Our real estate team is moving in a great direction. Every agent on the team is growing their business and receiving awesome client feedback. Now we're rolling out a plan that builds on this momentum and ensures a prosperous career for everyone on the team. The plan helps each new agent get off to a successful start, enjoy a great career, and even fund their retirement. Below is the road map for our team going forward. 

Invest in the Team

Each month we invest $2,500 into our website to improve our brand and marketing. This long-term focus is paying off. New traffic from Google is up 19% from last year and 49% from the year before. Our site is receiving a ton of great feedback. Each year it's attracting dozens of great clients who are happy to work

Madison home prices will rise again in 2017 because inventory remains low and there is a large pent up demand for real estate. Despite modestly higher interest rates, expect a Spring market full of bidding wars and listings that sell in a matter of days or even hours.

If you're a serious buyer, begin your search in December or January rather than delay until the Summer or Spring. The competition for housing will become very fierce very soon. 

If you're a committed seller, know that in today's market you don't need to list in the Summer or Spring in order to have a successful sale. You can list in early 2017 and achieve positive results. The data below demonstrates why the market favors you.  

Signs of a Seller's Market

We just completed a

When you think about updating your home, maybe you think about granite counter tops? Flooring updates? Bathroom remodels?  While all of these updates can help you net more for your home, they also require cash up front.

What if you want to sell, but don’t want to put substantial money into these updates? Debbie Lea of Showcase Home Stagers says you can still improve your home’s visual appeal and perceived value. Debbie works with each of our clients, and her staging services are included as part of our marketing plan. Her innovative ideas, and eye for design have greatly enhanced our listings.

Debbie recommends looking at your home the way it will appear in the online listing. After all, your home’s online photos will be your first showing. Does

The Mad City Dream Homes mobile search app is the best app around for searching Madison area listings on the go. We've put a lot of thought into the design, which includes some great features you won't find anywhere else. Download our free app using the links below, and read on for a list of handy features. 

Mobile App Search Features

• Search Nearby Listings
• Search Polygon
• Search Radius
• Exclude Accepted Offers
• Search School District
• Search Open Houses
• Search by Days on Market
• Search Garage and Parking Spots
• Search by Location
• All Purpose Search Tools

Discover Which Nearby Listings Have Accepted Offers

Which listings are selling in your neighborhood? Our "nearby" feature provides answers by automatically

We've added a lot of features to our website which make it easy to focus your search on the properties that are still available for sale - in other words, the listings which don't yet have an accepted offer. Now all of our community, neighborhood, and condo association pages show these listings at the top of each guide. 

"Active, Newest 1st" Sort Order

Now all of the listings without accepted offers are shown at the top of the list with the newest listings shown first. Take a look at this example below from our Wexford Village real estate guide. The first two listings shown have a status of "active" (no accepted offer) with the listings sorted from lowest to highest days on market. The third listing shown is a listing with the status of "offer-show"

It's that time of year- when frantic shopping trips and holiday parties fill the schedule. But it's also a time to swing by area attractions, slow down, and enjoy the season. As Madison prepares to celebrate the holidays, there are several stops worth visiting. Take a drive through town and enjoy the lights, and don't miss these must-see events along the way:

Olbrich Botantical Gardens Holiday Express opens December 3, and features electric trains, provided by the Wisconsin Garden Railway Society, intricate Lego creations made by the Wisconsin Lego Users Group (WisLUG), and, of course, beautiful flowers and plants. Walk through and enjoy the pirate village, dragon and other creations. The trains change regularly, as different volunteers bring their own

It goes against convention, but the month of December is an excellent time to buy a home. Why? There are far fewer buyers to compete with in the wintertime, and sellers tend to be more motivated during the holiday season. This means the deals are better in December and January. If you're looking to get a fair deal on a nice home or condo, the winter season is an excellent time to buy. Of course every situation is different. Feel free to contact us to discuss your individual situation. 

Here are more specifics on why right now is an excellent time to buy in Madison and the surrounding Dane County area. 

Buyers Have Less Competition in December

It's much easier to get an offer accepted in December because there are fewer competing buyers. The MLS

It's a common misconception that you have to show your home to generate interest from buyers.  We're finding that there are ways to attract buyers in the early stages of preparing a listing, even before your home is ready to show. Take, for example, a listing we have at 2 Thornhill Circle, in Wexford Village. Before the home was even officially ready to show, the sellers had eight showing appointments lined up.

How did this happen? We used an effective selling strategy:
1. Have a Professional Staging Consultation
2. Finish Staging the First Floor
3. Professionally Photograph the First Floor
4. Make the Listing Available on the MLS and Online
5. Continue Staging the Rest of the House
6. Have the Rest of the Home Photographed and Filmed
7. Open the Home for

You've heard the saying, "location, location, location" when it comes to real estate. Where your home is located matters, and highlighting the neighboring perks can go a long way when you're ready to sell.

When we work with sellers, we help them prepare their home for listing. This includes staging it, photographing it professionally, and highlighting the home's best features. But marketing the home doesn't end there. We also focus on the neighborhood. What parks or trails are nearby? Are there key restaurants, shopping or a library within walking distance? These features are important to buyers. They often won't even visit a home unless they are sold on the location.

 We recently listed a home in the Midvale Heights neighborhood. The home is

If you're like many of us, you're probably thinking about your holiday shopping already, and preparing gift ideas for loved ones. This weekend, before the busy-ness of Thanksgiving takes over, Madison shoppers can head downtown and peruse a wide variety of beautiful and interesting artwork, available for purchase. Overture Center for the Arts and the Madison Museum of Contemporary Art (MMoCA), are co-hosting the annual Holiday Art Fair. Shoppers can enter for a $6 fee ($5 if ordered in advance, children 12 and under are free). Artists from all over the nation will be showing their work, and selling items for gifting or personal enjoyment. More than 70 artists are included in this year's fair, and offer a broad selection of fine art. Booths will feature