The houses for sale on the north side of Madison offer the most home for the money compared to the real estate in any other side of town. As you'll see from the graph below, the north side "price per square foot" for single family homes was only $93 in 2012. This represents a 27% decrease from the peak year of 2006, when the average was $128 per square foot.

Many of the homes on Madison's north side were built in the middle of the century, a time when many high-quality, moderately-sized houses were constructed. If you're a buyer seeking an old-fashioned bungalow or ranch-style house at a reasonable price, the northeast side of town offers a good selection of real estate for your review.

Today's lower prices, low interest rates, and rising rents are

Many Madison area home buyers gravitate toward bank owned properties and short sale listings. In the right situation, an REO or short sale property can offer the prospective buyer an incredible value. We've assisted many clients with their purchase of a foreclosed home or condo, and we've seen our buyers achieve some amazing deals. But there are some caveats related to buying foreclosures in Madison. If you've been thinking of buying a distressed property, here are five things for you to keep in mind.

Before you Buy, Keep these 5 Things in Mind:

1. Distressed properties represent only one piece of the market, and the supply of foreclosures is decreasing. If you limit your search to REOs and short sales, you're missing out on the possibilities that

Searching for a Madison home or condo? Our new polygon search tool allows you to customize your property search according to the boundaries that you define on our MLS map.

Our polygon search works in conjunction with all of the other search settings that we make available, so you can customize your search by property type, price range, and size - along with the map boundaries that you specify. Even better, you can save your polygon search settings and receive email updates new listings hit the MLS and when existing listings undergo a price change.

Try our property search now. Or sign up for our home finder, and we'll locate your properties and coordinate your showings for you. We're here to help!

Prices are rising again in Madison. All real estate is local, and in many Madison neighborhoods we're seeing houses selling for prices that weren't realistic two years ago. Our Madison "price per square foot report" puts our day-to-day observations to numbers.

Our latest look at the numbers shows the Madison price per finished square foot increased in the last quarter of 2012 after increasing in the second quarter as well.

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For the entire 2012 year, the Madison price per finished square foot was down by only a dollar, or less than 1%.

The numbers show a movement toward price stabilization in 2012, and we fully expect Madison home values to rise in 2013. With increased demand, and less supply, the market has turned in a favorable

Buying a home in Madison? With low rates and lower prices, many other buyers have decided to jump into the market, too. Home and condo sales are way up; and inventory is at its lowest level in several years.The good news for buyers is prices are beginning to rebound in many Madison area neighborhoods. The challenge for buyers is many homes are being snatched up very quickly, even within days of going on the market.

The real estate dynamic has changed in Dane County. Gone are the days of touring over 30 different homes over a three week stretch, and then returning to your favorite to submit your offer. In today's market, your favorite home likely won't last that long.

This year's home seekers are learning they need a solid plan in place in order to