Madison area home buyers are experiencing a competitive market right now. It will become even more competitive in the months of April, May and June. Take a look at the graph below from the 2016 calendar year. It shows the percent of Madison single family home listings that received competing offers month-by-month. 

As the numbers above show, April, May and June are the most competitive months for home buyers in the Madison market. These are the months when buyers are most likely to experience bidding wars, escalation clauses, and missed opportunities. 

"Go Against the Grain and Avoid the Pain"

Conventional wisdom says you should buy your home in the spring or summer when listings are most plentiful. The numbers suggest going against the grain

In this competitive market the lender you choose can actually impact whether or not your offer gets accepted. How is this possible? Well, let's suppose you've found the perfect home, and as your buyer agent is getting ready to draft your offer she learns one competing offer is in and 4 more offers are expected to arrive soon. You want to do everything you can to get your offer accepted, so your agent calls your local lender and asks her a favor. 

Next, your lender immediately emails the listing agent to explain that you're a rock solid buyer with verified income, assets, and credit. Then your lender calls the listing agent to relay the same message.

In the end, your offer is the one that gets accepted. The listing agent confides it was the

These days finding the right property is about much more than putting a search in place on the MLS. In this low inventory environment, it pays to have a hard-working team of buyer agents in your corner. Here are 10 different ways your buyer agent team can go the extra mile to help you find and buy your dream home. 

10 Creative Property Search Strategies

1. Contact households of previously expired MLS listings in your target location. 
2. Identify "coming soon" listings that are in withheld/delayed status on the MLS. 
3. Monitor listings on Zillow, FSBO websites, and craigslist. 
4. Contact real estate agents who are active in your preferred location. 
5. Call property owners in select neighborhoods and condo communities in order to find the right 

Do you need to sell your current home in order to buy another? Are you wondering how you can compete against other buyers who don't have a home sale contingency? Do you feel overwhelmed by the tasks in front of you?

Whether your goal is to "down-size" or "up-size", you and your agent can make it happen by putting a proactive plan in place. Read on to learn our seven tips for selling and buying at the same time. By following these tips you'll be taking the necessary steps that will get you into your dream home. 

7 Tips for Selling and Buying at the Same Time

Tip 1: Work proactively with your real estate agent so you're ready to sell your home as soon as you find the home you'd like to buy. This means getting your home staged and having your

In the month of December our real estate team helped 3 different clients sell their home and buy a new home on the same day. As you'll see below, each client took a unique approach to making their home purchase happen. The common element among all 3 clients was each one worked proactively to implement a specific, well-thought-out plan. See below to learn how each client sold one home in order to buy another.  

Client One: Creating a Plan A and Plan B

Our clients Jeff and Patsy wished to sell their home in Waunakee in order to buy a new construction home in Madison. We were confident we could accomplish this by selling their current home quickly and scheduling it to close on the same day as their purchase. Just in case, Jeff and Patsy put a

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

The Madison real estate market has changed from the fever pitch that characterized the months of March, April, May and June. The graph below shows how the market is changing. Each bar represents a snapshot of the single family home market taken mid-month. Each number reflects the percent of all Madison single family home listings that had an accepted offer at the time of the snapshot. 

What Does the Data Say about the Spring Market?

If you were searching for a home in March, April, May or June, over 50% of the listings you viewed online were already under contract and scheduled for closing. These were wild and crazy times. Many new listings sold in a matter of days or even hours - after receiving multiple competing offers. Some buyers put their

Have you been considering a housing change? Maybe you've been in your starter home for a while, and you're ready for more space, and higher end amenities. This fall is the perfect time to make that change, with the best opportunity to both sell high, and purchase at a competitive price. Let me explain.

How the Starter Home and Move Up Markets Vary

There is a shortage of affordable housing in Dane County. Homes priced under $250,000 are selling quickly due to a limited supply of listings on the open market. For example, right now there are only 1.8 months of inventory in all of Madison. For homes in the $200,000 to $250,000 price range, there are only 1.4 months of supply. Homes that fall within this price range sell rapidly, and often at or

It's only February, but the hot Spring market has already arrived in Madison. This year's single family home and condo markets are already chaotic with buyers fighting over a limited supply of properties.

Sellers will enjoy 2016. Buyers will need a solid game plan for finding the right home at the right price. Below are a few quick real estate stats which show why 2016 is already proving to be a hot seller's market. We also offer some tips for making your real estate goals happen in 2016. 

Current Trends: The Madison Condo Market

The $250,000 and under price category is the hottest segment in the Madison condo market. As of this post there are only 1.6 months of supply available for sale in this price range. An amazing 46% of the listings in this

When is the best time to buy a home in Madison? Contrary to conventional wisdom, right now is actually an excellent time to buy a home in our market. To be a little more specific, November, December and the first half of January offer a nice window of opportunity for local home buyers. The graph below, which shows the number of Madison accepted offers by month, shows why. 

The Best Times to Buy a Home in Madison

November, December and January are the 3 slowest months in the Madison real estate market. During these 3 months fewer showings are scheduled, fewer offers are written, and fewer offers are accepted compared to any other month in the calendar year. Buyers have much less competition from other buyers during the cold weather months, which