The first quarter of 2026 continued a pattern that has defined North Shore real estate since mid-2023: demand outpacing supply in every price tier below $2.5 million, while the luxury segment remains more balanced. For buyers, the data is a call to move quickly and arrive prepared. For sellers, the numbers justify confidence -- but execution still determines outcome.
Inventory across Winnetka, Wilmette, Glencoe, and Evanston ended Q1 at 1.4 months of supply, down from 1.8 months at the same point last year. The sub-$1.5M segment hit 0.9 months -- less than four weeks of available homes. In practical terms, that means a well-priced, well-presented home in Wilmette at $1.1 million will likely see offers within seven to ten days of listing.
Median sale price across the four markets settled at $1.24 million for Q1, up 6.8 percent year-over-year. The gain is not uniform: Winnetka's median climbed 9.2 percent to $1.47M, driven by a cluster of renovated colonials on the west side of the Metra line. Evanston, with its deeper inventory pool and broader price range, saw a more modest 3.9 percent increase to $740K.
Sale-to-list ratios averaged 103.4 percent across the North Shore in Q1, meaning the average home sold for 3.4 percent above its asking price. In the $900K-$1.4M range, that figure was 105.1 percent.
According to Marcus Webb of Coldwell Banker, the spring market is already showing signs of matching Q1 intensity. "We are seeing buyers who lost out on two or three homes over the winter coming back more prepared -- pre-underwritten, not just pre-approved, and with escalation clauses ready," he said. "That raises the floor on every listing."
Glencoe continues to be the outlier. Its lakefront-adjacent inventory commands a consistent premium, but the market is thinner -- only 14 single-family transactions closed in Q1, versus 38 in Winnetka. That low volume creates more volatility; a single well-executed sale can reset neighborhood comps by 8-10 percent.
For sellers considering a listing this spring, the data points to an optimal window between late April and mid-June. After that, the market historically cools as families with school-age children step back.
