Here's our latest look at the Dane County single family home market. Do you have questions? Please contact us for a helpful conversation. In the meantime, here's our review of all the latest local trends. 

Madison area home prices

The Dane County price per square foot set a new record for the month of September, jumping from $191 in September of 2021 to $214 in September of 2022. Prices increased 12% year-over-year and 14% year-to-date.

New MLS listings

One reason prices remain high is that new listings are entering the market at a slow pace. Through the first 9 months of the year, single family home listings are entering the market at the slowest pace since the year 2000.

Single family home inventory

Because fewer people are

Congratulations to our home-selling clients, who are enjoying a very productive fall season!

• To our seller, Ken, who accepted a full-price offer. 
• To our clients, Jenny and Robert, who accepted an offer for $10,000 above the list. 
• And to our clients, Cindy and Dwight, who received multiple offers and accepted one for more than $50,000 above the list. 

All three of these stories are great reminders that quality always sells, and that preparation and attention to detail matter. The repairs and maintenance. The cosmetics and staging. The photos and marketing. The pricing and negotiation. All of it matters. And all of it makes an impact. 

You're getting ready to sell your home and you're about to enter into one of the most significant financial transactions of your life. So how do you hire the right listing agent at a time when there are more realtors than there are homes for sale? Here are a few helpful suggestions for hiring the right professional.

First, ask the people you know for their recommendations.

You can start by reaching out to your friends and family and asking them to share a little bit about their recent home-selling experience. What did you friends and family learn about the home selling process? What worked well and what didn't work well for them? Do any of your friends and family HIGHLY recommend the listing agent that they worked with? If so, ask them to

Right now both groups are a little timid -- which our data makes abundantly clear.

Buyers, for one, are scheduling fewer showings.

According to our data from ShowingTime, buyer traffic is well below the levels from each of the last three years.

Madison area home sellers are less active, too. 

Through the first 9 months of the year, new Dane County single family home listings have been entering the market at the slowest pace since at least 1999 (which is our earliest year for MLS data). What's more, the slowdown in new listings has accelerated in the months of July, August, and September.

Madison area condo sellers are also less active.

Through the first 9 months of the year, new Dane County condo listings have been entering the

For many people, owning a home is about one or more of these aspirations: 

• creating a future, and creating memories
• laying down roots, and raising a family
• breaking bread, and connecting with community
• connecting with nature, and nurturing creativity
• enhancing health, and having a sanctuary
• building wealth, and creating prosperity
• aging in place, and aging with dignity

Depending on your priorities and your stage of life, homeownership can mean many different things. So, what does homeownership mean to you? We would love to hear from you and help you explore the possibilities. Contact your Mad City Dream Homes realtor to get started. 

Where will you choose to live? What type of home will help you live your best life? Where are the opportunities and pitfalls in today’s market? We're here to help you plan for your future. Contact your Mad City Dream Homes realtor to get started. 

And we're always looking for the next generous person to join our team.

Here are a few kinds of generosity that we look for from every team member:

• Generosity with how we support our clients and our colleagues. 
• Generosity with our attitude and how we choose to communicate.
• Generosity with our willingness to share ideas and solve interesting problems.
• And generosity with how we nurture relationships and build trust.

If this is the type of career environment that resonates with you, then we would absolutely love to hear from you. Just reach out to Dan for coffee and a conversation. We'd love to learn more about what makes you tick and help you explore your career in real estate. 

When you're interviewing buyer agents, we recommend asking open-ended questions and then letting each agent talk.

For example, you might try asking open-ended questions like these:

• What advice do you have for me as a home buyer?
• What will you do to help me find and buy the right home?
• Can you tell me a little bit about your customer service philosophy? 
• What's going on in the market right now? 
• And what is the market like for the type of home that I'm seeking to buy? 

When each realtor responds to your questions, are they trying to sell you, or help you? Do they launch into sales mode and ask you to sign a buyer agency agreement? Or do they ask you questions of their own in order to learn more about your needs and how they

Then we invite you to try working by relationship instead. A relationship where generous and hardworking people come together in pursuit of a common goal. 

Here's what we keep learning about working by relationship, time and time again:

When like-minded people bring their best to each other -- and collaborate -- the results are often extraordinary. And in the end, every investment of time, attention, communication, creativity, problem-solving, and effort is worth it...and then some. 

It wasn't too long ago that you could sell your home without much fuss at all. You didn't need to address deferred maintenance or repairs. You didn't have to worry about cosmetics or staging. And you didn't need to mess with marketing. For awhile, it seemed all you really needed to do was take a few iPhone photos, choose whatever price you wanted, and load your listing onto the MLS. And then, wait for the offers to roll in. 

Well those days are pretty much over.

Now, many sellers are learning that buyers have become much more selective than they were just a few months ago. And that preparation and attention to detail matter. The repairs and maintenance. The cosmetics and staging. The photos and marketing. The pricing and negotiation. All of it