Photo: Teemu08 · CC BY-SA 3.094 homes sold in Lake Bluff in the last year, at a typical $1.2M
Almost every sale is a house. Below: what each kind of home sells for, what your budget buys, the best months to buy, how hard you’ll have to bid, and a shortcut to every site where Lake Bluff homes are listed.
Every place Lake Bluff homes are listed, in one stop
We don’t copy listings: the agents’ sites have the photos and the latest price changes. Set what you want once and we open each site already filtered to Lake Bluff.
For sale
Rent
New, land & open houses
Links open the listing sites; TownRatings isn’t paid for them and doesn’t rank one above another. Rentals and government-owned homes come from sources outside the MLS.
Houses are 87% of Lake Bluff’s sales, at a typical $1.3M
94 homes sold in the year to May 2026.
typical sale · 82 sold in 12 months
- Per square foot
- $422IL $180
- Days to sell
- 55
- Sold over asking
- 45%
- Listings with a price cut
- 12%
Townhouses: 6 sold, typical $681K
Condos: 6 sold, typical $1.7M
Too few sales in 12 months for reliable figures.
Fewer homes sell than before 2022, at twice the 2016 price
94 sales in the last year, against 161 in 2021 and a low of 83 in 2023. The typical sale went from $563K in 2016 to $1.2M.
Source: Redfin Data Center, MLS sales. Typical price and $/sq ft are the monthly medians, weighted by sales.
What $1.2M buys in Lake Bluff
Check a listing against what Lake Bluff homes sold for
Against the town’s median price per square foot over the last 12 months. A rough check: condition, lot and location within town move a price more than this can see.
Bidding wars in Lake Bluff are more common than before the pandemic, but three quarters fewer homes come up for sale
We read every month of Lake Bluff’s home sales since 2012 so you don’t have to. Each figure covers 12 months, because a single month in a town is too few sales to mean much. Latest: the year to May 2026, 94 sales.
If you’re buying in Lake Bluff
- Shop in February. It brings about 17 new listings a month, close to the busiest month, with fewer bidding wars (11% over asking).
- Less room to haggle. Only 10% of listings cut their price, against 24% before the pandemic.
- Bid near asking. Buyers paid 100.3% of the list price on average; 43% paid over.
- Move fast on good ones. Half of homes are under contract within two weeks.
Spring brings both the most homes and the most bidding wars
April has the most new listings (about 20 a month), but May is the most competitive: 22% of May sales close over asking. February and March offer nearly as much choice with fewer homes bid up (11%). October has the least competition (10%) but only about 10 new listings.
Averages for each calendar month, 2015 on.
Hotter than in 2021, and hotter than Illinois
| Lake Bluff now | 2017–19 | 2021 peak | IL now | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sold over askingShare of sales that closed above the list price | 43% | 5% | 22% | 37% |
| Gone within two weeksShare of homes under contract within 14 days | 52% | 22% | 40% | 46% |
| Listings with a price cutShare of homes for sale that cut their price | 10% | 24% | 21% | 19% |
| Price paid vs. askingAverage sale price ÷ list price | 100.3% | 95.3% | 98% | 99.2% |
| Days to sellMedian days from listing to contract | 67 | 104 | 32 | 49 |
20 homes for sale on a typical day
That’s 75% fewer than in 2017–19 and well under 2019’s 92.
1 in 10 listings has cut its price
10% in the last year, against 24% in 2017–19 and 19% across Illinois.
Since 2019, houses are up 129%, condos 1008%
A house typically sold for $1.3M in the last year (82 sales), a condo for $1.7M (6).
Median sale price, weighted by sales each month. Years with fewer than 4 sales of a type are left out.
Lake Bluff ranks 107th of 324 busy Illinois markets for bidding wars
Share of sales over asking in the last year, among towns with 60 or more sales. Lake Bluff is in the middle of the pack.
Source: Redfin Data Center, city market tracker, January 2012 to May 2026 (MLS sales, not seasonally adjusted). Ratios are weighted by homes sold; price cuts by homes for sale.
Five things worth knowing
New listings in April
The month with the most choice. December has the fewest, about 3.
Best time to buySchools
The schools grade for Lake Bluff, from test results, graduation and how much students grow.
Schools in Lake BluffTypical commute
The average one-way trip to work for people who live in Lake Bluff.
Work & commuteCheck the flood map
Flood insurance isn’t in a standard policy, and lenders require it in FEMA flood zones. Check the address before you make an offer.
Natural hazardsLook up any property
Assessed value, lot size and every past sale of a home you’re eyeing are public, at the town or county assessor and the registry of deeds.
Knollwood, North Chicago, Green Oaks, Lake Forest, Highwood and Libertyville sell for less a square foot
The busier markets within 25 miles of Lake Bluff, by what sold. Prices, taxes and how far a paycheck goes next door are on Cost of living.
| Sold | Typical sale | $/sq ft | Over asking | Days to sell | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lake Forest | 316 | $1.2M | $369 | 35% | 60 |
| Libertyville | 279 | $636K | $276 | 44% | 49 |
| Lake Bluff | 94 | $1.2M | $422 | 43% | 67 |
| North Chicago | 85 | $250K | $180 | 41% | 57 |
| Green Oaks | 51 | $849K | $274 | 41% | 53 |
| Highwood | 32 | $435K | $259 | 41% | 49 |
| Knollwood | 23 | $493K | $254 | 52% | 68 |
Redfin Data Center, June 2025 to May 2026. Towns with fewer than 20 sales are left out, and Redfin doesn’t report every town separately.
Post your home to Lake Bluff, free
Selling it yourself, renting out an apartment or looking for a roommate? Post it to Lake Bluff. People who follow the town see it, and so do people comparing Lake Bluff with their own town. No commission, no listing fee.
Questions about buying a home in Lake Bluff
What do homes sell for in Lake Bluff, IL?
94 homes sold in the year to May 2026 at a typical $1.2M, $422 a square foot.
Is Lake Bluff a buyer’s or seller’s market?
A seller’s market: 22 homes were for sale in May 2026 and 11 sold, about 2 months of supply. Buyers paid 100.3% of asking on average, and 10% of listings cut their price.
When is the best time to buy in Lake Bluff?
April brings the most new listings. The sales history shows which months have fewer bidding wars.
Where can I see homes for sale in Lake Bluff?
Zillow, Redfin, Realtor.com and Homes.com all carry Lake Bluff’s MLS listings; the search links above open each one filtered to Lake Bluff.
Sales, prices, days on market and listings: Redfin Data Center (MLS, monthly, not seasonally adjusted). Property tax rate: Census American Community Survey. Two-bedroom rent: HUD Fair Market Rent. Typical home value: Zillow Home Value Index. Schools grade: TownRatings (how grades work).