Lake Forest, IL Real Estate — Joe Gattone, Compass

Joe Gattone is a Compass real estate broker based in Libertyville who has closed 4 transactions in Lake Forest and ranked #3 among all Libertyville agents by 2025 sales volume (RealTrends Verified). Call or text 847-650-4048.

Homes I've sold in Lake Forest

  • 1545 S West Fork Dr, Lake Forest
  • 1240 Winwood Dr, Lake Forest
  • 1680 Cornell Ct, Lake Forest
  • 1505 S Estate Ln, Lake Forest

What Lake Forest buyers and sellers ask me

East or west of the tracks? East Lake Forest is the historic lakefront town: estates, 1900s–1930s homes, Market Square, the beach. West Lake Forest grew after the 1950s with the Everett Rd and Route 60 corridors: larger-lot subdivisions, Conway Farms, and most of the new construction. Prices overlap less than people expect; what differs is age of home and lot shape.

Is the lakefront realistic? Lake Michigan frontage is a short list of properties and rarely trades. Most "lake" buyers end up a few blocks in, with beach access through the city's Forest Park Beach. That's where the value is.

What do the taxes look like? Lake Forest runs its own school districts (67 and 115) and the bills reflect it. On estate properties, the assessment history matters more than the current bill; I pull ten years.

How do estates sell? Slowly, and with the right buyer pool. Private Exclusive listings through Compass are built for this: owners can test a number without a public days-on-market clock.

Lake Forest neighborhoods and what they're like

East Lake Forest / Market Square. The 1916 Market Square shopping district, the Metra station, Lake Forest College, and the streets of early-20th-century estates running toward the bluff.

The Lakefront and Forest Park. Bluff-top homes north and south of Forest Park Beach; the beach itself is one of the best public beaches on the North Shore.

West Lake Forest / Conway Farms. Golf course community and newer large-lot subdivisions along Route 60 and Everett Rd, near the Milwaukee District North Metra station off Route 60.

Knollwood and the Waukegan Rd corridor. Mid-century and later homes on the northwest side, closer to Route 41.

Points of interest

Market Square, Forest Park Beach, Lake Forest College, Elawa Farm, Ragdale (artists' residency), the Lake Forest Open Lands trails, Conway Farms Golf Club, Deerpath Golf Course, Mellody Farm shopping. Two Metra stations: one downtown on the Union Pacific North line and one off Route 60 on the Milwaukee District North line.

Schools

Lake Forest School District 67 (elementary and middle) and Lake Forest High School (District 115). Lake Forest Academy and Woodlands Academy are the private high schools in town. For current performance data on any school, use the Illinois State Board of Education's Illinois Report Card (illinoisreportcard.com).

Notoriety

Ordinary People (1980) was filmed in Lake Forest. Market Square is credited as one of the first planned shopping centers in the country. The town's estate architecture includes work by David Adler and Howard Van Doren Shaw.

Nearby

Joe Gattone · Compass · 1107 W Park Ave, Libertyville, IL 60048 · 847-650-4048 · About Joe