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Hey {{first_name}},
Every August I get asked some version of the same questions: How do I get my kid back on a normal sleep schedule? What's a reasonable amount of screen time once school starts? Is the "official" supply list even the one the teacher's actually using?
I can't help with any of that. Four kids in and I still don't have the sleep schedule thing figured out.
What I can help with: whether it makes sense to close on a house before or after the first day of school, what a 10-day tax break on school supplies is actually worth, and what changes in the housing market the minute the buses start running again. So that's what this issue is.
The tax holiday, at a glance:
August 7–16, 2026 — 10 days
State sales tax drops from 6.25% to 1.25% on qualifying items
Clothing & footwear under $125/item, no cap on school supplies
Applies in-store and online, as long as it's ordered and paid for in that window
What Back-to-School Week Actually Does to the Market
Still tight, but the buyer pool is about to shrink
Lake County is still running hot by most measures right now: homes are going under contract in about 46 days on average, months of supply sits at roughly 2 (anything under 3 favors sellers), and homes are still selling for right around asking price, with only about 1 in 10 active listings taking a price cut.
Once families settle into the school year, that pace changes — not because the fundamentals shift, but because the buyer pool gets smaller. Showings drop off. The people still out looking aren't casually browsing open houses on a Sunday anymore — they're motivated, and they're planning to be in a home by the holidays.
Why that's good news, not bad news
Fewer lookie-loos, more real conversations. In a market where well-priced homes are already moving in under 7 weeks, a smaller but more serious buyer pool doesn't mean a slower sale — it usually just means fewer showings before the right offer shows up.
What this means locally
If you're a seller who's been waiting to see if "the market cools off" before you list, this is usually the moment it does — and given how tight inventory still is here, it's not the disadvantage it sounds like. Fall buyers tend to be more flexible on closing timelines and more willing to talk terms than spring buyers racing the school calendar.
A 10-Day Tax Break Most People Are Going to Miss
Illinois brought back its back-to-school sales tax holiday for the first time since 2022, and it's easy to miss if nobody tells you about it.
Local sales tax still applies on top, so it's not a full tax-free weekend, but on a typical $600 back-to-school haul, that's real money back in your pocket for doing nothing except shopping in that window.
Moving Before the First Day (Or After) — What Actually Matters
This is the question I get every single August: "If we're under contract but haven't closed yet, can my kid still start school on time?"
Here's what's actually true in Illinois:
Enrollment is tied to your legal address, not your closing date. Districts require proof of residency — a lease, a closing disclosure, a mortgage statement, or a utility bill in your name at the new address. If you're mid-move, most districts will work with you, but you generally need to show you're actually living (or about to live) in the district — not just under contract on a house there.
Closing a week or two before the first day is tighter than it sounds. Between movers, utility transfers, and getting registration paperwork together, families who close the same week school starts are often scrambling. If school enrollment matters to your timeline, it's worth building in a buffer — closing 3-4 weeks out gives you room to register, get immunization records transferred, and actually unpack before the first bell.
Moving mid-year is more common than people think, and it's not the disruption parents worry it'll be. If a move happens after the school year has already started, most districts have a straightforward transfer process — the sending school forwards records, and there's no real penalty for the student. The bigger factor is usually how it lands socially and emotionally for your kid, not the paperwork.
Districts verify residency every year, not just once. Even if you're not moving, some Lake County districts require updated proof of residency annually — so if you've moved within the district recently, don't assume the school automatically has your current address on file.
If you're weighing a fall move and school timing is part of the equation, it's worth a conversation early — closing dates, contingencies, and even possession dates can sometimes be structured around a registration deadline if we plan for it up front.
Helping Kids With First-Day Nerves
This one's for the parents of a kid who's a little anxious about the first day, whether it's a brand new school or just a new grade.
A few things that actually help, based on what I hear from teachers and other parents in Lake County:
Do a dry run of the morning, especially the parts that are new — walking or driving the route, finding the classroom or locker, practicing the drop-off if that's changed.
Talk about one specific thing to look forward to, not the day as a whole. "The day" is abstract and a little scary. Lunch, a specific class, or seeing a friend again is concrete.
Keep your own nerves out of the conversation. Kids pick up on parental anxiety about a move or a new school faster than we think, even when we think we're hiding it well.
Validate it without over-talking it. "It's normal to feel nervous, most kids do" lands better than a long pep talk.
Have a plan for the pickup conversation. Knowing you'll ask "what's one good thing that happened today" instead of "how was it" gives them an easier way to open up.
The Child Mind Institute has a genuinely good breakdown of this if you want to go deeper — worth a read even if your kid seems totally fine, since it also covers what's normal jitters versus something worth flagging to a teacher or pediatrician.
If your kid does better hearing this from a book than from you, a few reliable go-tos: The Kissing Hand by Audrey Penn (great for the youngest kids and separation anxiety), First Day Jitters by Julie Danneberg (fun twist ending, works well for K-2), and Wemberly Worried by Kevin Henkes (for the kid who worries about everything, not just school).
And if you're a buyer wondering how to time a purchase in a market that's held this tight for years — that's exactly what the Home Buyer Protection Plan is for. If it doesn't work out, we make it right. Just hit reply for details.
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The Big Picture
Back-to-school week has a way of resetting everyone's rhythm at once — kids, parents, and the housing market included. A little bit of a slowdown right now isn't a warning sign. It's just the calendar doing what it always does this time of year.
Thank you for being here — I don't take it lightly that you let this newsletter into your inbox every week. If this issue was helpful, pass it along to someone who might be thinking about making a move. The forward button is one of the kindest things you can do for someone who doesn't know where to start.
And if you're not already following along on Instagram, come find me — I share market updates, local content, and the occasional thing that didn't make it into the newsletter. @michaelsteber_realtor
Until next week…
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