** This article was originally written by Samantha Haas while a member of our team. You can learn more about Samantha and her work here. 

Dane County's beautiful parks and trails bring communities together by promoting healthy lifestyles through recreational and educational opportunities. To celebrate these resources and the many volunteers who support them, please join us at the Parks & Trails Unite Festival on Saturday, June 2.

This free community event will take place from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. at both Lake Farm County Park on Madison's southeast side and McDaniel Park in McFarland. You can park on-site, take a free shuttle from the Alliant Energy Center, or ride your bike.

Bicycle racks will be available on the festival grounds, and

This year's real estate market is the most challenging market we've seen for Madison area buyers. And yet we're helping more clients successfully buy in 2018 compared to any other year. Below we share a few reasons why so many of our clients are getting their offers accepted in this year's low inventory market. 

How our buyers are getting their offers accepted in 2018

#1: They're educating themselves on the market.

Our most successful buyers are meeting with us before they begin their search and asking questions about the home-buying process. They're learning up-front what it takes to successfully buy a home in this year's low inventory market.   

#2: They're submitting a personal letter with their offer. 

As listing agents we see only

Finding the right home is only part of your real estate success.  Making sure your home is protected by proper coverage can be equally important.  Alex Wodarczyk of Liberty Mutual Insurance enjoys finding the proper protection for his clients. He offers this advice to homeowners seeking home insurance:

1. Know the difference between your replacement cost and actual cash value.  Ask your insurance provider to clarify what they are providing in your policy. Replacement costs can be calculated by removing the cost of your lot, and determining the cost to replace every part of your home, at 100% of the typical cost for the building and supplies.  Actual cash value is a different measurement of value. The cash value determines the cost of rebuilding your