If you snooze, you lose. Remember these words if you're serious about buying in 2018. 

Competition for Madison area real estate is fierce this year. Inventory is extremely tight right now, and it will become even tighter in April and May. 

When a promising new listing comes along you and your buyer agent should be first in line to see it. Don't wait until the next day or the Sunday open house to view it in person. Schedule your showing immediately.

If you delay your showing you run the risk of missing out on your dream home. Ask the many buyers out in the market right now who are learning the hard way: Open houses are being canceled left and right because properties are selling in a flash. 

It Helps to Work with a Team in a Hot Market

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There is no shortage of egg hunts this weekend in the Madison area. Neighborhoods and churches throughout town are offering their own events, and encouraging families to get out and celebrate. Grab your baskets, and get ready to join in on the fun. Two of the larger events are planned in Fitchburg and Monona:

Fitchburg 

The Cottontail Classic Race, paired with the Lions Easter Egg Hunt, provides exercise, outdoor activities, and a free egg hunt at McGaw Park in Fitchburg. Race participants can compete in 5k or 10k versions of the race, with 3 sugar stops along the way, to make sure everyone enjoys some Easter treats. The leading runners in each age group will receive a chocolate award. Following the race, there will be a pancake breakfast served,

The springtime is the best time to knock it out of the park with your real estate listing, and market conditions in Madison are ideal for sellers right now. Here are 2 recent success stories which show how smart marketing and a hot market can help you net more than you ever imagined on the sale of your home.

Client Success Story #1 

Our clients with two young children were outgrowing their starter home on the east side of Madison. They listed their home with Shelley Lazzareschi and received an amazing 14 offers for their home. One of the offers was for $13,000 above the list and stood out among all of the others as the clear winner. In addition to a great price, this offer included a few other terms which were very appealing to the sellers. 

Among the most popular of the Dane County Parks is Pheasant Branch Conservancy, a spectacular natural resource area in Middleton.

The 500-plus-acre area features oak savanna, prairie, marsh, woodland, and sedge meadow. Running through it are a network of trails and a spring-fed creek that produces nearly 2 million gallons of fresh water each day and attracts abundant wildlife. Boils bubble to the surface of the springs, which stay 52 degrees Fahrenheit year-round.

Be sure to listen and look for the multitude of birds (and other critters) who inhabit this special place.

It's quite common to hear stones crunch from runners, families pushing strollers, and bicyclists using the Pheasant Branch Trail, which also stretches out through

Spring means blossoms, green grass, buds on the trees, and the perfect time to tap a maple tree. In Wisconsin, maple syrup production begins in March. Trees are tapped while temperatures are still below freezing at night, but are warmer during the day. The United States is the only country in the world producing commercial maple syrup. Wisconsin plays a key part in this industry, producing roughly 250,000 gallons of maple syrup each year, according to the Wisconsin Maple Syrup Producers Association.

This weekend, the Aldo Leopold Nature Center in Monona will celebrate Wisconsin's maple syrup industry. The 13th annual Maple Syrup Festival is planned for Sunday afternoon from 1-4 p.m. Visitors will enjoy the wide range of indoor and outdoor activities

These days we're using technology to get just about anything we want. When we feel the need to buy, we shop online at Amazon and have our purchase shipped directly to our door. When we have a question, we turn to Google where the world of information is at our finger tips. And when we feel the need to connect, we use social media to reach out to our friends online.

But when it comes to the world of real estate, can we expect to buy a home in the same way?

Unfortunately, the answer is no. The truth is there is no easy button for buying in this market. As many consumers are learning, there's a lot more that goes into buying a home than casually searching for properties online. Shopping with your Zillow app just isn't good enough - because half of

Your property could be worth much more than you ever imagined. Even though interest rates have changed, Madison home and condo prices keep rising in 2018. Here's our summary of the latest trends in the Madison area real estate market.

Prices

Madison home prices rose to $154 per square foot through the month of February. This was a record high for our market and a 9% increase from last year. 

Madison condo prices also rose to record highs through the month of February.  

Inventory

Prices are rising because demand is strong and housing is in short supply. In February and March, there were only .7 months of single family home inventory in Madison - a rock bottom low for our market. 

Condo supply is also very low. Right now there is

This weekend, don your best green attire and head downtown to celebrate St. Patrick's Day. Several restaurants and bars have special events planned for the weekend, but the fun isn't just the food and drink. Be sure to check out these events, beginning Saturday morning:

Shamrock Shuffle

This 5K run/walk or 10K race raises money for the Boys and Girls Club of Dane County and the Dyslexia Center of Madison. Participants meet at the Pyle Center, and race starts at 10 a.m. near the corner of State and Lake Streets.  Green attire, fun costumes and St. Patrick's Day themed props are encouraged. Strollers are welcome, but organizers ask that you leave your dogs at home (an insurance issue). There is still time to register, but registration is capped at

Statistics show that the average American household has "300,000 things." And as more baby boomers downsize, move to assisted living facilities, or pass away, "the volume of unwanted keepsakes and family heirlooms is poised to grow -- along with the number of delicate conversations about what to do with them," the New York Times reports.

From your great aunt's rocking chair to that unopened box of hand-me-down china, the weight of what we own and what we no longer use could easily be lifted off of our shoulders. Wouldn't it be nice to ditch the guilt and declutter your life by finding a new home for some of your belongings?

While some trinkets should just go in the garbage bin, many other items don't need to be relegated to the curb. You might not

Some parks require hiking to the top of a hill to experience a beautiful vista, and other sites can be enjoyed while seated. That is just one of the many reasons the Jenni and Kyle Preserve is so special.

This natural area near Madison and Fitchburg provides educational and recreational opportunities for people of all ages and abilities. Of the handful of Dane County Parks that offer accessible fishing sites, the Jenni and Kyle Preserve has the most at eight, as well as accessible nature trails, a sheltered picnic area, and two wheelchair swings.

The park was named in memory of siblings Jenni and Kyle Geurkink, who both died in the 1980s of a degenerative neurological disorder before they turned 4. Their grandparents, Harvey and Patricia