Winnetka mansion gets upgrade, doubles its market value in two years—listed at $14.9M

A Winnetka mansion at 81 Locust Road is back on the market for $14.9 million after selling for $6 million in 2024, according to The Real Deal. The asking price would make it one of the priciest home sales in the Chicago area this year if it closes near asking.

The nearly 16,000-square-foot home sits on about 1.5 acres and has eight bedrooms and nine bathrooms, the report confirmed. It was built in 1999 and is about a mile and a half from Lake Michigan, though it is not on the lakefront, The Real Deal said.

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Upgrades and market position

According to the report, the property’s recent work added a pickleball court, a golf simulator, a second-floor laundry room and a renovated primary bathroom. The lower level also gained a theater room, a wet bar, and a large bath with a sauna and steam shower, per The Real Deal.

Crain’s reported that some features appear unchanged from the 2024 listing, including parts of the kitchen, wood wainscoting, and several rooms such as a blue bar room, a skylit sunroom, and a wood-paneled study. The home is owned through a land trust, and the sellers have not been publicly identified.

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If it sells for the asking price, the home would be the second-highest Chicago-area sale of 2026, behind a historic Glencoe mansion that sold for $17.5 million. It would also be the highest-priced sale in Winnetka since two lakefront homes sold in 2025 for more than $30 million each, according to Crain’s.