Many older ceiling fans are big and bulky and can make a room feel crowded and dated. But many of the newer models are sleek and stylish and offer the perfect complement.

Would you like help selecting a ceiling fan for a room in your home? Please feel free to call us. Today's selection offers some beautiful and affordable designs, and we'd love to help you choose the right one. 

While we're at it, we can help you update your light fixtures, too, and connect you with a reputable contractor to install them. 

(Photo by Step Inside Media with staging by Debbie Lea and Alan Feder)

If you've been thinking about modernizing your home's exterior, you've probably been thinking about replacing your siding, which can be a time-consuming and expensive project. We wanted to let you know that local business owner, Dale Tomalin, has a much more affordable and efficient solution than siding replacement. 

Dale is the franchise owner of Spray-Net of Southern Wisconsin, creators of a painting technology that is flexible enough to avoid cracking, hard enough to avoid chipping, and smooth enough for washing. Dale's product transforms brick, vinyl siding, aluminum siding, doors, windows, and kitchen cabinets -- and comes in a variety of colors. We continue to receive excellent feedback about Dale and his work, which is covered by a 15-year

There's still a fair amount of confusion about the new federal rules impacting buyers and sellers. What you need to know is that the new rules mandate two changes in practice, which are expected to take effect in August. 

#1) In most cases, buyers will need to sign a buyer agency agreement before viewing a property with an agent. Even if you're not sure that you want to work with the agent for the long-term, you will need to sign an agreement. 

At Mad City Dream Homes, we have always believed that you should be able to "test-drive" our services before you decide to work with us for the long-term. For this reason we will continue to emphasize short buyer agency agreements -- agreements that are as short as a single day or that apply to only a single

At Mad City Dream Homes we have a clear set of home-selling philosophies. Here's a quick intro to our approach. 

(photo by Step Inside Media with staging by Debbie Lea and Shelley Lazzareschi)

Preparation

The actions you take and the decisions you make early on in the process determine your overall experience with your sale. You'll experience a smooth and profitable sale when we work together on these 5 important fundamentals:  

1. Addressing important home repairs 
2. Implementing low-cost/high-impact cosmetic updates 
3. Following the advice of our professional stager
4. Using professional photographers for all of your visual media
5. Pricing your home properly for your local market 

Customization

We're huge believers in

Experience has taught us that a successful sale is very often the result of 5 different experts coming together in support of the seller's goals. 

(Photo by Step Inside Media)

The 5 experts

The first two experts are the professional painter and the professional handyman. The painter and the handyman create value by eliminating common buyer objections, and by addressing a few low-cost/high-impact updates. It's amazing what new cabinet hardware, a few new light fixtures, and a fresh coat of the right paint can do for a home. Very often it's the simple updates like these that create tens of thousands of dollars of value for the client. 

The third expert is the professional stager. The stager shares her guidance with the painter and the

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. 

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:

We've worked with many photographers over the years, and we're grateful for our current partnership with Step Inside Media, owned and operated by Kristine and Derek Marks. 

The Step Inside photographers are skilled in their craft. Just as important, their focus on communication and personalization is admirable at a time when many other companies are doubling down on automation and standardization. 

Thank you Step Inside for your approach to customer service. We appreciate you and your work! 

Seventeen years ago Chris helped her friends Dede and Dave buy their dream home in Fitchburg. And seventeen years later we're grateful to be helping Dede and Dave again as they prepare to move to their new dream home for their next season of life. 

Thank you to all of you who continue to trust us with your real estate needs. We appreciate each and every opportunity to serve.