Selling a vacant home can present some challenges, which unless managed properly, can negatively impact your sale. You've probably seen some vacant home listings which were not managed correctly. These are the unoccupied homes you've seen online with cold and lifeless photos. You may have looked at some of these listings and jumped to the conclusion that they were rentals in need of maintenance and repair. You might have assumed that the owners of these homes had relocated and were motivated to sell at a discount. Or perhaps your brain jumped immediately to "foreclosure". Whatever the case, all of these are negative first impressions which can seriously hinder a sale.

There is a much better way to manage a vacant home listing and that is to hire a

Do you want to sell your home quickly and for the highest possible price? Be sure you consult with a professional home stager who has the expertise to make your home look its very best. Ronna Nyman, from Sugar Maple Home Staging, provides every one of our home selling clients with an in depth consultation. As you can see from the sample staging report below, Ronna guides you through your home preparations in a step-by-step fashion. In fact, the report below offers over 100 specific staging recommendations.

Ronna's invaluable advice is one of the most important elements in our marketing plan. With Ronna's help our clients are able to sell their homes more quickly and for thousands of dollars more than would otherwise be possible. Even better, Ronna's

The Irish and Irish-ish alike will fill downtown Madison for the city's annual Saint Patrick's Day festivities. On Sunday, March 16, the fun begins at 10 a.m. with the Shamrock Shuffle, a 5K/10K race or 2 mile walk providing exercise and entertainment down State Street, and around campus. "It's fun to grow something that helps nonprofits, and provides a healthy activity at the beginning of spring," says Race Director Steve Donovan. The 12th annual Shamrock Shuffle will include up to 5,000 participants. Families, and even kids in strollers are welcome to run or walk the course. Pets can't participate, due to insurance guidelines. All are encouraged to wear green, and pick out their best Irish-themed costumes. Spectators can station themselves anywhere

Who would have ever thought we'd see bidding wars over downtown condos with many units selling in a matter of hours and days? This is the reality of the Madison condo market. The condo lifestyle is "in". First-time buyers and down-sizers alike are jumping into a market that has a limited supply of inventory. Prices are rising and many units are selling very quickly.

This isn't the dynamic for every condo development in town, but there are a number of Madison condominium communities that have become extremely popular with local buyers. These popular communities have become "mini sellers markets" where a well-priced unit is almost guaranteed a quick sale.

Our list of popular condominium communities covers the hottest developments in town. For every

What makes some Madison neighborhoods more popular than others? There are a number of contributing factors, but most of the neighborhoods on our "10 most popular list" are located near the city center on either the near west side or near east side of town. These parts of the city offer a rare combination of amenities that's hard to find in many other metropolitan areas.

The near east side and near west side offer Lake Mendota, Lake Monona, and Lake Wingra; parks and conservancy spaces; and bike paths that make it easy to travel about the city. Our top 10 neighborhoods are located near a number of excellent restaurants and shopping venues - as well as many of the area's largest employers. The state government, Madison's four hospitals, and the

You don’t want to find your perfect home, and then realize you can’t afford it. Likewise, you don’t want to underestimate what you can afford, and limit yourself to less than your dream. The first step to starting a real estate search is to talk with a lender. 

There was a time when a buyer needed 20% down to consider purchasing a home. Today, the market has changed, and the rules for qualifying have too. Buyers are finding they can afford more home than originally expected, or that qualifying is possible, even without a sizable down payment.  A variety of options exist to allow buyers to purchase with as little as 3% or possibly even 0% down.  Between gifted down payments, reductions in closing costs, or seller-assisted closing costs, there are many

Our weather may be cold and snowy right now, but the Madison real estate market is heating up. Right now a huge window of opportunity is opening up for local home sellers. In fact, this spring promises to be one of the best sellers markets we've seen in many years. Sellers who take advantage of this opportunity and who also do the right things will be rewarded with a quick sale and a high market price. Below we cover why the time is right for home sellers. We also cover a few things sellers can do to properly prepare for a successful listing. 

A Time of Opportunity for Home Sellers

In real estate timing can be everything, and right now a perfect storm is forming to the benefit of many Madison area home sellers. Here are 4 key reasons why this spring

Your local MLS has the most accurate and most comprehensive listing data available. But this isn't how the general public sees it. The real estate consumer is turning to Trulia, Zillow and other data aggregators for what it views as the latest and greatest listing data. Despite plenty of evidence to the contrary, there's a growing perception that these two internet giants are the best places to go for local real estate information.

The data aggregators are popular because they make price history, days on market, and other key listing data available. Accurate or not, the information on Trulia and Zillow provides answers to some very basic questions. You don't need to call or email a real estate agent to get your information. Those days are long gone.

Whether it’s the grace of a dance troupe, the beauty of an orchestra’s music filling the air, an innovative story told by a theater group or the complexity of local art, Madison enjoys a vibrant arts scene.

But did you know that this collection of artists and entertainers are improving the city’s economic health?

Overture Center for the Arts brings world-renown artists to Madison, contributing to the city’s entertainment prospects, and its bottom line. It’s estimated that $10 million dollars enters the city annually as a direct result of people attending Overture’s programs. “The city benefits from an artistic scene. It’s one reason people choose to live here. It gives employers another tool for recruiting employees, and adds the “creative class” to

Getting ready to sell your home? If you're like many home owners, you want to hire a real estate agent who has the experience that comes with selling many properties. Experience is important. Results are important, too. When it comes to results there are three key questions you can ask during the interview process:

1. What are the odds your home will sell?
2. How long will it take to sell your home?
3. How close will your selling price be to your list price? 

We recently dug into these questions by reviewing listing data from the South Central Wisconsin MLS. We focused our review on the top 26 listing agents in South Central Wisconsin (based on 2014 sold listing volume). Our analysis covered listings for single family homes. To keep the data