North Shore Views

Archive for the 'Evanston' Category

Independence Day on the North Shore

This year the weather promises to be absolutely perfect for 4th of July celebrations – sunny, clear and warm (not hot) from now through Sunday. There are lots of fun things going on all up and down the North Shore, and if you’ve got the energy, you can spread your celebration out over three days. As always, Wilmette holds its celebration on July 3rd, while Glenview waits til the 5th. (Thunderstorms are currently in the forecast for Monday, so if you live in Glenview you may want to join the festivities in another town on the 4th, just to be on the safe side.). Also, note that, in Winnetka, the parade begins at 1:00 pm and not 10:00 am, as in previous years.

Evanston

July 4
7:30 pm – Twilight Concert featuring the Palatine Concert Band
9:00 pm – The musical fireworks extravaganza will be launched from Clark Street Beach and can be viewed from any part of the lakefront area east of Downtown Evanston.

Wilmette

July 3
4:00 pm -  Games and rides for children, entertainment, roving performers, and a Tastefest at Gillson Park.
7:30 pm – A traditional concert of patriotic music by the Palatine Concert Band in the Wallace Bowl. It will be preceded by a sneak preview of this summer’s Starlight Theatre musical feature.
9:30 p.m – Fireworks begin. In case of rain, the fireworks will be rescheduled to a later date.

The easiest way to get to and from the Independence Day celebrations in Gillson Park is by using the special Pace shuttle bus service. Motorists may park at Edens Plaza or at the METRA commuter lot. To see a complete listing of events or for additional transportation information see the Wilmette Park District’s website.

Winnetka

July 4
1:00 pm – The celebration begins with Winnetka’s annual parade. (Note the change in time from past years). The parade sets off from the corner of Elm and Glendale Streets, and heads east to the Village Green.
2:00 pm – -A flag-raising ceremony, children’s flag parade, and family races follow the parade on the Green.
6:30 pm -  “Fourth Fest,” featuring food, children’s entertainment, and a pre-fireworks concert at Duke Child’s Field
9:15 pm – Fireworks begin

Northfield

July 4
9:45 am -  Bike parade kicks off from two locations — Somerset and Old Willow or the Ameritech Lot. Both routes end at Willow Park.
10:30 am -  Bike judging, music and amusement rides begin. Family activities include relays, wheelbarrow races, a hula-hoop contest and an egg toss. For more information, go to northfieldparkdistrict.org or call 847-446-4428.

Glencoe

July 4
8:00 am – Fun Run starts at the train station, 724 Green Bay Road
10:00 am – Games in Kalk Park, Park Aveune and Green Bay Road
2:00 pm – Parade
6:30 pm -  Barbecue on the beach with children’s entertainment and music
9:00 pm – Fireworks on the beach
847-835-3050

Glenview

July 5

11:00 am -  Bike Parade starting at the corner of Glenview rd. and Church St.
11:30 am -  Main parade starting from OLPH parking lot and ending at Johns Park.
7:30 pm – Twilight Show with patriotic concert by the North Shore Concert Band. The show’s finale will be fireworks synchronized to patriotic music.
847-724-5670

Highland Park

July 4
11:00 am – Parade in downtown Highland Park
12:00 pm – Fourth Fest at Sunset Woods Park
9:15 pm – Fireworks at Wolters Field on Park Avenue West
847-432-0800

Lake Forest

July 4
6:00 pm – Beer garden with kids activities and live music by Sixteen Candles at Deerpath Community Park
8:00 pm – KC and the Sunshine Band
9:30 pm -  Fireworks sponsored by the Lake Forest Symphony

Tags: 4th of july, Independence Day

North Shore Housing Inventory

Here is a snapshot of active listings (single family detached homes) on the market as of April 5, 2010.

Town	# Active Listings	Avg. List Price	Median List Price	Days on Market
Evanston	249	$694,910	$535,000	212
Wilmette	181	$890,392	$719,000	204
Winnetka	182	$2,120,724	$1,497,000	279
Kenilworth	44	$2,188,466	$2,245,000	327
Glenview	357	$754,771	$649,000	242
Glencoe	114	$1,759,373	$1,132,000	249
Northfield	58	$950,160	$659,500	349
Highland Park	295	$1,035,746	$666,000	287
Lake Forest	306	$1,887,223	$1,299,000	314
NORTH SHORE	1786	$1,245,590	$827,000	264

Source: MRED – Deemed reliable but not guaranteed.

Tags: North Shore market data

North Shore Market Update: 1st Quarter 2010

The North Shore housing market looks a whole lot better in 2010 than it did at this time last year. Driven by low interest rates, the home buyer tax credit, plentiful supply of homes to choose from and attractive prices, buyers have returned to the market. Prices are still soft but the rate of decline has slowed.

Housing sales on Chicago’s North Shore increased 56% in the first quarter of 2010 vs. the same period last year. All towns had healthy increases except for Northfield which had one less sale this year than last. The big winner in percentage terms was Kenilworth, which had nine sales this year vs. one last year.

Average prices for sold properties on the North Shore was down 7%. Lake Forest showed the biggest drop (-30%), followed by Winnetka (-21%). Highland Park had only a 1% decrease in average price, while Evanston and Wilmette actually showed increases. Kenilworth’s large increase in average price was driven by the fact that the only sale in 2009 was for an unusually low-priced property for this village.

Days on market for properties sold was down 8% for the North Shore, but the numbers varied widely across individual towns. The largest decreases in market time were in Wilmette (-70%) and Lake Forest (-58%). The largest increases were in Kenilworth (+48%) and Northfield (+38%).

North Shore Market Update – 1st Qtr. 2010 vs. Year Ago*

*Single family detached homes. Source: MRED – Deemed reliable but not guaranteed

Tags: North Shore market data, North Shore real estate trends, North Shore sales trends

North Shore Market Update: January-February 2010

For the first two months of 2010 sales of single family homes on Chicago’s North Shore were up 47% over the same period last year. The big winners were Highland Park and Lake Forest, which both more than doubled their sales vs. last year. Kenilworth, which only had one sale in the first two months of 2009, had five this year.

While prices were down 7% from this time last year, the rate of decline does seem to be slowing and the market may be nearing the bottom. Market times are up over last year but down versus previous months and there is less inventory on the market now.

North Shore Market Trends: Jan. – Feb. 2010 (vs. year ago)

Town	Units Sold % chg	Avg. Price % chg	Mkt Time % chg
Evanston	35%	18%	31%
Wilmette	20%	-14%	-27%
Glenview/Golf	16%	1%	3%
Northfield	-25%	-27%	84%
Kenilworth	400%	126%	65%
Winnetka	50%	-19%	11%
Glencoe	9%	-23%	1%
Highland Park	190%	14%	157%
Lake Forest	100%	-14%	-20%
NORTH SHORE	47%	-7%	8%

Source: MRED LLC -Deemed reliable but not guaranteed

Tags: North Shore market data, North Shore real estate trends, North Shore sales trends

Proof there’s a buyer for every house…at the right price

Do you remember that bizarre story about the Evanston woman who was living in her house with the bodies of her dead siblings?

As I recall, the bodies of her two sisters and brother were discovered in the fall of 2008 after a neighbor became concerned because she had not seen the woman’s sister around lately. When the police went into the house they discovered the body of one sister, who had been dead for 30 years, the body of the brother, who died in 2003, and the body of the other sister, who had died recently (all of natural causes).

Today there was a story in Crain’s saying that someone has actually bought that house (the owner has moved into a nursing home).  An Evanston couple made an offer on it just one week after it was put on the market. They knew about its gruesome past but were undeterred. It’s a pretty 1890s-era house in east Evanston and I guess once it’s gutted and redone  the new owners won’t find it so creepy.

Until the deal closes we won’t know how much they paid, but presumably they got a good deal. It just goes to show that, at the right price, every house will sell…even in this market.

Tags: haunted houses, pricing your house to sell, Strange real estate stories

Evanston Real Estate Trends

Housing market trends for Evanston (including single family houses, condos and townhomes) mirror those of the rest of the North Shore. The good news: sales are up and inventories are down. The bad news: prices are down vs. last year and time on market is up.

Evanston Home Sales

December sales were up 28% vs. 2008. Total 2009 sales of 682 are down 10% vs. 2008.  However, the lower annual numbers are driven by a very weak market in the first half of 2009. Sales for the 2nd half of the year were up 12% vs. the second half of 2008.

Home Prices

December’s average price of $374,393 was 13% below December 2008 but 18% above the previous month, suggesting the downward slide of prices that began in early 2008 may be stabilizing.

Inventory and Months Supply

The total inventory of homes for sale was 646 in December, down 7% from November and down 9% vs. December 2008. This is the lowest level of inventory in over two years, good news for sellers, since pricing and time on market are ultimately driven by supply and demand. Months supply is 14 months, which means it would take 14 months to sell all the homes on the market at the current rate of sale.  This is 30% lower than December 2008 and moving in the right direction.

Market Time

The average days on market, which shows how many days the average home is on the market before it sells, was 92 days. This is 13% lower than November but 6% higher than last December.

Tags: Evanston, North Shore market data, North Shore real estate trends, North Shore sales trends

Do You Know Where the Candidates Stand?

Find out at two upcoming candidate forums: PRESENTED BY THE LEAGUE OF WOMEN VOTERS WHEN: Thursday, January 7, 7 pm WHERE: New Trier High School Northfield Campus, Room C234, 7 Happ Road WHAT: U.S. 10th Congressional District Republican Candidates:  Elizabeth Coulson, Robert Dold, Arie Friedman, Dick Green, and Paul Hamann Democratic Candidates:  Julie Hamos, Elliot Richardson, and Dan Seals ——- WHEN: Sunday, January 10, 2-5 pm WHERE: Evanston Township High School 1600 Dodge (use Main Entrance) WHAT: 13th Cook County District (2 – 3 pm) and 18th Legislative District (3:30 – 5 p.m.) 13 Cook County District Candidates: Cook County District Commissioner Larry Suffredin and Democratic challenger John Michael Keefe 18th Legislative District Candidates: Robyn Gabel, Eamon Kelly, Patrick Keenan-Devlin, Edmund Moran, and Jeff Smith OPEN TO THE PUBLIC

Tags: 13th Cook County District, 18th Legislative District, North Shore local elections, U.S. 10th Congressional District candidates

North Shore Housing Inventory Snapshot – December 1, 2009

Here’s a snapshot of what’s on the market right now, including list prices and time on market. Not surprisingly, there seems to be a direct correlation between price level and time on market, with Winnetka, Kenilworth and Lake Forest being the priciest markets and also the ones where market time is longest, at well over 300 days.

Town	# Units for Sale*	Median List Price	Average List Price	Average D.O.M.
Evanston	225	$514,000	$695,154	240
Wilmette	155	$710,000	$887,632	280
Glenview	380	$664,950	$792,208	263
Northfield	64	$732,000	$885,750	314
Kenilworth	43	$1,899,000	$2,183,942	336
Winnetka	176	$1,499,000	$1,970,967	339
Glencoe	98	$1,099,450	$1,813,779	259
Highland Park	345	$679,000	$1,027,431	287
Lake Forest	316	$1,250,000	$1,911,778	320
North Shore	1802	$799,000	$1,236,879	288

* Detached single family houses (Source: MRED)

Tags: Glencoe, Glenview, Kenilworth, Lake Forest, North Shore market data, North Shore real estate trends, Northfield, Real estate, Wilmette, Winnetka