WHAT IS THE MARKET ACTION INDEX?
MAI compares the rate of home sales to available inventory. Above 50, sellers have the edge. Below 50, buyers gain ground. It's a leading indicator — it tells you where prices are headed before they move.
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW THIS WEEK
Two weeks ago, Highland Park had the North Shore's worst pricing story, a 50% relist rate. This week, that changed. Highland Park's relist rate dropped to 43% and homes are selling 24 days faster. Deerfield inherited the crown instead, jumping to a 54% relist rate, now the highest we track.
Glencoe had its best week of the summer: MAI climbed to 45, upgrading it to a Strong Seller's Market, with days on market nearly cut in half. Lake Forest's two-week hot streak cooled off as days on market crept up and a quarter of its listings took a price cut. Northbrook remains the strongest seller's market on the North Shore, but this is its third straight week of softening.
Pricing discipline is the difference between the markets improving and the ones sliding. Nothing here is a reversal yet because it's a market sorting itself out house by house.
WHAT CHANGED FROM LAST WEEK
Highland Park's relist rate is already resolving, faster than most corrections do. Deerfield's now carrying that same story. Glencoe swung from "Slight" to "Strong" seller's territory in a single week, the first classification change we've recorded. Lake Forest and Northbrook both eased slightly, right in line with the gradual softening pattern we've seen building for weeks.
HIGHLAND PARK · IL 60035 MAI 54 · Strong Seller's Market · Inventory: 44 · Median DOM: 46 days
Highland Park just posted the sharpest turnaround on the North Shore. Its relist rate dropped from 50% to 43%, and median days on market fell from 70 to 46. The $850,000 mid-tier is doing the heavy lifting, absorbing three of five new listings. The top tier ($3.8M) remains stalled, and the entry tier ($575,000) is calm with one new, one absorbed.
For sellers: the correction is working. Homes priced near the new-listing median of $1,147,000 are moving; the ones still priced above that are the ones relisting. Don't fight the trend by holding firm on last month's number. For buyers: nearly half of active listings have already failed once and that's real leverage if you know which ones represent genuine value versus which are still overpriced. For first-time buyers: the $575,000 entry tier is balanced, not desperate. With 44 homes on the market and no upper-tier urgency, this remains the most patient environment on the North Shore for a first purchase.
DEERFIELD · IL 60015 MAI 50 · Strong Seller's Market · Inventory: 37 · Median DOM: 70 days
Deerfield just took over Highland Park's old storyline. Its relist rate jumped to 54%, the highest we track, and median days on market climbed to 70. MAI eased to 50 which is still seller's territory, but the thinnest margin of any North Shore market. The $840,000 mid-tier is still absorbing well; the $2M top tier saw zero sales this week.
For sellers: more than half your competition has already tried and failed at their asking price. Price to this week's data, not last month's expectations. For buyers: a 54% relist rate means real negotiating room, particularly on anything sitting past 70 days. MAI near 50 gives you more say here than the "Strong Seller's" label implies. For first-time buyers: the $575,000 entry tier is balanced with one new, one absorbed. No urgency signal at this price point right now; take your time.
GLENCOE · IL 60022 MAI 45 · Strong Seller's Market (upgraded from Slight Seller's Advantage) · Inventory: 22 · Median DOM: 25 days
Glencoe had its best week of the summer. MAI climbed to 45, the first classification upgrade we've recorded in this series. Median days on market nearly halved, from 42 to 25, and the relist rate dropped from 38% to 23%, the sharpest improvement on the North Shore. One entry-tier home ($1,299,900) sold the same day it was relisted. The top tier ($4.9M) remains untouched.
For sellers: momentum is building fast. If you've been waiting on the sidelines, this is a good week to list. Don't assume last month's pace still applies. For buyers: less time to deliberate than a few weeks ago. The entry tier is moving same-day; the very top still has real negotiating room. For first-time buyers: this remains the North Shore's steepest entry point, but activity is real. Have financing squared away before you tour because any hesitation is costly here right now.
LAKE FOREST · IL 60045 MAI 38 · Slight Seller's Advantage · Inventory: 43 · Median DOM: 63 days
Lake Forest's two-week hot streak leveled off. MAI held essentially flat at 38, but median days on market rose from 56 to 63, and 26% of listings took a price cut, the highest share on the North Shore this week. New listings are still entering at $1,495,000, well under the market median, so sellers remain realistic even as pace slows. The entry tier ($829,500) had a quiet week after recent strength with two new, zero absorbed.
For sellers: a quarter of listings just adjusted price. Check your number against recent comparable sales, not last month's ask, especially above $2.5M. For buyers: the price-cut rate gives real leverage right now, particularly at the top of the market. The gap between average (101 days) and median (63 days) days on market suggests a few stale listings worth a closer look. For first-time buyers: this tier has flipped between hot and quiet three times this summer. It's paused, not reversed so watch it closely, it tends to swing back fast.
NORTHBROOK · IL 60062 MAI 65 · Strong Seller's Market · Inventory: 41 · Median DOM: 35 days
Northbrook remains the North Shore's strongest seller's market, but this is its third straight week of easing, down from 68. Inventory rose to 41 and median days on market ticked up to 35. The $932,450 mid-tier is the clear engine, absorbing three of four new listings. The $2.4M top tier saw two new listings and zero sales.
For sellers: you're still in control here, but each week of softening narrows the margin for aggressive pricing. For buyers: rising inventory means genuinely more to choose from than a month ago, especially at the top where sellers are seeing little traction. For first-time buyers: the entry tier ($674,500) was quiet this week, likely a seasonal pause. Use it to get pre-approved before inventory returns.
MORTGAGE UPDATE
The 30-year fixed rate broke its stability streak this week, edging up into the high-6% range amid oil-price and inflation pressure tied to the Iran conflict. It's not a dramatic move, but it ends a run of calm that had lasted since spring. Buyers should treat rate quotes as time-sensitive again rather than assuming next week looks like this week.
Be Wise About the Market. Lyn Wise Group | www.lynwisegroup.com | (312) 860-7294 Data sourced from Altos Research. Updated every Tuesday.
