Christie’s exec, Burling Bank CEO list Winnetka home for $5.3M

Cathy Busch is looking to start another bidding war — this time for her own North Shore estate.

She’s the deputy chairman and managing director for the Midwest region of auction house Christie’s. She and Michael Busch, the CEO and president of Chicago-based Burling Bank, are selling their Winnetka home.

They listed 66 Fox Lane — a six-bedroom, eight-bathroom layout across 8,025 square feet — on Friday with @properties Christie’s International Real Estate broker Jena Radnay, according to listing data and public records identifying the Busches as the residents. They’re asking a little less than $5.3 million, $660 per square foot, meaning they’re seeking about 53 percent more than their nearly $3.5 million purchase price of the property back in 2007.

It’s one of four Winnetka homes asking at least $5 million that are publicly listed for sale, according to public listing data, with the priciest being the $11.8 million lakefront home at 139 Sheridan Road.

The next Winnetka home to sell above $4 million, if such a deal closes this month, would put this year’s market slightly ahead of last year’s, as five had sold through the halfway point of last year, the same number that have sold in the posh North Shore suburb so far this year.

The nearly $5.3 million listing at 671 Lincoln Avenue — famous for being featured in the classic holiday movie “Home Alone” — is on track to push the start of this year ahead of 2023, as it had a deal pending just days after it hit the market.

The Busches flirted with selling the Fox Lane home years ago; they listed it for $5 million in February 2015. It sat on the market, however, and came down to $4.7 million before being taken off the market in early 2017.

It’s unclear why the Busches have decided to try to sell again. Radnay didn’t return a request for comment, and neither did the Busches.

Radnay’s listing calls the property an “English manor masterpiece,” and notes it was designed by renowned Jazz Age architect Russell S. Walcott.

The home is described as “newly renovated” in the listing, with the kitchen recently redesigned by Wilmette-based de Giulio to include a heated floor, three sinks, quartz countertops and a Wolf six-burner range and two Miele dishwashers.

The property also has a “boutique hotel-level” pool within the secluded yard, according to the listing.

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