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        <title>Mad City Dream Homes Real Estate Blog, Madison WI</title>
        <link>https://www.madcitydreamhomes.com/blog/property-search/</link>
        <description>Your Madison WI real estate blog. News &amp; views about Madison area homes, condos &amp; South Central Wisconsin real estate. Questions? Call 608-852-7071</description>
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    <guid>https://www.madcitydreamhomes.com/blog/chipping-away-at-your-real-estate-goals-one-day-at-a-time1.html</guid>
    <link>https://www.madcitydreamhomes.com/blog/chipping-away-at-your-real-estate-goals-one-day-at-a-time1.html</link>
        <author>contact@madcitydreamhomes.com (Dan Miller, REALTOR)</author>
        <title>Your real estate goals: one step at a time, one day at a time</title>
    <description> <![CDATA[ 
&quot;Little by little, one travels far.&quot; -- J.R.R. Tolkien


Whether you're working to build up your down payment, improve your credit score, or prepare your home for the market, you'll make amazing progress toward your goal by approaching it one step at a time, one day at a time. We've seen it play out over and over again, with hundreds of clients. The key is having the gumption to take that first step. 


At Mad City Dream Homes, we're here to help you take your first step, and keep making consistent progress toward your goals. We do this by helping you develop a good plan, by connecting you with helpful resources, and by working alongside you each step of the way. 


So what real estate goals are you hoping to accomplish in the year ahead? Call us for a helpful consultation. We'll help you develop a timeline and a plan, and take that crucial first step. Once you take your first step, you'll be amazed how quickly your small actions add up to big results.
 ]]> </description>
    <pubDate>Wed, 05 Nov 2025 05:39:00 -0600</pubDate>
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    <guid>https://www.madcitydreamhomes.com/blog/why-is-that-house-so-insert-your-adjective-here.html</guid>
    <link>https://www.madcitydreamhomes.com/blog/why-is-that-house-so-insert-your-adjective-here.html</link>
        <author>amanda@madcitydreamhomes.com (Amanda Verbrick)</author>
        <title>Why is that house so .. [insert your adjective here]?</title>
    <description> <![CDATA[ 


We love to keep the lines of communication open with you, even before you’re ready to buy. If you ever see a home online that piques your curiosity, we’re happy to help you find answers. 


Why is that home so cheap? So pricey? Still for sale?






There’s often a clear story about each home when we pull back the curtain, and we love to help our clients educate themselves during the (even casual) home search. And better yet, we love helping them find a home that’s an incredible value. Reach out if you could use our help. 


 ]]> </description>
    <pubDate>Mon, 25 Aug 2025 13:56:00 -0500</pubDate>
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<item>
    <guid>https://www.madcitydreamhomes.com/blog/is-that-house-available.html</guid>
    <link>https://www.madcitydreamhomes.com/blog/is-that-house-available.html</link>
        <author>amanda@madcitydreamhomes.com (Amanda Verbrick)</author>
        <title>Is that house available? </title>
    <description> <![CDATA[ 
Online real estate platforms can be filled with industry jargon and terminology often varies from site to site. So, what do all these statuses mean?For Sale / Active:This seller has not yet committed to a buyer and is still looking to enter into a purchase contract. The home is “on the market,” and the seller is likely welcoming buyers for showings or an open house.Pending / Contingent / Offer-Show / Offer-No Show:This seller has chosen a buyer and is committed to moving forward with that purchase contract in good faith. However, they have not yet signed the final paperwork to transfer ownership. The seller and buyer may be using this time to work through agreed-upon contingencies, arrange funds, or prepare to move. Often the seller is no longer welcoming buyers for showings.Offer-BumpThis seller has chosen a buyer and is committed to moving forward with that purchase contract, but there is a stipulation in the purchase contract that a new buyer could supersede the current buyer under certain conditions. Often the seller is still welcoming buyers for showings.Sold / ClosedThe sale is complete and ownership has been transferred to the buyer and the home is “off the market.”The Mad City Dream Homes team is happy to help you decipher the online site you’re looking at or provide you with more accurate and timely resources. Give us a call anytime.
 ]]> </description>
    <pubDate>Mon, 14 Oct 2024 18:46:00 -0500</pubDate>
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<item>
    <guid>https://www.madcitydreamhomes.com/blog/new-property-search-tools-at-the-new-mad-city-dream-homes.html</guid>
    <link>https://www.madcitydreamhomes.com/blog/new-property-search-tools-at-the-new-mad-city-dream-homes.html</link>
        <author>contact@madcitydreamhomes.com (Dan Miller, REALTOR)</author>
        <title>New property search tools at the new Mad City Dream Homes</title>
    <description> <![CDATA[ 
We’re excited to announce we’ve launched a new platform for our website, which makes the new Mad City Dream Homes easier to use and navigate. Here are a few of the new search features that are now available at MadCityDreamHomes.com.


 


Property search from any page


Now you can launch your Madison area property search from any page on our website. This search bar allows you to quickly launch a search based on the city, neighborhood, address, street, zip code, and MLS number.





The “more options” features gives you full access to all of our MLS search criteria.





 


Content search on a desktop computer


Our new “content search” feature makes it easy to locate the real estate guides, articles and blog posts that you’re looking for. If you’re using a laptop or desktop computer, you’ll find this search bar in the upper left corner of our website.


 


Content search with your mobile device


If you’re using a mobile device, the content search bar is located within the &quot;hamburger menu&quot; in the upper right corner of the site.


 


Within the menu, you'll find the content search feature at the top of your mobile view. 





 


Searching for real estate guides


To quickly locate one of our hundreds of local real estate guides, just start typing the name of the city, neighborhood, or condo association that you’re interested in. 





 


Searching for articles 


To locate an article covering your area of interest, simply enter a topic. 


 


 


Searching for blog posts  


To find a blog post covering your area of interest, just enter your preferred topic. 


 


 


Browsing our real estate guides


Another great resource is our new communities menu. We've added sub-pages to our menu so you can quickly browse our real estate profiles for Madison neighborhoods, Madison condo associations, Suburban neighborhoods, and Suburban condo associations. 


 


 


Do you have questions about our new website?


Reach out to us anytime with your questions or any ideas you have for making our website better. We'd love to receive your feedback and we're here to help
 ]]> </description>
    <pubDate>Fri, 08 Feb 2019 05:23:00 -0600</pubDate>
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<item>
    <guid>https://www.madcitydreamhomes.com/blog/download-our-property-search-app.html</guid>
    <link>https://www.madcitydreamhomes.com/blog/download-our-property-search-app.html</link>
        <author>contact@madcitydreamhomes.com (Dan Miller, REALTOR)</author>
        <title>Download our Property Search App</title>
    <description> <![CDATA[ 
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 &quot;nearby&quot; feature provides answers by automatically displaying all listings within a one mile radius of your location. The color-coded display identifies for you which listings have accepted offers and which do not. To access this feature, select the nearby option on the home view of the app. Properties displayed in green do not have an accepted offer and are still available for sale. Properties displayed in blue are under contract and scheduled to close soon. Note, you can adjust your search radius by selecting the distance button at the bottom of the app. 





Draw your Own Search Area


Another handy feature is our polygon search that allows you to draw your own search territory. Select the new search button on the home view of the app. Then zoom into your preferred location and select the polygon option from the draw menu in the lower left corner of the app. 





Next, draw the outline of your target location with your finger and select the search icon in the upper right corner to load the results. Once again, listings highlighted in green do not have an accepted offer and are still available for sale. Listings highlighted in blue are under contract and scheduled to close soon. 


 


Search by Radius


Radius search works a lot like our polygon search tool. Select the new search button on the home view of the app. Then zoom into your preferred location and select the radius option from the draw menu in the lower left corner of the app. 


 


Next, draw the radius of your search location with your finger and select the search icon in the upper right corner to load the listings. Properties highlighted in green do not have an accepted offer and are still available for sale. Properties highlighted in blue are under contract and scheduled to close soon. 


 


Exclude Accepted Offers from Search Results


This is easy to do with our app. Go to the search settings view within the app. Then select the accepted offers search setting. Next, select exclude offer show/offer bump and refine search. This setting will automatically exclude all listings with an accepted offer from your search results. 


 


Search by School District


This is one of our most popular search features. Go to the search settings view within the app. Then select the school district search setting. Next, start typing the name of your preferred school district and the app will find your district for you. 





Search Open Houses


Another very popular feature. Simply select the open house search filter and then specify a date range with a from and to date. 





Search New Listings


Focus your search on the newest listings by selecting the days on market filter and your preferred listing date time frame. 





Search Garage and Parking Spaces


This feature works for both single family homes and condos. For example, the selection below identifies single family homes with garages for 3 or more cars, as well as condos with parking for 3 or more cars. 


 


Location Search Box


At the top of the app is a location search filter. Use this to search by city, MLS area, neighborhood, street, or zip code. 





All Purpose Search Filters


Additional search options include the following:




Price range


Property type (single family, condo, lots &amp; acreage, multifamily, business/commercial)


Number of bedrooms


Number of bathrooms


Property size (based on square feet)


Lot size (based on acreage)




The Mad City Dream Homes app allows you to save your searches, receive automatic updates, and save your favorite listings, too. We'll be adding more useful features to our mobile app very soon. In the meantime, reach out to us anytime and let us know which features you'd like to see added to our app. We welcome your input
 ]]> </description>
    <pubDate>Tue, 13 Dec 2016 05:20:00 -0600</pubDate>
</item>
<item>
    <guid>https://www.madcitydreamhomes.com/blog/focus-your-search-on-available-properties.html</guid>
    <link>https://www.madcitydreamhomes.com/blog/focus-your-search-on-available-properties.html</link>
        <author>contact@madcitydreamhomes.com (Dan Miller, REALTOR)</author>
        <title>Focusing your Search on AVAILABLE Properties</title>
    <description> <![CDATA[ 
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. 


&quot;Active, Newest 1st&quot; 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 &quot;active&quot; (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 &quot;offer-show&quot; (accepted offer). With this default sort order you are always presented with the newest, available listings first.


 


&quot;Active, Low $ 1st&quot; Sort Order


You can change the default sort order if you wish to one of several other options. One other useful option is the &quot;active, low $ 1st&quot; sort order. This sort order shows all of the &quot;active&quot; listings at the top sorted from lowest to highest price. Listings with accepted offers are shown after the listings with the &quot;active&quot; status, as shown in the example below. 





More Sort Options


Now listings can be sorted in a total of 6 different ways. All of these sort options can be used with the listings that you identify yourself with your own customized search. We'll be adding more useful search features in the near future. Contact us in the meantime with your own suggestions. We welcome any feedback which helps us make our website better. 
 ]]> </description>
    <pubDate>Sun, 11 Dec 2016 21:51:00 -0600</pubDate>
</item>
<item>
    <guid>https://www.madcitydreamhomes.com/blog/tools-to-improve-your-property-search.html</guid>
    <link>https://www.madcitydreamhomes.com/blog/tools-to-improve-your-property-search.html</link>
        <author>contact@madcitydreamhomes.com (Dan Miller, REALTOR)</author>
        <title>Searching by School District</title>
    <description> <![CDATA[ 
Have you tried the Mad City Dream Homes app yet? It's available for both iPhone and Android, and can be downloaded at no cost. The app simplifies your property search and comes with some key functions to make targeting the right properties simple.


In this case, we're looking at how to search for homes by school district. You start by hitting the search button on the home screen (lower left). This takes you to a map (lower right). Click on the magnifying glass at the top to define your search.





Since school district boundaries don't always match the home address, it is convenient to search for the specific school district you are targeting in your search.  The app allows you to enter your preferred district, along with other information that is key to your search. Options include the number of bedrooms, bathrooms, square feet and price parameters. In this case, we're searching for homes in the Middleton-Cross Plains School District. 





After entering your preferred information, hit &quot;Search.&quot;  This will be in the search section of the app (as pictured in the top left). The map will appear (middle image), and allow you to select properties that are in the areas of town you prefer. You can also select &quot;list&quot; in the bottom corner to see photos of the homes for sale (as pictured on the right). You'll notice in this case, that the homes are in Middleton, but also in Cross Plains, Westport and surrounding areas.


After getting the list, you can browse the homes that matched your search. You can also sort them by price, and by the recency of the listing. You can choose to save your search. This will allow you to track properties that meet your preferences over time.  You can also register with us. This free service allows you to tell us exactly what properties interest you. Then, we will email you updates when new listings meet your criteria, or when there is a price change on a property you might consider. In either case, we are trying to make your home search as easy as possible. Take a look at the app, and we think you'll enjoy its simplified search features.


 
 ]]> </description>
    <pubDate>Wed, 02 Nov 2016 14:24:00 -0500</pubDate>
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<item>
    <guid>https://www.madcitydreamhomes.com/blog/searching-nearby-listings-and-sales.html</guid>
    <link>https://www.madcitydreamhomes.com/blog/searching-nearby-listings-and-sales.html</link>
        <author>contact@madcitydreamhomes.com (Dan Miller, REALTOR)</author>
        <title>Searching Nearby Listings and Sales </title>
    <description> <![CDATA[ 
The Mad City Dream Homes app is designed to make property searching easy. You can find the app in both the Apple App Store and Google Play by searching &quot;Mad City Dream Homes.&quot;  


 


There is no charge for this app, and it takes up very little memory on your phone or device. Once downloaded, we think you'll be pleased with its features and capabilities. For now, let's look at the &quot;nearby&quot; search option. This is especially helpful if you are:


1. Trying to get current sales information for your neighborhood:


The app allows you to view all listings within a short radius of your home. These listings will appear on the map, with their asking price. This is useful if you're trying to determine your own home's value. 


2. Targeting a specific part of town for relocation:


Head over to the neighborhood of your choice. This app will allow you to quickly identify all available properties. You can then click through each one, and determine if your real estate preferences are available in the current market. 


Whether you use the app for selling a current listing, or purchasing a new one, it gives you a quick glance of the properties available, and their listing prices. Let's take a look at how the app works.  For Android users, it looks like this:





Select the &quot;nearby&quot; option. From here, you'll be asked for permission to use your location. Choose &quot;yes&quot; and then the map will zoom into a 1 mile radius of your location. Your location is identified by the blue dot. In this instance, the map is showing properties in Skyview Meadows/Westhaven Trails. 





Green listings are active with no accepted offers. Blue listings show active listings that already have accepted offers. You can view each listing by tapping it, or by list view. If you choose list view, you will be give the option to sort the listings by price or by date listed. You can also refine your search by selecting the magnifying glass in the top right corner. This gives you options like the number of bedrooms, bathrooms, square footage and more.





You can also swipe the screen to move the map, and see additional listings. Or, if you don't like the radius offered, you can adjust it. Hit draw on the bottom left of the screen, and you'll have the option to either draw a polygon of your own, or adjust the radius to match your search needs. Both options help you tailor your search to the area you prefer.





Whether you use the app for buying or selling, this search function provides a very simple way to target a neighborhood, and learn everything you can about its real estate opportunities. Take a look at the options near you. We can help you use this information to create a strong listing for your home. Or, we can utilize this tool, and others, to help you find the right home in your targeted neighborhood. Contact us today, and we'll work with you to accomplish your real estate goals.
 ]]> </description>
    <pubDate>Thu, 22 Sep 2016 22:33:00 -0500</pubDate>
</item>
<item>
    <guid>https://www.madcitydreamhomes.com/blog/condo-search-tools.html</guid>
    <link>https://www.madcitydreamhomes.com/blog/condo-search-tools.html</link>
        <author>contact@madcitydreamhomes.com (Dan Miller, REALTOR)</author>
        <title>Condo Search Tools</title>
    <description> <![CDATA[ 
At Mad City Dream Homes we offer several handy tools which help you focus your condominium search. We cover a few of our most popular condo search features below. Of course, you can contact us anytime and we'll do the searching for you. We're out pounding the pavement everyday in search of both listed and unlisted condominiums. Let us know what you're looking for, and we'll get to work for you. In the meantime, check out these features which are designed to make your search easier. 


Check out all of our property search tips here. 


Condo Guide Quick Search


Go to the upper left corner of our website and you'll find our multi-purpose search bar that helps you quickly locate the guide for your preferred condo community. For example, let's suppose you're interested in viewing our Tamarack Trails condo guide. Just start typing the word &quot;tamarack&quot; into the search bar and you'll be presented with a link to our condominium guide. 





 


Search by Condo Project


You can also browse listings in your preferred condo community by going to our search page and scrolling to the condo project filter. In this example, let's assume you're looking for condos at Metropolitan Place. Start typing the word &quot;metropolitan&quot; and you'll be presented with all of the condo project labels for listings belonging to Metropolitan Place I and II. 


 


Search by Condo Floor


You can also search by condo floor. Once again, go to our search page and then scroll to the condo floor filter. This filter helps you focus your search by level, including penthouse listings. 


 


Search by Condo Pet Policy


Our pet policy filter, also on our main search page, helps you focus your search based on the pet rules for an association. Our search tool lets you specify &quot;no pets&quot;, &quot;cats OK&quot;, &quot;No Preference&quot;, or &quot;dogs OK&quot;. For more info, click here. 





Search Condo Parking


Our parking search tool allows you to identify condo listings based on the number of designated parking spots. 





Check out our Madison Condo Guide. It's your one-stop resource for the Madison area condo scene.
 ]]> </description>
    <pubDate>Sat, 16 Jul 2016 08:56:00 -0500</pubDate>
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<item>
    <guid>https://www.madcitydreamhomes.com/blog/how-to-search-for-accepted-offers.html</guid>
    <link>https://www.madcitydreamhomes.com/blog/how-to-search-for-accepted-offers.html</link>
        <author>contact@madcitydreamhomes.com (Dan Miller, REALTOR)</author>
        <title>How to Search for Accepted Offers</title>
    <description> <![CDATA[ 
In a hot real estate market having the right focus can make all the difference between buying or missing out on your dream home. One good way to focus your search is to target properties which don't yet have an accepted offer. At Mad City Dream Homes our search tools make it easy to exclude listings with accepted offers from your search results. 


Download our free property search app to see which listings have accepted offers and which ones are still available for sale. 


Excluding Accepted Offers from Search Results


As an example, let's suppose you'd like to search for all Monona condos which don't yet have an accepted offer. Here are the settings for your search:




Enter &quot;Monona&quot; in the location field.


Select &quot;Condo&quot; as the property type.


Select &quot;Show Active&quot; as your accepted offers setting.


Then click &quot;Find Your Home&quot;. 







 Your search results will then display only those Monona condo listings which are still active and don't yet have an accepted offer. 


 


Another Search Tip for a Hot Market


Another effective search strategy is to save your search settings and select the instant email frequency. This setting ensures you'll be notified of new listings right after they are posted to the MLS. When you do find a listing you like, let us know right away, and we'll get you into the property ASAP. 





 





 


Looking for more property search tips? You'll find all of them here. 
 ]]> </description>
    <pubDate>Sun, 26 Jun 2016 08:21:00 -0500</pubDate>
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