Buyers Swoop in on New Buffalo Luxury Homes

Three New Buffalo homes found buyers this month in less than a week — indicating strong demand for desirable properties in the southwest Michigan resort town.

Two lakefront houses on Marquette Drive were listed this month asking nearly $7 million — the priciest listings this year, and among just a few lakefront listings this year.

Both houses are listed by Liz Roch, with @properties Christie’s International Real Estate. She could not be reached for comment

One property, at 11561 Marquette Drive, was listed Oct. 2 and went into contract Oct. 5. The 5,500 square-foot house has five bedrooms and five-and-a-half bathrooms, with 100 feet of private beach frontage, according to the listing.

Another, at 11869 Marquette Drive — the house of former Illinois Republican House Speaker Lee Daniels — went on the market Oct. 16 and went into contract Oct. 22. The nearly 5,000-square-foot house has five bedrooms and five-and-a-half bathrooms.

The record sale in New Buffalo was for an off-market deal for $8.5 million in 2023. Earlier this year, DRW Holdings founder and CEO sold his mansion in nearby Union Pier for $7 million, the highest publicly listed sale in the area in recent years.

Moving further inland, a house at 50111 Deer Park Drive priced at $4.4 million found a buyer just a few days after hitting the market on Oct. 15. The property’s listing agent, Jan Smith of @properties, said the first person to tour the house went under contract within 48 hours.

“This is usually a pretty quiet time of the year, and there’s been quite a bit of activity of late,” Smith said. “I think people are trying to lock down spring-summer 2026 now as opposed to waiting.”

New Buffalo is a popular second-home destination for Chicago buyers. Smith said many of the buyers she encounters are from the city, looking for a nearby vacation home.

The two lakefront properties were rarities in New Buffalo, where lakefront listings have been sparse. One beach house sold for $2.4 million in August, finding a buyer in about a week. A couple other lakefront houses are listed at around $4 million, but none have approached the $7 million price tag on both Marquette Drive properties.

Not everything in the town is moving. One inland house priced at nearly $4.9 million has been on the market since March 2024, and has been listed a few times without selling since 2021. Another Marquette Drive lakefront house has been listed on and off since September 2024 without finding a buyer.

Smith said the properties that landed buyers quickly this month were all turnkey and up-to-date, which elevated interest.

“This speaks to the properties that just went under contract, their condition,” Smith said. “A lot of times these properties haven’t traded for many years and require a lot of work.”

Demand for property in New Buffalo has also moved inland recently, according to Smith. She said she’s seeing more properties listed north of $4 million off the lake than she has in the past.

“This is a very small area, so there just isn’t very much inventory,” Smith said. “So when something good comes up, there’s an audience and someone’s going to snap it up.”