The number of home sales in the North Shore in the 1st quarter of 2026 decreased by 4% as compared to the 1st quarter of 2025. The median sale price was up 10%, and the average market time decreased 5%. As was the case in 2022, 2023, 2024 and 2025 it has again been a strong Sellers’ market in 2026. Here are the statistics:
| Number of Homes Sales | Average Market Time | |||||||
| 1st Q-25 | 1st Q-26 | 1st Q-25 | 1st Q-26 | |||||
| Wilmette | 59 | 45 | 29 | 34 | ||||
| Evanston | 56 | 60 | 50 | 47 | ||||
| Winnetka | 27 | 26 | 87 | 41 | ||||
| Glenview | 53 | 69 | 66 | 48 | ||||
| North Shore | 604 | 582 | 57 | 54 | ||||
| Average Home Price (in thousands) | Median Home Price (in thousands) | |||||||
| 1st Q-25 | 1st Q-26 | % Change | 1st Q-25 | 1st Q-26 | % Change | |||
| Wilmette | 1367 | 1475 | 8% | 1205 | 1300 | 8% | ||
| Evanston | 818 | 904 | 11% | 651 | 728 | 12% | ||
| Winnetka | 2233 | 2484 | 11% | 1675 | 2010 | 20% | ||
| Glenview | 1056 | 1061 | 0% | 935 | 886 | -5% | ||
| North Shore | 1069 | 1139 | 7% | 800 | 883 | 10% | ||
The above statistics are for detached single family homes and were compiled from data collected by the Multiple Listing Service (Midwest Real Estate Data LLC), and may not include all home sales.
Prices: For closed sales in the first quarter prices are again up significantly. The median North Shore price is up 10% and the average is up 7%. Since these are closed sales they mostly reflect homes that went under contract at the end of 2025, but the market has continued its strong movement in 2026 so I expect prices will be up in 2026 also.
Inventory: One reason we are seeing strong sales again this year is the continued lack of inventory. We saw record low inventory last year at this time and it has continued to remain at these record low levels. Wilmette currently has 28 active, not under contract, single family detached homes on the market, last year there were 34. In a typical year there would be 150 homes on the Wilmette market during the spring season. Evanston, with 39 active homes, is down from 43. Winnetka has 28 active homes which is an increase from the 24 it had last year. Glenview has 53 active homes which is a decrease from the 65 it had last year. The North Shore has 501 active homes which is a 9% decrease. Moreover, last year we saw record low inventory and nevertheless this year it has dropped lower.
Interest Rates: Interest rates started the year at about 6% for the conventional 30-year fixed rate loan which was the low point for the prior year. They remained at about 6% through January and February but began climbing in March. At the end of March rates peaked at about 6.6% and then began dropping. The 30-year fixed rate is approximately 6.375% currently.
The highest sale price in the North Shore this quarter is a lakefront Lake Forest home built in 2020 that sits on 2 acres of land. Its unique features include a separate beach home, a theater, and lake views from every room. This huge 16,000 square foot home has 8 bedrooms and 11 bathrooms. It sold for $8,300,000 after over 500 days on the market and an original list price of $10,900,000
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