Sales of single family homes on the North Shore were flat for the first nine months vs. year ago. Actually three fewer houses sold this year which rounds to flat. That doesn’t sound very promising but, considering that sales were down 11% through the end of June, this is more positive than it appears. Remember that in first half of 2010 we had the effect of the home buyer tax credit, which we did not have in 2011. Sales for the July -September quarter were up 19%, bringing us to even for the first three quarters.
The communities driving most of the sales growth this year are Glencoe (+40%), Winnetka (+10%) and Kenilworth (+28%). Glencoe’s strong growth this year followed last’s year’s anemic performance, where it only grew 3% through September of 2010.
The median home price for the North Shore declined 2% for the first three quarters, which isn’t too bad when you compare it to other markets that are still falling more dramatically.
Market time continues to decline across the board indicating that sellers have gotten more realistic in their pricing and buyers are getting off the fence.
North Shore Real Estate Report: January - September 2011
Source: MRED - Data for single family homes.Deemed reliable but not guaranteed.
Originally posted at www.NorthShoreViews.com
I know a lot of people don’t really like Halloween and some even disapprove of it. But here on the North Shore, we take Halloween pretty seriously judging by the sheer number of events and activities taking place throughout the month of October. Consider this your definitive guide to Halloween fun for all ages.
October 2 – 4:00-5:00 pm
Leoleno, 976 Green Bay Rd., Winnetka
Neli Yelin will read her favorite stories about fall and Halloween. Free. Call 847-446-1100 for info.
October 7, 8, 14, 15, 21, 22, 28, 29, 30 & 31 from 7:00-10:00 pm
9300 Weber Park Pl., Skokie
Rated as one of the best haunted houses in Illinois, Scream Scene has been scaring the wits out of thousands of visitors for over ten years. Guests will wind their way through a maze of creepy rooms, featuring crazed butchers, chainsaw maniacs and ghoulish monsters. Not recommended for children under ten years of age. $8.00/person. Call 847-674-1500.
Scarecrow Fest
October 8 & 9 – 10:00 -4:00
Lurvey’s Garden Center, 2550 E. Dempster, Des Plaines
Scarecrow building (you supply the clothes, we’ll supply the straw), pony rides, petting zoo, train rides, fun house and refreshments. 847-824-7411
October 15 – 10:00 am – 2:00 pm
Kalk Park, 298 Park Ave., Glencoe
Celebrate the fall season and enjoy one of the best community spirit events of the year! There is delicious food, entertainment, games, a petting zoo, and more for the entire family to enjoy. This is also a great opportunity to purchase your Halloween pumpkin. Free.
Read the rest of Halloween Fun
After “Pawgust, this is my three labs’ favorite fundraiser. (Assuming, of course, that I don’t make them get dressed up in Halloween costumes). They get to go on a walk in the crisp autumn air, mark some new territory, meet and sniff other dogs, bark and wag at everything, and enjoy treats. And it’s all for a good cause. What’s not to like?
Hounds for Hadley is an annual event to benefit the Hadley School for the Blind, which provides distance education for people who are blind or visually impaired. The benefit is a two-mile walk through Winnetka for dogs and their people. Even people without dogs are welcome. There will be complimentary refreshments, trick-or-treat fun and raffle prizes! Lots of people and their dogs come in costume so it’s a fun show. There will be a dog costume contest as well as prizes for “Top Dogs” – those who raise the most funds for a great cause. And remember, dogs (or costumes) are not required for you to participate in this community event.
Here are the details, or you can go to the event website for more information and to register.
When: Saturday, October 1
Where: The Hadley School for the Blind, 700 Elm Street, Winnetka, IL
Start Time: 9 a.m.
Check-in: 8 a.m. (Please allow a half hour to check-in.)
Registration fee: $30 in advance; $40 day of the event.
I always harp that real estate is local and you shouldn’t get too worked up about what’s going on nationally or even state-wide when trying to get a handle on the real estate market. But even if you are looking at the data for your local area, you probably need to go deeper and look at it by price band if you want to understand how your own home is affected. Here’s why:
In the last three months (June-August) there have been 270 sales of single family homes in New Trier Township (Wilmette, Winnetka, Kenilworth, Northfield and Glencoe). There are currently 512 active listings. You can divide the sales by the listings to get a good proxy for your odds of selling in the next three months. For all of New Trier the odds of selling in the next 90 days are 52%. But if you look at it by price band, you get quite a different picture. In some cases it’s much rosier but in some cases it’s pretty grim.
Read the rest of New Trier Home Sales
Are you eager to find a good deal on some antiques? Or maybe you have what you think is an antique and want to find out what it’s worth. You can do both this Saturday, September 17 in Wilmette. You can buy antiques and collectibles at the St. Joseph Oktoberfest and Antiques Market or you can bring your treasures to the North Shore Treasures Appraisal. Here are the details:
An annual event held in the church parking lot on the corner of Ridge and Lake in Wilmette, features antiques vendors from Sandwich and Kane counties from 9 am to 4 pm. There is also a Family Festival, with games, entertainment and a “biergarten” tent. In the evening there’s a traditional German dinner at 6:00 with an Oompah band, followed by a dance at 8:30 featuring HipHugger. Call 847-256-7870 for more information.
If you’ve cleaned out your attic and are wondering whether those treasures you’ve discovered are family heirlooms or just junk, here’s your chance to find out. Just bring your treasure(s) to Plaza del Lago at 1515 Sheridan Rd. on Saturday, September 17 from 10 to 2 and get them appraised by Daniel Buck Soules or Simeon Lipman. A suggested $10 donation for each item appraised will go to the Make-a-Wish Foundation of Illinois. Call 847-884-0000 for more information.
Originally posted at www.NorthShoreViews.com
Realtor with Coldwell Banker on Chicago's North Shore.
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