Thinking of building a new home in Madison, Wisconsin? You're not alone. Housing starts in the Madison area are up by more than 75% through the first two months of 2013. And we see the trend toward more home-building continuing throughout the year.

Here are a few reasons why:

1. The inventory of existing homes is at its lowest point since 2005.
2. Foreclosures continue to decline rapidly, which well help to keep inventories of existing homes low.
3. Demand is high. Madison homes are selling at their fastest pace in the last 6 years.
4. There is a large, pent-up demand for real estate, which suggests we'll continue to see robust sales in the year ahead. Contrast this to the last several years when home sales were at depressed levels and consumers

One of the great gems from the city of Monona is the Aldo Leopold Nature Center located at 330 Femrite Drive just off Madison's East Side. The nature center offers a wonderful opportunity to explore the outdoors and learn about the environment. If you enjoy getting out into and learning about the natural world, be sure to add the nature center as a "must see" destination to your list of Spring activities.

This Saturday, March 24th, the center will host its annual Maple Syrup Fest from 1:00 to 3:00 PM. This is a fun, interactive event for the whole family. Learn how to tap a real maple tree, and taste the fruits of your labor!

While you're out and about on the East Side check out the spring thaw along Lake Monona, and if it's warm enough, grab a

Thinking of selling your Madison home or condo? Keep this in mind as you prepare for your sale: When buyers view online listings, first and foremost they are drawn to the visual elements of each home. The listing photos and the video create the first impression and the lasting impression for each listing. They evoke the emotions that will either help or hinder a sale.

A well-staged home with eye-popping photos and a professionally-narrated video will receive immediate and strong interest from motivated buyers. A poorly staged home with a poor visual presentation will receive a lackluster response.

The good news for you is you can control the outcome of your sale. With the help of our interior designer, you can get your home in prime showing shape.

Downtown Madison is known for its wide assortment of arts, entertainment, shopping, food, and drink establishments. It's also a great place for kids. One great example is the "Kids in the Rotunda" artistic series held each Saturday at the Overture Center from September through April. Performances are held at 9:30 AM, 11:00 AM, and 1:00 PM. The series offers a wide variety of shows in a kid-friendly setting. Music, dancing, theatre, storytelling, and magic are all a part of the line-up at the Overture Center. The Irish Trinity Dancers are the featured performers this Saturday. Arrive early and be prepared for a truly entertaining show!

Another great family destination is the Madison Children's Museum at 100 N. Hamilton Street on the Capitol Square. The

It may seem hard to believe, but Madison buyers are embracing the condo once again. Enticed by low interest rates and lower prices, buyers have jumped back into the Madison condo market in a big way. Consider these numbers which come from our review of data from the South Central Wisconsin MLS:

• Dane County condo sales have increased each of the last 11 months.
• Condo sales in 2012 increased by 30% from the year before.
• Sales have accelerated in recent months, with January and February condo purchases increasing by 58% and 56%, respectively.
• Pending condo sales (condo listings with accepted offers) are 51% higher right now compared to the same time last year.
• With more buyers choosing condos, the inventory of condos for sale has fallen

"March Madness" has descended upon Madison, Wisconsin. That means plenty of hoops action at the Kohl Center. The boys state basketball tournament begins this Thursday at the Kohl Center, followed by the girls state tournament next week at the Resch Center in Green Bay. Bucky will also be playing his heart out, hopefully into the later rounds of the NCAA tournament.

The term "March Madness" also applies to our local real estate market. With more demand and less supply, many sellers are benefiting from a feeding frenzy for homes. As one client commented to me this weekend, "this market is crazy!". Her first 3 showings resulted in 3 offers (all of them above the list price), and we had her house sold in 4 days.

This is the kind of market we expect

There are many great benefits to living in the Madison, WI area. Madison offers an amazing variety of arts, entertainment, cultural, educational and recreational opportunities for a city of its size. Even with so much to do in Madison, an increasing number of locals are "slowing down" and getting back to their roots with Community Supported Agriculture.

What is Community Supported Agriculture?

Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) is a coming together of individuals who support and participate in the experience of farming locally-grown food. The greater Madison area is home to dozens of small CSA farms, where members can choose to participate in the farming experience in a variety of ways. A growing number of Madisonians are choosing to join a local

We have two Verona homes for sale with our newest listing at 913 Maple Road in the popular Cross Country Heights neighborhood. Just down the road from the Epic Systems campus, this 3 bedroom/ 2 bath tri-level home is value priced at $230,000.

It features a sunlit living room, kitchen with breakfast bar, a dining area that exits to the rear deck and fenced in back yard, a family room with wood-burning fireplace, plenty of storage, and an attached 2 car garage. Don't miss out on this opportunity to own this great Verona home at a fantastic value. Take a short video tour of this wonderful home, and contact us for your own personal property tour.

Contact us for a tour of 913 Maple Raod and for all of your home buying and home selling needs in Verona,

If you've been searching the internet for Madison real estate, you've seen plenty of listings for vacant homes and condos. Yes, some of these units are foreclosures. The problem with many vacant home listings is they often present as a foreclosure, even if they are not! Bland photos with no color. And no online video tours. What it is that makes these homes special? That can be hard to discern from the listings themselves.

The good news for the vacant home owner is that great staging requires only a small investment, and the results are worth every penny and more. The goal of staging a vacant home is to give the home some color and life so the listing photos capture the attention of online buyers. Great photos generate more showings; more showings

Homes in the Village of Shorewood Hills are among the most highly valued in all of Dane County. Why is Shorewood Hills real estate held in such high regard? It begins with the properties themselves. Original. Historic. Diverse. Picturesque. All of these terms apply to the wide assortment of houses in Shorewood Hills.

For most buyers the attraction to Shorewood Hills is about much more than real estate. It's also about the natural setting that the Village offers. Perched up against the Lake Mendota shoreline, the Village of Shorewood Hills offers an amazing variety of natural spaces and inspiring views. If you like hiking, biking, swimming, boating, fishing - or simply a quiet walk and a lakefront sunset - Shorewood Hills offers plenty of shoreline,