Happy Thursday!
A lot is happening around the South ’Burbs this week, so I pulled together the things I think are worth knowing.
Here's what's inside:
🛝 Fort Frankfort playground is back and better than ever
🏊 Centennial Park pool is closed + what you need to know
💊 Narcan is now available at New Lenox Village Hall
📺 Chicago home sales dropped 21%. Prices still went up. Here's why.
🎸 Brothers Osborne kicks off the New Lenox Summer Concert Series
🏡 Two listings worth a look, (one has a pool that's definitely open)
🔍 $700K in Lincoln Park vs. $700K in Frankfort
🚪 Gas prices, jobs, and your weekend weather
LET'S GET INTO IT ↓
Local headlines this week
🛝 Fort Frankfort Playground Is Back Open
Closed since December, Fort Frankfort is officially back. The $1.7M renovation, funded by a state grant secured by Sen. Hastings, features inclusive design for all abilities, two new shade pavilions, and two EV charging stations. Ribbon cutting still to come.
🏊 Centennial Park Pool in Orland Park Is Closed
Two E. coli cases were linked to Centennial Park Aquatic Center last weekend. Just opened May 23rd. If you swam there recently, watch for stomach cramping, nausea, or fever and contact your doctor. Testing daily, will reopen once cleared.
💊 Narcan Is Now Available at New Lenox Village Hall
Will County added 11 more Naloxone boxes across the county, including one at New Lenox Village Hall on Veterans Parkway. Free, no questions asked. Will County reduced opioid overdose deaths 55% in 2025. Good to know where these are.
🚗 Orland Park Police Had a Busy Memorial Day Weekend
94 seat belt citations, 18 distracted driving citations, 16 speeding tickets, 3 arrests, and one fugitive apprehended. Consider this your reminder to buckle up out there.
Chicago Home Sales Dropped 21%. Prices Still Went Up. Here’s Why.
The national headlines called it a correction. The data out here tells a different story. I broke it all down, neighborhood by neighborhood, on the channel this week.
Here's what you need to know:
Chicago is not the national market. Cook County is sitting at 1.7 months of supply. Will County is at 1.5 months. A balanced market is 6 months. That's still a seller's market.
Transaction count dropped, prices didn't. Sales volume is down about 20% from the 2021 peak. But fewer transactions with higher prices is not how a crash works.
The rate lock-in is real. Homeowners sitting on 2-3% rates aren't selling. That freezes supply and keeps prices elevated, no matter what buyers want to pay.
Not every suburb is equal. Desirable communities within 40 minutes of the city are seeing multiple offers, waived contingencies, and prices over asking. Less desirable areas? More days on market and no bidding wars.
Downtown condos are the exception. River North and near-downtown markets have more inventory and real breathing room for buyers right now.
The south suburbs are sitting in that tight inventory category. If you're thinking about making a move, now is the time to understand exactly where you stand.
🎥 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.
Summer Concert Series, a charity 5K, and a coin show
🎸 Brothers Osborne: Summer Concert Series (New Lenox)
The 17th annual Summer Concert Series kicks off this weekend with Brothers Osborne at the Performing Arts Pavilion. Gates open at 5:30 PM, music starts at 6.
General admission lawn seating, chairs, and blankets are welcome. $50 tickets, grab them before they're gone.
📅 Saturday, June 6th | Gates 5:30 PM
📍 New Lenox Village Commons, 145 Veterans Pkwy
🏃 Lightways Hospice Family Fun Run 5K (Manhattan)
5K and kids' race supporting Lightways Pediatric Care Program. Check-in starts at 8 AM, 5K goes off at 9:15.
Good cause, good morning out south.
📅 Saturday, June 6th | Check-in 8 AM
📍 St. Joseph's Catholic School, 275 W North St, Manhattan
🪙 Orland Park Coin & Stamp Show (Orland Park)
Monthly collectors' event with 20-40 dealers buying, selling, and trading coins, currency, stamps, and paper money. Free admission, free parking.
📅 Sunday, June 7th | 9 AM–2 PM
📍 Orland Park Civic Center, 14750 S Ravinia Ave
Featured Listing: Homer Glen
Centennial Pool is closed. This one's still open.
Summer's here, and this one's ready for it. Saltwater pool, all-brick 2-story in Kingston Hills, fully updated kitchen, refinished hardwoods, and every major mechanical already handled. Nothing to do but move in and enjoy it.
📍 12541 Rosewood Dr, Homer Glen
Featured Listing: Chicago
River North penthouse corner unit with private terrace, skyline views, garage parking, and room to actually breathe. Steps from Old Town, Fulton Market, and the riverwalk. This layout at this price point in River North doesn't come around often.
📍 873 N Larrabee Street #202, Chicago
Thinking about making a move in 2026? Text or call me directly. 📞 708-612-0644
$700K in Lincoln Park or $700K in Frankfort?
I covered Lincoln Park on the channel this week. Hottest neighborhood in Chicago right now. 28 detached single-family homes available in the entire neighborhood. Cheapest one is listed at $1.35 million.
So if $700K is your budget, Lincoln Park isn't even a conversation.
In Frankfort, $700K gets you a custom-built home: no cookie-cutter subdivisions allowed in Frankfort, full stop, on a real lot, with Lincoln-Way East schools carrying an exemplary state designation. Top 10% in Illinois.
No bidding war at $1.35M. No compromising on square footage. No trading a yard for a zip code.
The inventory story in Chicago right now is extreme. Desirable neighborhoods have nothing available and prices to match. The south suburbs have the same tight supply, but at a price point that actually works.
Nobody's telling relocating buyers to look at Frankfort before Lincoln Park. Now you know to ask.
👉 See what $700K looks like in Frankfort
👉 See what $700K looks like in Lincoln Park
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 05/31/26 (Website)
📍 New Lenox — ~$4.62 ⬇️ From Last Week
📍 Mokena — ~$4.79 ⬇️ From Last Week
📍 Frankfort — ~$4.59 ⬇️From Last Week
📍 Manhattan — ~$4.54 ⬇️ From Last Week
💼 LOCAL JOBS & VOLUNTEER PICKS
🌤️ WEEKEND WEATHER: FRANKFORT, IL
Friday: 80°/59° — 🌤️ Mostly sunny — 💧Low — 💨 S 10–15mph
Saturday: 73°/56° — ☁️ Cloudy then mostly sunny — 💧20% — 💨 NNE 5mph
Sunday: 77°/56° — 🌤️ Partly sunny, chance of showers — 💧40% — 💨 SSE 5mph
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]
