One of the great gems from the city of Monona is the Aldo Leopold Nature Center located at 330 Femrite Drive just off Madison's East Side. The nature center offers a wonderful opportunity to explore the outdoors and learn about the environment. If you enjoy getting out into and learning about the natural world, be sure to add the nature center as a "must see" destination to your list of Spring activities.

This Saturday, March 24th, the center will host its annual Maple Syrup Fest from 1:00 to 3:00 PM. This is a fun, interactive event for the whole family. Learn how to tap a real maple tree, and taste the fruits of your labor!

While you're out and about on the East Side check out the spring thaw along Lake Monona, and if it's warm enough, grab a

Thinking of selling your Madison home or condo? Keep this in mind as you prepare for your sale: When buyers view online listings, first and foremost they are drawn to the visual elements of each home. The listing photos and the video create the first impression and the lasting impression for each listing. They evoke the emotions that will either help or hinder a sale.

A well-staged home with eye-popping photos and a professionally-narrated video will receive immediate and strong interest from motivated buyers. A poorly staged home with a poor visual presentation will receive a lackluster response.

The good news for you is you can control the outcome of your sale. With the help of our interior designer, you can get your home in prime showing shape.

Downtown Madison is known for its wide assortment of arts, entertainment, shopping, food, and drink establishments. It's also a great place for kids. One great example is the "Kids in the Rotunda" artistic series held each Saturday at the Overture Center from September through April. Performances are held at 9:30 AM, 11:00 AM, and 1:00 PM. The series offers a wide variety of shows in a kid-friendly setting. Music, dancing, theatre, storytelling, and magic are all a part of the line-up at the Overture Center. The Irish Trinity Dancers are the featured performers this Saturday. Arrive early and be prepared for a truly entertaining show!

Another great family destination is the Madison Children's Museum at 100 N. Hamilton Street on the Capitol Square. The

It may seem hard to believe, but Madison buyers are embracing the condo once again. Enticed by low interest rates and lower prices, buyers have jumped back into the Madison condo market in a big way. Consider these numbers which come from our review of data from the South Central Wisconsin MLS:

• Dane County condo sales have increased each of the last 11 months.
• Condo sales in 2012 increased by 30% from the year before.
• Sales have accelerated in recent months, with January and February condo purchases increasing by 58% and 56%, respectively.
• Pending condo sales (condo listings with accepted offers) are 51% higher right now compared to the same time last year.
• With more buyers choosing condos, the inventory of condos for sale has fallen

"March Madness" has descended upon Madison, Wisconsin. That means plenty of hoops action at the Kohl Center. The boys state basketball tournament begins this Thursday at the Kohl Center, followed by the girls state tournament next week at the Resch Center in Green Bay. Bucky will also be playing his heart out, hopefully into the later rounds of the NCAA tournament.

The term "March Madness" also applies to our local real estate market. With more demand and less supply, many sellers are benefiting from a feeding frenzy for homes. As one client commented to me this weekend, "this market is crazy!". Her first 3 showings resulted in 3 offers (all of them above the list price), and we had her house sold in 4 days.

This is the kind of market we expect

There are many great benefits to living in the Madison, WI area. Madison offers an amazing variety of arts, entertainment, cultural, educational and recreational opportunities for a city of its size. Even with so much to do in Madison, an increasing number of locals are "slowing down" and getting back to their roots with Community Supported Agriculture.

What is Community Supported Agriculture?

Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) is a coming together of individuals who support and participate in the experience of farming locally-grown food. The greater Madison area is home to dozens of small CSA farms, where members can choose to participate in the farming experience in a variety of ways. A growing number of Madisonians are choosing to join a local