Most of the popular real estate websites have home valuation tools that can be interesting and fun to interact with. In the matter of a few seconds, we can find our home online, and see how our home's value is changing from month-to-month.  

But usually these online valuations are a gross approximation of the market, not a true reflection of it. 

Take this Madison area property, for instance. According to one popular website, this home's market value increased by almost $140,000 in a single day. This happened because the home was listed for sale on May 1st at a price that was much higher than the website's estimated value. So when the home hit the market, the website automatically updated its value based on the list price of the home. 

This is

We continue to be blown away by the work of Stephen Meyer and Phenomenal Carpet Care. Stephen is one of those rare people who approaches his work as a craft, someone who truly takes pride in his work. 

Here's one example from a recent client. 

If you're getting ready to sell your home, cleaning your carpets is a smart choice that always more than pays for itself. Visit phenomenalcarpetcare.com to get started. 

And a quick reminder: Please reach out to us whenever you need help finding reputable contractors for your home improvement projects. We're always happy to help you make the right connection. 

We have no way of accurately predicting if and when mortgage rates might drop below 6%, but let's assume at some point they do.

When this happens, we do expect more homeowners who are locked into a low mortgage rate to list their home for sale. It's reasonable to expect that supply will increase when mortgage rates fall. 

At the same time, we also expect many more buyers -- enticed by lower rates -- to enter the market. Demand will rise when mortgage rates fall. 

So very likely, the net effect of lower rates will be more upward pressure on home prices.

The bottom line for you: If one of your life goals is to become a homeowner, it's important for you to know that there is a cost of waiting for a lower rate. So rather than wait for a lower rate

We've written extensively about why we expect Madison area home and condo prices to continue to appreciate for the foreseeable future. But there's one underlying trend that we haven't really delved into, and that's the large number of millennials who are aging into their peak home-buying years. 

See the chart below from the economics blog, Calculated Risk, which shows the largest population groups by year using data and projections from the US Census. As the chart shows, a large number of millennials are aging into their 30's, and it's the 30 to 39 age range when most people enter into homeownership. 

Madison is already home to a large and thriving millennial population, which is just one more reason why we expect strong demand and appreciating home

Madison area home and condo listings increased slightly in the month of April, but remained low by historical standards. And even though 30-year mortgage rates have moved above 7%, we continue to see more buyers than sellers in Dane County. We'll be releasing our full reports on the month of April real soon. Stay tuned. 

When you fully market your home and expose your listing to the entire market, you reap the benefits of competition. As an example, during the first four months of 2024, we have a large group of sellers who are accepting offers from 5 percent to as much 26 percent over the list price, with two homes selling for more than $100,000 above the list. 

The bottom line: Sometimes there are good reasons to consider a "quiet sale". But if your primary objective is to maximize your return on investment, then marketing your home to all potential buyers is the clear choice. 

Mad City Dream Homes accepted offers over the list (January 1st - April 30th)

• Property 1: 5%
• Property 2: 6%
• Property 3: 8% 
• Property 4: 8%
• Property 5: 10%
• Property 6: