For anyone looking to buy a piece of Chicago history, the Douglas community area is a great place to start searching.

One of 77 officially designated community areas in Chicago, Douglas stretches from 26th Street South to Pershing Road along the Lake. This area contains some or all of the Bronzeville, Prairie Shores, and Groveland Park neighborhoods.

Looking for things to do? Burnham Park runs along the shoreline of the Douglas area, including the 31st street beach, which is now named for the famous artist, educator and museum founder, Margaret Taylor-Burroughs.

Bronzeville is home to the Illinois Institute of Technology, and is one of the most culturally rich neighborhoods in the city, having once been the home of Ida B. Wells, Gwendolyn Brooks, Sam Cooke, and Lou Rawls, among countless other luminaries.

Looking for more information? Here are some handy resources to help get you acquainted with the Douglas area:

• The Choose Chicago guide to Bronzeville
• Bronzeville Area Residents' and Commerce Council (BARCC)
• TimeOut Chicago's "Complete Guide to Bronzeville"
• Chicago Magazine's "14 Things to Do" in Bronzeville"
• Baird & Warner's guide to things to see and do in Bronzeville
• Baird & Warner's guide to Douglas real estate

Ready to call these great neighborhoods home? Here are the housing and condo market stats you need to know about the Douglas community, including Bronzeville and Prairie Shores:

Douglas/Bronzeville/Prairie Shores Current Condo Market

1. The Median Sales Price of a Douglas/Bronzeville/Prairie Shores Condo Peaked in Early 2021

Prices in this area's condo market saw rapid growth in late 2017 and throughout 2018, reaching a high near $160K before leveling off in 2019 and rebounding in 2020, eventually cresting near a recent market high near $168K at the beginning of 2021. As of the first week of 2022, condo prices average just above $140,000.

2. The Condo Market Is Fairly Balanced For Both Buyers and Sellers

The months supply of inventory counts the number of months it would take to sell all of the units currently on the market if no other new homes were added. It is a theoretical predictor of the housing market's growth and stability. 

Typically, three months of inventory or fewer indicates a seller's market, and we expect prices to rise in this situation.  

A balanced months supply of inventory is about four to six months, meaning that the situation is well balanced for both buyer and seller.

A buyer's market is typically a market that reaches more than six months. Because the number of homes on the market is disproportionate, prices would be expected to drop. 

The months supply of inventory for condos in the Douglas/Bronzeville/Prairie Shores area currently sits between three and four months, as of early 2022, meaning that it is a situation that is balanced for buyers and sellers, with a trend toward a seller's market.

3. The Average Bronzeville/Douglas Condo Spends Less Than Three Months on the Market

On the whole, the average wait times in Douglas have been speeding up for some time now. As of January 2022, the average condo spends just less than 80 days on the market - a significantly faster tunaround time than we saw as recently as spring 2019, when condos in this area tended to remain on the market for more than 110 days. 

Douglas/Bronzeville's Current Single Family Home Market

1. The Median Sale Price of a Home Reached New Highs, Then Plateaued in 2021 

After a sedentary market over the course of 2016 (and a pronounced dip in mid-2017), median home prices in Bronzeville recovered and continued climbing, reaching a high near $500K in early 2020 before leveling off for the remainder of the year. Single family home prices shot up in early 2021, to an average of about $560k, where prices sat for the remainder of the calendar year.

2. Based Upon Months Supply of Inventory, Douglas/Bronzeville/Prairie Shores Offers a Seller's Market

Currently, inventory in the Douglas community area sits between two and three months, making it a market that is tipped in favor of the seller at present. 

3. The Average Single Family Home Spends Roughly 100 Days on the Market in Early 2022

Wait times in Douglas peaked in mid-2015 at a high near 200 days. Since then, market times have accelerated substantially - though they have slowed down of late, particularly in early 2021. As of early 2022, we expect a single family home to sit on the market for just more than 100 days, or right around three to four months.

Ready To Purchase a Douglas/Bronzeville/Prairie Shores Home? 

When you're ready to live in a community full of great properties and steeped in history, Real Group RE would love to help you find a new home in Douglas or Bronzeville! To begin the process and explore the neighborhoods even more, drop us a line today!