Published October 18, 2026 in Market Update

One part of South Loop is much tighter than the other

By Thurston Gayle

Real estate, South Loop

The Real Estate Data Aggregator counted 298 homes for sale across South Loop in the three months ending August 31, 2026. That is down 15.6% from the same months of 2025. Fewer listings sounds like one market. It is not.

ZIP 60605: less supply, faster moves

The Real Estate Data Aggregator counted 2.3 months of supply in ZIP 60605 for the three months ending August 31, 2026. That is down 1.1 months from the same period in 2025. Fewer homes competing for the same buyers puts sellers in a stronger spot.

The median home in 60605 sold in 57 days, 11 days shorter than a year before, according to the Real Estate Data Aggregator. More telling: 52% of homes sold above list price, up 8.4 points year over year. The average sale came in at 101.9% of list price, up 1.3 points.

ZIP 60616: more room, but still moving

ZIP 60616 had 3.9 months of supply in the same period, up 0.4 months from 2025, per the Real Estate Data Aggregator. Homes for sale there rose 5.6% year over year, to 169. Buyers have a bit more to choose from, and that shows in the pace.

The median home in 60616 took 61 days to sell, 5 days longer than a year before. Still, 44% of homes sold above list price, up 2.6 points. The average sale reached 100.9% of list price. Not as tight as 60605, but not slow either.

What the wider picture adds

Realtor.com reported a median of 68 days on market across the South in September 2026. Both South Loop ZIPs came in faster than that. Realtor.com also reported that mortgage rates topped 7% in September 2026, which is slowing buyers across the country.

CNBC reported that Fannie Mae forecasts a 30-year fixed rate of 7.5% for all of 2027. That rate environment shapes how many buyers can qualify, in any ZIP code.

What this means for your price or your offer

In 60605, sellers faced less competition. More than half of homes sold above list price. Pricing at or near market value gave sellers a real chance at multiple offers.

In 60616, buyers had more options. Days on market crept up. A buyer there had a bit more room to negotiate, though 44% of homes still closed above list.

Neither ZIP is the same as the other. A strategy that fits one may not fit the other. The Real Estate Data Aggregator counted 309 homes sold across both ZIPs in the three months ending August 31, 2026. That is a real market. But the two halves of it read differently.

One block can read differently from the whole ZIP. If your home sits near the boundary of these two ZIPs, the numbers above may not tell your full story. Reply and I will look at what is actually happening on your street.