The pandemic pushed many Chicago luxury buyers out of the city and into the burbs, as five of the 10 priciest residential properties that sold in Cook County in 2020 were in tony Winnetka.
That included the most expensive home on the list, a 6,000-square-foot estate at 203 Sheridan Road, which includes 9,000 square feet of private beach fronting Lake Michigan. It was also one of four homes on Sheridan Road that made this year’s list.
“I don’t think the North Shore has felt like a seller’s market for a decade,” said Kelly Rynes of Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Chicago, who brokered the top deal this year. “There was definitely an opportunity for those marketplaces to see a resurgence in interest.”
Last year, just one of the 10 priciest properties that sold was in the suburbs, in Glencoe. On that 2019 list were four sales at No. 9 Walton and three at One Bennett Park. Both are downtown ultra-luxury condo towers that have attracted boldface buyers.
JDL Development’s No. 9 Walton sold out in late January, collecting a combined $376 million in sales, according to one analysis.
The Chicago housing market this year was a roller coaster, as it was in cities across the country. It has ended on a high note, however, as sales have been up. Despite the pandemic, the 10 priciest home sales in 2020 totaled $77.3 million, slightly above last year’s $74.6 million. October was a particularly good month, recording four of the top 10 sales.
“You just had to stay on top of the market, because if you sat back and you did nothing, then you’ve missed the whole market,” said Jeff Proctor of @properties. He brokered the No. 8 deal on this year’s list in Lincoln Park.
Here are the 10 largest residential sales that closed in Cook County in 2020:
203 Sheridan Road | $9.5 million
Built in 1926, the Winnetka lakefront mansion has five bedrooms and 4.5 bathrooms. It sold on Oct. 27. The home is 6,000 square feet, pegging the price per foot at $1,583. It has approximately 9,000 square feet of private beach. The buyer was represented by Susan Miner of Premier Relocation, while the seller was represented by Rynes of Berkshire Hathaway. She said of the prospective buyers, the majority were “from the city and people trying to escape the confines of condo living or townhouse living. They were looking for land, they were looking for privacy, they were looking for amenities.”
68 Locust Road | $8.75 million
After more than $22 million in price cuts since it debuted on the market in 2009, this 16,791-square-foot Winnetka mansion sold on July 16. It worked out to $521 a foot. Spread on two acres of land, the home was built and sold by Sherwin Jarol, who is CEO of Chicago-based real estate firm SMB/Bradley, and his wife Deborah. The Jarols’ agent was @properties’ Jena Radnay.
800 North Michigan Avenue #5101 | $8.4 million
This condo, a 6,200-square-foot combined unit on the Magnificent Mile, is on the 51st floor of Park Tower. It has five bedrooms and 4.5 bathrooms. It worked out to $1,354 a foot. It sold on May 8, after having last sold in January 2019, for $7 million. Alexa Hara and Guido Piunti of @properties represented the seller. Randi Pellar of Baird & Warner brought the buyer.
205 Sheridan Road | $8.2 million
Another Winnetka house, this lakefront estate at 205 Sheridan Road — also listed as 209 — features 150 feet of private beach access. Spread over 1.4 acres, the home features four bedrooms and five bathrooms. Susan Miner of Premier Relocation had both sides of the deal. The home sold July 24.
1126 Michigan Avenue | $8 million
Built in 1995, this 8,282-square-foot single-family house in Chicago’s South Loop has 6 bedrooms and 11 bathrooms. It sold on Oct. 22. The deal penciled out to $965 a foot.
143 Sheridan Road | $7.5 million
The 6,291-square-foot home in Winnetka has five bedrooms and 3.5 bathrooms. Built in 1953, it was extensively renovated in 2016 by its sellers, Elsa and Craig Donohue. He is executive chairman of the Options Clearing Corporation. The couple purchased the property for about $3.6 million in November 2015. It sold on Oct. 9, and worked to $1,192 a foot.
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9 West Walton Street #1901 | $7.2 million
In July, Cubs outfielder Jason Heyward sold his four-bedroom, 5,200-square-foot condo unit at No. 9 Walton. The sale of the 19th floor unit closed about two years to the day after Heyward bought it for $6.9 million. It penciled out to $1,384 a foot. It includes a 360-foot terrace and walk-in closet that Heyward filled with a massive sneaker collection. Nancy Tassone of Jameson Sotheby’s International Realty had the listing and brought the buyer.
2031 North Seminary Avenue | $6.7 million
This custom 9,000-square-foot single-family home in Lincoln Park has five bedrooms and seven bathrooms. The sale worked out to $744 a foot. The home was designed by BKL Architecture and Environs Group. Proctor of @properties was the listing agent. The property was bought with Gary Lucido of Lucid Realty. The home sold on Aug. 14.
2018 North Kenmore Avenue | $6.5 million
This single-family Chicago home has four bedrooms and 4.5 bathrooms across 5,838 square feet. The sale penciled out to $1,113 a foot. The buyer was Ronald Wray, COO and CFO of investment firm PSP Partners. It sold on July 16. Rosemarie Lizarraga and David Scherer, co-founders of education nonprofit One Million Degrees, were the sellers.
151 Sheridan Road | $6.5 million
The final Winnetka home to make the list, this property has five bedrooms and 4.5 bathrooms spread across 6,390 square feet. It was built in 1928, and sold on Oct. 13. The sale worked out to $1,017 a foot.