Congratulations! You’ve just signed your listing contract and put your home on the market. You’re excited and a little nervous about the prospects for your sale, and you’d like to know whether or not your listing is on track as your marketing plan unfolds. So how do you know if your listing is moving in the right direction? Here are 3 forms of feedback that will help you answer this question.

Three types of listing feedback

Here are the 3 types of feedback that will help you track the progress of your listing.

#1: How many showings is your listing generating?

This first form of feedback comes down to whether or not your listing is generating enough showings in order to attract an offer. Here are a few guidelines you can use to evaluate

We recently listed and sold this condominium in the Town of Westport for $10,000 above the list price, which far exceeded our clients' expectations for their sale. The two biggest reasons for our clients' success were the staging and photography plans that we included in the marketing plan. The "before and after" photos below show the dramatic, positive impact that our stager and photographer had on this listing.

Living room photo before and after staging

The photo on the left shows the living room before the staging process began. The professional photo on the right shows the living room after our client worked with our preferred stager, Debbie Lea. 

Enhancing a listing with aerial photography

Next, we took our marketing to the next level

At Mad City Dream Homes, we create an individualized marketing plan for every home and condo we sell. Each property has its unique selling points, and our marketing plans reflect that. We design our marketing plans to maximize each client's return on investment.

Customized marketing solutions

Every successful listing begins with a good plan and a great team of professionals to carry it out. Below we share a few examples of how our team customizes our marketing according to the unique needs of each client. 

Staging an occupied home

The most effective way to increase a property's value is to stage it under the guidance of a qualified professional. This is why we connect you with Debbie Lea, the best professional home stager in the Madison

For a little insight, check out our graph below, which shows the number of accepted offers during the first 11 months of 2018. As the numbers below show, buyer activity is strongest in March, April, and May. Year in and year out the best time to sell is late winter and early spring. If you're planning to sell in 2019, this means the time to start preparing for your sale is right now. 

How to prepare for your 2019 listing

Here are 4 steps you can take right now for a successful listing in 2019. 

1) Contact your favorite Mad City Dream Homes agent. Your agent will help you select the right price point, customize your marketing plan, and identify low-cost cosmetic updates that will improve your home’s value.

2) Schedule your professional

Recently a Madison-area home owner contacted us and asked us to assist her with her sale. Her previous listing with another brokerage had expired without selling, and she was looking for some new ideas, more showings, and a quick offer.

When we visited with her at her home, we saw some opportunities to improve her listing and help her accomplish her goals. The "before and after" photos below demonstrate why we were able to help our client move forward with a successful sale. 

Master bedroom: before and after photos

This listing photo shows the master bedroom after we helped our client prepare her home for showings. 

This photo shows the master bedroom before we began the staging process. 

The results

We spent two weeks preparing

Unlike many 12 year olds who spent their summers watching cartoons and playing sports, Stephen Meyer helped his dad clean carpets. In the years since then, he's worked for other companies and started his own, picking up tons of tricks and techniques -- not to mention stains -- along the way.

Stephen's enthusiasm for his craft and care for his clients is embedded into every fiber of his being. When his father was in the hospital and realized he could no longer continue Affordable Carpet Care in Sun Prairie, it was the relationships he built with customers that came to mind. Stephen recalls him saying, "It's not the carpet -- it's always the people."

To ensure clients received the very best service, Stephen launched his own business six years ago,

At Mad City Dream Homes we create a customized marketing plan for each home-selling client. A key part of our marketing is the staging plan that we develop for each new listing. As you'll see from the 5 recent listings below, we customize our approach according to the needs of each individual property. 

Success story #1: staging an occupied home by Debbie Lea

This listing was prepped for sale by home staging extraordinaire, Debbie Lea. Debbie's staging plan helped our seller receive multiple offers and a record sales price for this condo association. 

Success story #2: staging a luxury property with rented furniture

For this luxury listing, Debbie Lea collaborated with Brook Furniture Rental by selecting the furniture, artwork and

Sometimes it takes a turn of events for you to find your passion. For Grant Priehs, a move to Madison was the impetus to explore new opportunities and do what he loves.

Priehs left work as an Art Director at a fast-paced marketing agency and began a successful career as a handyman in Madison. His company, Honey Do Handyman Services, has provided a rewarding way to help others. “Every homeowner has a list of things they notice every day - small tasks or updates that they just never get to; their ‘Honey-do’ list. But when you’re selling your home, you don’t want to have potential buyers leaving a showing with a dozen things they’ve noticed,” he says.

Priehs enjoys helping people complete projects they may not have the time or ability to complete on

When you think about home improvements, it's common to think of the aesthetic work. Many times, the first upgrades are adding solid surface counter tops, wood flooring, or updated paint colors. These changes are all significant, and add value to your home. But while they make a beautiful impact, they will not save you money. Your monthly bills will see the greatest reduction by making changes to the energy efficiency of your home. 

Focus on Energy partners with 108 participating statewide utilities to make these cost savings possible. Their programs include simple things like swapping out old light bulbs for energy efficient models, providing incentives for the purchase of a Smart Thermostat, and they also include more significant projects, like adding

Whether you just bought a home or are getting ready to sell, there are many ways you can improve the look and functionality of your front yard. Landscape architect Paul Ganshert shares the following tips for adding plantings, lighting, and other outdoor elements to enhance your home.

Keep it clean and simple

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, so don't just install an expensive pond or retaining wall because you think you should -- it may end up being a maintenance headache for you and future homeowners. For starters, focus on the basics that appeal to a broader audience, like making sure your plants are manicured and the beds and lawn are free of weeds.

Adjust plant material

Begin by pruning existing plant material correctly and