Happy Thursday!
Chicago home prices are up 130% since 2000.
If you’re ready to downsize, your home could be worth more than double what you paid 20 years ago, giving you incredible buying power on your downsize.
I broke down what the next 5 years look like on the channel.
Also, Isla's lemonade stand is this Sunday. That story's below.
Here's what's inside:
🍋 7-yo cancer survivor holds lemonade stand for Project Fire Buddies
🐕 Community rallies to save injured dog found on I-355
📺 5 reasons Chicago is set up to thrive over the next 5 years
🎸 Rock fundraiser, comic con, and a vinyl dig this weekend
🏡 New Lenox under $500K worth a look
🔍 $450K in Elmhurst vs. $450K in New Lenox
🚪 Gas prices, jobs, and your weekend weather
LET'S GET INTO IT ↓
Local headlines this week
🍋 7-Year-Old Cancer Survivor Holds Lemonade Stand for Project Fire Buddies
Isla Dorsey's 3rd annual lemonade stand is this Sunday for Project Fire Buddies. Previous stands raised $11K combined. "I want more kids to have that feeling."
🐕 Community Rallies to Save Dog Found Injured on I-355
Mercy was found critically injured near the 159th Street exit. Good Samaritans got her to PAWS Tinley Park, who called in a surgeon at Midwest Animal Hospital. Leg amputation, $4K raised, still recovering.
🏫 Frankfort Schools Awarded Security Grants
Summit Hill Junior High and Hickory Creek Middle School received grants from Will County's $129K school safety fund. Entrance reinforcements and visitor management upgrades, due November 30.
🛝 Fort Frankfort Names Pavilion After Phil Simmons
One of the new pavilions at Fort Frankfort honors Phil Simmons, former park district commissioner who died in 2024. His daughter: "I'm honored that my kids can now be reminded of their grandpa through this tradition.”
5 Reasons Chicago Is Set Up to Thrive Over the Next 5 Years
Every year, the headlines count Chicago out. Every year, more people move here anyway. I broke down why on the channel this week.
Here's what you need to know:
The foundation doesn't crack. Finance, healthcare, logistics, education, tech, all moving independently. When one slows, others carry the load. Chicago grinds steadily upward instead of spiking and crashing like Austin or Miami.
Size matters. Third largest city in America, 2.7 million people, two major airports. Demand always has somewhere to land here.
The projects are real. Obama Presidential Center opened June 19th. Foundry Park, a $3 billion redevelopment of the old Lincoln Yards site, finally approved and moving.
Google is coming to the Loop. Moving into the renovated Thompson Center this year. We saw what happened when Google moved into Fulton Market a decade ago.
Four neighborhoods worth watching. West Loop. South Loop. Hyde Park and Woodlawn for Obama Center upside at lower entry points. Logan Square for breathing room.
🎥 Watch the full breakdown here
New videos every week: market breakdowns, local development, what's actually moving in the suburbs.
Subscribe here so you don't miss the next one.
A rock fundraiser, a comic con, and a vinyl dig
🎸 Lincoln-Way Foundation SummerFest (Frankfort)
Live music, food, cash bar, and a prize wheel at CD&ME in Frankfort. Benefits the Lincoln-Way Foundation, and Lincoln-Way alum reunions are built right into the night.
21+ only, rain or shine.
📅 July 17th | 6 PM
📍 CD&ME, 23320 LaGrange Rd, Frankfort
🦸 Comicopolis (Lockport)
Lockport's 10th annual Comic and Fandom Con at the White Oak Library: 60+ artists and vendors, cosplay contest with cash prizes, live music, improv, zombies, and a scavenger hunt.
Free admission, swag bags for the first 500 through the door.
📅 July 18th | 10 AM
📍 White Oak Library, 121 E 8th St, Lockport
🎵 Orland Park Record Collectors Show (Orland Park)
40 dealer tables of vinyl, cassettes, CDs, and music memorabilia covering Rock, Blues, Pop, Country, and Jazz. $3 general admission, kids free.
Early bird access at 7:30 AM for $10.
📅 July 18th | 10 AM
📍 Quality Inn Georgios Banquets, 8800 W 159th St, Orland Park
🌙 Ladies Night at Navarro Farm (Frankfort)
Navarro Farm is hosting a ladies night out Friday evening. Grab your crew and head out to one of Frankfort's most unique spots. Tickets available online.
📅 July 17th | 7–10 PM
📍 22155 S 104th Ave, Frankfort
Featured Listing: New Lenox
Three beds, three full baths, finished basement, heated garage, and a big backyard, all under $500K. Fresh carpet, new appliances, freshly painted deck. Metra access and Old Plank Road Trail right there. Priced right, move-in ready, nothing to wait on.
📍 760 Bon Terre Road, New Lenox
Thinking about making a move in 2026? Text or call me directly. 📞 708-612-0644
$450K in Elmhurst or $450K in New Lenox?
In Elmhurst, at $450K, you’re buying the address and writing the next chapter yourself. Think two to three bedrooms, a smaller footprint, an older home, and likely a few projects along the way. What you gain is a highly sought-after western suburb with Metra access, a thriving downtown, established neighborhoods, and long-term location value.
In New Lenox, at $450K, the story is already written. Three bedrooms, finished basement, yard, garage, Metra access, Old Plank Road Trail out your back door. One of the fastest-growing communities in the southwest suburbs, with a $70M sports complex already delivering economic impact.
The same $450K budget tells two very different stories depending on which side you choose.
In the southwest suburbs, New Lenox offers more square footage, larger yards, finished basements, and homes that may already check most of the boxes.
Head to the western suburbs, and that same budget buys less space and may come with a project list, but it puts you in an established, highly sought-after community like Elmhurst.
👉 See what $450K looks like in New Lenox
👉 See what $450K looks like in Elmhurst
Thinking about making the move? Reply to this email, and I'll walk you through both sides based on what actually matters to you.
⛽ CHEAPEST GAS IN THE SOUTH BURBS!
Prices as of 07/14/26 (Website)
📍 New Lenox — ~$4.19 ⬆️ From Last Week
📍 Mokena — ~$4.09 ⬇️ From Last Week
📍 Frankfort — ~$4.19 ⬆️From Last Week
📍 Manhattan — ~$4.19 ⬇️ From Last Week
💼 LOCAL JOBS & VOLUNTEER PICKS
🌤️ WEEKEND WEATHER: FRANKFORT, IL
Friday: 89°/71° — ☀️ Mostly Sunny — 💧Low — 💨 Light
Saturday: 92°/73° — 🌤️ Mix of Sun & Clouds — 💧Low — 💨 Light
Sunday: 91°/72° — ⛅ Partly Cloudy, chance of showers — 💧30% — 💨 Light
Thanks for reading this week’s edition of the South Suburbs Scoop.
Every Thursday, I'll be dropping this in your inbox.
Local news, what's going on this weekend, where the market's at, and a few things to make your week a little easier.
If there's something you want to see more of, just reply and let me know. This thing gets better when you tell me what matters to you.
Have a great weekend, and I’ll see you right back here next Thursday.
— John
📞 708-612-0644 | [email protected]
