'Home Alone' House For Sale

The red-brick Winnetka Georgian so bravely defended by Macaulay Culkin in Home Alone is being put up for sale Thursday for $2.4 million.

Homeowners John and Cynthia Abendshien, empty-nesters who purchased the home in late 1988 for $875,000, acknowledge that it may not be the best time to put a high-end house on the market but believe the home’s attributes and its cachet may net a buyer.

The couple also researched the housing market and were advised that it might not bounce back for another three to five years. “We just decided we wouldn’t wait any longer,” Cynthia Abendshien said.

The 4,250-square-foot, 14-room home sits on a half-acre lot and features four bedrooms, 3.2 baths, a large screened-in porch with a chandelier and, of course, the staircase sledded down by Culkin in John Hughes’ 1990 film.

The median sales price in Winnetka in April was $1.297 million.

“The $2.4 million isn’t just because of its cinematic history,” said the home’s listing agent, Marissa Hopkins of Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage. “It really is a residential masterpiece.”

Only pre-qualified buyers can make appointments to see the home, and no open houses are planned. “It would be a zoo,” Hopkins said. “There are a lot of people who would like to see the Home Alone house if they were given the opportunity.”

Meanwhile, another famous North Shore property, the Highland Park home featured in Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, is temporarily off the market but it will be relisted, said Coldwell Banker agent Meladee Hughes. Originally listed at $2.3 million, it most recently was offered for $1.65 million.

Source; http://www.chicagotribune.com/classified/realestate/chibrkbus-home-alone-house-in-winnetka-on-sale-for-24m-20110504,0,678293.story