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

Here's our latest objective look at the home and condo markets in Madison, Wisconsin. For more information on the larger market in Dane County, check out this recent update on our blog. 

Madison home and condo prices

Madison single family home prices reached an all-time high in July, increasing by 4% in the month and 4% year-to-date. 

Madison condo prices also set a new record in July. Condo prices increased by 4% year-over-year and were higher by 2% year-to-date. 

Madison accepted offers

Single family home accepted offers decreased by 10% in July and by 6% year-to-date. From an historical perspective, buyer activity was still quite strong in the month of July. 

Condo accepted offers increased by 10% year-over-year and

Sometimes your life’s work happens almost by accident. For Doreen Meland, designing and staging homes came naturally, even before she knew it could be a business. “I didn’t know I was doing it, but I was. A Realtor came through our home, and asked if I staged homes. After thinking about it, I decided it would be fun. My business has grown from there,” she says.

Doreen’s work covers a broad range of projects. She has a natural ability for interior design, and is a gifted landscaper. Both interior and exterior projects fill her portfolio.  She has helped clients efficiently stage their homes for sale. But she has also worked with clients who require a more thorough decluttering.

Doreen loves organizing. Recently, she assisted clients who needed to

Here's our quick update on the latest real estate trends in Dane County. How does the current market impact you and your real estate goals? Reach out to us for a short conversation. 

Dane County Home and Condo Prices

Dane County single family home prices reached an all-time high in July. Prices increased by 1% in July and were up 2% year-to-date. 

Dane County condo prices were also at an all-time high, increasing by 8% in July and 4% year-to-date. 

Dane County Accepted Offers

Single family home accepted offers decreased by 7% in July and were lower by 5% year-to-date. Still, buyer activity in July was quite strong when compared to each July over the last 20 years. 

Accepted offers for condos decreased by 6% in July and were

We all know there is a seasonal aspect to the market and the spring months typically are the best months for sellers in the Madison area. However, there are some Dane County properties which are always in high demand and can sell quickly any time of year. Below we share 10 different types of properties in the Madison area that benefit from a perpetually strong market. 

Hot properties in the Madison area

1) Condos priced under $250,000

The shortage of affordable housing in Dane County has many buyers standing on the sidelines waiting for the right condo to be listed for sale. A nice condo priced under $250,000 is always a hot commodity in our low inventory market. 

2) Homes priced under $350,000

Single family homes priced under $350,000

Madison mortgage rates keep falling, and are now at their lowest levels since November of 2016. Check out this chart from Freddie Mac, which shows how interest rates have trended over the last 3 years. 

Locally, some Madison area lenders are publishing rates for a 30-year fixed rate loan as low as 3.5%. 

How do lower rates help you right now? 

If you're planning to buy right now, here are the two big benefits:

First, today's low rates give you more homes to choose from by lowering your monthly mortgage payment, which is a big plus in our low inventory market. 

Second, the timing of this rate drop is very beneficial to anyone who's serious about buying right now. That's because many sellers are becoming more flexible with their pricing

The trails and surrounding waterways that provide recreation, tourism, and transportation opportunities contributed to the Village of McFarland’s branding initiative in 2018, which generated a new logo and slogan: Naturally Connected. “We are a place of nature...with a small town feel but not too far from Madison,” said village President Brad Czebotar.

When the Lower Yahara River Trail opened in 2017, it created an important link between the southeast side of Madison at the newly renamed William G. Lunney Lake Farm County Park and McFarland at McDaniel Park. Bicycle commuters now have a safer and quicker way to get to work using the floating boardwalk and pedestrian bridge -- the longest in the state and what village Administrator Matt Schuenke

Is to make you proud of how your property is presented to the general public. If we can make you proud of your listing, then we know our marketing plan is on the right track. Here are 3 basic ways we work to make you proud of your MLS listing: 

1) Capture beautiful listing photos. 

Capturing beautiful photos begins with the home staging process. Remember, we provide your staging services free of charge by connecting you with the best stager in the business, Debbie Lea. Once your staging is completed, we partner with the best real estate photographers in Madison to create the photos for your listing. We don't have a set budget for our photos, and we'll do whatever it takes to capture the very best pictures of your home. If needed, we'll schedule