Our MLS map offers a great way to search for real estate in Madison, Wisconsin and the Dane County area. Here's a quick tip for using our map search tool:

When you launch our MLS map, click the Show Map icon on the right side of the page under the FIND YOUR HOME button. When you open up the map, it will automatically update the real estate listings as you move the focus of the map, zoom in, and zoom out.  

You can also use our polygon and radius search features to target specific geographic locations on our MLS map. And don't forget to click Save Search so you receive regular updates of new MLS listings and listings that have undergone price reductions. 

Need help with your real estate search in Madison? Sign up with our home

Are you in the market for a home or condo in the Madison, Wisconsin area? Our radius search tool makes it easy for you to customize your real estate search according to the area that you define on our MLS map.

Our radius search works along with the many other search settings that we make available - property type, price range, number of bedrooms, number of bathrooms, and size to name a few - so you can target your ideal property within the map location that you specify. What's more, you can save your radius search settings and receive email notifications new listings enter the MLS and when existing listings undergo a price reduction.

Give our map search a try now. Or sign up for our home finder, and we'll find your properties and set up your

We've been working to create a website that provides you with the very best view of the Madison real estate market at the local and neighborhood level. We've added many improvements to MadCityDreamHomes.com over the last few weeks, including many enhancements to our detailed property views. Our newest feature is the addition of neighborhood market information, which includes a summary of recent sales, active listings, and active listings with accepted offers. 

Take a look at the example below which shows a neighborhood market summary for a home in the Hill Farms neighborhood on Madison's near west side.

• The blue home icons represent current listings in the area with an accepted offer (this status is assigned by the listing brokerage within the

One of our team goals for 2013 has been to create a second real estate website that you will value for years to come. Our first website, DaneCountyMarket.com, is recognized as a great local resource for no-spin information on the Madison area home and condo markets. Our focus for MadCityDreamHomes.com has been to create a Madison real estate resource with the best available view of the properties for sale at the local and neighborhood levels. We have more work to do, but we're well on our way toward achieving our goal. Here's a quick update on our plans for building you a better website for Madison Wisconsin real estate.  

5 Steps to a Better Real Estate Website

1. Create Madison property guides that provide an in-depth view of homes and condos at

Thinking of selling your Madison home or condo? It's a seller's market this year and prices are rising. With lower inventories and increased demand, many Madison area sellers are learning they can win back much of their equity that was lost during the real estate downturn.

So how can you knock your sale out of the park? Below are 5 ways you can maximize your selling price in this year's market. The first two tips focus on market analysis. The last three tips involve specific marketing strategies.

5 Tips for Selling at a High Market Price

1. Know the months of inventory in your neighborhood. Your listing agent can assist you with this when he performs your market analysis for you. Neighborhoods with low months of inventory are prime locations for

The pendulum has swung for Madison real estate. It's a seller's market this year. Many Madison listings are receiving multiple competing offers. Homes and condos are selling quickly. And they're selling for higher prices.

So what's a buyer to do? Below are ten tips to help you land your dream home in 2013.

Ten Home Buyer Tips

1. Don't rely on open houses as your method for finding a home. Buyers this year are learning many new Madison listings are selling within days of going on the market, even before the first open house!
2. Don't limit your search to distressed properties. The inventory of bank owned-properties and short sales is shrinking, and many other buyers and investors are already combing over these listings.
3. Don't assume the condo

We posted earlier this year how Downtown Madison condo prices were set to rise in 2013. As we make our way into the Spring buying season, we are in fact seeing prices rise in many areas of Madison, and especially downtown. The inventory of condos for sale in Downtown Madison is much lower than in previous years, and sales are up significantly. Consider these numbers for the first 3 months of 2013 which come from our review of data from the South Central Wisconsin MLS:

Dane County condo sales were up by a whopping 59% from the first 3 months of 2012, but even more startling downtown sales were up by 89%.  That's right, during the January through March time period, downtown condo sales totaled 34 purchases versus 18 the year before. We expect this pace

It may seem hard to believe, but Madison buyers are embracing the condo once again. Enticed by low interest rates and lower prices, buyers have jumped back into the Madison condo market in a big way. Consider these numbers which come from our review of data from the South Central Wisconsin MLS:

• Dane County condo sales have increased each of the last 11 months.
• Condo sales in 2012 increased by 30% from the year before.
• Sales have accelerated in recent months, with January and February condo purchases increasing by 58% and 56%, respectively.
• Pending condo sales (condo listings with accepted offers) are 51% higher right now compared to the same time last year.
• With more buyers choosing condos, the inventory of condos for sale has fallen

Getting ready to sell your Madison area home or condo? There are many different factors that will influence the success of your real estate marketing plan. One of the most important of factors is how your home presents online. Remember, over 90% of all buyers first learn about a listing by viewing it on the internet, and the number one reason buyers use the internet is to evaluate a listing's aesthetic appeal.

This means your staging and your professional photos are two critical elements that will play a huge role in the overall success of your sale. They'll greatly influence the number of showings that your listing receives, the amount of time that your home is on the market, and the price at which your home sells.

Below are some examples of high

What makes Madison, Wisconsin original and unique? The neighborhoods. Madison is home to an amazing variety of local settings, each with its own identity and character. There is no better example of this than the neighborhoods on Madison's Near East Side. Authentic. Ecclectic. Urban. Unique. All of these terms have been used to describe the neighborhoods on the Near East Side of Madison.

The real estate on Madison's Near East Side dates back to the late 1800s and early 1900s. With homes lining Madison's Isthmus and the city's two iconic lakes, the setting of the Near East Side is like no other in Madtown.

The Near East Side is home to Lake Mendota, Lake Monona, Atwood Avenue, "Willy Street", James Madison Park, and Olbrich Gardens. It's the unique