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
Lake Forest quietly delivered its second week in a row of extraordinary demand in one specific tier. The $1.27M segment absorbed six homes again this week, with zero new listings to even compete against. Highland Park's relist rate held steady at 38% for a third straight week, proof its correction is genuinely durable. Deerfield's relist rate eased again too, down to 42%. Glencoe's top two tiers remain frozen for a third week running, though signs of thaw are showing up lower in the market. Northbrook just hit seven straight weeks of MAI decline, from 71 all the way down to 50. That's the longest continuous trend we've tracked anywhere on the North Shore, and it's now sitting right at a number a lot of people watch closely.
NORTHBROOK · IL 60062 MAI 50 · Strong Seller's Market · Inventory: 41 · Median DOM: 56
Seven weeks now, 71 to 68 to 65 to 63 to 60 to 55 and now 50. The top tier sat 182 days with zero sales this week, a real outlier dragging the averages. For sellers, seven straight weeks of softening means pricing to today's number matters more than it has all summer. For buyers, this remains the most consistent opening on the North Shore right now.
HIGHLAND PARK · IL 60035 MAI 50 · Strong Seller's Market · Inventory: 37 · Median DOM: 63
Third straight week at a 38% relist rate. That kind of stability, after weeks of bouncing around, is a genuinely good sign the correction has held. For sellers, this consistency is worth trusting and building on. For buyers, the entry tier is still where the action is, four homes absorbed against one new listing.
DEERFIELD · IL 60015 MAI 41 · Slight Seller's Advantage · Inventory: 36 · Median DOM: 74
Relist rate eased again, from 47% to 42%, a second straight week of improvement since the downgrade. Median list price jumped notably too, suggesting some sellers are testing higher price points despite the softer classification. For sellers, the trend is moving the right way, but the top tier remains slow. For buyers, there's still real room to negotiate here.
GLENCOE · IL 60022 MAI 41 · Slight Seller's Advantage · Inventory: 21 · Median DOM: 63
Third straight week with the top two tiers completely inactive. But lower in the market, days on market improved and a new listing finally appeared at $1,495,000 after weeks of silence. For sellers above $3M, patience is still the word. For sellers below that, there's genuine, if modest, movement to build on.
LAKE FOREST · IL 60045 MAI 37 · Slight Seller's Advantage · Inventory: 41 · Median DOM: 56
Second week running, the $1.27M tier absorbed six homes, and this week there wasn't even a new listing to compete against. That's now a real pattern, not a one-week fluke. For sellers in that range, demand is genuinely outrunning supply two weeks straight. For buyers, that specific price point has real competition right now, even as the broader Lake Forest market stays favorable.
MORTGAGE UPDATE
The 30-year fixed rate ticked up slightly this week, into the mid to high 6% range, following news of U.S. airstrikes near Hormuz over the weekend. Forecasters still expect rates to hold in a similar band through the rest of the year. For both buyers and sellers, the takeaway is the same as it's been for weeks. Rates are volatile day to day but stable enough overall to plan around.
FINAL THOUGHTS
For sellers, Highland Park's stability and Lake Forest's standout tier both prove real demand still exists at the right price and place. Northbrook and Glencoe's upper tiers are asking for patience. For buyers, Northbrook remains the most consistent opportunity on the North Shore, and Deerfield keeps opening up further.
