We’re excited to announce that Lane Manning has joined Mad City Dream Homes! 

Lane has been a realtor for 8 years and brings a ton of professionalism and positivity to our team. He and his wife and two kids live in Verona. He enjoys boating, coaching Wildcat Youth Football, watching Badger sports, and volunteering for several local groups.

"The Madison area is not only the place I call home, but it’s also my family’s playground," Lane says. "I look forward to bringing my passion, service, and advocacy to help you find your dream home, too!" 

You can learn much more about Lane here. 

It's a time of scarcity for Dane County real estate. 

A scarcity of land to build on. A scarcity of materials and supplies to build new homes. And a scarcity of labor to do the work. 

One thing that is not in short supply is the number of people moving to Dane County. Our population continues to grow, and the options for homeownership aren’t keeping pace. Given this, we expect home and condo inventory will remain low and prices will remain high for the foreseeable future.

So when will it be a good time to buy real estate? We believe the best time to buy is right now. Not next year. And not when interest rates fall. Hoping and waiting for a better time to buy when both rates and prices are lower is likely to end in disappointment. We've been doing

For all of us who are homeowners, we are fortunate.

Fortunate to have a place of our own and to experience pride of homeownership. Fortunate to live with prosperity built through home equity. And fortunate to have the privilege of passing our prosperity on to the next generation. 

Prices will continue to rise. 

So why not do everything we can to help others become homeowners, too? 

There are plenty of initiatives in the world that need our financial contributions in order to move the cause forward. So donating our money is one important way that we can support positive change in the world around us. 

But there is another type of contribution that is equally important, if not more, and that is our in-kind contribution. By in-kind contribution, we mean donating our time, skills, and unique gifts to an initiative that's making a positive impact in the community. 

Here are just a few examples. 

• donating our physical labor toward conservation projects at a beloved park
• giving our time and attention to youth as part of a mentoring program like Big Brothers/Big Sisters 
• offering our artistic, marketing or social media

You may have heard that mortgage rates recently jumped above 7 percent, which is more than double the rate from less than 2 years ago. 

And if you're like many other people, today's higher rates may have you thinking about putting your home-buying plans on-hold. And understandably so. 

But it's very possible you could be missing out on a real opportunity by deferring your goals. Because now that rates are higher, you have fewer competing buyers to contend with. And the competition and bidding wars will surely increase once rates fall again. 

So, if you're an aspiring buyer, here are two key questions we have for you: 

If you could find a nice home this year and if you could afford it by living within your means...And if you could picture

Getting ready to sell? Here are ten potential projects that you should always consider as you prepare your home for the market. All of these are low-cost, high-impact projects that consistently provide a good return on investment. 

10 projects to evaluate as you prepare your home for the market

#1: Painting

#2: Light fixtures

#3: Flooring 

#4: Cabinet hardware

#5: Window treatments 

#6: Staging 

#7: Cleaning 

#8: Mulching 

#9: Weeding and trimming

#10: Power washing exterior surfaces 

What questions do you have about selling in today's market? 

Call us when you're ready for a helpful conversation. We're here to address all of your questions and concerns and help you prepare for your next big move. 

If you're a numbers person, you might say the best time to buy a home would have been 11 years ago when the market bottomed out during the Great Recession. Since that time, Dane County home prices have risen by 94%. 

Or, put another way, if you purchased a Dane County home for $300,000 in 2012, that same home would be worth roughly $580,000 right now. 

But what about the future?

If home prices are so high right now, you might expect lower prices and more opportunities to buy right around the corner. After all, prices always do eventually fall. 

Our take is that although prices will eventually fall, we don't see this happening anytime soon. There are simply too many factors at work that will limit supply and maintain high prices for the

Done the right way, the best home improvement projects offer a 300 to 500 percent return on investment, and with relatively little up-front cost. This has been our experience, over and over again, with dozens and dozens of clients. 

Which projects offer the biggest impact?

Usually it's the simple, low-cost projects like painting, flooring, lighting, window treatments, and cabinet hardware. Then add in a little staging and a little art, and you'll feel like you live in a brand new home. 

Would you like a complimentary cosmetics consultation for your own home? We'd love to be a resource for you and help you make the most of your investment. Just contact your preferred Mad City Dream Homes realtor to schedule your own consultation. 

We live in an anxious world where the future often feels uncertain. So it's only natural that you will feel some anxiety, too, when you make the decision to buy or sell. After all, you are bound to have some high stakes questions. 

On the buying side

Will interest rates go up or down from here? 

Will you find the type of home that you're looking for? 

If you do find the right home, how much will it cost you? 

On the selling side 

How much work will you need to put into your sale? 

And what will be your return on investment? 

At Mad City Dream Homes, we understand the prospect of buying or selling a home can feel overwhelming. Which is why we're always focused on giving you all of the time and attention you need throughout your real

The fall season is fast approaching, which means it's time to schedule your annual furnace maintenance. Two companies that we enthusiastically recommend are Brothers HVAC and Hillestad Heating & Cooling.

Both companies have support staff who make scheduling easy. And based on our experience, the technicians are professional, reliable, and effective communicators. As always, we recommend calling ahead and scheduling your service proactively. The best contractors are often booked several weeks out. 

Brothers HVAC: 608-291-0252 

Hillestad Heating & Cooling: 608-231-3888