Nancy Hughes’ Lake Forest mansion under contract after one week

The Lake Forest mansion that was formerly owned by the widow of the quintessential 1980s filmmaker John Hughes’ is under contract after one week on the open market.

The home, at 263 North Mayflower Road, was listed on August 17 and today was marked as “contingent,” meaning the sellers have accepted an offer but still need to work out details, Crain’s reported. The $15 million asking price was the highest in the area.

Ann Lyon, the listing agent for the property, had it on an agents-only network for months prior to the public listing.

It’s unknown why the Mayflower Road property is listed as contingent, so there is a possibility the deal could fall through, even though it’s under contract.

Nancy Hughes paid $12 million for the home. She died less than two years later.

A native to the area, John Hughes’ films were almost exclusively set in and around Chicago, including “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off,” “Sixteen Candles,” “Home Alone” and several others. He died in 2009.

The Lake Forest mansion was built in 2009 and is more than 11,000 square feet. The fieldstone-accented home has a columned front porch and a triple-peaked roof. It sits on just over five acres acres and includes a four-passenger tram that carries residents down the bluff to a private beach.

The home’s quick contract illustrates the high demand for luxury properties in the Chicago area. In 2022 so far, six homes in the city and suburbs have sold for $10 million or more. This marks the most sales that high since 2018, when eight homes were sold at or above that price. With four months remaining this year, the luxury market could be on track to surpass that record.

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— Victoria Pruitt