As we approach another Earth Day, we can’t help but acknowledge how climate change is impacting our local real estate market. In the last few months alone, we’ve heard from families in Arizona, California, Nevada, and Utah who are planning to move to Madison due to the changing environmental conditions out west. Collectively our clients have mentioned wildfires, excessive smoke, excessive heat, and a diminishing water supply as the reasons for their move.

It’s here. And if we allow climate change to continue unabated, then climate-related migration could create population and environmental pressures in Dane County in ways that we never imagined. 

Which begs some important questions:

• How will we as individuals and as a community limit

Dane County home prices rose 16% in March, as high demand and low inventory continued to create an ideal market for sellers. Here are all of the latest trends for the Dane County single family home market, covering the month of March, 2022.

New single family home listings

A total of 644 single family homes were listed for sale in the month of March, which was the lowest March total on record (our data goes back to 1999). Listing volume decreased by 14% year-over-year and by 16% year-to-date. 

When we break our data into weekly trends, we see for the first time this year, the number of new listings increased when compared to the same week from the year before. A total of 175 homes were listed for sale during the 14th week of 2022, compared to

Congrats to our client Tricia, who just closed on her bright and beautiful home on Madison’s west side! With plenty of room to live, entertain, and work from home, Tricia’s new abode is a perfect fit for her lifestyle. And the low-maintenance yard suits Tricia’s tastes just fine, too!

Tricia was referred to us last year by a friend of our team. When we first met Tricia, Dan learned more about her wants and needs and provided guidance on the market. Then Dan and Shelley worked together to begin the search for Tricia’s new dream home. 

When it was time to tour properties, Tricia quickly zeroed in on the one she loved, and Shelley and Dan collaborated on the negotiation strategy that eventually resulted in Tricia’s offer being accepted over 7 other

Our friends Lynn and Paul were excited for their next stage in life. They had just put in an offer on their new dream home, and they were eager to enjoy lake living and the warmer temps down south. But they had 25 years of family possessions to sort through, and they needed guidance on how to make their home sale and their move to this beautiful new setting happen.

How it all came together

So Dan paid Lynn and Paul a visit, and together they created a plan and quickly sprang into action. First, Dan completed his market analysis and customized his marketing plan for the home. Then he connected Paul and Lynn with Debbie Lea and Shelley Lazzareschi to begin the staging process. Grant Priehs was called upon to address a few cosmetic updates, and A1

We often talk about the power of staging and the value that we put on making homes picture-ready! But sometimes it just isn’t possible to leave furniture and other decor in a property for the sale. In these situations we often utilize virtual staging, which involves adding these items into a digital photograph using a computer program. 

Our very own photographer and graphic designer, Tracy Kapela, uses her expertise and keen eye for detail to help prospective buyers visualize what a home could look like if it was occupied, in a very stylish way. 

Check out the difference in this before and after photo -- from stark to spectacular!

We upload the vacant photos next to the virtually staged images to give buyers both perspectives when

There's no doubt this can be a challenging time for first-time buyers. So, if you're an aspiring buyer who has been struggling with the market, it may be beneficial to evaluate the foundation that you're working from. Once you've had a chance to evaluate and strengthen your financial foundation, then your odds for buying your home should improve dramatically. 

Below we share 4 pieces of advice that can help you strengthen your financial position and help you achieve your dream of homeownership. At Mad City Dream Homes, we've integrated all 4 of these philosophies into our own lives. Each philosophy has stood the test of time by helping us improve our own financial foundations and by helping us achieve our homeownership goals, too. 

Four tips

Think about your last trip to buy groceries. If you’re like me, you drove your vehicle for a few minutes to your choice of grocery stores. Perhaps you picked up each piece of produce to inspect if it had any imperfections, and then gently set it aside to opt for one that looked better – ignorant to just how prevalent food waste is in our country. You filled up your cart with more items and your trunk with several bags and got home in time to cook a balanced meal.

Now imagine how that experience might be different if you needed to walk, ride a bike, or take a bus to get groceries instead – especially if it’s raining, snowing, dark out, or you have kids along with you. How many bags can you manage? How much time do you have to make a meal once you get

Dane County condo prices continue to rise in early 2022, as a large number of buyers compete for a limited supply of condos. Here's our latest update on the Madison area condo market -- updated through the month of February, 2022. 

Dane County condo prices

The condo price per square foot jumped to $187 in February, which was a new record for the month and an increase of 8% year-over-year.

New MLS listings

A low supply of new listings continues to create a friendly market for condo sellers. Only 136 new Dane County condo listings entered the market in February, which was the 6th lowest total for the month dating back to the year 2000.

Active listings and months of supply

As of March 22nd, only 101 Madison area condo listings were

So many buyers are feeling frustrated by this year’s competitive real estate market. But this doesn’t need to be your experience. You can buy your dream home by partnering with our team as we help you overcome two big challenges during your home-buying journey.

Challenge #1: You can’t compete because you have a home sale contingency.

You may be struggling right now because you need to make your offer contingent upon the sale of your current home. If this has been your challenge up to now, we want you to know we now have access to a program that can help you write your offer without a home sale contingency -- even when you have a home to sell.

Challenge #2: You can’t compete with cash offers.

You might also be struggling because you’re

Dane County single family home prices moved significantly higher in February, as buyers continued to compete for a limited supply of homes. Here's our quick update covering all of the latest trends in the Madison area single family home market. 

New MLS listings

Only 404 single family homes were listed on the MLS in the month of February, which was a 25% decrease from February of 2021 and a record low for the month. 

When we break the data down into weekly trends, we can see that new listing activity continued along record-low levels during the first two weeks of March. 

Available listings and months of supply

With fewer listings entering the market, only 251 single family home listings were available (without an accepted offer) as