How's the Market?
Real Estate News of Chicago's North Shore                                                                                                                                  May, 2015


Wow -- I feel like I've been running all week -- the spring market has definitely sprung -- new listings are appearing every day and we're seeing a lot of buyers out there looking and considering properties.  I'm working on three new listings and two contracts today -- that the rest of the year is this busy would be a real blessing!

Between Mother's Day and Memorial Day, May always seems like a month about family, friends and remembrances.  So with that theme in mind, my articles this month are related to family and generational issues around housing.   My comments end here...the market has recovered from past years and I need to get out there and keep moving... and it's a beautiful day to be showing houses!

Have a wonderful May!

In This Issue...
North Shore's Highest Sales in April

Kenilworth - 512 Roslyn Road
List Price - $3,895,000
Sales Price - $3,500,000 (90% of asking)
Days on Market - 165
To see pictures and detailed information go to  512 Roslyn Road, Kenilworth

Winnetka - 576 Maple Street
  
List Price - $3,495,000
Sales Price - $3,350,000 (96% of asking) 
Days on Market - 113 days
To see pictures and detailed information go to 576 Maple Street, Winnetka

Winnetka - 1207 Whitebridge Hill Road

Original List Price - $3,750,000
List Price - $3,500,000
Sales Price - $2,980,000 (85% of asking) 
Days on Market - 258 days
Days on Market at Final List Price - 145 Days
To see pictures and detailed information go to 1207 Whitebridge Hill Road, Winnetka

* * * * *
There are currently 225 houses for sale on the North Shore that are priced greater than $2M.   During the month of April, 7 houses closed in this price range:
Highland Park - 0
Winnetka - 3
Glencoe - 1
Lake Forest - 1
Wilmette - 0
Kenilworth - 2
Lake Bluff - 0

Source: MRED (Midwest Real Estate Data) Multiple Listing Service
Family
Help Your Kids Buy a Home
After college, Dan made a beeline for the Big Apple. After working as an interior designer with Michael Kors and Ralph Lauren, among others, he co-founded a business, BHDM Design, in 2012. The following year, a studio apartment came up for sale in Dan's co-op apartment building in Greenwich Village. Dan, 34, decided to go for it.  "That's how it..."
 
Huge Share of Millennials Return Home after Moving Out 

The past few months, we've reported on the many thorny issues facing Millennials - that their wages in many industries have plummeted in recent years; that their savings rate is negative; that they have pushed roommate rates up to all-time highs; and finally, that skyrocketing student debt is forcing them to... 


Moving Back In With Parents As a Married Couple

Four years ago, a series of circumstances led my husband and me to move back to the town where I grew up, and then to buy my parents' home of 25 years. The home came with a lot of stuff: my mother's colorful porcelain egg collection, my father's dusty musical cassettes, rooms full of frayed chintz and.... 

  

For Older Couples, House-Hunting Begins With Soul-Searching  

retired couple
Like many couples they had different ideas about their life in retirement.

She had always wanted a second home, but he wasn't sure about it. She didn't want to sell their family home in ... 

 

 

Renovation vs. Relocation in Retirement

Should you downsize and move to a new neighborhood? Or renovate the family residence to suit your retirement needs and lock in for the long term? It is one of the most vexing questions older people face as they plan the shift from a working life to retirement....   

Increasingly, Retirees Dump Their Possessions and Hit the Road
Some call themselves "senior gypsies." Others prefer "international nomad." David, 74, a retired executive recruiter who has primarily slept in tents in several countries in the last two years, likes the ring of...

6 Things You Must Know about Aging in Place
Planning to stay put in retirement? Get your home ready now.

Who Gets the Vacation Home?
...Vacation homes may create beautiful memories. But if you're not careful, they can lead to  b
attles over the cottage's future as well as feuds over who stays during prime weeks and who pays for new plumbing...
Stuff it: Millennials nix their parents' treasure 
A seismic shift of stuff is underway in homes all over America.

Members of the generation that once embraced sex, drugs and rock-and-roll are trying to offload their place settings for 12, family photo albums and leather sectionals.

Their offspring don't want them....
Ways to Give Your House Away
Some people donate clothes or a car to charity. The estate of film director John Hughes donated a mansion.

Nancy Hughes, wife of the late director of 1980s blockbusters such as "Breakfast Club" and "Home Alone," gave their 1920s Tudor-style home in Lake Forest, Ill., to Northwestern Lake Forest Hospital in October. The hospital, in turn, is lending the home to another charity, Infant Welfare Society of Chicago, to host its annual designer show house fundraiser April 25 to May 17...
gardening-items.jpg
For the Garden...

 Scent adds an extra dimension to a garden, turning it into a place where you linger, indulging your senses rather than rushing through to the front door or garden shed. Use plants that flower in different seasons to turn your garden into a perfumed paradise all year round. Plant heat-loving shrubs like lavender against north-facing walls and surround them with brick pavers or stone pebbles to draw out their perfume. And position night-scented plants near your outdoor living spaces or windows so that you can savor their scent while relaxing in the evening....

Top 10 Scented Plants for Your Garden  


 

Happy Mother's Day on May 10.   Remember our Veterans on Memorial Day.

  

Happy May!

 

Ann

Ann Jones

Broker Associate, 
Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices KoenigRubloff Realty Group


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Featured Listing
1020 Timber Lane
Lake Forest
FIRST TIME EVER
on the market!! 
Be amazed as you step inside this sophisticated and impeccably maintained hillside ranch in Whispering Oaks.  The walkout basement has a great room with fireplace, second kitchen/ bar, additional bedroom/office and full bath. So many details make this unusual and beautiful home worth checking out.  Stop by the planned open house on May 17th from 2-4:00 -- although it may be sold before then!  It's a winner! 

List Price: $789,000
4BR/3.1Baths
See the details at:
newspaper
In the news...

"Home prices are rising, and homeownership is falling. How can that be?  ...
It has to do with this: math. The homeownership rate in the first quarter of this year fell to 63.7 percent, the lowest since 1990, according to the U.S. Census..."

Homeownership rate lowest in 25 years 

-CNBC

 

"The improving economy has enabled more millennials-those born between 1980 and 1999-to qualify for mortgages. And in some markets, they're seeking jumbo loans..."

- Wall Street Journal 
 
"Homeowners with federal flood insurance will get some unwelcome news when they receive their next policy renewal notice.
As of April 1, new rates took effect under the National Flood Insurance Program that increase individual policy premiums for homeowners in high-risk areas by as much as 25 percent.
.."
- New York Times

"It continues to be a sellers' market in many areas of the country, but that doesn't mean buyers everywhere are out of luck. The top housing markets for buyers are Philadelphia, Chicago and..."

- CNN Money 

 

Quick Links

Memorable Moments
May 4, 1896
Haymarket Square Riot   
Chicago
Step of the Month

50 Simple Steps you can take to Sell Your Home 

#20 Refold Towels and Sheets in Your Linen Closet 

"Spring is nature's way of saying, 'Let's party!'" 

~ Robin Williams


 


Ann Jones | 847-691-1111 | [email protected] | rannjones.com
778 N. Western Avenue | Lake Forest, IL 60045