A slew of development projects are in the works for the city of Madison, including a number of proposals that will add thousands of new apartments to the downtown area. The Department of Planning, Community & Economic Development publishes all of the current proposals on its website and this interactive map. 

No doubt, Madison's population will continue to grow, and we'll continue to see more large-scale projects and urban infill in the years ahead. The vast majority of these projects will be for apartments, not condos, leading to condo values continuing to appreciate.  

(click for interactive map)

Do you have a preferred condo association that you would love to live in? You and your buyer agent can find the right condo by sending an authentic letter to all of the owners in the association. In our experience, the more low-tech the approach, the better. 

Here's our simple 3-step approach: 

1) Hand address each envelope and write your return mailing address on each envelope, too. 

2) Make the letter from you, the buyer, not your buyer agent. A letter written by the buyer will receive a much better response than one that is written by the buyer agent. 

3) Make it easy for the reader of each letter to contact either you or your buyer agent. Your letter should include your phone number and email address, and the number and email address

Our supply of single family homes is growing in the Madison area. Condo supply is growing, too. Here's a look at available condos in Dane County priced at $400,000 and less. Note all listings shown are active listings without an accepted offer, per the South Central Wisconsin MLS. 

Madison condos $400,000 and under

• All of Madison 
• Downtown Madison
• Madison near east 
• Madison east 
• Madison near west 
• Madison west 
• Madison far west 
• Madison southwest 

Suburban condos $400,000 and under

• Fitchburg
• Middleton 
• Monona 
• Sun Prairie 
• Verona 
• Waunakee 
• Westport 

What questions do you have about the Madison area condo market? We help dozens of clients with their condominium goals each year, and we'd

Condo inventory has been gradually improving in the Madison area, with several newer developments popping up across Dane County. Newer condominium developments include: 

• Arboretum Village in Waunakee
• Bellflower Pointe in Deforest 
• Besa Monona in Monona
• Calliope Cottages in Middleton
• Happy Place Condominiums on Madison's East Side
• Lacy Ridge Condominiums in Fitchburg
• Lacy Woods in Fitchburg 
• One Tree Condominiums in Edgerton 
• The Ridge at Fox Hill in Deforest 
• Riverstone Townhomes in Deforest 
• Sienna Hills Condominiums in Mount Horeb 
• Simply Homes Condominiums in Mazomanie 
• West Village Condos in Belleville 
• Wild Oak Condominiums in Stoughton 
• Windflower Village in Mount Horeb 

Contact us for a helpful

We're seeing some encouraging signs that condo selection is improving in the Madison area, thanks in part to the addition of several new developments across Dane County. A few of these newer developments include: 

• Besa Monona in Monona
• Calliope Cottages in Middleton
• Happy Place Condominiums on Madison's East Side
• Lacy Ridge Condominiums in Fitchburg
• The Ridge at Fox Hill in Deforest
• Wild Oak Condominiums in Stoughton 

If you're in the market for a new or newer condominium, please free to contact us for a helpful consultation. We'd love to help you. Or check out our guide to new construction condos below. 

Just a quick reminder that we have hundreds of neighborhood and condo association guides for you to peruse and use on our website. 

So, if you're in the mode of researching neighborhoods, our Madison and Dane County neighborhood guides are excellent resources for you. And if you're curious about condos, our city and suburban condominium guides offer a great introduction to hundreds of local associations.

If you'd like us to create a guide for your neighborhood or condo association, just let us know. We'd be happy to do this for you. 

We recently reached out to a few of our peers in the real estate industry for their insight into this topic. And according to our peers, there are 5 big reasons why the market favors apartment buildings over condo developments. 

#1) Construction liability. Current construction liability laws require developers to take on more legal and financial risk when building a condominium development. In addition, many architects are hesitant to design condo communities due to a rise in HOA lawsuits.

#2) Financing. From an underwriting and lending perspective, condos are considered to be the more speculative investment, which limits the options for financing. For the developer, it's easier to finance an apartment building than it is to finance a condominium

You have a few dozen 55 plus communities to choose from in the Madison area, but in a low inventory market like ours, the number of listings available at any given point in time is relatively small.

So, if you're in search of a 55+ condo, our advice to you is don't confine your search to a 55 plus community. Instead, try expanding your search by focusing on the condominiums that will help you live the lifestyle you're seeking. When you adopt this approach, you'll discover you have many more condos to choose from. 

Two helpful resources

Two great resources are our Madison and Suburban Madison condo guides. Our guides offer an excellent introduction to hundreds of condominium associations in the Dane County area, and can help you identify the

More condos. 

Imagine a new wave of modern condominiums that are thoughtfully planned and constructed in environmentally sustainable ways that enhance the character of the downtown area. Condos that open up the pedestrian-friendly and bike-friendly lifestyle to a whole new population of people. Where walking to the park, biking around the lake, walking to the Farmers Market, and walking to a locally-owned coffee shop or restaurant are all a part of daily living. 

Now imagine what more condos would do for our tax base and the small business owners in the area. And how a new wave of condominiums would relieve some of the intense pressure on our local housing market and slow the pace of sprawl. 

My wish isn't confined to Downtown Madison. Other

Jennifer and Jordan Hegerfeld worked with Maureen Moran as they were getting ready to buy their first home. The couple found themselves with an accepted offer on their ideal condo, but there were hitches with securing the mortgage. Read on for the story of how Maureen’s persistence helped these first-time homeowners successfully purchase their new home.

Ready to become homeowners

Jennifer and Jordan began searching for their first home in March of 2019. They were ready to have a place of their own with more space, in a great school district for their child. At first, they considered single family homes, but most of the properties in their price range were fixer uppers and not in move-in condition. They found themselves looking for condos, which