I know you have read the headlines that the sky is falling on the real estate market, but is it accurate for the Chicago real estate market?
As they say, real estate is local, so today, I’m going to give the facts of what is essential to know about the change here in the Chicago western suburbs. I will go over which suburbs are hot and which are not.
In this blog, I will cover everything you need to know to help you decide whether to buy, sell, or rent in 2023.
Let’s get straight into it!
Interest Rates
The recent and sudden change in interest rates is on everybody’s mind. A year ago, 3.0% was the highest 30-year fixed mortgage rate we had seen, and now we’re almost at 7%.
Even though this doesn’t seem like much of an increase initially, it can have large consequences for your monthly payments.
With a 3% interest rate, your monthly mortgage payment for a $500,000 home would be $2,200. However, if the interest rate were 7%, your monthly mortgage payment would surge to $3,300; that’s an additional
$1,100 per month!
With interest rates remaining at an all-time high, the demand for houses has significantly decreased.
A year ago, there were 20% more homes on the market than there are now. Fewer choices for new homeowners might be due to sellers not wanting to leave their current interest rate or lack of available options.
With the housing market always in the news, you might wonder how it’s doing where you live. It’s important to remember that real estate is local though, so even if prices are dropping in some areas of the country, that doesn’t mean it’s happening everywhere. Here in the Chicago western suburbs, for example, we’re still going strong!
The largest drops in home prices have come in the areas of the country that have dramatic increases in appreciation, areas as Arizona, Texas, and San Francisco. Chicago, however, was ranked 5th as the fastest-shrinking inventory in the nation.
The Midwest is a linear market; this means appreciation never gets too hot or cold, unlike cyclical markets on the coasts.
Median Sales Price
However, not all suburbs are doing as well as others. Let’s cover the Western Suburbs that are still strong and those that have seen a decrease in value.
Chicago Western Suburb Prices
In this section, we will cover a year-over-year change in median sales price for the largest suburbs of the Western Suburbs.
Most suburbs are seeing a rise in median sales prices, except Clarendon Hills and Glen Ellyn. Both recorded lower sales prices this year compared to last year; however, Glen Ellyn only experienced a slight change of -1.2 percent, while Clarendon saw a much more dramatic decrease of 13%.
Carol Stream, Naperville, and Schaumburg have seen the biggest jumps in median sale price at 9.8%, 9.1%, and 8.5%, respectively, while most of the other suburbs are between 4-6%.
| Naperville | 9.1% YOY |
| Downers Grove | 4.1% YOY |
| Hinsdale | 7.8% YOY |
| Clarendon Hills | -12.9 YOY |
| Wheaton | 3.7% YOY |
| Glen Ellyn | -1.2% YOY |
| Elmhurst | 5.3% YOY |
| Schaumburg | 8.5% YOY |
| Lombard | 5.3% YOY |
| Carol Stream | 9.7% YOY |
| Addison | 7.4% YOY |
| Glendale Heights | 8.4% YOY |
Market Time
Now, we will look at the days on the market metric to see how long a house takes to sell.
This comparison is between Q3 last year and today. All suburbs have shown a decrease in the number of days on the market, except for Lombard and Glendale Heights. Lombard increased by 2.4%, while Glendale Heights’ numbers more than doubled, increasing to over 50%.
| Naperville | -35.6% |
| Downers Grove | -28.8% |
| Hinsdale | -40.7% |
| Clarendon Hills | -28.1% |
| Wheaton | -34% |
| Glen Ellyn | -39.1% |
| Elmhurst | -30.1% |
| Schaumburg | -25.6% |
| Lombard | 2.4% |
| Carol Stream | -7.4% |
| Addison | -30.4% |
| Glendale Heights | 53.3% |
This number should generally be around 60 days; anything over is not good news for sellers and buyers. The lower the days on the market, the more demand vs. inventory.
While demand is lower because of rates, the lower supply balances prices and keeps a stable market.
Glendale Heights had a large change in market time in March 2022, at the same time as interest rates started to increase aggressively. Glendale Heights, an entry-level housing market, is likely getting priced out of the market by potential buyers who can afford to buy in Glendale with today’s interest rates.
We are still in an ideal market for sellers. With interest rates increasing but fewer properties available to buyers, prices could stagnate or decrease just a bit as winter arrives.
Months Supply
Months Supply has been dropping for over a decade but much more aggressively since the pandemic’s start. The short supply is the main reason prices skyrocketed.
The suburbs with the largest home supply decrease are Hinsdale, Glen Ellyn, Addison, and Schaumburg.
While the average monthly supply number is still very low at 1.7 months supply for the entire MLS, these four suburbs have seen a decrease in inventory for sale. This could be a leading indicator of prices starting to increase or stabilize a bit.
Most all other suburbs had a drop of around 20-30% in supply compared to just a year ago.
| Naperville | 1.1 | -21.4% |
| Downers Grove | 1.3 | -27.8 |
| Hinsdale | 1.8 | -50% |
| Clarendon Hills | 1.7 | -19% |
| Wheaton | 1.1 | -31.3% |
| Glen Ellyn | 1.1 | -45% |
| Elmhurst | 1.7 | -29.2% |
| Schaumburg | .9 | -35.7% |
| Lombard | 1.2 | -20% |
| Carol Stream | .8 | -20% |
| Addison | 1.2 | -36.8% |
| Glendale Heights | .9 | -30.8% |
Conclusion
Ok, so what does this mean for you? Should you buy, sell or rent? I hate to answer that it depends, but it’s true. It depends on your personal situation, needs, and goals.
Today is a great time to buy if you are a first-time home buyer or someone who needs to move up to a larger house.
Prices have come down from the highs of just a few months ago but are still much higher than last year or even 5. The problem most people are finding is the limited supply of new listings.
I talk to people regularly, waiting for the market to drop or even crash. The truth is, there is no sign of any large increase in supply. And so, wishing that prices drop significantly could be a long wait.
If you can buy it today, you should consider it. I always tell my clients to buy when they are ready to buy; no one can time the market.
Suppose you are interested in buying or selling in the Chicagoland market id love to hear about your goals. You can call, text, or set up a video meeting in the description box below to cover your exact situation.
Have Questions? Ask The Velasco Reynolds Team!
Give us a call to learn more about local areas, discuss selling a house, or tour available homes for sale.
