Inverness · Cook County · IL
Homes for sale in
McIntosh.
- Active listings
- 7
- Median list
- $1.85M
- Avg time on market
- 32 days
- Sold · last year
- 19
Active listings
7 homes on the market
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About the community
An original large-lot Inverness neighborhood near the Inverness Golf Club.
McIntosh sits in the original core of Inverness, an affluent northwest suburb roughly 29 miles from downtown Chicago, on winding wooded streets that carry Scottish and golf-themed names like Balmoral, Banbury, and Prestwick. The neighborhood takes its name from Arthur T. McIntosh, the Chicago land developer who assembled the Inverness acreage beginning in 1926 and set the village's defining rules: a one-acre minimum lot size and a deliberate absence of curbs, fences, and heavy street lighting to preserve a park-like feel. Homes here range from mid-century originals to large custom rebuilds, on generous homesites near the private Inverness Golf Club and a neighborhood lake. The result is a quiet, green, low-density address that lives more like the country than a subdivision.
At a glance
Acre-plus wooded lots
Inverness's one-acre minimum and no-curb policy give the streets a country-lane character.
By the Inverness Golf Club
The private 18-hole club borders the original Inverness core near the neighborhood.
District 15 into District 211
Commonly Marion Jordan Elementary and Sundling Junior High, then William Fremd High School. Confirm by address.
Mid-century to custom rebuilds
Housing spans original ranches and split-levels through large traditional and transitional custom homes.
Neighborhood lake
Parts of the area sit on or near a lake, with waterfront and lakeview homesites. Confirm lake rights per parcel.
No sidewalks by design
The village omits curbs and sidewalks across much of Inverness to keep the rural feel.
Route 53 and I-90 access
Quick routes toward O'Hare and the Loop, though daily errands mean a car trip.
Upper-tier for the area
An Inverness address with a wide spread between original homes and rebuilt or updated houses.
What’s close
McIntosh sits in the original core of Inverness near the Inverness Golf Club, with Route 53 and I-90 the main commuter routes and no Metra stop in the village itself.
- Golf
- The private Inverness Golf Club, an 18-hole club, borders the original Inverness core.
- Shopping
- Downtown Palatine and Barrington nearby, with Woodfield Mall and the Schaumburg retail corridor a short drive south.
- Hospital
- Northwest Community Hospital (Endeavor Health) in nearby Arlington Heights.
- Highway
- Illinois Route 53 and I-90 (Jane Addams Tollway) toward O'Hare and downtown Chicago.
- Schools
- Community Consolidated District 15 into Township High School District 211 (Fremd). Confirm by address.
- Train
- No Metra station in Inverness. The nearest stops are Palatine and Barrington on the UP-NW line to Ogilvie.
What it’s actually like to live here
McIntosh delivers the classic Inverness trade: space, trees, and quiet in exchange for a deliberately un-suburban way of living. Roads meander instead of gridding, lots are measured in acres rather than feet, and the absence of sidewalks and curbs gives the neighborhood a country-lane feel that residents prize. The setting near the golf club and a neighborhood lake, with mature landscaping on many properties, makes the area feel private and green even though major retail and expressways are a short drive away.
Buyers are usually drawn by the schools, the room to spread out, and the prestige of an Inverness address. Households here tend toward established families and professionals who want a large-lot home within reach of the northwest suburbs' jobs and shopping. It is a place that rewards people who value privacy and land over walkability and nightlife.
The honest tradeoffs are real. Property taxes are among the steepest in northern Cook County in effective-rate terms, and that carrying cost is permanent. The rural character also means no village sidewalks, well and septic on some older parcels, and more property to maintain. Because there is no Metra station in Inverness, rail commuters drive to Palatine or Barrington first, and the housing stock is genuinely mixed, so condition and vintage vary sharply from block to block.
Market trends
Why this market moves the way it does
McIntosh is an upper-tier, large-lot market where price turns on lot, condition, and how thoroughly a home has been updated or rebuilt. Original houses can trade as renovation or teardown candidates while fully rebuilt homes sit at the top of the range, so price per square foot and condition matter as much as headline price.
What holds value
The fundamentals matter more than the cosmetics here. Buyers want floor plan, lot, and basement, in that order. Cosmetics are the tiebreaker.
- Lot and setting
- Acre-plus wooded lots, and homesites on or near the lake or the golf club, carry a premium over smaller interior parcels.
- Condition and vintage
- A well-updated or rebuilt home commands far more than an original that needs work, and the spread is wide here.
- The Inverness address
- Low density, the schools, and the village's reputation are durable demand drivers.
- Teardown economics
- Some original homes sell close to land value, which sets a floor and invites custom rebuilds.
- Utilities
- Well and septic on some older parcels versus municipal service can affect cost and buyer pool. Confirm per home.
Real talk
Who shouldn’t buy here
Here is the honest version before you tour.
Taxes are the headline cost. Inverness carries one of the higher effective property tax rates in northern Cook County, and at these home values the annual bill is a serious line item. Pull the actual tax history for the specific parcel rather than estimating, because the range across the neighborhood is wide.
This is a large-lot, car-dependent neighborhood with no train in the village and no sidewalks across much of it. That is exactly what many buyers want, but confirm the daily drive to work, school, and the Metra station works for your household before you commit.
The housing stock spans decades and many conditions. An original mid-century home competes against fully rebuilt custom houses, and that gap shows up in price and days on market. Tour the specific home, check the systems and any well and septic, and verify whether any association or lake obligations apply.
One piece of advice
“McIntosh is one of the classic ways to buy into Inverness: an acre-plus wooded lot near the golf club and a lake, in a village built for privacy rather than walkability. Just confirm the fully-assessed taxes on the specific parcel, check the utilities and condition of an older home, and verify the school assignment by address. Do that and it is a strong large-lot buy.”
The questions buyers actually ask
McIntosh FAQ
The questions I get most from buyers shopping McIntosh. If yours isn't here, text 224-385-8779, same-day reply.
- What does the HOA actually cover?
- Many McIntosh homes carry no mandatory homeowners association, in keeping with Inverness's large-lot character. Some properties reference modest association or village master-association dues that would cover common-area or greenway upkeep rather than a full amenity package. Association status varies parcel to parcel, so confirm whether a specific home has dues, and what they cover, from the listing and title documents.
- What are property taxes like?
- Roughly $15,000 – $45,000 per year, depending on home size and value. Cook County assessor records are the source of truth. Happy to pull a specific bill on any home you're considering.
- What's the typical closing timeline?
- 30 to 60 days from accepted offer to keys. Cash deals can close in two weeks. Conventional financing is usually closer to 60.
- Where exactly is McIntosh and what defines it?
- It is an established large-lot single-family neighborhood in the original core of Inverness, near the Inverness Golf Club, with winding wooded streets like Balmoral, Banbury, and Prestwick. Exact platted boundaries can vary by source, so confirm the parcel on the listing.
- Which schools would my children attend?
- Inverness uses separate elementary and high school districts. For much of the McIntosh area the commonly cited path is Marion Jordan Elementary and Walter R. Sundling Junior High in Community Consolidated District 15, then William Fremd High School in Township District 211. Attendance areas vary by address, so confirm the exact assignment before relying on it.
- Is there an HOA, and what does it cost?
- It depends on the specific home. Many Inverness properties have no mandatory HOA, though some McIntosh listings reference modest association or village master-association dues. Confirm whether a given home carries dues, and what they cover, from the listing and title documents.
- How are the property taxes?
- High. Inverness carries one of the higher effective property tax rates in northern Cook County, in the range of roughly 2.4 to 2.9 percent of market value for this area. Verify the actual bill for a specific home with the Cook County Assessor and Treasurer.
- How do people commute if there is no train in Inverness?
- Most residents drive. Inverness has no Metra stop, so the nearest stations are Palatine and Barrington on the UP-NW line to Ogilvie Transportation Center. By car, Route 53 and I-90 provide access toward O'Hare and the Loop.
- What do homes cost and how is the market right now?
- McIntosh sits at the upper tier for the area, with a wide spread between original homes and updated or rebuilt houses. For current, accurate pricing and market activity, see the live Market snapshot on this page rather than a figure that would go stale.
- Who is the real estate agent for McIntosh?
- Joe Keegan is the local licensed Illinois real estate broker who covers McIntosh in Inverness, IL through Subdiview, a neighborhood-first home search for the Chicago suburbs and collar counties. Joe prices and negotiates from the live MRED sold comps for McIntosh specifically, not national averages, and can help you buy or sell here. Reach Joe at 224-385-8779 or joe@joekeeganhomes.com.
Your local agent
Joe knows McIntosh
Most agents will list anything. I focus on the places I actually know, and the things that move value here don't show up in the MLS write-up: which streets and buildings hold demand, what the HOA or assessments really cover, how the comps read once you account for condition and location, and where buyers consistently want to be.
When you're ready to tour or list, you want someone who has read the last 50 closed comps in this specific market, not a national average, and can tell you what they actually mean for your price. That's how I work. Text or call any time, and I'll give you a real take, not a brochure.
- Licensed Illinois broker
- Comp-driven pricing
- Inverness specialist
- Honest local market take
- Brokerocity
Market snapshot
McIntosh, by the numbers
Live MRED data, refreshed daily. The numbers below tell you what this market is doing today, not what Zillow's algorithm thinks it might be doing six weeks from now.
Typical list price
$1,850,000
Typical sale price · last 90 days
$1,040,500
Homes for sale right now
7
Avg time on market
32 days
Sold in the last year
19
This representation is based in whole or in part on data supplied by Midwest Real Estate Data, LLC for the period August 10, 2025 through August 10, 2026. Midwest Real Estate Data, LLC does not guarantee nor is it in any way responsible for its accuracy. Data maintained by Midwest Real Estate Data LLC may not reflect all real estate activity in the market.
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What's your home actually worth?
Not a Zestimate. A real CMA from someone who's sold this neighborhood, knows the floor plan premiums, and can tell you which upgrades the buyer pool here actually pays for.
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Schools serving McIntosh
Where McIntosh homes go to school
Homes in McIntosh are most often zoned to Fremd HS. Open a school to see its area, the district, and every home for sale that feeds it.
School assignment is derived from the school the MRED listing agent entered and is not a guarantee. Always verify current attendance boundaries with the district before writing an offer.
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