'Home Alone' House In Winnetka Goes Under Contract After Just One Week On Market

WINNETKA, IL — After just a week on the market, the owners of the "Home Alone" house have accepted an offer for the red-brick colonial Georgian mansion featured in the 1990 holiday film, according to its listing.

The current owners, Timothy and Trisha Johnson, purchased the property in 2012 for less than $1.6 million, becoming the first owners of the house since the John Hughes production was filmed there for four months in 1990.

In 2018, the Johnsons expanded the home to more than 9,100 square feet, with extensive renovations that added a home theatre and sports court.

The sellers, who are being represented by Coldwell Banker Realty’s Dawn McKenna Group, listed it for sale May 24 with an asking price of $5.25 million.

“This home is a legend in so many ways, often referred to as a character in the film, and it still lives up to its hype,” Dawn McKenna said, announcing the the listing.

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Directed by Chris Columbus from a script by North Shore native Hughes, "Home Alone" tells the story of a young boy, played by then-10-year-old Macaulay Culkin, who must fend for himself when he is accidentally left behind when his family goes on vacation. He ends up defending the house from burglars using a series of tricks and traps.

“It has a quintessential Georgian architecture, manicured lawns and landscaping with a modern layout and amenities and is perfect for someone that wants a classic and iconic feel with all the finishes you would expect in a modern luxury home," McKenna said.

On May 31, the listing was marked as "contingent," meaning an offer has been accepted but the sale remains pending.

Showings of the property, which were available by appointment only to prequalified clients, are no longer being scheduled.

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John and Cynthia Abendshien, the owners of the house at the time of filming, said the "Home Alone" house ended up attracting visitors for years after the movie's release — among them cake-bearing vandals and the ambassador of Japan.

Cynthia Abendshien told the Chicago-Sun Times they got about 35 cars per hour, with more than 400 cars a day during the holiday season.

“I was hesitant to turn my house over to 120 strangers,” she said, “but I read the script and I did like the idea of it being a holiday movie.”

John Abenshien, who said his wife correctly approached the filming as an adventure while he initially considered it as a business transaction, said he never regretted the decision.

“It was just one of those once-in-a-lifetime things that you would never dream would happen to you,” he told Vanity Fair. “If faced with that decision back then, knowing what I know now, I would certainly do it, absolutely.”

Earlier: Iconic 'Home Alone' House Listed For $5.25 Million