‘Home Alone’: How Much Would Kevin McCallister’s House Cost Today?
Every so often, a movie comes along that has a backdrop so iconic that it becomes a part of the film. That couldn’t be truer when it comes to Home Alone. Maybe it’s because the house is so stately, or the notion that a kid, left unattended, could wreak such havoc on two ne’er-do-wells is just that inticing. Either way, the Home Alone house is a piece of cinematic history, and whether the owners like it or not, one of the most recognizable movie houses in history. With the holidays quickly approaching, Home Alone is undoubtedly going to be viewed millions of times across the country, leaving everyone to ask just one question – how much would it cost to live in Kevin McCallister’s house?
Where is the Home Alone house?
The house that was used to film Home Alone is located at 671 Lincoln Avenue in Winnetka, Illinois. Winnetka, for those living outside of the Chicago-metro area, is a small village located about 16 miles from Downtown Chicago. Situated on the shores of Lake Michigan, the exclusive enclave offers picturesque views, a top-notch school system, and the convenience of being close to the bustling city life of Chicago.
According to Niche, the village has a population of about 12,000 and while it’s more expensive than the city of Chicago, it’s highly ranked for its family-oriented feel. The schools in the small village rank 6th in all of Illinois, and it is considered one of the top 10 Illinois locations to raise a family. With a median household income of $216,875, the village’s residents earn far more than the national and state average. Illinois residents, on average, make $62,992, which is about $2,000 more than the national average household income of $60,336.
How much would the Home Alone house cost?
Today, the house so iconically tied to the holiday classic is estimated to be worth around $1.6 million. It was last sold in 2012, after languishing on the real estate market for almost en entire year. It was initially listed for $2.4 million in May 2011, according to Redfin. The final sale prince in 2012 was $1.585.
The home, which has been updated since the last time fans peeked inside Kevin McCallister’s wild life, doesn’t come on the market often. Before its 2012 sale, the home was last sold in 1989. Home Alone, which was filmed in 1990, just one year after the previous owners took over the property. At the time of the film’s release, the home had an estimated value of about $900,000, an exorbitant sum for the beginning of the 1990s.
The Home Alone house is nice, but the movie is unrealistic
At a value of $900,000 in 1990, Kevin McCallister’s dad must
have had an excellent job, but it’s never mentioned, points out Cosmopolitan.
If Kevin’s dad could afford the spacious abode, plus a trip to Paris for
nine people, he had to have been making a lot of money. Let’s assume that the McCallisters
were living within their means. This means Mr. McCallister needed to be raking
in around $156,000 per year before taxes to afford his house. Sure, that doesn’t
seem like all that much now, especially considering the average income in Winnetka
right now, but remember, we are talking about the 1990s here. The average household
income in 1990 was $39,000 for someone with a bachelor’s degree.
If the McCallisters had high paying jobs, one would think they’d be responsible enough to remember to account for all of their kids before they got on a plane to Paris. Cosmo also points out that the targeting of the McCallister house didn’t make all that much sense. After all, in the 1990s, Michael Jordan was also residing in the same general area. He seems like a better burglary target then some random family, but perhaps the thieves were smarter than we think and assumed Jordan would have a much better security system than the McCallisters.
