List Price: $1.25 million
Sale Price: $1.17 million

The Property: With its shingle siding and crisp white trim, this 11-room house—built in 1998 and surrounded by tall trees—contributes to the feel of a small New England village that characterizes the east side of Lake Bluff. The welcoming arch over the front steps is repeated in several interior doorways, the ceilings are nine feet high, and the open floor plan is “perfect for entertaining and for families,” says Kristin Esplin, the Coldwell Banker agent who represented the house’s sellers, Stephen and Lisa Cervieri. There are four bedrooms and three full baths on the second floor. “Usually, you get two baths up there,” Esplin says. There is a fifth bedroom and another bath in the basement.

“Things aren’t moving really quickly in Lake Bluff,” says Esplin, “but this one went after about five showings,” in part because the sellers, who were the home’s second owners, “kept it meticulous.”  On top of that, it sits in an attractive neighborhood that includes Lake Bluff’s downtown, its Metra station, and leafy ravines.

Price Points: Put on the market July 16th, the house was under contract just six weeks later; the deal closed Sept. 27th. It is one of 18 sales for $1-million-plus in Lake Bluff over the past 12 months, down from 33 in the prior twelve months, according to data from the Multiple Listing Service of Northern Illinois. That’s a 54 percent drop in high-end sales in the town.

Buyers: Not yet identified in public records

Listing Agent: Kristin Esplin, Coldwell Banker, (847) 234-8000