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. 

Our brokerage has been tracking this statistic since August 17th, when the new rules governing buyer agency commissions went into effect. In well over 300 closings involving a buyer agent, the seller has refused to pay the buyer agency fee only two times.

Put another way, sellers are paying the buyer agent fee over 99 percent of the time. 

It's clear consumers continue to value buyer representation. An overwhelming majority of buyers continue to hire a buyer agent to guide their purchase, and sellers continue to recognize the benefits of working with represented buyers.  

Dane County home and condo listings dipped lower in November and December, but increased modestly in January. 

Single family home listings

A total of 437 Madison area homes were listed for sale in January, which was the highest total for any month of January in the last 5 years. In the big picture, listing activity remains low, considering how quickly Dane County's population continues to grow. 

Condo listings 

A total of 127 Madison area condos were listed for sale in January, the highest since January of 2021. Yet notice from the chart below how condo listings have been at subdued levels for each of the last 12 years. 

What to expect for the 2025 Dane County real estate market

The market is already proving to be very

At the heart of any real estate transaction lies a fundamental question: can you trust the professional guiding your most significant investment?

When it's time to hire a realtor, you want to know that your realtor is reliable, dependable, and skilled in their craft. You want to feel that they care, that they are personally invested in helping you reach your goals. In your heart of hearts, you want to know that you can trust your realtor, without any reservations.

At Mad City Dream Homes, we're always striving to serve you with personalized and professional care. In the end, we want you to feel that you not only got your money's worth, but that you received far more than you paid for. We want you to be able to look back on your experience and feel

At Mad City Dream Homes, we love the creative process that goes into marketing a luxury home. One example of this is a customized home book, which we create to share the many wonderful aspects of the home, the setting, and the larger neighborhood. We place bound copies of the book at the home, and make PDF copies available to all buyers online. Click here for our most recent example. 

What's special about your home, your lot, and your surrounding neighborhood? Reach out to us, and let's get creative with your marketing. We would love to collaborate with you and create a marketing presentation that makes you proud of your listing. 

Buying and selling a home is a big deal. If your realtor isn't fully present with your needs, your plan, your negotiation, and their responsibilities you could miss out on your dream home. You could pay much more than you need to pay. You could end up buying a lemon. Or you could sell for much less than what the market is willing to offer. 

Remember, when you're interviewing realtors to represent you during your purchase or your sale, each candidate will show you through their words and their actions how present they are with you and your goals. Pay attention to these clues that you pick up on during the interview process. These clues and your instincts will help you hire the right person. 

The Wisconsin Focus on Energy (FOE) has a free and easy to use online tool that you can use to identify energy savings opportunities within your home. I recently completed the online assessment myself and learned that our family can save over $500 annually by completing a few relatively simple insulation and air sealing projects.  

FOE provides a list of recommended contractors who are qualified to do the work, as well as information on incentive programs that offer substantial rebates. 

Rising costs are a concern for must of us. By taking this online assessment, we can take positive steps right now to lower our monthly budget, conserve energy, and reduce our carbon footprint. I encourage you to check it out.