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

Open houses are far from antiquated and offer many benefits to a seller, which is why it's a standard part of our marketing plan. Open houses offer:

• Longer viewing opportunities for buyers
• Questions to be answered in real-time by the Mad City Dream Homes agent hosting
• An opportunity to present the property in a curated way: turn the fireplace on, open the blinds, play some ambient music, have the hot tub running
• A time for longer-form marketing materials (like the homebook created for 5809 Dawley Dr pictured below)
• A sense of urgency for buyers to make an offer when they see others considering the same home

Do you have an idea of how to best present your home at an open house? We'd love to hear about it. 

One important dynamic for buyers and sellers to remember is that the competition for real estate tends to be highest during the first six months of the year, which the chart below makes abundantly clear. 

Another important dynamic is the supply of available inventory by time of year. The number of available listings (those without an accepted offer) is actually lowest during the first 6 months of the year, when the competition for real estate is highest. 

This is why we always encourage our buyer clients to be open to finding their dream home throughout the calendar year, not just during the rush of the spring market. You just never know when the perfect opportunity might present itself. It could be during the frenzy of the spring market,

Many real estate training programs teach us to constantly ask for referrals...but are we worthy of referring in the first place?

People refer us when they know us, trust us, and appreciate who we are as people. But if we haven't yet proven that we can be trusted, for example, then asking for a referral can be counter productive and damaging to our reputation. 

Before we ask for a referral, we should seek to serve first, and demonstrate our value to our clients. In many cases we'll learn that we don't even need to ask for a referral. Our clients will refer us without our knowledge, without us even asking.

Many don't know, but Wisconsin Focus on Energy (FOE) has free product bundles that you can use to conserve energy and lower your monthly utility bill.

For example, this energy saving shower pack comes with two 60W equivalent A19 LEDs, one high-efficiency showerhead, one dusk-to-dawn LED night light, one 15-foot pipe insulation wrap, and a hot water temperature card.

(graphic from Focus on Energy)

FOE also offers a fee comfort pack and a free bath pack. One pack per household per year is allowed, so you can order a new pack each year. 

Stay tuned. We'll have many more home energy savings tips to share in the weeks and months ahead.