Relocating across the country isn’t easy, but Jenn and her husband were committed to finding a place in Madison for their retirement. They worked with Shelley Lazzareschi and Tammy Steiner to find the perfect home, completing the entire home buying process virtually. They are moved in and loving their new place!

Jenn and her husband were planning to move out of California for their retirement. They decided they wanted to move somewhere in the midwest, and embarked on a year-long search. Then, Madison became their top destination.

“My daughter was accepted into a summer program at UW-Madison, and we fell in love with the area when we came to visit her,” said Jenn.

Jenn searched Google for “Madison Realtors” and really liked the Mad City Dream

During this COVID-19 market many Madison area home and condo buyers are placing a huge amount of trust in their agent to help them find their dream home, negotiate their offer, and close on their purchase. As you go through the process of selecting your own buyer agent, here are a few questions about trust that will help you hire the right professional. 

7 questions about trust

1) In this low inventory market, do you trust your buyer agent to be focused on all available sources of properties? MLS listings, coming soon listings, for sale by owner listings, and unlisted properties?

2) In this fast-moving market, do you trust your buyer agent has the grit you need to make your move happen? Does he or she have the work ethic, persistence, and

Here's a quick look at the Madison area real estate market for the month of May. This preliminary market info is based on our snapshot taken on May 26th. We'll report on the full month of May once all of the final numbers are available in the month of June. As you can see from the updates below, inventory is much lower this year, and as a result many homes are selling very quickly and for high prices. 

New MLS listings continue to enter the market at a slow pace. 

New single family home listings have been trending much lower since the end of March. Low supply has created a very competitive market for buyers this spring. 

Properties priced under $350,000 are very hot. 

As of May 26th, well over 50% of the single family homes priced under

"Yesterday, from the window overlooking the woods, I saw two Baltimore orioles and many other birds. We are very happy with this new home."

These are the words from our client, Mary, who just purchased her dream condo. It's a nice condo with an open floor plan and a main level primary suite. Most important to Mary, it's close to nature and located within a peaceful, wooded setting. It's exactly the type of condo she was looking for. 

How we found Mary's dream condo

When we began our search, there weren't any properties listed for sale within Mary's favorite condo community (which is a pretty common scenario in our low inventory market). So we decided to send out a few letters. We sent out 22 letters to the owners in Mary's preferred

If you’re thinking about selling your home, you may feel uncertain about moving forward with your plans during the pandemic. The market is still strong for sellers, and there are still plenty of buyers looking to purchase their dream property. But, there are some special considerations to think through as you plan to sell your home. It is possible to sell your home while keeping you and your family, as well as the general public, safe. Read on for tips from our agents on having a successful sale in this unique market.

Tip 1: First, take the time to prepare your home for the market. Some buyers are relying entirely on virtual showings, so you want to make sure that your home is ready for it’s close-up! Photos and videos are more important than ever.

When a buyer first steps into a staged home during a showing, they usually find it easier to picture themselves living there. A vacant or sparsely furnished home can be more challenging for buyers, because it can be tough for them to imagine where their furnishings will go.

A recent client worked with Shelley Lazzareschi to sell the condo they weren’t living in. They had been living in northern Wisconsin and had never fully moved into their Madison condo after it was built, so it was minimally furnished. Renting furniture for staging was cost-prohibitive for the seller, so Shelley and Debbie Lea from Showcase Home Stagers assisted the client by doing the staging themselves. Debbie and Shelley spent a few hours shopping for various items like artwork,

We empathize with all of you who want to sell your home right now but who are worried about your health and safety. Understandably, you have concerns about putting your house up for sale and letting the general public in your home. But selling a home during this pandemic doesn't need to be filled with feelings of worry and fear. Just the opposite, you can feel confident and have peace of mind - once you learn how to attract multiple offers without any buyers stepping inside your home.

You have options

At Mad City Dream Homes, we have options for helping you sell your home quickly and in a safe and professional manner. If you or someone you know has questions about selling in the COVID-19 market, a proactive conversation with a real estate

Judith and Robert purchased a home in 2018 with the help of Shelley Lazzareschi. Since they were relocating from Seattle, they relied on virtual showings with Shelley to find their new home. Thanks to technology and Shelley's persistence, they were able to buy their lovely house without stepping inside first!

Robert and Judith were planning a move from Seattle to Madison to be closer to their aging parents so they could help care for them. They were planning to rent an apartment downtown and take their time to look for a home to buy on the west side. They figured this plan would be the easiest way to buy a home in the area without a lot of travel back and forth from Washington to Wisconsin.

Still, Judith wanted to get a sense of the Madison real

If you're thinking of selling your Madison area property right now, you're probably wondering how you can sell your home in a manner that respects safety and social distancing, for both you and the general public. Here are 3 options for you to consider as you plan for your sale. 

1) Move onto your next setting before putting your home on the market. 

Many sellers these days are choosing to move into their new home before putting their existing home on the market. If this is an option for you, please reach out to us, and we'll discuss the staging and marketing strategies that will help you sell quickly and for top dollar. 

2) Sell your home by allowing virtual showings only.

If you don't already have your next home identified, you can

Did you know many of our clients this year are attracting multiple offers to their sale without any buyers setting foot in their property? Are you wondering how to accomplish this for your own sale? Here are a few helpful tips based on our work in this year's COVID-19 market.

First, get to know your market and determine the best price for your home. 

We'll start off by discussing current market conditions and a smart pricing strategy for your listing. Depending on your price point and location, listings may be scarce. If you choose your list price wisely, you'll be able to leverage that scarcity and attract competing offers from a group of highly motivated buyers. 

Next, start working on your staging. 

We'll connect you with our home