Fox Valley Real Estate: Week of October 26–30, 2026

Mortgage rates moved back up this month, and the Fox Valley is starting to feel it. The 30-year fixed rate was 7.32% as of Oct. 22, according to Freddie Mac, down slightly from 7.40% the week before but still well above the 6.19% of a year ago. Homes that are priced right and ready to show are still drawing offers. The bigger change this week is on the western edge of the valley, where subdivisions and infrastructure decisions are moving from paper to construction.

Aurora

Kane County's top sales for Oct. 12–18 included 2722 Trojak Lane at $950,000, and several Aurora homes sold between $390,000 and $400,000 (Shaw Local). That spread is the point. Aurora still has the entry-level inventory in the valley, and a buyer's budget goes further here than in the Tri-Cities. Sellers with move-in-ready homes are still in a good position.

North Aurora

The Sycamore and Mallard Point pocket had a strong week. 525 N. Sycamore Ln. sold for $779,000, 441 N. Sycamore for $665,000, and 527 Mallard Point for $664,000. All three are four-bedroom homes of about 3,900 square feet. The village is also working through infrastructure. North Aurora Road work runs through late 2027, and IDNR is wrapping a study on removing the Fox River dam. That is a long-term question for riverfront values, not a near-term one.

Batavia

1S853 Grove Hill Dr. sold for $1.36 million, the top sale in Kane County for Oct. 12–18. The home is 4,232 square feet, or about $321 per square foot (Shaw Local). One trophy sale resets the high comps for the area, but it does not describe the typical Batavia sale. The six-month median is near $490,000 (Kombrink), below Geneva and St. Charles, which is why many buyers still see Batavia as the value option.

Geneva

Three of the county's largest sales were in Geneva this period: 39W861 S. Hathaway Ln. at $1.1 million, 1849 Eldorado Dr. at $980,000, and 1514 Fargo Blvd. at $934,000 (Shaw Local). Geneva continues to carry the luxury end of the Tri-Cities.

Sugar Grove

The Grove is the largest development story in the valley right now. Crown Community Development's 760-acre master plan at I-88 and Route 47 is planned for about 1,400 homes. Area 1, with 214 single-family homes on Merrill Road, is under construction, and first deliveries are expected this year. A single-family home sold for $625,000, reported Oct. 20 (Shaw Local). The Kane County Forest Preserve also closed on about 33 acres along Bliss Road for $545,985 on Oct. 7, expanding Bliss Woods (Hoodline).

Oswego

The Lodi Grove proposal got smaller. On Oct. 8, the Plan Commission recommended approval of a scaled-back plan on 102 acres near Oswego East High School. It calls for 183 single-family homes and 232 townhomes, 62 fewer units than the original, with density down to about 4.07 units per acre. The developer must add a southern access to Wolf's Crossing Road. The plan now goes to the Village Board (Shaw Local). A separate 187-unit Route 34 multifamily plan cleared planners 9-0 this summer and is also headed to the board. Buyers near Wolf's Crossing should watch traffic as closely as prices.

Yorkville

Grande Reserve remains the main engine of new construction in Yorkville. D.R. Horton and Ryan Homes are building townhomes from the low $300,000s and ranch homes from the $400,000s. The city issued 110 building permits in August as older subdivisions near build-out (Citizen Portal). The $224.4 million Lake Michigan water project is on schedule to deliver water by 2028 (Shaw Local). The CyrusOne data center's amended agreement, approved in July, includes a $15 million upfront payment, noise rules, and a cap of 40,000 gallons of water a day.

West Aurora

West Aurora's school district reported property valuations up about 12.5%, the largest increase in years. Total tax bills are rising only about 2% to 3%, and the district expects flatter bills next year as its bond levy shrinks (Citizen Portal). If a buyer asks why taxes look high, the honest answer is that valuations rose faster than bills.

County and rate backdrop

Freddie Mac's 15-year fixed rate was 6.68% as of Oct. 22. On a $328,000 loan with 20% down, the monthly principal and interest on a 30-year loan is about $2,253 at 7.32%, compared with about $2,006 at last year's 6.19%. That is roughly $247 a month, or nearly $3,000 a year, more for the same house. The September local figures from the RAFV newsletter, citing Midwest Real Estate Data, show Kane County at 562 closed sales, a $415,000 median, 34 days on market, and 1.6 months of supply. Kendall County shows 210 closed sales, a $496,395 median, 42 days on market, and 2.3 months of supply. Kendall is slower and has more inventory than Kane.

National watch: the federal housing order

The White House released a fact sheet on Oct. 25 titled "Decreasing Housing Costs for the American People." It includes a pilot to cancel mortgage insurance premiums once a borrower reaches a certain level of equity, a pilot to waive title insurance on permanent refinances, and a task force on manufactured housing.

The case for it is straightforward. Borrowers who have built equity should not keep paying for insurance they no longer need, and removing the title insurance cost on a refinance lowers the barrier to refinancing. Both changes are aimed at households that are stuck with rates set in the last few years.

The case against is about what the fact sheet leaves out. The equity threshold for the insurance pilot is not defined, so no one can yet say how many borrowers qualify or what they would save. The pilots also do not change a payment until an agency or lender puts them into practice. I would wait for the details before counting on any savings.

I did not find a new national forecast from the National Association of Realtors this week, so I have not quoted one.

What to watch

Two things. First, rates. Rates would need to fall a long way to return to spring levels, so do not plan around that. Second, the western development wave. The Grove, Lodi Grove, and the Yorkville projects mean a lot of new supply in the next two to three years. That is good news for buyers priced out of Geneva and Naperville, and it will shape resale competition in those towns. Those land and infrastructure decisions are being made now, so the board votes matter.

If you are weighing a move in Oswego, Yorkville, or Sugar Grove, I am happy to walk through what these changes mean for your situation.

Sources: Shaw Local (Kane and Kendall County transfers, Oswego, Yorkville, Sugar Grove); Freddie Mac Primary Mortgage Market Survey (Oct. 22, 2026); RAFV newsletter (September 2026 data, Midwest Real Estate Data LLC); Kombrink (Batavia median); Hoodline (Bliss Woods, Route 34); Citizen Portal (Yorkville permits, West Aurora USD 129); The White House fact sheet, Oct. 25, 2026.