WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW THIS WEEK
Northbrook remains the strongest market we track at MAI 64 — but we are seeing consistent cooling and warns prices may fall if demand continues to soften. The top two price tiers had zero absorption this week.
Highland Park hit a 47% relist rate — the highest of any market in this entire series — while simultaneously seeing 3% of listings raise their prices. A deeply split market that rewards discipline and punishes optimism.
Deerfield presents the most unusual data of the week: 17% of listings saw price increases and 23% saw price cuts - both, at the same time. The market is not confused — it is bifurcated by price tier.
Lake Forest continued its slide to MAI 42 - prices are now moving lower. Only the sub-$1.75M tier is transacting with any consistency.
Glencoe held flat at MAI 38, but the median list price dropped notably to $2,399,000 — sellers are repricing. New listings entering at $1,774,500 signal realistic expectations finally taking hold.
Rates remain steady in the mid-6% range. Buyer psychology has shifted from waiting for rate drops to evaluating value and timing — a healthier foundation for decisions on both sides.
WHAT CHANGED THIS WEEK
This is the fourth consecutive week of broad cooling across the North Shore market — but cooling does not mean collapsing, and that distinction matters enormously depending on where you are and what you are trying to accomplish.
The seller's markets in Northbrook, Highland Park, and Deerfield are all still technically seller's markets. But all three are moving in the same direction — MAI declining, inventory rising, upper segments stalling — and Northbrook and Deerfield both carry explicit price warnings for the first time. The markets that were accelerating aggressively four weeks ago are now finding their level.
At the luxury end, Lake Forest and Glencoe are in an active repricing phase. Sellers who entered the market at aspirational prices are being forced to confront data that has been telling the same story for six weeks. The ones who accept it are transacting. The ones who haven't are sitting in that relist rate.
NORTHBROOK · IL 60062
MAI 64 · Strong Seller's Market · Inventory: 36 · Median DOM: 21 days
Northbrook is still the strongest market on the North Shore by a meaningful margin — but conditions have been consistently cooling, and prices may begin to fall if demand continues to soften. At MAI 64 that warning is early, not urgent. But it is worth noting after several weeks of record-setting readings.
The split between tiers is sharp. The top two segments — $3.15M and $1.8M — had two new listings each and zero absorption. The mid segment at $1.15M had five new listings and one absorbed. The entry at $639,900 had one new and two absorbed — demand still exceeding supply at the accessible end. New listings are coming in at a median of $1,592,500, very close to the overall market median of $1,622,500, suggesting the new inventory entering the market this week is representative rather than skewed.
For sellers: Still your market at the entry and mid-levels — but the upper tier is not moving. If your home is priced above $1.8M, zero absorption this week is the market giving you direct feedback. Price it where the transactions are happening, not where you hope they will happen.
For buyers: The slight cooling gives you a touch more breathing room than three weeks ago, but 21 days median means the clock is still running fast on well-priced homes. Entry-level supply ticked up this week — the $639,900 segment had more new listings than it has had in weeks. If this price range is your target, watch it closely.
For first-time buyers: The entry segment is the most balanced it has been in Northbrook in over a month — two absorbed, one new. More supply is entering at accessible price points. Come pre-approved and be ready to move, but the scramble of recent weeks has eased slightly.
HIGHLAND PARK · IL 60035
MAI 56 · Strong Seller's Market · Inventory: 32 · Median DOM: 49 days
The number that defines Highland Park this week is 47%. Nearly half of all listings in this market have been pulled and relisted — the highest relist rate we have tracked in any community across this entire series. That single figure tells you more about the state of this market than any other data point.
And yet — alongside that 47% — 3% of listings saw price increases this week. Both are true simultaneously. What that means is Highland Park has become two completely separate markets operating in the same zip code: a competitive, active market at the entry and mid-levels where homes are moving, and a stalled upper market where sellers are cycling through relists while buyers wait. The $2,024,500 tier had zero new listings and four absorbed — buyers clearing the available inventory without new supply coming in, which is actually a very bullish signal at that price point. The $3,825,000 tier had zero new and zero absorbed — completely inactive.
For sellers: The 47% relist rate is the single most important number you need to understand before you list. If your home is priced correctly for its tier, this market will move it. If you are pricing to what you hope rather than what the data shows, you will join that 47%. Entry and mid are working. Upper tier is not.
For buyers: Inventory is down to 32 homes — the lowest in Highland Park in weeks. But a 47% relist rate means some of those 32 homes have motivated sellers who have already been through the market once. An experienced agent can identify which relisted properties now represent genuine value.
For first-time buyers: The entry segment at $645,000 absorbed three homes against two new listings. New listings entering at a median of $675,000 keep this accessible. With inventory down to 32 total homes, competition for correctly priced entry-level homes in Highland Park is real. Move decisively.
DEERFIELD · IL 60015
MAI 50 · Strong Seller's Market · Inventory: 35 · Median DOM: 49 days
Deerfield's MAI has now fallen from 59 to 50 over three consecutive weeks — a significant slide that puts it right at the seller's market threshold. The Altos narrative, however, says prices have recently resumed their climb. That apparent contradiction is explained by the segment data.
Seventeen percent of listings saw price increases this week — and 23% saw price cuts. Both are unusually high. What the data shows is that the mid segment at $1.25M had zero new listings and three absorbed — buyers clearing available inventory at that price point with no new competition. The luxury tier at $2.4M had one new listing and one absorbed, moving in 56 days. The upper-mid at $850K also absorbed one. The entry segment at $587,450 had two new and two absorbed. The Altos narrative about prices resuming their climb is being driven by the quality and demand at specific tiers — not a broad-based improvement in overall conditions.
For sellers: Deerfield is at an inflection point. MAI 50 is the exact dividing line between seller's and cooling territory. If the index drops further over the next two to three weeks, price pressure will follow. The time to come to market is now, not after watching another week of data. Price with precision — the $1.25M tier is moving without new competition, which is a genuine window.
For buyers: Growing inventory, declining MAI, and a mid-market with zero new competition this week. The $1.25M segment absorbed three homes without a single new listing coming in — meaning whoever is left at that price point has the attention of motivated buyers. If Deerfield is your target, the next few weeks may offer the most favorable conditions this cycle.
For first-time buyers: The $587,450 entry segment absorbed at parity with new supply — two and two. Entry level in Deerfield is in balance rather than the seller-dominated conditions of recent months. A more even-handed negotiation is possible here than it has been in some time.
GLENCOE · IL 60022
MAI 38 · Slight Seller's Advantage · Inventory: 19 · Median DOM: 28 days
The headline number in Glencoe this week is not the MAI — it is the median list price, which dropped to $2,399,000 from $2,761,525 last week. New listings are entering at $1,774,500. Sellers are repricing. That is the most tangible sign yet that the market is finding its floor after weeks of elevated inventory and minimal absorption.
Two of four segments absorbed homes this week — the $3.6M tier absorbed one in 56 days and the $2.85M tier absorbed one in 28 days. The two middle segments — $2.25M and $1.56M — had new listings but zero absorption. The 37% relist rate tells you that a significant portion of the market is still working through the consequences of earlier overpricing, but the repricing now happening at the entry end of Glencoe is an encouraging signal.
For sellers: The direction is right this week even if the overall conditions remain challenging. Sellers who are pricing at or below the market median are finding buyers. The two segments that absorbed this week were at and above the median, moving in reasonable timeframes. If you are in the $2.25M–$1.56M range with zero absorption, the data is telling you where your price needs to be.
For buyers: Glencoe's median list price just dropped $360,000 in one week. Sellers are moving toward buyers — not the other way around. With a MAI of 38, a 37% relist rate, and prices demonstrably falling, the negotiating environment here continues to favor prepared, patient buyers above $2M.
For first-time buyers: New listings entering Glencoe at $1,774,500 represent the most accessible entry point this community has offered in months. For buyers who have been working toward Glencoe as a goal, the current conditions — motivated sellers, falling prices, realistic new listing prices — are the most favorable in recent memory.
LAKE FOREST · IL 60045
MAI 42 · Slight Seller's Advantage · Inventory: 39 · Median DOM: 42 days
Lake Forest's MAI slipped again to 42, and prices have begun moving lower — confirmed in the data. New listings entered this week at $2,650,000 — above the $2,500,000 market median — which means sellers are still coming to market with optimistic pricing even as the data tells a different story. That gap between listing expectations and buyer reality is what drives the 21% price cut rate and the 23% relist rate.
The segment story is clearer than the headline. The $1.722M tier had one new listing and two absorbed in 31 days — the only real momentum in this market. The entry at $950K had zero new listings and one absorbed in 28 days. The top two tiers — $2.75M and $3.6M — had two new listings between them and zero absorption. Inventory grew to 39 homes.
For sellers: Lake Forest is in the most challenging position of any market we track this week. Prices are moving lower, inventory is growing, and the top tiers are not transacting. The only tier with consistent activity is below $1.75M. If your home is at that level, price it correctly and you will find a buyer. Above $2.75M, the data has been consistent for two months — buyers are not engaging at current prices.
For buyers: The negotiating environment in Lake Forest above $2.75M is as favorable as it has been in years. Zero absorption in the top two tiers, prices confirmed to be moving lower, and a growing inventory of motivated sellers. If you have been watching Lake Forest, the data is telling you to start the conversation.
For first-time buyers: The $950K entry absorbed in 28 days with zero new competition this week — supply is genuinely thin at entry level even as the broader market softens. For buyers positioned at this price point, move with urgency when something appears. The entry tier is not soft — only the upper market is.
MORTGAGE UPDATE
The 30-year fixed rate remains in the mid-6% range for the fifth consecutive week. The sustained stability is doing something important: it is removing rate uncertainty as a variable from buyer decision-making. The conversations happening right now are about value, timing, and community — not about rate forecasts. That is a healthier foundation for decisions, and it is showing up in the entry and mid-market data across every community we track.
FINAL THOUGHTS
The North Shore market this week is best understood as a market in transition — not collapse, not recovery, but an active repricing and recalibration that is running at different speeds in different places. Northbrook and Highland Park remain seller's markets but are showing clear signs of moderation at their upper tiers. Deerfield is at a genuine inflection point that the next two to three weeks will define. Glencoe and Lake Forest are in the later stages of repricing, with entry and mid tiers showing life while the upper end waits for sellers to meet buyers.
The through-line in every community this week is the same: entry and mid segments are active, absorbing, and competitive. Upper segments are stalled, relisted, and repricing. Know which market you are actually in — and act accordingly.
Be Wise About the Market.
Questions about what this week's data means for your home or your search? The Lyn Wise Group is here.
Lyn Wise Group | www.lynwisegroup.com | (847) 624-6143
