Congratulations to our client, Jenn, who recently sold her beloved home on the east side of Madison. This was a bittersweet experience for Jenn. She loved her home, her neighbors, and the surrounding neighborhood. But she's happy for the new owners, who are elated to be laying down roots in this sweet little bungalow. 

Prior to selling her home, we helped Jenn coordinate all of her painting, lighting, and home repair projects. Then it was time for the professional photos, virtual staging, marketing, showings, and negotiation. 

In the end, all of the planning and preparation was worth it. Jenn received two competing offers, and a wonderful accepted offer for $20,000 above the list. 

Thank you, Jenn, for the opportunity to serve. It's been a true

If you're looking for someone to bring the natural beauty and character back to your hardwood floors, we highly recommend giving Jeff Shunk from Imperial Wood Floors a call. Jeff is the owner/operator who follows through on his commitments and is onsite when the work is done. 

He and his team recently brought this oak flooring back to life for one of our clients, and Jeff's work was a key reason why our clients sold their home quickly and for the full list price. You can call Jeff at 608-274-2821 for your own free estimate. We enthusiastically endorse Jeff for his service, communication, and dedication to his craft. Thank you Jeff! 

Dane County home prices continued to move higher in the month of August, and by all measures. Here's our latest single family home update for the Greater Madison area. 

Home prices

The price per square foot increased from $210 in August of 2022 to $220 in August of 2023, an increase of 5 percent. The median price increased by 1 percent, while the average price increased by 4 percent. 

Through the first 8 months of the year, prices were also up by every measure:

• The price per square foot was up by 5 percent. 
• The median was up by 5 percent. 
• And the average was up by 7 percent. 

New listings

New listings continued to enter the market at a slow pace. For only the second August this century, fewer than 500 homes were listed

Are you someone who enjoys helping others? Or perhaps you work in a helping profession like teaching, nursing or social work and you're seeking new challenges and new opportunities with your career. 

If you're a helper at heart then a career in real estate could end up being a great fit for you. That's because people who are wired to serve tend to thrive in the world of real estate (at least, this has been our experience). Contact us if you're curious and ready for a conversation. We'd love to hear from you. 

Cash offers became much more prevalent during the pandemic, and that trend has continued in 2023. Note from the chart below that the percentage of home sales without financing contingencies is trending much higher this year than in pre-pandemic 2019.

A high percentage of cash offers is a clear sign of a competitive market. It's also an indicator of pent-up demand, where the number of buyers exceeds the number of homes for sale in Dane County. Stay tuned for more insight into this topic. We'll have much more to share real soon. 

Here's our latest look at the Madison area condo market, without any hyperbole or spin. 

Dane County condo prices

The price per square foot increased from $214 in August of 2022 to $217 in August of 2023. 

Here's how condo prices are trending through the first 8 months of the year:

• the price per square foot is up 6 percent
• the median is up 13 percent 
• and the average is up 12 percent

We fully expect Madison area condo prices to keep rising based on all of the supply and demand trends that we're observing in the market right now. 

Also note: Because the number of condos sold each month is relatively small, the monthly prices can experience dramatic swings. That's why it's important to focus on the overall trend and not

Our industry has a tendency to obsess about more. 

As in we should always be pumping out more marketing. We should always be generating more leads. And of course, we should always be pushing for more sales. 

But there is another way to go about our work and that is to stop obsessing about more and start focusing on better. For example, we can dedicate our work to serving a better purpose. We can invest our time into nurturing better relationships. And we can invest our creativity into offering a better experience for those we serve. 

When we choose better over more, we give ourselves the freedom to pursue more meaningful work. But this freedom also comes at a cost. That's because freedom requires intentionality, discipline and effort on our

Each new client we meet is an opportunity to serve, and our recent sale in Middleton was the perfect example. 

Our clients, who lived two hours away, needed guidance and support as they prepared their condo for the market. So Mad City Dream Homes stepped in as project managers and oversaw the entire process.

Our list of projects included plumbing work, painting, flooring, lighting, carpet cleaning, HVAC replacement, window repair, and various small repairs throughout the condo. And in the end, all of the preparation and attention to detail was worth it. Our clients were elated to accept an offer for $11,000 above the list. 

We're glad we were there to serve our clients in their time of need, and we're here to serve you and yours when you need

We recently posted about scarcity in the Madison area real estate market, and right now there is no better example of this than the number of homes and condos being sold. To put it plainly, home sales are at their lowest levels since the Great Recession. 

And the same goes for condos.

And yet, prices are off the charts.

The implications

In a complex market like ours, buyers and sellers will want to hire an agent they can count on when the stakes are high. And the realtor who hopes to thrive in this market will want to stand out as a trusted and caring professional.

That trust, in our opinion, will be earned through a daily dedication to craft. It won't be earned through social media and promotion. Customers will want more and need

Single family home listings increased year-over-year in August, but in the big picture the number of new listings entering the Madison area real estate market remained very low. This was only the second August this century with fewer than 500 homes being listed for sale in Dane County.

Condo listings continued to enter the market at a slow pace, too. Only 126 Dane County condos were listed for sale in August, which was the lowest August total in 21 years.

What's next for the Madison area areal estate market? 

We're expecting high prices and low supply for the foreseeable future. Stay tuned for our August Dane County home and condo market updates, which we'll be publishing to our blog real soon.