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 whether 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 will say for whom.
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW THIS WEEK
Glencoe is the story to watch. Its MAI has now fallen three straight weeks, from 36 to 35 to 32, and it is sitting just two points above the buyer's threshold. Altos's own narrative for Glencoe this week goes further than the numbers alone, calling it a buyer's market outright and noting that prices continue to fall. This is not a one-week blip, it is a pattern building over most of the month.
Lake Forest tells the opposite kind of story. Last week its entry level tier around $1,087,000 absorbed six homes against just one new listing, the strongest signal in that report. This week that same tier cooled completely, zero homes absorbed against two new listings. Hot streaks at the entry level do not always carry forward, and this is a good reminder not to read one strong week as a new normal.
Highland Park's median list price dropped from $1,350,000 to $1,122,500 this week. That is not existing homes getting cheaper, it reflects a shift in what is active. Two of its lower tiers, $799,000 and $574,500, are both moving fast, 7 and 17 day medians, with strong absorption. More affordable homes are what is selling right now, and that is pulling the overall number down. Meanwhile Highland Park's relist rate hit yet another new low at 21%, continuing a trend that has now improved for three consecutive weeks. Deerfield's median days on market climbed to 105, its third straight weekly increase, alongside a relist rate that also hit a new high at 47%.
NORTHBROOK · IL 60062 MAI 42, down from 49 last month · Slight Seller's Advantage · Inventory: 52 · Median DOM: 60 days
Northbrook slipped out of Strong Seller's territory this week. Median list price held exactly at $1,099,000, unchanged from last week, while inventory climbed to 52, its highest point this season. The top three segments, $2,399,000, $1,499,000, and $899,000, each had zero homes absorbed, while the $650,000 entry tier absorbed four against one new listing. For sellers above roughly $900,000, this is a market asking for patience and sharp positioning, while a realistically priced entry level home should still move fast. For buyers, zero absorption in the top three tiers means real selection and time to decide, especially with MAI easing to 42. First time buyers should move quickly in the $650,000 range; it is the only tier showing real competition this week.
HIGHLAND PARK · IL 60035 MAI 47, about the same as last month · Strong Seller's Market · Inventory: 42 · Median DOM: 46 days
Highland Park's relist rate fell to 21%, its lowest reading yet and the third straight week of improvement. The median list price dropped to $1,122,500, driven by strong activity in the $799,000 and $574,500 tiers rather than existing homes losing value, both are moving in under three weeks with solid absorption. For sellers, three straight weeks of a falling relist rate means the bar for pricing right the first time keeps rising, though the $2,799,000 top tier still absorbed two homes with zero new competition, proof demand exists at the high end too. For buyers, a 21% relist rate means less stale inventory to sort through, and the top tier offers real leverage if your budget reaches it. First time buyers should expect competition in the $574,500 tier, it moved in 17 days with solid absorption, but there is real inventory flowing through it.
DEERFIELD · IL 60015 MAI 40, down from 43 last month · Slight Seller's Advantage · Inventory: 32 · Median DOM: 105 days
Deerfield's median days on market climbed to 105, its third consecutive weekly increase, and the relist rate hit a new high at 47%, nearly half the active listings here have already tried once and failed. For sellers, this is the clearest signal in this report: price above what buyers will pay and expect a long sit, but the $1,100,000 and $649,900 tiers each absorbed three homes with zero new competition, proof that realistic pricing still works. For buyers, a rising relist rate and stretching DOM give you real room to negotiate, especially with sellers who have already had one listing attempt fail. First time buyers have time to make a considered offer in the $649,900 tier, which absorbed three homes against zero new listings even at 112 days on market.
GLENCOE · IL 60022 MAI 32, down from 38 last month · Slight Seller's Advantage, trending toward Buyer's · Inventory: 22 · Median DOM: 81 days
This is the market to watch. Glencoe's MAI has fallen three straight weeks, from 36 to 35 to 32, and Altos's own market narrative now calls it a buyer's market outright, noting that prices continue to fall. For sellers, three straight weeks of decline is a real trend, and pricing needs to reflect where this market is heading, not where it was a month ago, though the top tier at $3,994,950 and the $1,495,000 tier both absorbed a home with zero new competition this week, so realistic pricing is still finding buyers. For buyers, a market this close to buyer's territory with prices already falling is exactly the environment to negotiate from strength. First time buyers face a high entry point near $1,495,000, but that tier moved fastest in this market at 28 days.
LAKE FOREST · IL 60045 MAI 36, up from 35 last month · Slight Seller's Advantage · Inventory: 46 · Median DOM: 77 days
Last week's headline number, six entry level homes absorbed against one new listing, did not carry into this week, the $998,000 tier absorbed zero homes against two new listings, a full reversal. Meanwhile the price decreased percentage fell sharply from 22% to 15%, and inventory climbed to 46, a season high. For sellers, fewer price cuts and a season high inventory means differentiation matters more than it did two weeks ago, and the entry tier cooling does not mean demand disappeared, it means last week's surge was absorbed. For buyers, the entry tier's reversal means less competition there than last week, a real window if you were priced out before, and growing inventory across every tier gives you more to evaluate. First time buyers should not assume last week's pace is the new normal here, this tier runs hot and cold, so stay ready but do not overpay chasing a pattern that already broke.
MORTGAGE UPDATE
Rates jumped again this week. The 30-year fixed climbed to roughly 7.35% to 7.4%, up from about 7.05% to 7.1% a week ago, a jump of nearly 30 basis points and the third straight day of increases as of this writing. The Federal Reserve's mid-September rate hike, its first since 2023, continues to work through the bond market, and rates are now meaningfully higher than they were even two weeks ago. If you are working with a pre-approval from earlier this month, get it refreshed before you make an offer, the math has genuinely shifted.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Glencoe's three week slide toward buyer's territory is the most important trend in this report, and it is the kind of signal only visible by watching week over week, not from any single snapshot. Deerfield is telling a similar story with its own numbers, a third straight week of rising days on market and a new high relist rate. For sellers in either market, the data is asking for a pricing conversation now rather than later. For buyers, both markets currently reward patience and a well-supported offer. And Lake Forest's entry tier is a good reminder for everyone watching that market, a hot week does not always mean a hot month.
Getting Wise About the North Shore Market. The Lyn Wise Group is here. Reach out directly. Lyn Wise Group | www.lynwisegroup.com | (312) 860-7294 | Data sourced from Altos Research. Updated every Tuesday.
