Winnetka

Winnetka sits on the Lake Michigan shore about 16 miles north of downtown Chicago, in the middle of the North Shore between Kenilworth and Glencoe. It is a village of roughly 12,000 residents, served by three Metra stations on the Union Pacific North line, with a commute of about 35 minutes to Ogilvie.

Housing is almost entirely single-family. The east side, between Sheridan Road and the lake, carries the largest lots and the highest prices, with historic estates and full teardown-and-rebuild new construction side by side. West of Green Bay Road the lots get smaller and the price of entry comes down, but the schools and the village services are the same. Winnetka has one of the strongest teardown markets in Illinois, which matters for sellers: a dated house on a good lot is often worth more to a builder than to a family, and pricing it correctly means knowing which buyer you are selling to.

Public schools are Winnetka District 36 for K-8 and New Trier Township High School, consistently ranked among the top public high schools in the country. That ranking is a large part of what holds Winnetka values through market cycles.

The village has three commercial districts (Elm Street, Hubbard Woods, and Indian Hill), five lakefront beaches, Skokie Playfield, and the Winnetka Ice Arena. Downtown Winnetka is walkable, with independent restaurants and shops rather than chains.

If you are thinking about selling in Winnetka, the first question is whether your house is a renovation candidate or a lot sale, because the marketing and the price are different for each. Call or text Jimmy at 312-800-1552 for a straight answer.