If you're a buyer, you love a quiet sale because with a quiet sale you don't need to compete.  As a seller, you might choose a private sale if you'd prefer to sell your home to someone you know, or if you want the convenience of working with only one buyer.  BUT, if your primary goal is to maximize your return on investment, then fully marketing your home and exposing it to the entire market is the clear choice. Here's why.  ..read more

Being a nice person who strives to be of service to others may be necessary for a rewarding career in real estate, but it's not sufficient. You also need to have a plan that you're willing to embrace over the long run.  If you're a realtor, and you'd like some help identifying a plan that's a good fit for you, please feel free to contact us. We'd be happy to meet with you and offer you a little outside perspective.  ..read more

Recently I started helping my friend who has been looking for a cute little condo on the west side of town. And we came across the perfect match. Two bedrooms. Full of natural light. And walkable to all of the shops and restaurants in the area.  And we wrote a great offer, too. But unfortunately there were 8 other offers and my friend's offer was the runner-up.  This was a huge disappointment to my friend...BUT...after we absorbed the setback, we came out of our conversation with a little more knowledge and a renewed commitment to her goals.  Next up, we'll be sending ..read more

Dane County condo prices rose from $200 per square foot in March of 2023 to $223 in March of 2024. That's a 12 percent year-over-year increase. Note the price per square foot is up 13 percent through the first 3 months of the year.  Prices were up by other measure, too:  The average price grew from $295,361 in March of 2023 to $332,689 in March of 2024 -- up 13 percent.  The median price grew from $276,500 to $311,000 -- moving 12 percent higher.    New condo listings Condo listings increased for the second straight month. This is an ..read more

In our latest real estate careers article we cover the basics of growing and nurturing your database, or "sphere of influence". Growing and nurturing your database is the single most important thing you can do to guarantee a rewarding and long-lasting career in real estate. Many agents are intimidated by this task, but the good news is our team offers a ton of support in this area. You can also make the "nurturing" part of your database a lot of fun - by staying in touch with your database in ways that are authentic to your personality.  What is a real estate database? Your real esta ..read more

Madison area home sales continued to lag in March.  While condo sales were lower, too.  And due to low supply, both home and condo prices were noticeably higher. Stay tuned for our complete updates on the Dane County home and condominium markets, which we'll be publishing real soon.  ..read more

One proven way to enjoy a long-term career in real estate is to make a habit of helping other people, and to help other people without any expectation of receiving anything in return.  So, if someone I know wants to know what their home is worth, even though they have no plans to sell, I help them. If another person wants to know how much they can rent their home for, I help them, too. And if another person I know wants help finding a trusted contractor to remodel their bathroom, I help them find a good contractor.  I gladly help all of these people even though th ..read more

One clear sign of someone who's devoted to their craft is their willingness to do the inconvenient. Not because it's to their advantage to do so. But because they want to. Because it's worth it to them, and because in their mind doing the inconvenient thing is the right thing to do.  A few examples:  A teacher who builds community in the classroom, who gives each student their individual attention, and who helps each child feel worthy and valued.  A doctor or a nurse who attends to you with kindness, empathy and patience -- knowing that you are likely to have ques ..read more

When you fully market your home and expose your listing to the entire market, you reap the benefits of competition. As an example, during the first 3 months of this year alone, we have several sellers who are accepting offers from 5 percent to as much 26 percent over the list price. The bottom line: You may have some good reasons to consider a "quiet sale". But if your primary objective is to maximize your return on investment, then marketing your home to all potential buyers is the way to go. MCDH 2024 accepted offers over list (Jan - Mar)  Property A: 5 Property B: 6  Pro ..read more

Realtors have been in the headlines (and crosshairs) lately, which led me to do a google search of the most trusted and least trusted professions. And I came across this recent study by Gallup. Real Estate agents aren't included in the 2023 study, but in 2022 they were ranked just above attorneys and just below bankers.  According to this study, the most trusted are nurses, veterinarians, doctors, dentists, and engineers. The least trusted are politicians and people in marketing and sales.  Or put another way, the most trusted are people who are known for serving and t ..read more