Week of March 17, 2026
Data sourced from Altos Research. Updated every Tuesday.
Be Wise About the Market
If you’re trying to define this market in one sentence right now… you can’t. Because it’s not one market. It’s multiple markets happening at the same time — and they’re moving at different speeds. Some are tight. Some are balanced. And some are quietly building pressure that hasn’t fully shown up yet. That’s what makes this spring so interesting and complex.
What’s Really Happening
There’s still a clear seller lean overall. But it’s no longer obvious because you don't feel it everywhere. In some suburbs, homes are moving very quickly with very little room for negotiation. In others, listings are sitting longer. Not because demand is gone, but because pricing hasn’t caught up to reality.
Where Things Are Moving Fast
Buffalo Grove is one of the clearest signals right now. Inventory is extremely tight, and homes are getting absorbed almost as soon as they hit the market. What’s interesting is pricing hasn’t fully reacted yet — which usually means it will.
Wilmette continues to do what it’s been doing — staying consistently strong without a lot of noise. It’s not dramatic. It’s just steady demand, week after week.
And Deerfield is starting to show that same pattern — tightening, with momentum building under the surface.
Where It Feels A Little More Balanced
Highland Park and Glenview are good examples of markets that feel more measured right now. They’re still firmly in seller territory — but not everything is moving the same way. Some homes move quickly. Others sit a little longer. That usually comes down to one thing: pricing discipline. No matter how tight inventory might be, if the home is not priced correctly, it will sit until pricing changes. And when demand keeps building underneath, as it is, these markets will tighten next unless inventory pops.
The Quiet Shift Most People Miss
Northbrook, Glencoe, and Lake Forest don’t feel as “hot” at first glance. But that’s not the full story. Inventory is still low enough in each of these markets to keep sellers in control — even if it doesn’t feel aggressive. What you’re really seeing is hesitation, not weakness. And when that hesitation breaks — whether from buyers stepping in or sellers adjusting — these markets can shift quickly.
What This Means
This is where strategy separates people. Buyers who assume everything is competitive either overpay — or miss opportunities. Sellers who assume everything is hot risk sitting — while the well-positioned homes move quickly and at very good prices. There’s no “one-size-fits-all” approach right now. And the advantage right now goes to the people who understand which market they’re actually in and how best to take advantage of it.
