What Does an Uptown Median Describe When Most Homes Sit in Larger Buildings? Reading the Building Types, the Renters and the Short Waits

What do the Uptown price figures describe, and where do they agree?

Four price figures are on the table, and they are close together. The Census median owner value is $370,300, a five-year survey estimate with a margin of error of $19,046, or 5.1% of the value. Realtor.com's median sold price is $372,000 and its median listing price is $335,000, both as of June 2026. Redfin's median sale price is $336,000 for February 2026. Redfin's page is the oldest of the three sources by four months.

Realtor.com's sold median is 0.5% above the Census value, and Redfin's sale median is 9.3% below it, taking the Census as the base for both. Realtor.com's sold median is 10.7% above Redfin's, taking Redfin as the base, and the pages are four months apart, so the difference is a rough guide and not a measure of change. Realtor.com's listing median and Redfin's sale median differ by only 0.3%, taking Redfin as the base.

The year-on-year changes pull in different directions. Redfin's median is down 0.44%, which implies about $337,485 a year before. Realtor.com's sold median is down 12.47% on the year, which implies about $424,997, and up 12.39% on three years, which implies about $330,990. Its listing median is up 11.99% on the year, which implies about $299,134, and up 4.28% on three years, which implies about $321,250. A sold median that falls by an eighth while the listing median rises by an eighth is a sign of a mix of homes changing from month to month.

Price per square foot is steadier. Redfin shows $284, up 0.7% on the year, which implies about $282. Realtor.com shows $283 for listings, up 1.51% on the year, which implies about $279, and up 10.04% on three years, which implies about $257. The two measures differ in kind and in date, but they land within a few dollars of each other, which supports a market where per-foot prices have moved little in a year.

A single median hides the range. In a postal area where 79.7% of units are in larger buildings, the median is driven by condominium sales, and a detached house or a two-flat sells on other terms. The sources give no median by type, so the brief does not state one, and a seller should ask for the sales of units of the same type, size and age.

A seller reading these figures should avoid a common trap. A median listing price is the middle of what owners are asking, and many listings never sell at that figure. A median sale price is the middle of what buyers paid, but only for the homes that closed in the period, and in a month with a small number of sales it can move a long way. Neither describes a particular unit. The only evidence that does is the closed sales of units with the same type, size, age, condition and building, and those are what a seller should ask to see before setting a price.

Sources as cited. Earlier values and differences are computed from the published percentages.

What do the building types and ages say about the Uptown stock?

Larger buildings dominate. Of 41,362 units, 13,890, or 33.6%, are in buildings of fifty or more units, 7,502, or 18.1%, in buildings of twenty to forty-nine, 3,728, or 9.0%, in buildings of ten to nineteen and 7,854, or 19.0%, in buildings of five to nine. Together that is 32,974 units, or 79.7%. A further 3,671 are in buildings of three or four units and 1,622 in buildings of two.

Houses are a small share. The Census counts 2,446 detached houses, 5.9% of units, and 649 attached houses, 1.6%. There are no mobile homes or boats counted. The Census table counts units in structures and does not say which are condominiums and which are rental apartments, so the brief makes no claim about the split.

The stock is old. Of 41,362 units, 19,095, or 46.2%, were built before 1940, 2,618 in the 1940s, 2,936 in the 1950s, 3,421 in the 1960s and 4,666 in the 1970s. After that, 2,452 were built in the 1980s, 1,330 in the 1990s, 2,350 in the 2000s, 2,014 in the 2010s and 480 in 2020 or later. Homes built before 1980 total 32,736, or 79.1%, and the median build year is 1946.

Vacancy is modest. Of the 3,514 vacant units, 1,304 are for rent, 172 are rented but not yet occupied, 100 are for sale only, 79 are sold but not yet occupied, 161 are held for seasonal, recreational or occasional use and 1,698 are vacant for other reasons. Vacant units are 8.5% of all units. The group labeled other is the largest, and the Census does not say why those units are empty, so the brief draws no conclusion from it.

Age matters for a seller in a building. A building of that age may have its own repair needs, and the Census does not measure condition. The brief makes no claim about any one building. An owner of a unit should ask what the building's own rules say about a sale and what any buyer's inspection of the unit might cover, since the answers differ from building to building.

Building age and building type together shape what a buyer asks for. A unit in an older building may come with details that buyers like and costs that buyers weigh, and the Census table cannot show which. A two-flat or a small building of three or four units, of which the Census counts 5,293 in the postal area, sells on different terms from a unit in a tall building, and from a detached house. A seller should look for sales of the same kind and not average across them.

Sources as cited. Shares are computed from the Census counts.

How fast do Uptown homes sell, and what do sellers get against asking?

Fast. Redfin shows a median of 54 days on the market for February 2026, against 60 a year before, and a compete score of 75, very competitive, with the average home selling about 1% above list and going pending in about 49 days. Realtor.com shows a median of 26 days for June 2026, up 14.89% on the year, which implies about 23 days a year before, and up 8% on three years, which implies about 24 days three years before.

The two pages measure differently and fall in different seasons, so the gap between 54 and 26 days is not a trend. Redfin's figure is for February and for homes that sold, and Realtor.com's is for June and for listings. A flag applies to Redfin's page, which shows the change in days on market as 7 days, while its own figures of 54 and 60 differ by 6.

Sales settle at or near list. Redfin shows a sale-to-list ratio of 99.7%, up 0.3 points, with 37.5% of homes sold above list, up 2.8 points, and says hot homes sell about 5% above list in about 26 days. Realtor.com shows a ratio of 106%, and says in the same paragraph that homes sold for approximately the asking price, which is not consistent with 106%. The brief reports the 99.7% figure and flags the Realtor.com one.

Supply is lower than a year ago. Realtor.com shows 132 active listings, down 32.12% on the year, which implies about 194 a year before, and down 11.11% on three years, which implies about 148. Against 37,848 occupied homes, 132 listings equal 0.3%, a very small share, though the listings include units that the Census occupied count does not map to exactly.

A market where homes sell in one to two months, close near list and often attract more than one offer is a market where a well-priced home may not wait long. It does not mean every home sells fast, and the sources show medians and not the spread. A seller who wants certainty of date can still choose a direct sale, which sets the closing date at the owner's choice. The brief does not claim a direct sale brings more.

The spread around the median matters as much as the median. Some homes sell in days, often with more than one offer, while others sit for months and then cut their price. The pages report medians and not the spread, so a seller with a fixed date cannot read the risk of a long wait from them. A better guide is the days on market of units of the same kind sold in the last year, which an owner can ask for and compare with the page figures here.

Sources as cited. Earlier values are computed from the published percentages.

Who lives in Uptown, and how heavy is housing cost?

The population is 65,445, with a margin of error of 1,868. Of those, 6,857 are under 18, 10.5%, 4,283 are 18 to 24, 6.5%, 17,283 are 25 to 34, 26.4%, 12,142 are 35 to 44, 18.6%, 15,946 are 45 to 64, 24.4%, and 8,934 are 65 or older, 13.7%. The 25 to 34 group is the largest of any age band here.

Of 37,848 occupied homes, 25,825, or 68.2%, are rented and 12,023, or 31.8%, are owned. Renters lean to one and two bedrooms: of 25,825, 11,443 have one, 44.3%, 6,715 have two, 5,246 have none, 2,189 have three and 232 have four or more. Owners lean to two bedrooms: of 12,023, 4,929 have two, 41.0%, 3,217 have three, 2,278 have one, 850 have four, 531 have five or more and 218 have none.

Renters are newer arrivals. Of 25,825 renter homes, 46.2% moved in during 2020 or later, against 22.0% of 12,023 owners. Of owners, 4,903 moved in during the 2010s, 2,240 in the 2000s, 1,403 in the 1990s and 830 earlier, so 18.6% have been in place since before 2000.

Housing cost is heavy for renters. Of 25,825 renter homes, 950 have no computed rent share, and of the remaining 24,875, 11,564, or 46.5%, pay 30% or more of income on rent and 5,798, or 23.3%, pay 50% or more. Among owners with a mortgage, 2,190 of 8,272 computed, or 26.5%, pay 30% or more and 717, or 8.7%, pay half or more. Of owners without a mortgage, 940 of 3,678 computed, or 25.6%, pay 30% or more.

The median household income is $73,254, with a margin of error of $3,119, and the median gross rent is $1,413, plus or minus $39. Realtor.com's median asking rent is $1,950, up 8.64% on the year, which implies about $1,795 a year before, and up 13.64% on three years, which implies about $1,716. The asking median is 38.0% above the Census gross rent. Realtor.com shows 931 rentals, down 9.28%, which implies about 1,026 a year before. Asking rents on active rentals are not the rents of all renters.

The mix of households explains why owners are a minority. With so many renters, and with 17,283 residents aged 25 to 34, the postal area serves many households that move often, and the Census counts show that 46.2% of renter homes were taken up in 2020 or later. For an owner, this means the buyers and tenants around a building change faster than the owners do, and a seller who wants a quiet process may value a sale with no showings and no neighbors talking about it. Readers comparing markets can also read the Glenview brief and the Wilmette brief.

Sources as cited. Shares and ratios are computed from the Census counts.

What should an Uptown owner ask before choosing a listing or a private sale?

A seller should keep four questions apart. What do closed sales of units of the same type, size and age show, given that the median is driven by condominium sales? How long might a listing take, with a median of one to two months and sales close to list? What would inspections and repairs cost on a unit or a house of this age? And what date does the owner need to close? The first question is about price, the second about time, the third about cost and the fourth about the next home.

For illustration only, a total commission of 1%, 3% or 5% on a sale of $450,000 would be $4,500, $13,500 or $22,500. On $725,000 it would be $7,250, $21,750 or $36,250, and on $1,200,000 it would be $12,000, $36,000 or $60,000. At the Census median owner value of $370,300, the same percentages come to $3,703, $11,109 and $18,515. These are arithmetic and not quoted rates, since commissions are negotiated.

Questions specific to a unit are worth asking early. Which buildings in the area have sold units lately, and at what prices? Does the building have any rule about who can buy, how long a sale may take or what a seller must disclose? What would a buyer's inspection cover in a unit as against a house? The sources used here do not answer these, and the answers differ by building, so the brief leaves them as questions and makes no claim about any one building.

The five benefits of a private sale to Maison Off-Market are privacy, because there are no showings and no neighbors talking about the sale, closing dates that can be flexible and give time to find a new home, no commission costs, no closing costs and no inspections or repairs. In a building where neighbors share walls and halls, privacy may matter more than in a street of houses. The brief does not claim a private sale always beats a listing.

Maison Off-Market buys luxury homes and estates directly from their owners and speaks only to sellers. An owner who wants to see what a direct purchase would look like, with no public listing and no showings, can use the contact form below and ask for an offer before deciding.

Sources as cited. Fee figures are arithmetic and not quoted rates.

Methodology and limitations

Each page's date, title and place were read before use. The Redfin page's latest month is February 2026 and the Realtor.com page has key indicators as of June 2026, so the Redfin page is the oldest source and is used with that flag. The Realtor.com sold median, down 12.47% in a year while its listing median rose 11.99%, is flagged as a volatile measure of change. The Realtor.com sale-to-list ratio of 106% conflicts with its own text saying homes sold at about the asking price. The Redfin change in days on market is stated as 7 days against a drop of 6 in its own figures. Only a city-level Zillow page was found, so no Zillow figure is used. The Census figures are five-year survey estimates with margins of error, and the postal area holds many buildings of different kinds, so no figure stands for one home. Earlier values are computed from published percentages and are approximate. No figure here is a forecast.

Conclusion

The record for Uptown, as far as the pages allow, is an older postal area of larger buildings and renters, where the price figures cluster near the Census value but swing from month to month, where homes sell in about one to two months at or near list, and where the median mostly describes condominium sales. For an owner, the practical step is to ask for the closed sales of units of the same type, compare the cost and risk of a listing with a direct offer, and decide how much of the showing, inspection and timing risk to carry.