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 compares the rate of home sales to available inventory. Above 50, sellers have the edge, meaning it's a stronger environment to list in but a more competitive one to buy in. Below 50, that balance shifts the other way. Whenever we call a market "improving," we'll say for whom, since better for sellers usually means tougher for buyers and vice versa.
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW THIS WEEK
Deerfield's relist rate finally broke below 50% this week, dropping from 54% to 49%. That's its first real improvement in three weeks and good news for sellers there specifically. Highland Park saw a similar partial recovery, easing from 51% back to 49% with days on market improving sharply.
Not every market moved in the right direction. Glencoe's relist rate climbed from 24% to 32%, and its top two price tiers have now gone two straight weeks with zero new listings and zero sales, a genuinely quiet stretch at the high end. Northbrook posted its fourth consecutive week of softening MAI, now at 63 and down from 71 a month ago. That's still comfortably a seller's market, just a steadily cooling one.
Lake Forest offered a small surprise. Its MAI ticked up slightly this week after three straight weeks of decline, a possible early sign of stabilizing, though it's too soon to call it a trend.
NORTHBROOK · IL 60062 MAI 63 · Strong Seller's Market · Inventory: 37 · Median DOM: 49 days
Northbrook is now four weeks into a steady MAI decline, from 71 to 68 to 65 and now 63. Inventory held flat at 37. The entry tier ($635,000) had zero sales this week after absorbing five homes two weeks ago, a sharp swing worth watching. New listings are now entering above the market median, at $1,195,000, a sign some sellers are testing higher prices even as the broader trend softens.
For sellers, the steady decline means the window for aggressive pricing keeps narrowing week by week. For buyers, particularly at entry level, this is the first real pause in competition you've seen here in over a month.
HIGHLAND PARK · IL 60035 MAI 53 · Strong Seller's Market · Inventory: 39 · Median DOM: 56 days
Last week's reversal is partly correcting itself. Relist rate eased from 51% to 49%, and median days on market improved from 77 to 56. The $789,450 tier is the clear engine, absorbing four homes against three new listings.
For sellers, this is a genuine step back in the right direction, though the rate is still well above the 43% low point from a few weeks ago, so pricing discipline still matters. For buyers, there's still real leverage in the roughly half of listings that have already failed once.
DEERFIELD · IL 60015 MAI 49 · Strong Seller's Market · Inventory: 37 · Median DOM: 56 days
Deerfield's relist rate dropped from 54% to 49%, its first real improvement in three weeks. Median days on market ticked up slightly, from 49 to 56, so the recovery isn't complete, but it's a meaningful shift in the right direction.
For sellers, this is the best signal Deerfield has produced in over a month. Correct pricing appears to be working again. For buyers, the negotiating window here is narrowing compared to recent weeks, so moving with intention matters more now.
GLENCOE · IL 60022 MAI 43 · Slight Seller's Advantage · Inventory: 22 · Median DOM: 60 days
Glencoe's relist rate climbed from 24% to 32%, continuing its slide since being downgraded from Strong Seller's territory two weeks ago. The top two tiers, at $4.9M and $3.4M, have now had zero new listings and zero sales for two straight weeks.
For sellers, especially above $3M, this is a market asking for patience and careful pricing right now. For buyers at the top end, there's essentially no competition to worry about at the moment.
LAKE FOREST · IL 60045 MAI 38 · Slight Seller's Advantage · Inventory: 43 · Median DOM: 70 days
MAI ticked up slightly this week after three straight weeks of decline, a possible early sign of stabilizing. The $1,749,000 and $937,500 tiers both show strong demand, absorbing two homes each against one new listing, and both are moving fast, in 14 and 21 days respectively. The top tier remains the outlier, sitting at 112 days with no sales.
For sellers in the mid tiers, this is genuinely encouraging data. For buyers, the fast pace in those price ranges means less time to deliberate than the headline MAI might suggest.
MORTGAGE UPDATE
The 30-year fixed rate is holding in the mid to high 6% range this week, with daily moves largely offsetting each other as markets react to shifting news on Iran negotiations. For both buyers and sellers, the takeaway is the same as it's been for weeks: rates are stable enough to plan around, even if they're not moving lower.
FINAL THOUGHTS
For sellers, Highland Park and Deerfield both showed real improvement this week, proof that pricing corrections can work even after a setback. Glencoe and Northbrook are asking for more patience right now.
For buyers, Glencoe's top tiers and Northbrook's entry tier currently offer the most room to negotiate. Highland Park and Deerfield still have opportunity, just a narrowing one.
Be Wise About the 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.
