Did you know that mental illness is more common than physical illnesses such as cancer, diabetes, or heart disease? Yet we don’t often discuss anxiety, depression, and personality disorders, for example, because of the stigma attached to them. Unfortunately, this can prevent people from getting the help they need to lead a successful life -- whether that’s seeking support from friends and family or getting access to a therapist or medication. 

The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) Dane County is committed to eliminating that stigma. For over 40 years, this nonprofit has provided essential education, support, and advocacy to people affected by mental illness. 

“I think it’s important for people to know we’re out there and available as a free

As we shared in a recent article there is still time to sell your Madison area home before the snow starts flying. And even if you don't plan to sell until 2020, this fall is the perfect time to start working on your sale. Here are a few things you and your listing agent can work on right now in preparation for your upcoming listing. 

Planning and preparing for your real estate listing

1) Learn your home's current market value

Mad City Dream Homes will complete a market analysis for you and help you understand your home's value on the open market. At the same time we'll share our recommendations for minor cosmetic updates which will help you sell your home quickly and for top dollar. Of course we'll re-visit your market analysis once your

Parks and trails bring communities together by promoting healthy lifestyles through recreational and educational opportunities, and Dane County has over 25 parks and 100 miles of trail for the public to enjoy.

The Dane County Parks department maintains these areas using county funds, but support for projects to enhance the parks, promote education, and provide resources to help volunteers comes from the Friends of Dane County Parks Endowment Fund, managed by the Madison Community Foundation. 

The Foundation for Dane County Parks promotes the county parks system and fundraises for the permanent endowment, which has now surpassed $500,000. The newly established nonprofit hopes to grow the endowment into a multi-million dollar fund, from which the

The fall season is a real estate market unto itself, with its own unique dynamics and opportunities. Below we share a few aspects of the autumn market that are good for buyers and sellers to know. 

Opportunities for buyers in the fall market

Right now is a great time to be shopping for a home, and here are two big reasons why:

There are fewer buyers to contend with in the fall

Take a look at this chart below, which shows Dane County buyer activity throughout the calendar year. Right now there are roughly 40% fewer offers being accepted compared to the peak months of March, April, May and June. The pace of the market is slower in the fall, and easier on buyers. 

There are fewer multiple offer situations and bidding wars in the fall

Cheese curds aren’t the only byproduct of cows that we have an excess of in the Madison area. There are also phosphorus-rich turds. And unfortunately when it’s raining, some of that fertilizer runs off farm fields and into our groundwater. 

“Over the last few decades, the phosphorus concentrations of the Yahara chain of lakes (Mendota, Monona, Waubesa, Kegonsa) have led to an increase in the frequency and extent of algae blooms, creating green, slimy lakes and beaches,” according to the Dane County Land and Water Resources Department.

But cows are hardly the only ones to blame for the Dairy State’s environmental woes. For that, we can take a look in the mirror and reflect on how we handle our own messes. 

Even though 94% of Wisconsin

At Mad City Dream Homes, we implement a customized marketing plan for all of our home-selling clients. This philosophy allows us to produce some amazing marketing campaigns for our sellers, in particular for our clients who own a luxury home or condo. Below we share a marketing plan from Chris Venden and a few marketing examples from one of her recent luxury listings. Chris's listing attracted competing buyers, including an offer from one buyer who wrote a very strong offer for above the list. 

Marketing plan for a recent luxury listing

Mad City Dream Homes implemented all of the marketing strategies below. All marketing costs were paid for by our real estate team, which is the standard for all of our listings.   

Unlimited support from

In this short question and answer topic we cover inspections and appraisals, and whether or not sellers are advised to attend. 

Can I attend my buyer's inspection? 

A home inspection is conducted by a licensed home inspector in order to assess the physical condition of the property. We generally advise our selling clients to vacate their property during the home inspection so the buyer, buyer agent, and inspector can speak freely about any issues that are found during the inspection. This is the commonly accepted etiquette in our market. If questions arise during the inspection which the seller is capable of addressing (for example, when was the furnace last serviced or the roof last replaced), these questions can be addressed shortly after the

I walked into the Mad City Dream Homes team office recently and found their marketing team gathered around a table, working on a new way to feature nonprofits and give back to the community.

“We have the freedom to experiment here, and to do good for the community, without having to justify every project to a specific budget,” said Samantha Haas, marketing writer for the team.

“We love doing these types of projects. When you do something because it feels right, it eventually comes back around,” added Dan Miller, a Realtor and leader for the team.

The Mad City Dream Homes team includes several realtors, but many clients don’t realize that there is also a robust team of skilled marketers who are focused on promoting listings, community

Every client with a home to sell has a unique property and unique goals. Because of this we treat each new listing as a unique and individual project. Our project-based approach allows us to exercise our creativity and professional judgment as we help our sellers make the most of their individual situation. 

Such was the case with our recent condo sale at Mariners Cove. Our clients lived out of state and needed a full-service team who would assume responsibility for their sale and produce a showcase listing for their property. They hired Shelley Lazzareschi to list and sell their condo, and Shelley did not disappoint. Below we share a few elements from Shelley's marketing plan, which led to the highest sales price ever within the association. 

Celebrate National Dog Day (August 26 officially, but you can celebrate any day really!) and bring your doggo to any of the eight off-leash dog parks that the City of Madison offers! There are four on the east side and four on the west side, with each park varying in size and offerings. A dog license and dog park permit are required at all locations.

1. Warner Park
2301 Sheridan Dr.
Bag dispenser & benches available
This dog park is very large, comprising of a separate small dog & geriatric dog area, open grass space, woods with trails, many picnic table areas, and a lagoon for swimming. The water in the lagoon is not tested by Public Health Madison & Dane County.

2. Demetral Park
2297 Commercial Ave.
Bag dispenser & benches available