Evanston single family home sales up 25% year over year

 

No denying that Evanston brings the charm... for a price. The median sales price of a house in 2020 was $585,000. Home sales were bonkers. All photos Eric Rojas, Broker, Kale Realty

2020 was the gift that kept giving 😀 Despite real social, political and economic challenges the local real estate markets exploded. Many reports have pointed out how Chicago's near and further out suburbs single family home sales were hot, hot, hot. Let's take a look at one of the nearest of "suburbs"... the City of Evanston.

Evanston single family home sales

536 Single family homes sold from January 1st 2020 to December 21st 2020 (sold homes recorded in our MREDLLC.com MLS). That's up about 25% year over year. The median price of a sold house for 2020 was $585,000, up about 14% over 2019.

In 2020, 63 closed homes (on the MLS) sold for over $1 million. of those four were over $2 million and two were over $3 million. There were undoubtedly several more high-end private or off-MLS sales. 

Looking back at 2019 (a normal year) 431 single family homes closed.  The median price for a sold house was about $510,000.  42 of those homes sold over $1 million. Five of those reached the $2 million mark. No homes recorded in the MLS broke $2 million.

• 2018, 422 home closed with a median price of $550,000
• 2017, 465 homes closed with a median price of $532,000
• 2016, 488 homes closed with a median price of $518,000
• 2015, 492 homes closed with a median price of $502,000

2020 may have been the first year in Evanston to close over 500 single family homes! I looked back to 2007 (still in the ramp up before the mortgage crash) and no year broke 500 with 2007 itself only closing 368 houses. 2020 sold smashed the mark with 536!

The lakefront parks and beaches remain the biggest draw to Evanston personally speaking. Followed closely by the robust commerce, jobs and architecture.

I was in Evanston a couple days last week looking at single family homes with a client. They will make the move from a city condo. Evanston has always been tops on my list if we were to move from the city. Mainly I enjoy access to the lakefront parks, recreation and beaches. Second to that is the robust business community, great schools and park district. Third... the architecture! I wouldn't miss a beat from my current city life  The only barrier is price. We bought our current house many years ago and it serves are family well. Moving to a comparable situation in Evanston would be expensive!

However there is a diverse range of housing and budget options in Evanston. Pockets in the south and west of Evanston provide more affordability while  homes within a mile or two of the lakefront can be well over the median price. No matter where you live in Evanston the benefits remain similar. Schools, commerce, park districts, the lakefront and architecture!