Lakefront Property Dominates Chicago Luxury Home Sales

October was a stellar month for the Chicago area’s lakefront getaways.

A string of high-end sales in Lake Geneva put the fight for scant inventory on full display, while North Shore towns hosted some standout deals, continuing the run of luxury real estate in Chicagoland.

Fresh off the heels of making the biggest single-home resale deal in Chicagoland’s history in August, Jena Radnay of @properties Christie’s International Real Estate landed the second-priciest home sale of the year with a $14.5 million Kenilworth estate.

The 8,300-square-foot lakefront mansion was the most expensive home to sell in Kenilworth in the 2020s. The six-bedroom, 10 bathroom home at 219 Sheridan Road was sold by designer Yoanna Kulas, and the buyers have not been identified.

Radnay, who has sold some of the most expensive homes in the region this year along an elite stretch of Sheridan Road in the North Shore suburbs, represented both the buyer and the seller.

North Shore homes have been recording eye-popping sales all year, leading the way in the area’s luxury home sales. But lakefront houses in the Wisconsin resort town of Lake Geneva had a great run in October as well.

Lake Geneva lakefront lands $10.3M deal

In one of the highest-dollar sales on Geneva Lake this year, a lakefront home on Lake Shore Drive a short walk from downtown Lake Geneva sold for $10.3 million last month.

The 7,900-square-foot house sold for close to $500,000 above the asking price, a 5 percent premium. Listing agent Bob Webster of Compass, who represented the buyer and seller, said the seller received five offers on the house, and it went under contract within three days.

October was a standout month for Lake Geneva’s upper-end market. Three more sales of $7 million or more closed there last month. Two other lakefront houses, priced at $6 million and $7.4 million, went under contract in October.

Lakefront listings in Lake Geneva are going fast, often getting contracts after just a few days on the market. Webster, who also sold an $8.7 million listing in the Wisconsin resort town last month, said there is likely to be more selling activity in the upper market this year.

Lake Forest mansion scratches top of market

To kick off the month, a mansion in Lake Forest sold for the highest price in three years in an $11 million deal.

The 11,800-square-foot house featured a glass-paned indoor conservatory, ornate landscaping and elaborate gardens. It was listed in August 2024 at nearly $15 million. Ann Lyon with @properties Christie’s International Real Estate had the listing, and @properties’ Amanda McMillan represented the buyer.

The mansion housed a long lineage of Chicago business leaders. It was built in 1912 for John T Pirie, president of Carson Pirie Scott & Company, a dry goods and department store company. It was later owned by Laurance Armour Jr., part of the Armour meat packing family who was the vice chairman of the board at LaSalle Bank.

The house was sold by the estate of Posy Krehbiel, the ex-wife of John Krehbiel Jr., who she bought the property with in 1988. John Krehbiel Jr. was the co-chairman of electronics company Molex, which Koch Industries bought in 2013.

Oak Brook home brings in $5.3 million

The only house in the western suburbs to crack $5 million last month was a secluded Oak Brook mansion in a gated community surrounded by green space.

A 10,000-square-foot home on Fox Trail Court sold for $5.3 million, the highest price achieved in that suburb since 2009. The one-acre property is in the gated Hunter Trails community, which sits between forest preserves, country clubs and a spacious park.

The home generated more interest than usual for a listing of its price, listing agent Michael Lafido said. It received multiple offers and sold for $105,000 over asking.

Only a few other homes in the western suburbs have brought in higher sales prices this year. Hinsdale has been the site of three sales over $5.5 million this year, and a Barrington house featured in the Fox TV series “Empire” sold for $6.5 million after spending more than a decade on the market and cutting its asking price by more than half.

Kenilworth home sets inland record

It’s not just lakefront properties that are setting impressive records. In Kenilworth, a house off the lake sold Oct. 10 for $6.1 million, a likely record for an off-lake house in the village.

From the outside, the house appears similar to its original 1896 neoclassical design. But the interior has been gutted and renovated with an open floor plan and modern finishes. The extensive interior work and expansion of the back of the house was led by the sellers, Stephan and Janet Scholl, who bought the property in 2021. It has six bedrooms and seven bathrooms, along with a detached three-car garage that includes an office.

The house, on Kenilworth Avenue, is a short walk from the Lake Michigan shoreline. John Mawicke of @properties Christie’s International Real Estate represented the seller and buyer.