Homes on the near east side of Madison feature classic architecture in some of the city's most popular neighborhoods. Check out our near east side real estate guide and browse all near east side homes for sale.     At Mad City Dream Homes and DaneCountyMarket.com, we're committed to providing you with the very best in real estate services, both online and in-person. Thank you for your loyalty and have a great weekend! Dan Miller, Realtor, Keller Williams Realty, www.MadCityDreamHomes.com and www.DaneCountyMarket.com www.HowWeHelpYouSell.com www.HowWeHelpYouBuy.com www.OurRecentSales.com www.DaneCountyMarketSnapshot.com www.SearchDaneCounty.com www.DaneCountyForeclosureSearch.com   02/15/2013

Thinking of buying a distressed property in Madison? Here are some timely tips from our Mad City Dream Homes real estate blog. For more info on buying a home in Madison, check out our buyer's guide.     Have a great day! Dan Miller, Realtor, Keller Williams Realty, www.MadCityDreamHomes.com and www.DaneCountyMarket.com www.HowWeHelpYouSell.com www.HowWeHelpYouBuy.com www.OurRecentSales.com www.DaneCountyMarketSnapshot.com www.SearchDaneCounty.com www.DaneCountyForeclosureSearch.com 02/11/2013

There's a lot to love about Downtown Madison, starting with an amazing selection of condos. High rise units with city and lakefront views. Transformed, historic buildings with old world charm and character. Arts. Entertainment. Boutiques. Coffee houses. Night life...and so much more. Soon the snow will be melting and the spring buying season will be heating up in Madison. You can learn more about the downtown scene on our communities page at MadCityDreamHomes.com.     Have a great day! Dan Miller, Realtor, Keller Williams Realty, www.MadCityDreamHomes.com and www.DaneCountyMarket.com www.HowWeHelpYouSell.com www.HowWeHelpYouBuy.com www.OurRecentSales.com www.DaneCountyMarketSnapshot.com www.SearchDaneCounty.com www.DaneCountyForeclosureSearch.com 02/06/2013

The near west side of Madison: where the real estate values are always strong. You can learn more about this side of town and view all near west side real estate listings by visiting MadCityDreamHomes.com.     Have a great day, Dan Miller, Realtor, Keller Williams Realty, www.MadCityDreamHomes.com and www.DaneCountyMarket.com www.HowWeHelpYouSell.com www.HowWeHelpYouBuy.com www.OurRecentSales.com www.DaneCountyMarketSnapshot.com www.SearchDaneCounty.com www.DaneCountyForeclosureSearch.com 02/05/2013

The Calm Before The Storm,...... What Works For You?   So many days are crazy busy in this world of Real Estate, but for me Tuesdays are exceptionally so.  To the point that I call Tuesdays, Turmoil Tuesday!  LOL!  It's a day of office time, meetings, trainings and Broker Opens. Through it all, we have to keep our cool so we can guide others smoothly to the closing table.    So, before our days begin it is imperative that we take a little time for ourselves.   Perhaps it's walking in the rain,... sipping coffee or tea while watching the snow fall,.... a moment of meditation or creating something beautiful.  But what ever it is, take time for yourself. You are no good to others if you don't take time for yourself.   The Calm Before The Storm,...... What Works For You? 02/04/2013

We've posted 6 home buying tips to our Mad City Dream Homes real estate blog. It's a different market this year. Whether you're shopping for a home or a condo, you need a solid plan in place for finding and closing on your dream home in 2013. This year there are many more buyers competing for a smaller pool of homes and condos. Our 6 tips are designed to help you implement your home search in an efficient and focused manner, so you end up with the home that you've been waiting for. Have a great day, Dan Miller, Realtor, Keller Williams Realty, www.MadCityDreamHomes.com and www.DaneCountyMarket.com www.HowWeHelpYouSell.com www.HowWeHelpYouBuy.com www.OurRecentSales.com www.DaneCountyMarketSnapshot.com www.SearchDaneCounty.com www.DaneCountyForeclosureSearch.com 02/04/2013

  Getting Healthy In The Rain ~ My Story, LIFE ISN'T ABOUT WAITING FOR THE STORM TO PASS.......... IT'S ABOUT LEARNING HOW TO DANCE IN THE RAIN! Two and a half years ago I set out on a quest to get healthy.  I made a goal of losing 120 lbs, walking at least 5 times a week and lowering my cholesterol.  And thanks to the support of Roger Mucci's Group; Take It Off In The Rain, I succeeded in getting to the half way point. I lost 60 lbs I got up 5 days a week at 4:30 in the morning to walk. I lowered my cholesterol to the point I was able to stop taking cholesterol medicine. Then the storm hit!  I added a new path to my career.  I got my Real Estate License and took on that career while raising my Grand Daughter and running my Home Staging & ReDesign business.  The storm has settled down a... 02/04/2013

Madison area condo sales increased by over 30% in 2012, due in large part to the attractiveness of much lower condo prices. Our 2012 Madison area condo price index decreased by 5.4% from 2011 and by 19.4% from the peak years of 2006 and 2007. By many measures, the 2012 sales year was a much better year for condo sellers, but buyers continued to get better prices. With lower inventories and rising demand, we expect the Madison area condo market to improve in many ways during the 2013 sales year, including a movement toward price stabilization. We'll keep you posted throughout the year. You'll find our full condo price index report on the Market Trends menu at DaneCountyMarket.com. Have a great day, Dan Miller, Realtor, Keller Williams Realty, www.MadCityDreamHomes.com and www.DaneCountyM... 02/03/2013

Our Madison area home price index decreased by 2.5% in 2012, but we fully expect that trend to reverse in 2013. With lower supply, rising demand, and trends toward lower days on market and improving listing success rates, we expect 2013 to be the best year in many years for Madison area home sellers.   The Madison area condo market is improving as well, although it remains to be seen whether or not condo values will rise in 2013.  You'll find our full home price index report on the Market Trends menu at DaneCountyMarket.com. Have a great day, Dan Miller, Realtor, Keller Williams Realty, www.MadCityDreamHomes.com and www.DaneCountyMarket.com www.HowWeHelpYouSell.com www.HowWeHelpYouBuy.com www.OurRecentSales.com www.DaneCountyMarketSnapshot.com www.SearchDaneCounty.com www.DaneCountyFore... 02/01/2013

MadCityDreamHomes.com is our new web site about Madison area real estate. Our real estate team is very excited about this new addition to our suite of real estate web sites. Of course it has some excellent property search tools, but the coolest feature about our new site is the extensive community and neighborhood info that we make available to you. To date we have 25 community profiles ready for your use, along with search tools that make it easy to locate properties for sale in each community. Check out MadCityDreamHomes.com and give us your feedback. We'll do all that we can to make this a web site that you'll want to use time and time again. Have a great day, Dan Miller, Realtor, Keller Williams Realty, www.MadCityDreamHomes.com and www.DaneCountyMarket.com www.HowWeHelpYouSell.com ... 01/31/2013

The 2012 sales year was the best year for Dane County home sellers in many years. This picture says it all. Home sales reached their highest level since 2007. Expired listing dropped to their lowest level since 2004. You'll find our full Dane County sold and expired listings report on the Market Trends menu at DaneCountyMarket.com. Dan Miller, Realtor, Keller Williams Realty and www.DaneCountyMarket.com www.HowWeHelpYouSell.com www.HowWeHelpYouBuy.com www.OurRecentSales.com www.DaneCountyMarketSnapshot.com www.SearchDaneCounty.com www.DaneCountyForeclosureSearch.com   01/31/2013

FHA Streamline Program in Madison is also available throughout Dane County! The Madison FHA streamline program will allow you to easily lower your Madison mortgage interest rate and payment. Interest rates in Madison are at Record Lows! If you have a FHA mortgage in Madison, good pay history, and average credit scores, you can start saving $75 to $275 a month!   Our streamlined Madison FHA mortgage program does not require an appraisal, does not require equity, requires minimal traditional documentation, has no points, and is not a time consuming loan modification.     Our Madison FHA streamline mortgage program requires a 5% minimum savings, allows you to skip one month mortgage payment, and you will receive a refund of your current escrow account.   Do not delay!  Madison FHA homeowne... 01/31/2013

  How Do I Get My Houzz Widget (or any other widget) to be centered (left to right) in my AR blog?  Always Answer A Question With A Blog! From Your Techie South Central WI Real Estate Agent! Now, do you want to add that to your side bar, A blog or the signature of your blog?  I am going to guess the signature, so here are the steps; ----- 1 ----- Step 1. Open two windows; one for your AR blog and the other for your Houzz Profile. ----- 2 ----- Step 2.  In Active Rain go to your home page.  On the left hand side go to; Settings, then to; Blog Settings This will open the;                             Blog Title area                            Blog Description area (sidebar area,.. reminds me, I have to change out my videos width 200 height 220 there!)                           Blog Descrip... 01/25/2013

Dane County housing starts increased by 93.9% in December. December was the 11th month in the last 12 to register a year-over-year increase in housing starts. Dane County housing starts ended the year up 31.5% from 2011. As the graph below shows, housing starts ended the 2012 year at their highest level in 5 years. We believe housing starts will continue to rise in 2013, based on trends in the larger market. Locally, we are seeing a noticeable increase in the number of people who are opting to build. This is one of many encouraging trends we are seeing in the Dane County housing market. We'll be sharing many more local trends very soon. You'll find our full Dane County housing start report on the Market Trends menu at DaneCountyMarket.com. Dan Miller, Realtor, Keller Williams Realty and... 01/22/2013

Rock Realty Client Testimonials"I had a very challenging home sale and Mike Collins was diligent every step of the way. The most difficult aspect may have been me, I was very specific about which closing dates worked and how I wanted to proceed. Mike patiently answered all of my questions and accommodated all of my requests. When issues between the title and mortgage companies arose, Mike was a swift and competent negotiator. I know that the buyer's agent was very impressed with Mike as well. My house had an accepted offer within 10 days of listing. I am amazed that it all went so smoothly. THANKS MIKE!" John B.(Madison, WI)Rock Realty Seller Client Thanks for the compliments, and Congratulations on your closing John! 01/14/2013

photo credit: QuidnuncQuixot via photopin cc Home Prices in Madison Show Improvement Lots of good news about the Wisconsin real estate market has come out over the past two months.  Home prices are beginning to improve, homes are selling a bit quicker and foreclosures are down.  All of this points to improvement in the real estate market.  Listed below are some facts about prices in Madison based on various parameters. Overall, home prices have been growing steadly since April of 2012.  The following chart, provided by Trulia, shows the average sales price across all types of homes Although home prices have not returned to the average of $196,000 like it was last year, it is getting close. When comparing home prices at different tiers, Madison is staying ahead of the rest of the state ... 01/14/2013

Madison Mortgage Success Story: Cathy Cathy is a single mom with three children that was struggling to keep her house after her divorce.  The divorce really caused a financial hardship as Cathy was awarded the home in the divorce but needed to pay off the husband for his half of the equity in the home with a new Madison Mortgage.  Even though there was not a hard timeframe in place in the divorce decree, Cathy wanted to get her ex-husband off the title and at the same time attempt to make things more affordable for her and her children. Cathy found our website at WI-Mortgage.com and gave my office a call.  She was very forthcoming and cooperative during the initial application process.  She explained her situation and that maybe even consolidating some of her credit cards would allow he... 01/13/2013

Short Sale Real Estate Agents in Madison, WI Are you looking for a Madison Wisconsin Short Sale Realtor® or real estate agent? Rock Realty is a real estate brokerage that specializes in Short Sales and Bank Owned Foreclosures in the Madison WI area. We have helped home owners in both Rock County and Dane County, from Beloit to Lodi. My name is Michael Collins, broker for Rock Realty. I have completed the Short Sales and Foreclosure Resource training and have been given the SFR designation through the National Association of Realtors® (NAR). Feel free to contact me directly at 608-921-8536 for help with any of your short sale home questions. I have helped many Madison home owners with their distressed property needs and consider myself a Wisconsin Short Sale Specialist. REALTORS® who hav... 01/11/2013

We are happy to announce the closing on another one of our short sale listings, this time in Madison, WI! This was a Bank of America negotiated short sale. Bank of America has made many changes to make their short sale process easier and more efficient. Short sale transactions can be complex, but if you have an experienced Short Sale Realtor® the process is much more manageable. This was a beautiful home, at a great price that the new owners are sure to enjoy! If you are thinking of selling or buying a short sale home in Wisconsin, our short sale specialists would be happy to assist you. Give Rock Realty a call at 608-921-8536. Is a Short Sale right for my situation?? If you are considering the possibility of a short sale for your home and have further questions, feel free to visit the ... 01/09/2013

Just how long a minute is depends on what side of the door you are on!  Decorating your bathroom with a little help from; Ready? Set,...Sell!  Home Staging & ReDesign. Part 1 While this bathroom was well lit and has a wonderful large window to bring in much natural light, the room felt small and dark.  And while the room has an original claw-foot tub, the wallpaper remains the focal point.Ready? Set,...Sell!  Home Staging & ReDesign helped these homeowners select just the perfect color to create a warm and  inviting atmosphere!  We gave them storage ideas and helped them find a reliable plumber to put in a new faucet and shower to improve the functionality of the room. Gone is the heavy, dark, busy wallpaper, the tub now has a shower added making it work better for the home owners, all... 01/05/2013