Winnetka has several events planned for the Halloween holiday for younger children. First, the Winnetka Ice Arena will host a Halloween Party on Ice.  Wear your costume and skate to chilling Halloween music.   Where:  Winnetka Ice Arena When:  Saturday, October 25, 2014 Time:  1:40 to 2:55 pm Fee:  Free if you bring a canned food donation for the New Trier Pantry   A second event for youngsters is at Tower Road Beach.  It will be transformed into a pumpkin patch where children can participate in pumpkin decorating, carnival games, and a costume contest. Categories for the costume contest are:  funniest, scariest, and most decked out.   This is considered a family event, but be aware that staff will be dressed in costume and there will be props and sound effects. Where:  Tower Road Beach... 10/07/2014

Are you ready to tackle Winnetka's Haunted Trail of Terror and experience hair-raising thrills? Rumor has it that every year at Halloween time, spirits return to Lloyd Beach to reclaim what is rightfully theirs and haunt those who dare to stand in their way.  Some say the spirits were lost at sea long ago, while others say they used to own Lloyd Beach and want it back.  One thing is certain:  DO NOT go to Lloyd Beach when the spirits are present.   Unless you are very brave that is.  Make your way to Lloyd Beach On October 25 and visit the graveyard of the spirits, walk along the Haunted Trail of Terror, and enter the Haunted Boathouse.  All at your own risk! This event is scary and is appropriate for children 12+ years of age. For a less scary event, please see:  Winnetka Halloween Eve... 10/07/2014

Winnetka IL Real Estate The Winnetka IL Real Estate market is still booming. At this time there are 116 single family homes for sale and 46 under contract and waiting to close. In the last 30 days 21 houses have sold, are closed. In the condominium scene there 21 available at this time and 9 under contract waiting to close. In the last 30 days 7 have sold, are closed. This for a village of only about 14,000 people. If you are interested in Winnetka Real Estate and want to see for yourself what is happening in the market then click the Winnetka Home or Winnetka Condo links and browse freely. You will not be required to enter any information unless you want to, this site is connected directly to the Multiple Listing Service. Winnetka is a great place to raise a family. It sits right on La... 10/03/2014

Earlier this week the Chicago Tribune wrote an article about declining home sales in the 9-county Chicagoland area (Local Housing Market's Cool-Off Continues.)  The author states that sales fell by 14% in August 2014 compared to August 2013. Blaming a harsh winter and a stagnant economy, plus concerns about mortgage availability and rising rates has consumers edgy.  The silver lining is that prices continued to increase in varying degrees depending on location. How do our five communities compare to the larger Chicago numbers.  I looked up homes sales in Winnetka, Wilmette, Kenilworth, Glencoe, and Northfield and also found that sales were down by 7% when comparing August 2013 to 2014.   These five villages have a combined 425 houses for sale right now - listed from $295,000 to $18,750,... 09/25/2014

In the back of my mind, I know that there are some North Shore homes - Winnetka, Wilmette, Northfield, Kenilworth, and Glencoe, that have been on the market for what seems like forever. Why does this happen? I always explain to my sellers that "time", as in market time, is not their friend.  The longer their house languishes, the more suspect buyers become.  A well priced home should sell fairly quickly - particularly in a seller's market. Even if the seller is a little high, the offers will come if the price is adjusted quickly. If the seller has grossly overpriced their home, then price reductions tend to "chase the market."  Their lower price is still too high each time they make a price reduction and so they are never really priced competitively.   Some sellers blame their listing a... 09/24/2014

Winnetka IL Real Estate September Winnetka is one of the most sought after places to live and raise a family in Chicago's North Shore. The village is quiet yet there is a lot going on and a warm and pleasant place to call home. Tree lined streets are thorough out the community and kids ride their bikes enjoying life in this suburb sitting on Lake Michigan with 5 public beaches and 27 different parks for a town of 14,000 people. If you are interested click the Winnetka Real Estate link and take a look at what is available in town. I grew up In Winnetka from age 10 through through graduating from High School until I went to college. I went to New Trier High School and had a wonderful experience that shaped my life and fond memories remain in my mind of the care free life during my teens. ... 09/12/2014

Checking the median home sales from January 1 through today (September 12, 2014) it looks like Winnetka home prices have risen 15% over the same time period in 2013.   Even though the North Shore seems like one big contiguous area, the villages have distinct differences and sometimes the home sale prices are wildly off kilter. Wilmette is the only other North Shore village to have the exact same home price increase - 15%. More dramatic is the price increase in Kenilworth - a whopping 29%.  This is partly explained by Kenilworth's tiny size - just a few large sales can throw off the numbers significantly. Glencoe had a modest home price increase of 3.7%. Northfield is the only town to show a price decrease year - small at -3% but important in light of the big increases elsewhere. This is... 09/12/2014

By Art Wilson, Realtor   Winnetka's August Property sales were 44, up 29.4% from 34 in August of 2013 and 46.7% higher than the 30 sales last month. August 2014 sales were at their highest level compared to August of 2013 and 2012. August YTD sales of 179 are running -12.7% behind last year's year-to-date sales of 205.  The Median Sales Price in August was $1,200,000, up 0.2% from $1,197,500 in August of 2013 and down -1.8% from $1,221,500 last month. The Average Sales Price in August was $1,370,381, down -10.2% from $1,525,759 in August of 2013 and up 5.0% from $1,304,992 last month. August 2014 ASP was at a mid range compared to August of 2013 and 2012. The Total Inventory of Properties available for sale as of August was 144, down -8.9% from 158 last month and up 23.1% from 117 in A... 09/10/2014

Sales for homes in Winnetka IL 60093 in Cook County were brisk this August.  Since school starts at the end of the month, many home buyers are eager to close and get moved in. Here are the home sales in Winnetka in August: Eleven homes sold under $1 million.  The least expensive home to sell in Winnetka sold for $585,000 and the most expensive was $6,100,000. Five homes sold between $2-3 million.   As of today, September 1, 2014 there are 135 homes for sale in Winnetka listed from $358,000 up to $18,750,000.  The most expensive house was originally listed for $34,000,000 and is called "Le Grand Reve" on Locust Road n Winnetka.         With 135 homes for sale (that number does not include homes that under contract) it does not seem that we have a lack of inventory anymore - however the m... 09/01/2014

UPDATED 2019 Indian Hill Road in Winnetka, IL is a lovely winding road that is just perfect for bikers, runners, and walkers.  It encirlces Indian Hill Country Club and is about 2 1/3 miles in length as it passes around the golf course and large stately homes.  Read more . . .          While you're here, please see ALL WINNETKA HOMES FOR SALEorHOMES ON INDIAN HILL ROAD   Sign up to get monthly North Shore real estate news delivered to your inbox.It's free, we'll never sell your info, and you can opt-out at any time.Enter your email address at: North Shore Newsletter Margaret Goss is a full-time real estate broker since 1998 working in the North Shore communities of Winnetka, Wilmette, Kenilworth, Glencoe, Northfield, Glenview, and Evanston.She can be reached at:Phone:  847-977-6024Email... 08/28/2014

Winnetka IL Life Winnetka IL is a quiet and easy going place to call home. There is a quiet ambiance about the village on Lake Michigan that makes you want to visit often if you do not already live there. I lived in Winnetka from age 10 until I went away to college. My parents still live in Winnetka and I visit often.  Peaceful and easy is a thought that comes to mind when I stop by. This evening we took my parents out to dinner in town. In the last 10 years quite a few excellent restaurants have sprung up and are really a pleasure to sample. We went to O'Neil's an excellent and casual restaurant that is really good. I had fried Ravioli for an appetizer and tortilla encrusted Tilapia for my entree. Really tasty and flaky. I have great memories of growing up in Winnetka. Riding my bike t... 08/17/2014

By Art Wilson, Realtor   Winnetka's July Property sales were 30, down -21.1% from 38 in July of 2013 and 11.1% higher than the 27 sales last month. July 2014 sales were at their lowest level compared to July of 2013 and 2012. July YTD sales of 135 are running -21.1% behind last year's year-to-date sales of 171. The Median Sales Price in July was $1,221,500, up 35.9% from $898,750 in July of 2013 and down -6.0% from $1,300,000 last month. The Average Sales Price in July was $1,304,992, up 28.7% from $1,014,289 in July of 2013 and up 1.4% from $1,286,750 last month. July 2014 ASP was at highest level compared to July of 2013 and 2012. The Total Inventory of Properties available for sale as of July was 158, down -5.4% from 167 last month and up 33.9% from 118 in July of last year. July 20... 08/15/2014

Winnetka and the North Shore area was settled a long time ago - it was a pass through for settlers heading farther west.  Some, however, stayed and the area was slowly developed.   Occasionally, I would read about a few roads in town where old taverns and inns had been located.  Long since gone, of course.  On this map, I found Patterson's Tavern along the lake and did some research on it.  It's located below at the middle point along Lake Michigan. It turns out that the Patterson Tavern was Winnetka's first established business.  After traveling west from Vermont in an ox-drawn wagon train, the Patterson family - Erastus, his wife Zeruah, and their five children, decided to call this area home. They thought it was beautiful and a good place for commerce.  They built a log house in 1836... 08/09/2014

I consider the "peak" of the market to have been 2007 - it was a year in which prices simply soared - I know because I sold a lot of them. If those home had to sell today - would their value be 25% lower than then?  KCM Blog (Keeping Current Matters) published this infographic this week.  It indicates how much prices have dropped across the country since the peak of the market. My initial reaction was "Impossible!"  However, as I usually do, I checked the MLS and pulled a report. Here is what I found:  prices in the North Shore villages of Winnetka, Wilmette, Kenilworth, Glencoe, and Northfield prices did, in fact, drop.  By 21% for the average price of a home sold during the first 8 months of 2007 compared to 2014.   It's sobering to see that although we've rebounded, we are still very... 08/08/2014

MyCookies960 - Winnetka Baker Makes the Best!Updated 2022Diane Schmidt is a retired banker who makes supremely excellent and beautiful sugar cookies. This came about simply because she loves to bake and considers her cookie creations an expression of her love for others. Sugar cookies were always her nemesis - too hard, too dry, too soft. Then she came across a recipe with an ingredient that she realized would make them perfect.Her first cookie project was done in 2004 for her eighth-grade daughter who needed some heart-shaped cookies. She had fun initially cutting the different shapes and decorating, but over time her process evolved and improved. For nine years, she made cookies for parties, friends, and family.And along the way, everyone was telling her she should be selling them.  A... 08/04/2014

Liz Digani is a self-assured and knowledgeable financial planner for UBS in Chicago.  We met recently in Winnetka to discuss how purchasing a home should be part of a financial plan. What exactly is a financial plan?  It's easier to understand when Liz demonstrates a cool software program that she uses called Financial Goals Analysis. When she meets with new clients she discusses their life plan:  how many children they would like, when they plan to retire, concerns about college costs, buying a home, and even their wishes to leave a legacy.   The Financial Goals Analysis program allows her to input her client's financial goals and financials into the financial plan in order to determine if they are on track with their goals. The numbers can be updated whenever goals or plans change.  W... 08/04/2014

The absorption rate is always a good way to look at what kind of real estate market we are having.  A stable market is a 6 months supply.  Below that number of months is a seller's market and above that is a buyer's market. As of today, July 21, 2014, the absorption rate is 5.4 months.  Compare this to 2011 when it was 13.3 months:   There are 156 homes currently for sale in Winnetka and this does not include those that are under-contract and may come back on.  It would seem to be a healthy number, yet the rate of sales still indicates a seller's market. If you are thinking of selling, the numbers say Sell Now!  If you are ready to sell, don't hesitate.  Interest rates are still incredibly and unfailingly low, yet that may change with any instability in the world. Call me - 847-977-6024... 07/21/2014

Winnetka IL Rocked Winnetka IL rocked, shopped, ate and drank this weekend with the sidewalk sale during the day and festival following in the evening on Lincoln Avenue. A perfect day and night with 70 degrees and fun, fun, fun. A little trivia for you, Lincoln is the same street that the "Home Alone" house is located about 3 blocks east. What a good time this weekend turned out to be. Check out Winnetka House & Winnetka Condo. All day the local stores had their unique items on sale laid out on tables for all the people to shop and in the evening live music got everyone on their feet. They recently starting using food trucks so there was many choices of wonderful food to enjoy. This was really a nice event that could not be beat. So many types of food and drink were available and we sam... 07/21/2014

By Art Wilson, RealtorWinnetka's June Property sales were 27, down -50.9% from 55 in June of 2013 and -6.9% lower than the 29 sales last month. June 2014 sales were at their lowest level compared to June of 2013 and 2012. June YTD sales of 105 are running -21.1% behind last year's year-to-date sales of 133.  The Median Sales Price in June was $1,300,000, up 40.5% from $925,000 in June of 2013 and up 2.4% from $1,270,000 last month. The Average Sales Price in June was $1,286,750, down -2.9% from $1,325,395 in June of 2013 and down -9.8% from $1,426,738 last month. June 2014 ASP was at the lowest level compared to June of 2013 and 2012. The Total Inventory of Properties available for sale as of June was 165, up 5.8% from 156 last month and up 34.1% from 123 in June of last year. June 2014... 07/16/2014

Probably one of the biggest local sidewalk sales - Winnetka's is happening this Friday and Saturday, July 18-19.  Winnetka has several shopping districts so be sure to catch them all:   East Elm - along Elm and Lincoln streets east of Green Bay Road West Elm - along Elm and Chestnut streets west of Green Bay Road Hubbard Woods - along Green Bay Road between Tower and Scott streets There are always good deals to be found in the many shops, boutiques, salons, and nurseries,  Charities and other specialty vendors will also set up booths. NEW THIS YEAR:  food trucks will be set up next to Hubbard Woods Park on Friday during lunch and on Saturday during the LET LOOSE ON LINCOLN BLOCK PARTY. Lots of activities and fun items for sale for children at a "kid-entrepeneur" section set up at Hubbar... 07/16/2014