Detached Homes (Single-Family)
December didn’t shout.
It whispered something important:
inventory stayed tight, buyers stayed serious, and prices told the real story.
Year-over-Year (December 2024 → December 2025)
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New Listings: 22 → 16 (–27.3%)
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Under Contract: 15 → 15 (flat)
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Closed Sales: 18 → 18 (flat)
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Median Sales Price: $669,500 → $648,500 (–3.1%)
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Average Sales Price: $724,056 → $897,244 (+23.9%)
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Percent of List Price Received: 99.4% → 100.4%
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Market Time: 27 → 99 days (+266.7%)
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Inventory: 23 → 23 (flat)
What it means:
This wasn’t a slowdown — it was seasonal compression.
Fewer homes came to market.
The same number of homes sold.
And buyers still paid over asking when the home was right.
The median price dipped slightly, but the average price jumped nearly 24% — meaning:
This wasn’t weakness.
It was selectivity.
High-quality homes still commanded premium prices.
Anything less waited.
Longer market time doesn’t mean softer demand — it means buyers paused during the holidays, not that they disappeared.
Bottom line?
December rewarded sellers who were prepared and punished those who weren’t.
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Sellers: pricing + presentation mattered more than timing.
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Buyers: the “holiday slowdown” didn’t create deals — it filtered options.
Attached Homes (Condos + Townhomes)
Condos told a very different story.
Not quiet.
Not cautious.
Active.
Year-over-Year (December 2024 → December 2025)
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New Listings: 24 → 19 (–20.8%)
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Under Contract: 14 → 25 (+78.6%)
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Closed Sales: 34 → 39 (+14.7%)
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Median Sales Price: $320,000 → $310,000 (–3.1%)
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Average Sales Price: $350,375 → $359,097 (+2.5%)
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Percent of List Price Received: 99.6% → 96.8% (–2.8%)
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Market Time: 31 → 43 days (+38.7%)
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Inventory: 31 → 39 (+25.8%)
What it means:
Condos had more movement and more negotiation.
Buyers showed up — contracts jumped nearly 80%.
Closings rose.
Inventory increased.
But pricing power softened slightly, giving buyers room to breathe.
This is what a more balanced market looks like.
The two truths of December condos:
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Well-priced units still moved.
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Overpriced units gave concessions.
Not panic.
Not collapse.
Just leverage shifting.
Inventory Snapshot
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Detached: Still constrained. No relief yet.
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Attached: More options — and buyers engaged them.
Evanston remains an inventory-tight market overall, especially for homes near schools, transit, and walkable commercial districts.
What Buyers Should Know
December made this clear:
You don’t “wait out” Evanston.
You prepare for it.
Serious buyers are already positioned for early 2026.
The best homes will not linger — even in winter.
What Sellers Should Know
December wasn’t forgiving.
Homes that were:
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staged
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priced accurately
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marketed strategically
…sold.
Everything else waited.
