This week is not about whether the market is “hot” or “cold.” It’s about where momentum is accelerating, stabilizing, or softening.
🚀 Acceleration Markets (Demand Gaining vs Last Week)
Deerfield — strongest upward shift
- Last Week (Feb 10): MAI: 48 -- Inventory: 17 --- Median List: $799,000
- This Week: MAI: 45 (down slightly vs prior monthly baseline in that report) -- Inventory: 19 -- Median List: $799,000
- What changed? Last week’s report showed a strong surge relative to prior month. This week shows slight cooling but still firmly seller-leaning.
- Interpretation: Deerfield remains one of the strongest mid-priced markets, but the acceleration phase is slowing slightly. This is still a high-competition sub-$1M market, but inventory ticking up creates micro-opportunities.
- Seller Playbook: Under $900K: still position aggressively. Over $1M: expect selective buyers.
- Buyer Playbook: Clean homes = move quickly. Longer DOM listings = negotiate with confidence.
Wilmette — still strong, but watch for cooling
- Last Week: MAI: 58 -- Inventory: 13 -- Median List: $2,200,000
- This Week: MAI dipped slightly from peak levels in your newer report.
- Interpretation: Wilmette remains one of the tightest luxury markets, but narrative language in both reports suggests cooling demand while prices haven’t adjusted yet. This is a classic lag effect market: Demand softens first → pricing adjusts later.
- Seller Playbook: Price sharply at launch. Don’t assume February strength guarantees March pricing.
- Buyer Playbook: Watch for early price reductions. Negotiation window may widen in 2–4 weeks if MAI drifts lower.
⚖️ Stable but Selective Markets
Highland Park
- Last Week: MAI: 42 -- Inventory: 24 -- Median List: $1,199,900
- Week-over-week profile shows no major shift.
- Interpretation: HP is a classic strategy market -- Seller advantage overall, but 4% price decreases and 8% relists signal selectivity
- Seller Strategy: First 10 days matter. If you miss early traction, reposition quickly.
- Buyer Strategy: Target homes above $1.2M with longer DOM. Under $900K remains competitive.
Glenview
- Last Week: MAI: 44 -- Inventory: 23 -- Median List: $1,149,000
- MAI softened slightly in your newer batch.
- Interpretation: Glenview is plateauing. Relist rate at 22% signals pricing friction. This is not a bidding-war market. It’s a precision market.
Northbrook
- Last Week: MAI: 39 -- Inventory: 20 -- Median List: $1,662,500
- This Week: 25% price decreased, 35% relisted
- Interpretation: Northbrook has the clearest “buyer pushback” data in the region: High relist rate, high price reductions, long median DOM (116). Despite slight seller advantage classification, buyers are negotiating.
- Seller Strategy: Do not test the market high. Expect inspection and concession requests.
- Buyer Strategy: This is leverage territory especially above $1.5M.
🏡 Luxury: Two Very Different Stories
Winnetka — cooling but still strong
- Last Week: MAI: 47 -- Inventory: 13 -- Median List: $1,795,000
- This Week: MAI softened slightly from prior monthly baseline.
- Interpretation: Still seller-leaning, but prices showed softness in narrative. This is a two-market suburb: A+ homes move and seems like many of the others sit.
Lake Forest — quiet leverage shift
- Last Week: MAI: 33 -- Inventory: 26 -- 15% price decreased
- This Week: Lake Forest remains slow-moving luxury. Median DOM 84. Average DOM 148.
- Interpretation: This is a patience market. Buyers compare heavily. Time is leverage.
Glencoe — still buyer-leaning luxury
- Last Week: MAI: 29 -- Inventory: 12 -- 42% relisted
- Interpretation: The highest relist percentage in the region. This is fragile pricing territory. If demand cools even slightly, pricing pressure increases. Strong leverage for buyers above $2.5M.
Buffalo Grove — scarcity micro-market
- Last Week: MAI: 56 == Inventory: 7 -- Median List: $540,000
- Inventory at 7 is structurally tight. This market moves fast, but plateauing prices suggest affordability ceiling pressure.
🧭 This Week’s Regional Conclusions
Strongest Leverage for Sellers:
Wilmette
Deerfield (sub-$900K)
Buffalo Grove
Strongest Leverage for Buyers:
Glencoe
Northbrook (over $1.5M)
Lake Forest luxury tiers
Most Balanced Strategy Markets:
Highland Park
Glenview
Winnetka
The Real Story
We are not in a broad acceleration cycle yet. We are in:
Micro-market competition under $900K
Selective discipline from $1M–$2M
Negotiation leverage above $2.5M
Spring inventory is beginning to form, but unevenly. This is exactly the type of environment where strategy beats momentum.
