Evanston, the site of Northwestern University, ranks eighth in the nation in a survey of home prices in towns with major college football teams. The study compared values for a 2,220-square-foot, 4-bedroom, 2½-bath house with a family room and a 2-car garage.
Coldwell Banker's fourth annual College Home Price Comparison Index ranks the home markets of all 119 Division 1-A schools, from most expensive to most affordable.
Here are the top 10 most expensive markets for home prices in major college football towns in 2008:
1. Stanford University, Palo Alto, Calif., $1,740,731.2. Boston College, $1,381,250.
3. University of California at Berkeley, $1,299,750.
4. University of California at Los Angeles, $1,090,884.
4. University of Southern California, $1,090,884.
6. San Jose State University, San Jose, Calif., $1,077,575.
7. University of Hawaii, Honolulu, $780,000
8. Northwestern University, Evanston, $653,750.
9. University of Miami, $600,000.
10. University of Colorado, Boulder, $578,047.
"I've always enjoyed seeing how colleges stack up over the years in football and academic rankings -- and with this study, even in home affordability," said Jim Gillespie, president and chief executive officer of Coldwell Banker Real Estate LLC.
Sixty-five percent of the 119 Division I-A schools are in towns where the nicely sized subject home averages $300,000 or lower.
The most affordable college football town, with a 2008 average price of $135,780, is Akron, Ohio (University of Akron). It's followed by Muncie, Ind. (Ball State University, $144,250) and the University of Toledo ($155,900).
For the fourth year in a row, the Mid-American Conference collectively ranks as the most affordable league, with an average home price of $207,952. The Big 10 ranks seventh among the 12 conferences. The average price in South Bend, Ind., (site of the University of Notre Dame) was $174,000.
Nearly 5 percent of American consumers said they plan to buy a home in the next 12 months -- about three times the percentage that actually did so this year, according to a new survey. Eighteen percent plan to buy a home in one to five years.
Two-thirds said they held off in buying a home because of overall economic conditions.
Fifty percent of Americans think President-elect Obama should make helping troubled homeowners avoid foreclosure a priority, according to the survey.
One out of five believe making affordable mortgage credit available is essential, and one out of seven think helping first-time homebuyers purchase a home should be a priority for the new president.
The survey results are based on about 1,000 interviews. The national study, conducted by GK Custom Research North America, was commissioned by Move Inc., operator of Realtor.com.
The 3,300 agents of the RE/MAX network in northern Illinois doubled the funds they raised for the Children's Miracle Network (CMN) through the first 10 months of 2008 despite the struggling real estate market.
Last year, the network raised $105,000 in the January-October period, before finishing the year at $241,000. Through the first 10 months of this year, donations totaled $218,000.
The Glessner House Museum, 1800 S. Prairie, will host a program on the history of miniature rooms and doll houses with a Chicago connection at 7 p.m. Wednesday.
William Tyre, executive director of the museum, will begin the program with a presentation on the history of the Badger doll house, built in 1858 and now on permanent display at the Clarke House Museum, 1827 S. Indiana. The Clarke House will be open from 6 to 6:45 p.m. that evening to allow attendees to see the house prior to the program.
Sally Sexton Kalmbach will then present a look at Mrs. James Ward Thorne, and the incredibly detailed miniature rooms she created that continue to be one of the most popular attractions at the Art Institute.
Then, Tyre will give a short talk on Frances Glessner Lee and her "Nutshell Studies of Unexplained Death," miniature rooms depicting crime scenes in exacting detail.
The cost of the program is $15. For reservations, call (312) 326-1480.
