Are you getting ready to begin the home-buying process? Realtor Max Woods has a weekly video series that simplifies the home-buying process for you. In one recent video, Max covers three great tips for anyone who's just getting started with their search.

3 showing tips from realtor Max Woods

Tip #1: Treat your showing as an opportunity to learn more about the surrounding area by going for a short walk or a short drive around the neighborhood. Who knows, you might even meet a few friendly neighbors?

Tip #2: Use your showings as a time to refine and clarify what you're looking for -- as you and your realtor discuss the features and finishes of each property you tour. 

Tip #3: Be mindful of home surveillance systems. Many homes are

How are home and condo prices trending in the Madison area? Here are a few observations which offer some good insight into the Dane County real estate market. 

For starters, home prices are trending higher at all points along the price spectrum.

Based on our review of the November numbers, home prices are up significantly at every point along the spectrum. At the lower end, the mid-range, and the high-end -- all price points are trending higher. 

Condo prices are trending higher, too. 

The median condo price in November was up 12 percent year-over-year, and prices were higher at every other point along the spectrum, too. 

What the numbers don't show.

What these numbers don't show is that some home and condo sellers are struggling

In a market like ours, it's whenever the perfect opportunity presents itself. It could be in the heart of the spring selling season, during the cooler fall season, or in the quiet of winter. You just never know when. 

Our clients Roger and Jennifer just learned this lesson when their perfect home became available right before the Thanksgiving Holiday. Their home search took a few weeks longer than they were planning for, but they're so glad that they remained patient and focused and had Chris Venden guiding them along their journey.

As Jennifer told us the other day, "Our new home is absolutely perfect for us. We're so glad that we didn't settle, this home is so worth the wait."

So, if you're planning to buy your dream home in 2023, here are

Invest in your sale.

By investing in your sale, we mean:

• Investing your time to study your market and select the right price. 
• Investing your resources into professional staging and smart cosmetic updates. 
• Investing your creativity into beautiful visual media, online media, and printed materials, too.
• And investing your expertise into an effective negotiation strategy.

Or you can hire a professional who will make all of these investments for you.

At Mad City Dream Homes, we help you sell your home for top dollar while making your experience as stress-free and as worry-free as possible. So we encourage you to call on us whenever you're in need of some guidance and support. We're here to serve as a resource for you and help

Don't confine your search to the springtime.

Instead, act as if your search is a 12-months-out-of-the-year endeavor. Because in a market like ours, you just never know when your dream home will become available. It could be in the heart of the spring selling season, during the cooler fall season, or in the quiet of winter. There's no telling when the perfect opportunity will present itself, and you want to be prepared to act as soon as your dream home hits the market.

Do you have questions about buying or selling a home in the Madison area? Please reach out to us whenever you're in need of a real estate conversation. We're here to be a resource for you and help you plan for your future.

Your friends at Mad City Dream Homes

Right now new Dane County listings are entering the market at a very slow pace.

Take single family homes, for example

Only 235 new listings were posted to the MLS in November, which was down 32% from a year ago, and was the lowest total for any month of November on record (our data goes back to 1999).

And Dane County condos

Only 74 new condominium listings were posted to the MLS in November, which was a decrease of 28% from a year ago, and the second-lowest total on record for the month.

Why are listings trending lower?

One huge reason is our recent history with mortgage rates:

From 2012 to 2021, homeowners and investors acquired real estate under very favorable terms, and refinanced at even better terms when mortgage rates

Can you guess how many more people will be living in Dane County by the year 2050? 

A) 50,000?

B) 100,000?

C) 150,000?

D) 200,000?

If you answered "D", then your answer lines up with the projections of the Capital Area Regional Planning Commission. According to a recent study by the commission, our local population is projected to grow by more than 200,000 people between now and 2050. 

Dane County is already the fastest-growing region in the state, and our region's rapid rate of growth is just one of the reasons why we're predicting Madison area home and condo prices will remain strong in 2023 and beyond. Dane County will continue to be a great place to build wealth through real estate -- for those who have the means and make the

It's that time of year for our annual real estate predictions. Here are 7 key reasons why we see low inventory and strong prices for Madison and Dane County in 2023. 

On the demand side

Population growth

Dane county is already the fastest-growing region in the state, and according to the Capital Area Regional Planning Commission that trend will continue. The Commission projects our population will grow by more than 200,000 residents over the next 30 years. 

National reputation

For the second straight year, the city of Madison has been named by Livability as the #1 place to live in America. It's rankings like these that have put Madison on the map. And in a mobile culture like ours, where people can choose to live and work from just

Lately we've been hearing from more people in the Madison area who are hoping to buy a foreclosure as an "instant equity", "fix and flip", or a long-term "buy and hold" investment. But the reality is that there just aren't that many foreclosures out there, which the numbers from the Wisconsin Circuit Court database make abundantly clear: 

Will foreclosures rise from here?

We don't expect a significant rise in foreclosures anytime soon, and for three key reasons:

• Lending practices have improved significantly from the practices that preceded our nation's foreclosure crisis 15 years ago, so there just aren't that many bad loans out there. 
• Most homeowners right now are locked into a low interest rate and a low monthly mortgage payment. 

The Mortgage Bankers Association conducts a weekly survey designed to capture the demand for mortgages across the country. And according to the latest survey released on November 23rd, mortgage applications (for purchase loans, excluding "refis") decreased 41% compared to the same week in 2021. Note from the chart below, mortgage demand slipped considerably in the months of September and October.

How does this trend impact the Madison area real estate market? 

Well, up until just a few weeks ago, inventory was continuing to trend along historically low levels. But now that buyer demand has decreased, we are beginning to see inventory slowly grow again. And as inventory grows, days on market are beginning to slowly increase as some sellers become