Illinois Housing Markets Holding Up Better Than Most, Report Shows

ILLINOIS — The housing market in three parts of the greater Chicago metro area is holding up relatively well under high mortgage rates and other uncertainties, according to a new report Monday from Redfin, a digital real estate brokerage.

The Redfin analysis ranks the 100 largest metros for which full data is available on how quickly demand and competition cooled from February 2022 to February 2023. It takes into account year-over-year changes in home prices, price drops, supply, pending sales, sale-to-list price ratio, and the share of homes that sell within two weeks.

Redfin surveyed agents on the effects a surge in tech layoffs, a shaky market for tech stocks, and banking turmoil had on the local housing market. Some reported buyers who were deterred by both the layoffs and topsy-turvy tech stocks, while others said there aren’t enough houses available.

The higher the number in the Redfin ranking, the more stable the real estate market. In Illinois, three areas in the greater Chicago area ranked among the 100 metros.

In Illinois, Lake County finished with a ranking of 86 while Chicago finished with a rank of 83 and Elgin finished with a rank of 81, according to Redfin data.

Homes in the well-performing area are considered to be “relatively affordable”, according to Redfin and all three areas of the greater Chicago area have median prices that fall under the national average. This means, Redfin said, that the uptick in mortgage rates doesn’t make as much of a financial difference dollar-wise in monthly payments as it does in more expensive parts of the country.

The report showed tech hubs are among metros where the housing market is slowing at a more accelerated pace than the rest of the country. That’s due to a combination of factors, Redfin said, ranging from high mortgage rates, tech industry turmoil, and a low inventory of homes with high prices.

Confidence in the banking sector after the collapse of two banks is affecting the San Francisco Bay Area and New York City, where 1 in 5 U.S. finance jobs are located, according to the analysis.

The five cities hit the hardest were Austin, Texas; Seattle; Phoenix; Tacoma, Washington; and Denver.

Pandemic “migration hubs” — places with more affordable housing and better climate that work-from-home employees flocked to during COVID-19 lockdowns — Florida, tops that list, which also includes Austin, Phoenix, Las Vegas, and Sacramento saw cooling at a faster pace.

The 10 metros holding up the best are:

• Hartford, Connecticut
• Milwaukee
• New Haven, Connecticut
• Bridgeport, Connecticut
• Albany, New York
• Rochester, New York
• Lake County, Illinois
• McAllen, Texas
• Wilmington, Delaware
• Chicago

Agents in those metros with quickly cooling housing markets are still selling houses as mortgage rates decline from their peak and supply remains low, the report said.

“I’m seeing bidding wars on homes that are priced fairly and accurately, and the overall market looks strong this week,” San Jose Redfin agent Laxmi Penupothula said in a news release. “Overpriced listings are the ones sitting on the market.”