We're excited for our clients in High Point Estates, who just accepted a very nice offer for their home. As it turns out, their buyers never scheduled a private showing of their property; they attended one of our weekend open houses instead. 

Our client's sale is just the latest example of why open houses still work. Open houses allow buyers to linger at a property, get to know it, and ask questions of the host. Very often open houses motivate buyers to make an offer, especially when they see that there are other buyers attending the open who are interested in the home, too.  

Looking for a few more real estate marketing ideas? You can learn a lot more about our marketing and home-selling philosophies here. 

(photo by our favorite

Through helping many buyers find their new homes, we have collected some "less common considerations" when searching for your next house. 

• Layout: Do you prefer a ranch home or two-story? Would you enjoy a split-level home (which can make a layout feel bigger but comes with extra stairs)? How will accessibility or work-from-home privacy needs play into your decision? 

• Maintenance: Owning a home comes with new maintenance muscles to flex. Consider if you're open to maintaining wooden siding, a wooden deck, or wooden exterior trim. How much snow removal or yard maintenance would you enjoy? Similarly, mature trees are beautiful but come with trimming chores.

• Traffic: During a showing, you are only visiting a home during a

How should you arrange your living room furniture? 

What pillows and throws should you use with your sofa and chairs? 

What should you display on your built-ins? 

What should you place on your countertops? 

How should you stage your dining room table? 

What artwork should you display on your walls? 

What items should be removed from your home? 

We attend to all of these details for you, and many, many more as part of our standard home-selling process...Thank you Shelley Lazzareschi and Step Inside Media for your staging and photography, on display in these photos...

Kudos to the city of Madison for implementing this transparent housing tracker. The city's goal is to add at least 15,000 new housing units (of all types) by 2030, with at least 25 percent of the new units qualifying as affordable housing. 

Curious about the specific housing developments that are currently in the works? Click here for an interactive map from the Department of Planning, Community & Economic Development.   

Sometimes it can be hard to know which schools a specific address may be assigned to. Knowing school assignments becomes especially important when you're under a tight deadline to submit your offer. You want to be absolutely certain that you know which schools your child will be attending before your offer is accepted. 

Fortunately 3 of our larger Dane County school districts have online tools that you can use to quickly identify school assignments by address. The Madison Metropolitan School District, the Middleton/Cross Plains School District, and the Verona Area School District all offer easy-to-use online tools. 

Of course, when in doubt, always call the school district. 

In the words of our clients, Jim and Brenda: 

"We’re happy the search took as long as it did because our 'perfect' location changed over time.  We had found this area and loved it, but weren’t optimistic anything would go on the market. Luckily the perfect place did, and Shelley was instrumental in helping us craft the offer that got it for us." 

Thank you Shelley for your professionalism, patience, and persistence -- and for guiding Brenda and Jim to their perfect condo. 

Mortgage fraud and identity theft have become all too common in today's real estate market, often leaving homeowners devastated after their property or identity has been stolen without their knowledge.

Fortunately, there's a free service from the Wisconsin Register of Deeds Association that notifies  property owners of possible fraudulent activity being committed against their home. This service is available for owners in Dane, Sauk, Columbia, Dodge, Jefferson, Rock, Green, Lafayette, Iowa, and other Wisconsin counties. 

Signing up for this service doesn't prevent fraud from happening, but it does alert you with an early warning that can help you take appropriate action when a crime has been committed. You can learn more by visiting this FAQ page

Dane County condo values continue to rise in the new year, and the market is already very competitive in early 2025. Here's our latest update on the Madison area condo market. 

Dane County condo prices

The price per square foot rose from $212 in January of 2024 to $225 in January of 2025. Note from the chart below that Madison area condo prices have more than doubled since the most recent market bottom in 2012. 

New condo listings

A total of 126 Dane County condos were listed for sale in January, up from the 107 listings a year ago. In the bigger picture, listing activity continues to trend along historically low levels. We fully expect our growing population and a lack of fresh condo supply will lead to more price appreciation in the year

Madison area home prices continue to appreciate in early 2025, with all signs pointing to more price appreciation in the year ahead. Here's our full report on the January 2025 Dane County single family home market. 

Dane County home prices

The price per square foot grew from $226 in January of 2024 to $234 in January of 2025, an increase of 4 percent. Note from the chart below that local home prices have increased by 113% since the most recent market bottom in 2012, and by 156% percent since the year 2000. 

New MLS listings

New single family home listings rose modestly in January after dipping noticeably lower in December and November. A total of 437 Dane County homes were listed for sale in January, which was up 6 percent from the 411

Being a conscientious consumer has become increasingly challenging. We don’t always have the resources, time, or knowledge to evaluate if a product was made ethically. This is why Ethical Trade Co is such a necessary and impressive local nonprofit organization. Ethical Trade Co’s mission is to create a world where everyone has the opportunity to work in a safe and ethical environment - making it easier for Madison shoppers to feel good about their purchases.

Ethical Trade Co has both an online store and Madison storefront at 3565 Tulane Ave near Olbrich Gardens. They sell beautiful, handcrafted goods that are made with fair trade standards. You can shop confidently knowing their two founders, and handful of volunteers, have been hands-on in