26 March 2007Monday, March 12th, the  Wall Street Journal carried an article entitled "Why Your Home Isn't the Investment You Think It Is."  In this article WSJ reporter David Crook focuses only on the financial aspects of owning a home, and not very positively at that.  He quotes a large investment firm - competitors with the real estate market - touting investments over home ownership.  Here are our comments:                                           Skewed for a purpose.  The article was skewed for a purpose.  Someone should tell Mr. Crook about a certain family we're currently working with that made their decision to buy because of their landlord's insensitivity.  As is always the case, people vote with their feet - and these folks have voted to leave."Randy and Cathy N". were debat... 03/27/2007

This is a link to the City of Madison website for the Emerson Neighborhood.  It contains a map, contact information, amenities, and much more info. http://www.ci.madison.wi.us/neighborhoods/profile/27.htmlIf you come across some nice photos of the neighborhood, just send to me and I will by happy to submit.If you would like to look for homes, you can't find a better web site than, www.RealEstateGuy.Net  I remain your neighborhood expert and Real Estate Guy    03/27/2007

Marquette Neighborhood - This is one of the best neighborhoods in Madison.  Bang on the Isthmus, Just a short bike ride to work around the Capital.Schenks Corner.  Here is one of my all time favorites, Wonders Pub, friendly, fun, good food! Then a good walk along the river to Lake Monona.    city neighborhood map here!          http://www.ci.madison.wi.us/neighborhoods/profile/i.html Check out our free mapping search function.Homes Marketed by Real Estate Guy, Madison Wisconsin, http://www.realestateguy.net/  Email realestateguy@kw.com   Real Estate Guy is affiliated with Keller Williams Realty, Crossroads 03/27/2007

StatusAddressBedroomsTotal Finished SqFtList Price Sold Price Active1014  Winding Way55128$754,900.00 Active734  Hidden Cave Rd54629$599,900.00 Active809  Hidden Cave Rd45052$664,900.00 Active905  Bear Claw Way43523$579,900.00 Active805  Bear Claw Way54599$647,700.00 Active9129  Settlers Rd53669$699,000.00 Active9714  Trappers Tr54083$669,900.00 Active9709  Fallen Leaf Dr43106$629,900.00 Active729  Swallowtail Dr44496$699,900.00 Active1006  Blue Aster Trail54846$859,900.00 Active9005  Settlers Rd32162$524,900.00 Active1002  Blue Aster Trail45848$950,000.00 Active817  HIDDEN CAVE RD44973$659,900.00 Active910  Winding Way45092$934,900.00 Active1010  Blue Aster Tr43491$699,900.00 Active9037  Settlers Rd45287$995,000.00 Active9221  BEAR CLAW WAY53880$649,900.00 Active9814  Red Sky Dr42960$6... 03/27/2007

25 March 2007The Feds have given you the right- by law - to receive a FREE annual credit report from each of the three credit repositories.  The Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) requires  Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion- three credit reporting agencies - to provide consumers with a FREE credit report every 12 months.There are three ways you can receive your own report:Via a mailng addresssBy calling a toll-free number.By visiting a specialized website.Before we list the web address of the site, we want to remind you that there are many counterfeit websites out there hoping to cash in on this mandated option.  They lure you in through careful online and print advertising - often through banks and credit card companies - using teasers and official-sounding names.  There are sites all ov... 03/26/2007

Hello everybody I'm Joe and I'm a Mortgage Consultant from Madison, Wisconsin.  Im really happy to be doing what I'm doing and I think I've done very well so far!  The future is bright and I looking for some good people to Network with.  I consider myself quite knowledgeable but still green.  Ill be working hard to build my business right.  Thanks for your help and advice! 03/24/2007

Real Estate Guy Team welcomes Bev Kautzky Bev will be our Buyer specialist; she comes to us with 24 years of experience in Residential Sales with various top companies. Bev has a history of working hard for her clients and loves helping people find homes. "Bev and I have known and respected each other for years, but when we sat down to discuss opportunities, we discovered a wonderful fit" Lofts commented. "We are lucky to have such a dedicated professional with extensive market knowledge." Bev will be a great compliment to the team, to work alongside our office assistants, Jennifer Larson and Laura Hartman. Guy in Madison Wi 03/24/2007

An excellend investment property on Madison's East side.   Just $169,900 This is a wonderful opportunity to buy Real Estate and having an income from a tenant to supplement your mortgage payments.   A price of just $184,500 gets you a well maintained property with rents of about 800 and 750.Price reduced from $199,900 to 177,900, but make us an offer.  Now reduced furter to $169,900    See a Virtual Tour hereJust over 100 sq ft, 2 bedrooms on both levels.  The upper level would make a super owner occupied unit.  New deck and fenced rear yard, Room for a garage.Check out our free mapping search function.Homes Marketed by Real Estate Guy, Madison Wisconsin, http://www.realestateguy.net/  Email realestateguy@kw.com   Real Estate Guy is affiliated with Keller Williams Realty, Crossroads 03/24/2007

24 March 2007Subprime may have pushed "foreclosures" off the Real Estate section front page for now, but it should come back stronger than ever.  Before allowing yourself to get caught up in the new gold rush, do a little research and some pondering - it ain't all puppies and flowers.  Hope this reprint from our website page helps in your quest for knowledge (and money). Some modifications were made to dampen the self-promotion (we missed a few) - feel free to use the material if worthy of your time. - Art and Bill Thank you for visiting our website in your search for a foreclosed home for yourself - or as investment property.  This is a great opportunity for you to familiarize yourself with the basic process and to get comfortable with our secure and safe website.  Read on and enjoy yo... 03/24/2007

24 March 2007                            The past few weeks in the residential mortgage lending industry has been shaken up, especially in the segment of the market known as "subprime lending."  Subprime loans are loans for unusual circumstances, property types, and damaged credit borrowers.  When either the borrower and/or the property don't qualify for conforming (mainstream loans), sometimes a special mortgage with creative terms can be made available.  This loan has greater risk for the lender (and investor) and is more time-consuming to underwrite (approve), so it commands a higher interest rate and closing costs that the borrower must pay.  Such a loan is a subprime loan.Interestingly enough, the phrase "subprime" had been all but erased from the lenders vocabulary - in a PC move ... 03/23/2007

I took the day off on Thursday. No cell phone. No laptop. No real estate. No blog. I did check my email once.   Oops!I slept in until 9:00 AM. That was nice, then made my way to Mickies Dairy Bar for breakfast. Normally I would link to a place of business so you can check out a website, but Mikey's does not have a website!I have not been to Mickies in probably 8 years. Mickies is a '50's style breakfast diner very close to campus, a stone's throw away from Camp Randall and the UW Fieldhouse. On the weekends expect a long wait, but luckily on a weekday after 11:00 it was slow enough to immediately sit yourself. Mickies will have a line outside and down the block on the weekends. No website. No advertising, that I know of. Good prices. Amazing portions. Unique experience. I ordered a cup ... 03/23/2007

22 March 2007                                                                                                               The good people at Microsoft held their annual Small Business Summit this past week (it ends Friday March 23rd) - unfortunately I only had the time to catch 3 or 4 sessions online at my home in Madison, Wisconsin during the entire five days.  I try to get more time in, especially when some of the sessions offered have nothing to do with Microsoft and plenty to do with business.One of the speakers who gave a very animated and interesting presentation was Rieva Lesonsky - senior vice president and editorial director of Entrepreneur Media Inc. (Entrepeneur Magazine et al).  Her topic was entitled Coping With Risk and she really delivered her message with energy, humor... 03/22/2007

WHAT IS UP WITH THIS MARKET?Next Thursday, March 29th from 9:00-12:00 I will be apart of a city wide agent mastermind and facilitating a panel of speakers. All are invited and I hope to see you there.The event will be taking place at the Park Bank Conference Center located at 2810 Crossroads Drive in Madison, Wisconsin.I will be sharing the numbers and predications from NAR and also talking about topics like:What happened last year in Real Estate?      A closer look at home sales      A closer look at home pricesWhat will happen in Real Estate in 2007?      What are macro, metro and micro markets?       How do they impact affordability and availability?What are consumer trends?      What are buying trends?      What are selling trends?We will then have a panel of agents from different o... 03/21/2007

Here are the Market Statistics for Feb 07,   These have been copied and full credit given to Darin Persinger, who has a wonderful blog at www.sellshocked.com.  It is my honor to be in business with Darin at our Crossroads Market centerFEBRUARY - DANEResidential Listings (Including Condos)200820072006200520042003# New Listings-1,0671,1331,037847770# Sales-* 336394388336384Average Sale Price-235,504241,963229,856216,284189,613Median Sale Price-205,950215,945209,950189,114174,950Total Active Residential Listings at end of month-5,1284,5232,5802,1161,827* Sales reported as of March 15, 2007                         As you can see, from 2006, this year is slightly off in about every category, however, mores figures are better than 2005.  This gives me reason to be positive about what has happ... 03/18/2007

           How did February of 2007 compare to February of 2006?FEBRUARY - DANEResidential Listings (Including Condos)200820072006200520042003# New Listings-1,0671,1331,037847770# Sales-* 336394388336384Average Sale Price-235,504241,963229,856216,284189,613Median Sale Price-205,950215,945209,950189,114174,950Total Active Residential Listings at end of month-5,1284,5232,5802,1161,827* Sales reported as of March 15, 2007                  How does 2007 YTD compare to the last few years? JAN THRU FEB - DANEResidential Listings (Including Condos)200820072006200520042003# New Listings-2,4352,4601,8171,6351,580# Sales-* 659739706652716Average Sale Price-245,636251,285231,565215,508194,731Median Sale Price-211,994217,204205,000189,900177,584Total Active Residential Listings at end of month-5,12... 03/17/2007

This village is about 19 miles from Waunakee (my residence); it's close to Middleton, Cross Plains and a whisper away from Black Earth. It was named after the Minnesota Sioux Wah-pah-coota band Chief Mazomani ("Iron that Walks").  This small town currently houses about 1500 people along with various businesses including John Wick homes, Synergy Web Graphics and Sunny Industries just to name a triple...  Today, there are 141 homes and lots for sale. If you enjoy a small quiet town and would like to live or commute this short drive, you know who to call for more information... Ciao! ~China Moon Visit China TODAY! www.SmokeSignalHomes.com   03/14/2007

In an AP story found on CNN.com Madison, Wisconsin was named as the most walkable city by PREVENTION magazine.The list was commissioned by the American Podiatric Medical Association based on factors such as the ranking of air quality, the percentage of people who walk to work, access to parks, number of athletic shoes sold, and even weather. Madison was the only city in the top ten not in the south. THE TOP TEN1. Madison, Wisconsin 2. Austin, Texas 3. San Francisco, California 4. Charlotte, North Carolina 5. Seattle, Washington 6. Henderson, Nevada 7. San Diego, California 8. San Jose, California 9. Chandler, Arizona 10. Virginia Beach, Virginia The article also talks about other things Madison has been named first in stating:            "Madison is no stranger to No. 1 rankings. People... 03/13/2007

 For the last year.  (I first learnt about this at our 2006 convention, fondly called Family Reunion)  I have been tracking Actives and pendings, week by week.Did you know you can not look back a year and tell how many homes were on the market, or how many had an offer?   The Realtors tool, the Multiple Listing Service MLS, historically only records Sold and Failed to sell homes.So where do you get this info? You track it yourself.  Why do I do it?   I do it because it gives me a very accurate picture of the trends right up to the last time I recorded the numbers.  I graph the results.  Wow it is powerful.  I can tell how many homes are on the market and how many have offers on them.  Home Sellers, this is the type of info you need!!Sales/Inventory Stats: Figures for Madison East and We... 03/13/2007

Yes it is now official,   We have another claim to fame.  Madison is the #1 city in the country...... as the most walkable city.   Beating out Austin Tx #2, San Francisco Ca. #3, and Miami #98 of 100The list was commissioned by the American Podiatric Medical Association Click here to rean CNN's articleYour guide to Real Estate in Madison Wi, www.RealEstateGuy.net 03/13/2007

I am so sorry my first blog is kinda messy. I am thrilled that I made a good ranking and hope you will forgive me for my cluttered look. I promise to do better each time I post a blog. If you got some value out of the NY Times Article email me or call me. I would like to here your opinion as well. Have a nice day and try to stay warm.James Rice 01/26/2007