Repairing, cleaning, and (when needed) replacing your carpet will improve your home's aesthetic appeal and maintain its market value. Here are a few carpet care contractors who have capably served our clients over the years. 

• Terry Buechner, for re-stretching rolled-up and "wavy" carpet. Call Terry at 608-212-8705. 
• Stephen Meyer at Phenomenal Carpet Care for all of your carpet cleaning needs. Call Stephen at 608-520-3085.   
• CTW Flooring (608-222-5071), Floors for Less (608-442-1200), and Coyle Flooring (608-509-9437) for new carpet selection and installation. 

As always, we are here to help you make the right connections for any type of project around your home. Call your Mad City Dream Homes realtor whenever you need a little help.  

We've been sharing how Dane County home and condo inventory is quietly rising and how buyers who stay the course will find more opportunities to purchase in the months ahead. However, in the big picture, inventory remains low. Here's a quick look at Dane County home and condo supply as of June 27th, 2024. 

Single family homes 

As of June 27th, a total of 580 Dane County homes (or 1.5 months of supply) are available for sale without an accepted offer. Months of supply are low in all price ranges, especially in the sub $400,000 price categories. 

Condos

As of June 27th, 181 condos (or 1.6 months of supply) are available for sale without an accepted offer. Some newer condo developments are improving options for buyers, but inventory remains

It's getting to the point where we need to question nearly everything we come across online. Adding to the problem is the explosion of AI generated content. Some are predicting that as much as 90% of all online content will be produced by non-humans by the year 2026. As Seth Godin puts it, we're entering a new era of SPAM. 

Our response to the explosion of mass-produced content is to simply stay the course. We'll continue to publish our own articles and market updates, and share our tips and recommendations that come from our own experiences out in the field. 

We're not writers by trade, and our content won't be winning any awards, but we promise you it will always be authentic...

While many of us enjoy backyard gardening, not everyone has access to land to grow their own gardens and there are barriers to successful community-based gardening efforts. Rooted, a local nonprofit based in Madison, is helping to create “healthy, equitable, and sustainable neighborhoods'' that embrace the positive impact of sharing fresh, quality food through community gardening. Rooted’s Community Gardens Network is just one of the organization’s programming efforts focused on food, land, and learning.

The Community Gardens Network is a partnership between Rooted, UW Madison Extension Dane County, and the City of Madison that connects people with the land, education, and resources to create and sustain community gardens. There are 72 gardens in the

Be careful what you wish for. Your real estate dreams just might come true. Here are a few happy endings from the first half of 2024 that we'd like to share with you. 

Dreams coming true in 2024

Congratulations to Chris & Maddie, who are purchasing their first home as a newly married couple. Chris and Maddie are excited to be be building equity in their new home and to have plenty of space for their pup! 

To Harsh and Madison, who are elated to be starting their family in their new home, and to be living near loved ones. 

To Kasey and Matthew, who recently drove by a home in the country and fell in love with it from the road. Two days later this home hit the market! Kasey and Matthew will be moving into their dream home later this summer. 

We love helping each seller create a presentation that makes them feel proud of their listing, no matter the price point. With staging, cosmetic updates, photography, video, and professional marketing of the home and neighborhood -- we have so many wonderful opportunities to create a showcase listing. 

(photo by Step Inside Media with staging by Debbie Lea and Alan Feder)

Have you been wondering about the possibilities for your home? Contact us for a helpful consultation. We're here to help you plan for your future and prepare for an amazing return on your investment. 

The frenzy of the spring home-buying market has come and gone and now we've entered into a market that is a little more relaxed, with a little more inventory, and with a little less competition. Have a look at this chart, which shows the typical, seasonal pattern for competing offers in Dane County. 

The market is always in flux, and competing offers are moderating this summer, as they tend to moderate every summer. As a result we're seeing more buyer and seller negotiations that include the traditional appraisal and home inspection contingencies. 

What questions do you have about the summertime real estate market? We'd love to be a resource for you and answer all of your questions. You know how to reach us. 

Here are 3 big reasons why most sellers choose to offer buyer brokerage compensation: 

#1) Most buyers still pay with a mortgage and need to allocate their cash toward their down payment. 

#2) In today's market, many buyers need a cash cushion so that they can waive the appraisal contingency and cover for a low appraisal. 

#3) And just as important, many buyers need a cash cushion to budget for future home repairs, instead of asking the seller to make inspection-related repairs. 

The bottom line: Buyers with more cash on hand can offer a higher price and write a cleaner offer without an appraisal or inspection contingency. So it's the sellers who offer to pay the buyer brokerage compensation who tend to receive the best offers, and a lot more

Many older ceiling fans are big and bulky and can make a room feel crowded and dated. But many of the newer models are sleek and stylish and offer the perfect complement.

Would you like help selecting a ceiling fan for a room in your home? Please feel free to call us. Today's selection offers some beautiful and affordable designs, and we'd love to help you choose the right one. 

While we're at it, we can help you update your light fixtures, too, and connect you with a reputable contractor to install them. 

(Photo by Step Inside Media with staging by Debbie Lea and Alan Feder)

Here's our May update on the Dane County condo market, covering 8 key trends impacting buyers and sellers. 

Dane County condo prices

For the first time in a long time, the price per square foot edged lower. Does this mean that local condo prices are falling? We don't think so.

Remember, prices can swing a lot from month-to-month due to the relatively low number of sales in the condo market. A few high-priced or low-priced transactions can have a big impact on the monthly numbers.

Tracking the overall trend is the best way to evaluate prices. With this perspective in mind, it's important to note that the Dane County price per square foot is up by 8 percent through the first 5 months of the year. 

Here are the May numbers for 3 different