Week of June 9, 2026 · Data: Altos Research · Single-Family Homes
THE MARKET IS FINDING ITS LEVEL — AND KNOWING WHERE YOU STAND HAS NEVER MATTERED MORE
After several weeks of sharp acceleration and dramatic divergence, the North Shore and North Suburbs market is doing something more nuanced this week: it is recalibrating. The runaway momentum we tracked in Northbrook and Deerfield is moderating. Lake Forest is quietly turning a corner in the other direction. Glencoe has the most striking single number in all five reports — a 45% relist rate that tells a story no summary can ignore. And Deerfield presents one of the most interesting data puzzles we've seen this cycle: demand softening while prices rise. Here is exactly what is happening — and what it means for you.
MARKET BY MARKET
NORTHBROOK · IL 60062 | Strong Seller's Market · MAI 63
Median List Price: $1,394,950 | Median Days on Market: 28 | Inventory: 34 | Price Reductions: 12%
Northbrook remains the strongest seller's market on the North Shore and North Suburbs — but this week's data introduces a note of caution worth reading carefully. The MAI dipped from 65 to 63, and the Altos narrative shifted meaningfully from last week's bullish tone to something more measured: the market has been cooling over time, prices have plateaued, and the direction of the MAI from here will determine whether prices level off or begin climbing. None of this means the market is weakening — a MAI of 63 is firmly strong seller's territory. What it means is that the extraordinary three-week acceleration we tracked has paused for breath. The mid-market around $1.1M is the most active segment — three new listings and four absorbed, moving in just seven days. The median list price jumped to $1,394,950 reflecting premium new inventory entering the market.
For sellers: Still your market — but the window of peak momentum may have just begun to narrow. A MAI of 63 with a slight dip is not cause for alarm, but it is a signal that the time to act is now rather than in four weeks. Correctly priced homes in the $1M–$1.1M range are moving in seven days. Come to market prepared.
For buyers: The slight cooling gives you a small amount of breathing room compared to two weeks ago — but do not mistake moderation for opportunity to wait. At 28 days median with only 34 homes available, this is still a market that rewards preparation over deliberation.
For first-time buyers: The $629,450 entry segment had three new listings and two absorbed — supply and demand are better balanced here than at any point in recent weeks. New listings coming in at a median of $995,000 suggest more accessible inventory is entering the market. If Northbrook is your target, this week's slight cooling is the most favorable entry environment you've had in a month.
DEERFIELD · IL 60015 | Strong Seller's Market · MAI 56
Median List Price: $1,097,549 | Median Days on Market: 35 | Inventory: 39 | Price Reductions: 18%
Deerfield is the most intellectually interesting market on the North Shore and North Suburbs this week. The MAI slipped from 59 to 56 and the Altos narrative is candid: supply is growing faster than demand. That would normally signal price softening. But here is the twist — prices have actually been moving higher. Altos attributes this to the improved quality of homes being listed: larger square footage, newer construction, more premium features. Zero absorbed in three of the four price segments this week. Buyers are looking but not pulling the trigger above the entry level, where four new listings and three absorbed tells a different story.
Worth noting: When median prices rise while the MAI falls, it often means the mix of homes on the market is shifting upward in quality — not that demand is surging. Deerfield buyers this week appear to be more selective, not absent. That is an important distinction for both sides of the transaction.
For sellers: The market is still firmly in seller's territory at MAI 56, but the dynamics have shifted. If your home is priced at or below $800K it is still moving. Above $1M, buyers are comparing carefully and zero absorption in the upper segments tells you that presentation and pricing discipline matter more than ever.
For buyers: Inventory is growing — 39 homes is the most Deerfield has had in this reporting cycle. The upper segments have not seen a transaction this week, which means you have more time and potentially more leverage on premium properties than you did a month ago.
For first-time buyers: The $595,000 entry segment is the most active in Deerfield — four new listings and three absorbed, moving in just seven days. New listings coming in at a median of $699,000 make this one of the most accessible entry points anywhere on the North Shore and North Suburbs. The combination of a strong community, great schools, and a price point under $700K is genuinely rare here. Move with urgency when something appears.
HIGHLAND PARK · IL 60035 | Strong Seller's Market · MAI 54
Median List Price: $1,274,500 | Median Days on Market: 35 | Inventory: 38 | Relisted: 34%
Highland Park holds steady with a MAI of 54 — unchanged and firmly in seller's territory. The Altos narrative points toward upward price pressure ahead if the current trend holds. Two numbers stand out this week. First, 3% of listings saw price increases — sellers gaining confidence in a market that is supporting it. Second, 34% of listings have been relisted — the highest relist rate of any community we track this week. The market is rewarding well-priced, well-presented homes while penalizing those that entered optimistically. The entry segment around $595K had four new listings and six absorbed — buyers at entry level are moving faster than new supply is coming in.
For sellers: The 34% relist rate is the number you need to understand before you list. Roughly one in three listings in Highland Park has already been on market, pulled, and relisted. The sellers succeeding right now are the ones who priced correctly from day one. There is no reward for testing the ceiling here — the data is clear.
For buyers: 38 homes and a 34% relist rate means there is more real choice here than the inventory number suggests. Some of those relisted homes represent genuine value from sellers who have now adjusted expectations. An experienced agent can identify which relisted properties are worth a second look and which ones are still overpriced.
For first-time buyers: Highland Park's entry segment at $595K with new listings at a median of $725K is one of the strongest first-time buyer stories on the North Shore and North Suburbs right now. Six absorbed versus four new at entry level — demand is outpacing supply at the most accessible price point. With 38 total homes on market, you have more to compare here than in any other community. Work with someone who knows the difference between a well-priced listing and a relisted one.
LAKE FOREST · IL 60045 ★ | Positive Turn · MAI 45
Median List Price: $2,550,000 | Median Days on Market: 35 | Inventory: 35 | Relisted: 17%
Lake Forest is this week's positive surprise — and it deserves to be read as such. The MAI ticked up from 44 to 45, and the Altos narrative flipped to its most optimistic tone in weeks: home sales are outstripping supply and upward pricing pressure is possible if the trend continues. Inventory decreased to 35 homes. The relist rate dropped to 17% — the lowest of any market we track this week and a sharp improvement from recent weeks. The most eye-catching number is the median price of new listings: $795,000 — dramatically below the $2,550,000 market median, suggesting fresh, accessible inventory is attracting immediate buyer attention. The $912K entry segment absorbed four homes in just 14 days.
For sellers: This is the most encouraging week Lake Forest has had in over a month. The narrative is turning, the relist rate is dropping, and sales are outpacing supply. If you have been watching and waiting for the right moment to enter the market, the data is beginning to support that conversation — particularly at the $1.75M level and below where absorption is happening.
For buyers: The upper tiers above $2.89M still show zero absorption this week — negotiating room persists for luxury buyers. However the trend is shifting and the window may be narrowing. If you've been deliberating on a Lake Forest property, the improving narrative is a signal to move from watching to acting.
For first-time buyers: New listings entering the Lake Forest market at a median of $795,000 is a number worth paying attention to. Combined with an entry segment at $912K moving in 14 days, this is the most accessible Lake Forest has looked in months. The community's long-term appreciation, lifestyle, and school quality make entry-level Lake Forest one of the most compelling value propositions on the North Shore and North Suburbs for buyers who can reach that price point.
GLENCOE · IL 60022 | Slight Seller's Advantage · MAI 40 · 45% Relisted
Median List Price: $2,849,525 | Median Days on Market: 35 | Inventory: 20 | Relisted: 45%
Glencoe's MAI recovered slightly from last week's 38 to 40, reclassified by Altos as a "Slight Seller's Advantage." But the number that dominates this week's story is the relist rate: 45%. Nearly half of all listings in Glencoe have been pulled and relisted — an extraordinary figure that speaks to a fundamental mismatch between where sellers want to price and where buyers are willing to transact. Prices continue to fall, though the Altos narrative suggests pressure will be light or variable. The lower two segments showed activity — two absorbed at $2.49M and one at $2.2M. At the top, the $3.6M and $3.38M segments had new listings but zero absorption.
For sellers: A 45% relist rate is the market speaking as clearly as it can. Nearly half of Glencoe's active listings have already been through the process once and are back. The homes transacting this week are in the $2.2M–$2.5M range — the market is telling you exactly where buyers are prepared to engage. If you are considering entering the market, come in at a price the data supports, not anchored to what you hoped for six months ago.
For buyers: With a MAI of 40, prices still falling, and 45% of listings having already been relisted, the negotiating environment favors informed, patient buyers. The $2.2M–$2.5M range absorbed three homes this week. If you have been targeting above $3M, zero absorption means those conversations still have room to negotiate.
For first-time buyers: At a median of $2.85M, Glencoe requires significant financial foundation before entry. However the current market conditions — prices falling, sellers more motivated than they have been in years, and a MAI well below the historical norm for this community — mean that buyers who are financially positioned to enter Glencoe are doing so in one of the more favorable environments this market has offered in recent memory. If this is your aspirational community, have the conversation now.
MORTGAGE UPDATE
The 30-year fixed rate remains steady in the mid-6% range this week. The stabilization of rates over the past several months has done something important for the North Shore and North Suburbs market: it has shifted buyer psychology from rate-watching to market-watching. The conversations happening in our communities right now are not "should I wait for rates to drop" — they are "is this the right home, is this the right price, is this the right moment." That is a fundamentally healthier basis for a real estate decision and it is showing up in the data in markets like Northbrook, Highland Park, and now Lake Forest, where the fundamentals of lifestyle, value, and community are driving action.
FINAL THOUGHTS
The theme this week is recalibration — and that word is not a euphemism for weakness. It is a description of a market finding its natural level after an extraordinary run of acceleration. Northbrook and Deerfield pulled back slightly from recent peaks but remain solidly in seller's territory. Lake Forest made its most positive turn in weeks. Glencoe's 45% relist rate is the most honest signal in all five reports — it tells you that the market there is demanding reality, and the sellers who accept that are the ones transacting.
What does not change week to week is this: the North Shore and North Suburbs real estate market rewards people who operate on current data. Not assumptions from six months ago. Not what a neighbor got last spring. Not hope. The data we publish every Tuesday is the most current, most hyper-local intelligence available for these five communities — and the people who use it make better decisions than those who don't.
That is what it means to 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 — reach out directly.
Lyn Wise Group | www.lynwisegroup.com |
