Dane County home prices rose for all 3 of our measures in October, as accepted offers increased and new listings decreased. Here's our transparent view of the October Madison area single family home market as we head into the holiday season. 

Note all of our statistics are sourced from the South Central Wisconsin MLS database. 

Dane County home prices 

October Madison area home prices

• The price per square foot increased from $232 in October of 2024 to $249 in October of 2025, up 7 percent. 
• The median price increased from $458,000 to $497,000, up 8 percent.  
• The average price moved higher from $510,913 to $573,645, up 12 percent. 

Year-to-date home prices through October

• The price per square foot grew from $241 in

This is what one of our recent clients had to say after working with Shelley on the sale of her condo. It was Shelley's expertise, professionalism, and communication that put her mind at ease as Shelley capably guided her through her sale. 

Like Shelley's client, you deserve to feel supported, not stressed. That's the difference you'll experience when you work with a professional who offers deep expertise and genuine care for your journey. 

Dane County condo prices were mixed in October, indicating that the growth in local condo prices may be adjusting to a more moderate pace. Here's our transparent view of the October Madison area condo market, along with our year-to-date review of the first 10 months of the year. 

Note all of our statistics are sourced from the South Central Wisconsin MLS database. 

Dane County condo prices 

October Dane County condo prices

• The price per square foot increased from $221 in October of 2024 to $228 in October of 2025, up 3 percent. 
• The median price decreased from $303,000 to $300,000, down 1 percent.  
• The average price decreased from $362,949 to $350,269, down 3 percent. 

Year-to-date condo prices through October

• The

"Little by little, one travels far." -- 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

Home and condo listings decreased last month, even with mortgage rates trending lower. Here's a quick look at Dane County listing activity for the month of October, 2025. 

Dane County single family homes 

A total of 447 Dane County single family homes were listed for sale on the MLS in October, down 6 percent from the 475 listed for sale in October of 2024. Note single family home listings are up 2 percent through the first 10 months of the year, but remain low compared to most other years this century. 

Dane County condos

A total of 144 condos were listed for sale in October, which was down 10 percent from the year before. Through the first 10 months of the year, Dane County condo listings are up by 2 percent from the year before, while

At Mad City Dream Homes, we're helping a number of clients prepare for their 2026 listing right now, to ensure a smooth and successful sale early next year. In the spirit of being prepared, here are four activities you can work on right now to prep for your upcoming sale. 

4 steps for a successful 2026 real estate listing

1) Schedule your realtor consultation to discuss the market, the home-selling process, and how you can best prepare for your listing. Your realtor will help you understand your home's current market value, and map out the steps and timeline leading up to your sale. 

2) Schedule your exterior and aerial photos this fall while we still have beautiful colors and before the winter season sets in. Your colorful, fall photos will come

Not every willing home seller has their home listed for sale on the open market. Some of the best buying opportunities aren't listed for sale at all. They're out there, but they're hiding in the shadows. 

One way to surface a hidden buying opportunity is to launch a letter campaign for your preferred neighborhood or condo community. This approach continues to work well for our clients. It's a proven, time-tested way to find a willing seller before their home hits the open market. 

Another proven approach is to scour expired listings. Expired listings are the properties that were once listed for sale on the MLS, but didn't end up selling. You won't find any of these properties on any website, but your buyer agent can easily identify the expired

Many of the best contractors are the small, mom and pop businesses run by owners who started their business from scratch. Think of the the painter who skillfully paints each surface and gives your home a fresh new look. The carpenter who follows through on their promises and remodels your kitchen with a special attention to detail. And the roofer who properly installs a new roof, with all of the correct ventilation and flashing, and for a fair fee, too. 

All of these contractors got to where they are today because they have a strong work ethic, because they take pride in their work. 

These are the exact traits that you want from the people who work on your home. And yet, it can be hard to find one of these contractors. And when you do find one, it

We'll be releasing our 2026 Dane County real estate predictions real soon. In the meantime, we can share that we do see the growth in local home and condo prices moderating in 2026. 

Why do we predict slower price growth in 2026? Inventory has been quietly and steadily improving over the last two years, and the city of Madison will be adding two new large subdivisions in the coming year. Both of these are positive developments that will make homeownership more accessible to more people in the year ahead. 

In the long run we do expect our growing population to continue to fuel more price appreciation over the next few decades. One recent study projects Dane County's population to grow to 887,000 residents by the year 2050 (more than 325,000 residents

At Mad City Dream Homes, we continue to enjoy serving you as a team, so you receive the real estate service and expertise you need, when you need it: 

When you're buying, our entire team is here to serve you, so you always have a professional by your side for all of your showings, for your home inspection and negotiation, for your final walk-through, and for your closing.

When you're selling, we work collaboratively to help you repair and update your home, stage your home, price your home, market your home, and conduct open houses. 

And when you need the assistance of other reputable service providers, we bring in other collaborative professionals (lenders, title companies, insurance agents, contractors, stagers, and photographers) who work with