Northfield Luxury Rises as Lakefront Prices Creep Inland

Buyers seeking reprieve from surging prices of wealthy North Shore lakefront communities can find it just to the west in Northfield, where residential real estate is having its moment.

Located just west of Winnetka, Northfield was the site of the fifth- and sixth-most expensive home sales in Cook County last month, each bringing in more than $3 million.

The deals are among the seven highest Northfield home sales in the last five years, according to listing services, and signal a shift in buyer interest as prices in nearby Winnetka reach unprecedented levels, said Baird & Warner agent Ben Fisher, who closed the larger of the two transactions. He said buyers are looking to Northfield for more space and amenities while staying close to the lake and in the same school district.

“When you look at Northfield, you get a bigger house, a bigger lot, New Trier Schools,” Fisher said. “And people have finally opened their eyes up to this incredible small town of not even 6,000 people.”

A sprawling 21,000-square-foot home in Northfield sold for nearly $3.6 million on Jan. 5, the fifth-priciest sale in Cook County last month. The mansion at 2202 Martin Lane was designed and built by a real estate developer in 2013, said Fisher, who represented the buyer on the deal. Property records show commercial developer Stanislaw Pluta was the seller, while Fisher wouldn’t identify his client and public documents of the sale aren’t yet public.

“It is really over the top because it was built for a guy who builds for a living,” Fisher said. “So there’s a ton of stone, almost commercial systems in terms of the electrical, the plumbing. The bones are incredible.”

Lukas Pluta with Wilmot Realty represented the seller.

A modern transitional home at 2064 Norfork Road in Northfield brought in $3.5 million on Jan. 14, the sixth-priciest sale in Cook County last month. Built in 2020, the home is 5,380 square feet and has six bedrooms and five bathrooms. @properties broker Jena Radnay and Baird & Warner’s Richard Murawski represented the sellers.

The biggest listed sale in Northfield in the last five years was $5 million for a 7,000-square-foot home on Old Farm Road, according to listing data.

The comparison between Northfield and Winnetka is borne out in the January sales data: the priciest home sale in the latter was a non-lakefront home at 861 Bell Lane, which sold for $3.35 million. The 7,218-square-foot house brought in $464 per square foot, while the Martin Lane mansion in Northfield sold for $170 per square foot.

Across Cook County, there were 163 sales over $1 million in January, compared to 193 in January 2025, according to data gathered from Redfin and The Real Deal’s most recent Cook County broker ranking. Outside Chicago, Wilmette and Glenview led the pack in home sales over $1 million, with nine sales each in January.

Still, the highest end of the luxury market was relatively quiet last month. Only one home broke the $5 million mark, a five-story greystone at 1540 N Dearborn Parkway in Chicago that brought in $5.1 million on Jan. 12.

The five-bedroom, eight bathroom, 7,600-square-foot home features a central spiral staircase, outdoor terraces and a two-car garage, according to listing services. Brad Lippitz and Brittany Shapiro of Compass represented the seller, while Rubina Bokhari represented the buyer.

The sellers were Ferdinand and Bernadette Korndorf, according to public records. Details on the buyer’s identity are not yet available.

The second-priciest trade was a massive, 14,600-square-foot mansion at 6655 Lee Court in Burr Ridge, which sold for just over $4 million. The most expensive sale in Burr Ridge since 2024, the home was once owned by former NBA player Eddy Curry before he lost it through foreclosure. The home sits on a secluded cul-de-sac on a spacious one-acre lot. Compass’ Rafael Murillo represented the buyers, while Ginny Stewart and Paige Kelly of Jameson Sotheby’s International Realty represented the sellers.

Oral surgeon Louis Korompilas was the seller and Sadia Rizwan was the buyer, according to property records.