For the last 18 years, new home building in Dane County has been occurring at a subdued pace compared to the peak construction years in the early 2000's. This is just one of 10 reasons why we expect inventory to be low and prices to be high in 2024. For more info, check out this post.  Many thanks to Dominic Collar, who has been generously sharing his housing start data with us for the last 15 years. With Dominic's help, we've been able to stay informed on the evolution of our market and share our insights with you.  Also this short PSA: If you have real estate goals f ..read more

Foreclosures were once a significant source of housing inventory in the Madison area, but those days are long gone. A lack of distressed property sales is just one of several key reasons why we anticipate low home and condo supply for the foreseeable future. Stay tuned for much more info on this topic, coming to our blog real soon.  ..read more

Dane County home and condo listings edged a little higher in November, but in the big picture listing activity was still much lower than we'd like to see it.  Here's how single family home listings trended in November: Here's how condo listings trended: Will more home and condo owners choose to sell in 2024? Stay tuned. We'll have plenty of timely updates to share with you in the months ahead ..read more

The Mad City Dream Homes team enjoys finding creative ways to support local businesses and nonprofits through client appreciation events and giveaways, articles on our blog, social media, and newsletters, in-kind marketing support, sponsorships, donations, and volunteer efforts. In 2023, we built upon the relationships formed over the years and made some new connections, too.  As we reflect on another year of investing in the communities we serve, we wanted to highlight some of these organizations doing neat things in the Dane County area – from making memorable chocolates and art to crea ..read more

The holiday season is one of the better times to be buying a home, and now lower mortgage rates are adding to the holiday the cheer. Rates for a 30-year fixed rate mortgage were recently in the range of 8 percent. Now, a 30-year mortgage is available for around 7 percent.  Check out the chart and data below from the Freddie Mac Primary Mortgage Market Survey, which is updated each Wednesday.   What questions do you have about buying or selling Dane County real estate? Call us whenever you need a little guidance and advice. We're here to help.  ..read more

Here are our tips for finding a great buyer agent in another market: 1: Research agent reviews on Zillow. Focus more on the written comments than on the numerical ratings. Look for agents who consistently receive high praise from truly grateful clients.  2: Review each agent's recent listings. Do the listings consistently display beautiful photos of well-staged properties? The quality of an agent's listings can offer helpful insight into each agent's standards and level of professionalism.  3: Interview each agent and ask all of the questions that are most importa ..read more

This holiday season is a season of change for Maureen Moran and her husband Kevin, who are moving to Atlanta to be close to their daughter, son-in-law, and two grandchildren. We'll surely miss all of the warm wit, interesting conversations, and professionalism that Maureen brought to our team. But we're very happy to know that Maureen and Kevin will be amongst family. If you've worked with Maureen in the past you know her dedication to her clients and her craft. And now you will have the opportunity to work with other like-minded team members whenever you need real estate help ..read more

For many of us, the approaching winter season invites reflection and celebration. Shorter days naturally create breathing room in our social calendar and encourage us to take inventory of our past gratitudes, future hopes, and issues deferred. We look inward, but we also look around homes:   “I’m happy we finished the basement; Packer parties have been so much fun. How much value did we add to our home?”  “I wonder what it would cost to build that third garage stall now that our son is driving.”  “Would we feel safer if all the kids were sleeping on the same level as u ..read more

When we picture a negotiation, we tend to think of a challenging and difficult process that's fraught with tension and a focus on beating the adversary.  But it doesn't need to be that way. In fact, the best negotiations often have a much different tone. Experience has taught us that we're most effective when we adopt a softer approach.  Our 4 pillars for effective negotiation Overcommunicate: We live in a distracted world. The more we communicate with the other party, and encourage communication in return, the more likely we'll be able to strike a deal that works for both ..read more

Approached with skill and care, some home improvement projects always provide a great return on investment. Here are the 5 projects that are at the top of our home improvement list.  Our top 5 high-impact home improvement projects 1) Fresh paint. It's amazing what the right color and a fresh coat of paint can do to transform a room, and at such a low cost.  2) New lighting. Replacing a bulky and dated fixture with one that is sleek and modern offers another quick win.  3) Cabinet hardware. Updating cabinets with new hardware is an easy and affordabl ..read more