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

The Mad City Dream Homes team enjoys finding creative ways to support local businesses and nonprofits through client appreciation events and giveaways, articles on our blog, social media, and newsletters, in-kind marketing support, sponsorships, donations, and volunteer efforts. In 2023, we built upon the relationships formed over the years and made some new connections, too. 

As we reflect on another year of investing in the communities we serve, we wanted to highlight some of these organizations doing neat things in the Dane County area – from making memorable chocolates and art to creating safe, brave, and

The holiday season is one of the better times to be buying a home, and now lower mortgage rates are adding to the holiday the cheer. Rates for a 30-year fixed rate mortgage were recently in the range of 8 percent. Now, a 30-year mortgage is available for around 7 percent. 

Check out the chart and data below from the Freddie Mac Primary Mortgage Market Survey, which is updated each Wednesday.  

What questions do you have about buying or selling Dane County real estate? Call us whenever you need a little guidance and advice. We're here to help! 

Here are our tips for finding a great buyer agent in another market:

#1: Research agent reviews on Zillow and Google. Focus more on the written comments than on the numerical ratings. Look for agents who consistently receive high praise from grateful clients. 

#2: Review each agent's recent listings. Do the listings consistently display beautiful photos of well-staged properties? The quality of an agent's listings can offer insight into each agent's standards and level of professionalism. 

#3: Interview each agent and ask all of the questions that are most important to you. In the end we encourage you to follow your intuition and choose the agent who you believe will offer you the best working relationship. 

Of course you can also ask your Mad

We'd like to offer a special thank you to Just Bakery, which recently baked 200 Thanksgiving pies for our clients and friends. Mad City Dream Homes purchased the pies from Just Bakery as part of our annual "thank you" event. 

As many of you know, Just Bakery is a local initiative that helps people who are experiencing significant barriers to employment with opportunities to gain vocational skills and valuable work experience. All bakery proceeds are reinvested back into the program, which allows Just Bakery to invest in more training and employment opportunities for more people. 

We'd also like to say thank you to all of you who support our team and give us the opportunity to pursue meaningful work each day. We sincerely love what we do, and for

This holiday season is a season of change for Maureen Moran and her husband Kevin, who are moving to Atlanta to be close to their daughter, son-in-law, and two grandchildren.

We'll surely miss Maureen's warm wit, joyful presence, and professionalism. But we're very happy to know that Maureen and Kevin will be soaking up the sun and time with family. 

If you've worked with Maureen in the past you know her dedication to her clients and her craft. And now you will have the opportunity to work with other like-minded team members whenever you need real estate help. 

You can still reach Maureen in the ways you have in the past. She will then introduce you to a team member who's a great fit for your needs.

Maureen, we wish you and Kevin all the best

For many of us, the approaching winter season invites reflection and celebration. Shorter days naturally create breathing room in our social calendar and encourage us to take inventory of our past gratitudes, future hopes, and issues deferred. We look inward, but we also look around homes: 

 “I’m happy we finished the basement; Packer parties have been so much fun. How much value did we add to our home?” 

“I wonder what it would cost to build that third garage stall now that our son is driving.” 

“Would we feel safer if all the kids were sleeping on the same level as us?”

“Where will mom stay if she does end up moving in with us after all?” 

“The deck was chipping a lot this summer. How much will it cost to repaint it come spring?”  

Our

An effective negotiation isn't about winning and losing. It's about coming to an agreement that all parties can support.

But far too often a win-at-all-costs mentality ends up with both parties in a stalemate, and missed opportunity for everyone. Too many buyers and sellers fail to connect because they can't agree on how to address minor differences. 

There is a better way. By opening the lines of communication, seeking first to understand, throwing in a little sugar, and sprinkling in a little conversation, we create the conditions for a win-win agreement. 

Our 4 fundamentals for effective negotiation: 

Open the lines of communication: The more we communicate with the other party, and encourage communication in return, the more likely we'll

Usually we don't associate the months of November and December with buying a home, but the holiday season is actually one of the best times of year for buying Dane County real estate.

That's because there's less competition from other buyers in November and December, and some sellers become very motivated during the holiday season. Plus, new listings do enter the market each week, even when it's cold outside and when most people are focused on the holidays. Last, there's the added bonus of lower moving costs. Many moving companies offer better pricing when business slows each winter. 

Have you been dreaming about a new home? 

Give us a call and tell us more about your dream home. We'll send you a few listings to add to your wish list, and if

Dane County home prices increased once again in October, although by smaller amounts than in previous months. 

Dane County home prices

On a year-over-year basis:

• The price per square foot increased from $218 to $228 (4 percent). 
• The average increased from $470,079 to $482,742 (3 percent). 
• The median price was even at $415,000. 

Through the first 10 months of the year:

• The price per square foot increased from $213 to $225 (5 percent). 
• The average increased from $467,547 to $498,938 (7 percent). 
• And the median increased from $415,000 to $439,554 (6 percent). 

New listings

Prices remain high because listing activity remains low. Only 379 Dane County homes were listed for sale in the month of October, which

Here's our newest look into the Madison area condo market, starting with the price trends for October, 2023.

Dane County condo prices

On a year-over-year basis:

• The price per square foot increased from $208 to $223 (7 percent). 
• The median price increased from $262,450 to $303,000 (15 percent). 
• The average price increased from $308,198 to $344,720 (12 percent). 

On a year-to-date basis:

• The price per square foot increased from $203 to $215 (6 percent). 
• The median price increased from $266,100 to $300,000 (13 percent). 
• The average price increased from $300,421 to $334,778 (11 percent). 

New Dane County condo listings

One big driver of high prices is the low supply of fresh listings. Only 87 Dane County