitting around means fewer high numbers pulling the average up.
Glencoe posted its quietest week yet, all four price tiers with zero new listings and zero sales. Lake Forest's hot streak in its entry level tier cooled off after two strong weeks, and inventory there climbed to 49, the highest we've recorded.
NORTHBROOK · IL 60062 MAI 49 · Strong Seller's Market · Inventory: 41 · Median DOM: 63 days
Eight weeks running now, 71 to 68 to 65 to 63 to 60 to 55 to 50 and now 49, the first time this market has dipped below 50 in this series. Median list price has been dropping right along with it, down to $925,000 this week from over $1M just a few weeks ago, a clear sign that sustained softening in demand is finally showing up in what sellers are asking, not just how fast homes are moving.
For sellers, eight straight weeks of softening followed by a real price adjustment means the pricing conversation has changed meaningfully since summer. For buyers, this is now the most open the North Shore has felt all year.
HIGHLAND PARK · IL 60035 MAI 47 · Strong Seller's Market · Inventory: 46 · Median DOM: 42 days
After three weeks steady at 38%, the relist rate dropped sharply to 26%, a new low. Median days on market improved just as sharply in that same week, from 63 to 42, and the two are almost certainly connected. Fewer relisted, overpriced homes sitting on the market means fewer high individual DOM numbers dragging the overall figure up, so this looks like one genuine improvement showing up in two different metrics at once, not two separate pieces of good news.
For sellers, this is real, meaningful progress, the best pricing discipline this market has shown all series. For buyers, the easiest leverage has passed, especially in the entry tier where three homes were absorbed against three new listings.
DEERFIELD · IL 60015 MAI 43 · Slight Seller's Advantage · Inventory: 35 · Median DOM: 84 days
A quieter week overall, with MAI ticking up slightly after weeks of easing. The entry tier stood out, absorbing five homes against just one new listing.
For sellers in the entry range, demand is genuinely strong right now. For sellers above $1M, patience still matters given the 84-day median.
GLENCOE · IL 60022 MAI 38 · Slight Seller's Advantage · Inventory: 21 · Median DOM: 70 days
The quietest week we've recorded here. All four tiers, zero new listings, zero sales. Median days on market climbed to 70.
For sellers, this is a market asking for real patience right now, especially with no new competition entering either. For buyers, there's simply nothing moving to compete against, a rare moment of zero urgency.
LAKE FOREST · IL 60045 MAI 35 · Slight Seller's Advantage · Inventory: 49 · Median DOM: 56 days
The entry tier's two-week hot streak cooled, absorbing just one home against three new listings this week. Inventory climbed to 49, the highest we've tracked here.
For sellers, more competition means pricing carefully matters again after a couple of favorable weeks. For buyers, the extra inventory is a genuine opening, especially at entry level.
MORTGAGE UPDATE
The 30-year fixed rate just hit a new high for 2026, its fifth straight week of increases, now sitting as high as 6.89%, driven by renewed conflict near the Strait of Hormuz pushing oil prices and bond yields higher. That reverses the trajectory from earlier this year, when rates had dipped closer to 6% before the broader Iran conflict began pushing them back up. For buyers, this adds some real pressure on affordability on top of already tight inventory in some markets. For sellers, sustained higher rates are part of what's driving the cooling we're seeing in markets like Northbrook, since fewer buyers can stretch to today's asking prices at these borrowing costs.
FINAL THOUGHTS
For sellers, Highland Park proved that fixing one number, in this case the relist rate, can improve another automatically, and Deerfield's entry tier shows strong demand still exists at the right price. Northbrook and Glencoe are both asking for patience right now, and Northbrook's own price drop shows what happens when that patience runs out.
For buyers, Northbrook's eight-week decline and Glencoe's total stillness are this week's biggest openings, and Lake Forest's rising inventory adds a third option.
Lyn Wise Group | www.lynwisegroup.com | (312) 860-7294 Data sourced from Altos Research. Updated every Tuesday.
