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        <title>Lake &amp; City Views</title>
        <link>http://www.lakeandcityhomes.com/blog/author/jolenta-averill/</link>
        <description>Madison WI real estate news, opinions, &amp; MLS statistics. Read about featured Madison WI homes for sale, the overall Madison real estate market, mortgage news, &amp; local real estate events.</description>
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            <guid>http://www.lakeandcityhomes.com/blog/lakeandcityhomescom-gets-a-facelift.html</guid>
            <link>http://www.lakeandcityhomes.com/blog/lakeandcityhomescom-gets-a-facelift.html</link>
            <author>jolenta@lakeandcityhomes.com (Jolenta Averill)</author>
            <title>LakeandCityhomes.com gets a facelift!</title>
            <description> <![CDATA[ 
Happy New Year! We hope that your 2012 has gotten off to a great start. As a token of our appreciation for your business we have just rolled out a brand new look &amp; feel for our flagship Madison real estate site, LakeandCityhomes.com. Please bear with us while we work out the kinks. We think that you're going to love the new functionality and improved readability.Some of the more noticeable changes include:




new &amp; improved Quick Search at the top of the home page


radius and polygon searches (included with Search by Map)


more readable property details pages


links to virtual tours (without leaving the site)


create Saved Searches instantly 


featured neighborhoods, communities


rotating testimonials


our new mobile site: mobile.lakeandcityhomes.com




But wait, there's more!


We want to create the best user experience possible for your Madison real estate search so the improvements don't stop there. We have many, many more new features planned for 2012 once we work out some initial kinks. ;) So please stay tuned and do let us know at the bottom of this post if you have questions, comments or suggestions.


Wishing you &amp; your's all the very best in 2012. And thank you again for entrusting your business with Lake &amp; City Homes Realty. We look forward to doing business with you!
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            <pubDate>Thu, 05 Jan 2012 12:59:02 -0600</pubDate>
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            <guid>http://www.lakeandcityhomes.com/blog/wisconsin-ranks-10th-in-us-for-smallest-house-sizes.html</guid>
            <link>http://www.lakeandcityhomes.com/blog/wisconsin-ranks-10th-in-us-for-smallest-house-sizes.html</link>
            <author>jolenta@lakeandcityhomes.com (Jolenta Averill)</author>
            <title>Wisconsin ranks 10th in U.S. for smallest house sizes</title>
            <description> <![CDATA[ 
Today Inman News announced the results of its 10 U.S. hotspots for smallest house sizes. Included in its top ten list were six cities located in the Midwest, notably the great state of Wisconsin. The list was based on the median square footage of homes listed for sale on Realtor.com during the month of September 2011. Note: not all homes for sale are listed on Realtor.com.



Realtor.com reported that the median size of homes for sale in Wisconsin was the 10th smallest in the country for the month of September 2011, at 1,669 square feet. Like the other top ten finishers (with the exception of our nation's capitol which only has two), Wisconsin's homes have a median of three bedrooms.



In addition to Wisconsin, the other Midwestern states cited as having the smallest homes were Michigan, Iowa, Ohio, Illinois, and Missouri. Hawaii, California, Maine and Washington D.C. rounded out the list.&nbsp;



The median price for a home in Wisconsin was $174,900 in September 2011. The highest median list prices for these small home contenders were Hawaii and D.C. at $432,500 and $575,000, respectively. Note that the median price data in these rankings included all for-sale property listings on Realtor.com, including land, single-family homes, and all types of condominium homes.&nbsp;



Lot sizes varied widely in the rankings. Wisconsin had the second largest behind Maine's 44,431 at 30,000 square feet. Washington, D.C., had the smallest median lot size at 2,375 square feet and Hawaii's median lot size in September was 21,778 square feet.&nbsp;



For a complete list of the top 50 smallest median house sizes for all 50 states visit the complete Inman article here.

&nbsp;

Do you think a 3-bedroom home that's 1,669 square feet on a 30,000 square foot lot is small? How does that compare to where you live? We'd love for you to weigh in in the comments section below.

&nbsp;

 
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            <pubDate>Thu, 01 Dec 2011 17:50:47 -0600</pubDate>
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            <guid>http://www.lakeandcityhomes.com/blog/just-listed-classic-university-heights-colonial.html</guid>
            <link>http://www.lakeandcityhomes.com/blog/just-listed-classic-university-heights-colonial.html</link>
            <author>jolenta@lakeandcityhomes.com (Jolenta Averill)</author>
            <title>Just listed! Classic University Heights Colonial</title>
            <description> <![CDATA[ 
NEW! This lovely 3-story colonial built in 1926 is located on a quiet side street in the Franklin/Randall School district in sought-after University Heights. University Heights is a beautiful West Side Madison neighborhood filled with older homes just a ten minute walk to Monroe Street, Trader Joe's, the U.W. Hospital, and the west end of the U.W. campus. This 3-5 bedroom home features living room with archway and wood-burning fireplace, formal dining room with archway and arched &quot;nook&quot;, and remodeled eat-in kitchen with full suite of appliances including dual fuel range with convection oven. Tiled airlock entries front and rear keep out the elements and the screened-in porch is great for entertaining on those long summer nights. Loads of original features including oak floors throughout, built-in drawers &amp; window seat, solar tube in kitchen, roof windows in Master suite &amp; office, bay windows with copper roofs, original hardware, living room sconces, and so much more. New insulation, new roof September 2011, gutter guard, rain barrel, newer mechanicals, and lovely semi-wooded lot with mature trees (oak, shagbark hickory, walnut, redbud). Two car garage with storage to boot (rare for this neighborhood). This character-filled home has been pre-inspected and offers a one-year home warranty. Hurry, homes in this area don't come on the market often! For pictures, walkability scores, room dimensions, maps and much more please visit 113 Elm Street, Madison. 

For more homes for sale in Madison's most walkable neighborhoods, please visit Walkable Madison homes for sale. 
 ]]> </description>
            <pubDate>Mon, 03 Oct 2011 18:02:23 -0500</pubDate>
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            <guid>http://www.lakeandcityhomes.com/blog/new-mobile-search-app-for-madison-real-estate.html</guid>
            <link>http://www.lakeandcityhomes.com/blog/new-mobile-search-app-for-madison-real-estate.html</link>
            <author>jolenta@lakeandcityhomes.com (Jolenta Averill)</author>
            <title>NEW! Mobile app for searching Madison real estate</title>
            <description> <![CDATA[ 
Ever wondered if there's an app for searching for Madison WI real estate? Well, you're in luck! Lake &amp; City Homes Realty is proud to announce the launch of iLakeandCityhomes.com, the mobile edition of our flagship Madison WI real estate site LakeandCityhomes.com. The mobile addition of our site has some really cool features that our desktop version does not have that we think you're really going to love. 

For starters, scroll down and click on a community that interests you. The app loads all the listings for that community in chronological order. That means the latest listings always appear at the top of your screen. That way you can stay on top of which listings are the newest to the market in that community. This is doubly helpful for quickly checking if something new has come on the market prior to receiving your property alerts for the day (property alerts normally go out in the middle of the afternoon). Another great feature is that when you click on a property's details, you can see how many days that property has been on the market and you can also see the history of that property including any price reductions that have taken place. This is great info that is normally only available to Realtors!!

There are lots more great features in our new mobile app but the best way to get to know them is to get our mobile app for yourself. So just pull up iLakeandCityhomes.com on your smartphone and save it to your home screen when prompted. Or click the big iPhone in this blog post from your smartphone! You can also click the iPhone graphic located at the top of LakeandCityhomes.com. Just remember, you have to be on your smartphone in order to access our mobile-enabled website. (Note: if you click on the iPhone graphic from a desktop or laptop or type iLakeandCityhomes.com into your desktop or laptop's browser, you'll be automatically re-routed to the desktop version of our site if no mobile device is detected).

Please click the iPhone from your mobile device or type iLakeandCityhomes.com on your smartphone to try out our new mobile real estate app. Then let us know how you like it in the comments below!

Are you on a mobile device right now? Click on the iPhone graphic to visit our new mobile app for Madison real estate search! 
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            <pubDate>Thu, 29 Sep 2011 16:30:43 -0500</pubDate>
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            <guid>http://www.lakeandcityhomes.com/blog/madison-wi-boasts-best-employment-picture-for-21st-century.html</guid>
            <link>http://www.lakeandcityhomes.com/blog/madison-wi-boasts-best-employment-picture-for-21st-century.html</link>
            <author>jolenta@lakeandcityhomes.com (Jolenta Averill)</author>
            <title>Madison WI boasts best employment picture for 21st century</title>
            <description> <![CDATA[ 
In a recent study of the nation's metropolitan areas, Madison Wisconsin came out on top for having the lowest average unemployment rate for the first 11 years of this century. The average unemployment rate for Madison from 2000 to 2011 was 3.5 percent, the best unemployment average in the country. Not surprisingly, the current rate of unemployment in Madison is higher than its 11 year average, however, at 5.3%.&nbsp;



Honolulu's job market tied with Washington D.C.'s with an average unemployment rate of 3.7% for the last 11 years. Honolulu's current unemployment rate is 4.9% and D.C.'s is 5.7%. Fresno, California came in last with an unemployment rate of 10.7% for the years 2000 to 2011.

&nbsp;

So, like the cold weather or not, if you're seeking full-time employment, then Madison Wisconsin is indeed a very good place to start your search!&nbsp;



For a complete look at all the unemployment statistics in the biggest 100 metropolitan areas of the United States, check out the complete article.

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            <pubDate>Thu, 07 Jul 2011 17:00:12 -0500</pubDate>
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            <guid>http://www.lakeandcityhomes.com/blog/lakefront-property-important-things-to-consider-when-buying-a-lake-home.html</guid>
            <link>http://www.lakeandcityhomes.com/blog/lakefront-property-important-things-to-consider-when-buying-a-lake-home.html</link>
            <author>jolenta@lakeandcityhomes.com (Jolenta Averill)</author>
            <title>Lakefront Property: Important Things to Consider When Buying a Lake Home</title>
            <description> <![CDATA[ 




&nbsp;

Living by the lake is one of those things that a lot of Americans dream about. Who wouldnt want such a tranquil life? A clear view of the placid lake greeting you from your breakfast table every morning. Spending the entire day fishing or reading by the lake shore&mdash;yes, lake living seems like a paradise. Unfortunately, high property prices often put this dream out of reach for many ordinary citizens. That is, until now.

Given current trends, buying real estate has never been more affordable, and new homes on the lake are no exception. Lake home buying, however, does have its share of special considerations, and its important to go through them in order to make the best choice in buying your own property. Here are just a few things to consider before making a purchase.

Consider the location of the lakefront property. Whats your purpose for buying the property? If it is intended to be your primary home, look at its distance from schools, medical clinics, and standard amenities like grocery stores and post offices. Even with rural living, you still want to have reasonable access to these services, lest the tasks of everyday life make your remote location more of a chore than a pleasure. 

Proximity is also important even if the property is intended to be your vacation home. Most experts recommend that a vacation home should be one to two hours away from your primary home, so that your use of the vacation home isnt discourage by an onerous drive.

How big is the property? What are the things you can do there? A good lake home should have space enough to accommodate not only your family, but also the friends and relatives whom you would expect to visit as well. Ideally, the property should be big enough to provide comfort to your guests, and also have enough activities to occupy them. 

Aside from water sports on the lake such as fishing, swimming, or jet-skiing, find out if there are alternative activities in the area such as hiking and biking, bird-watching, or horseback riding. If the home youre considering is located in a development, ask about amenities like swimming pools, a clubhouse, or a gym.

Conduct a thorough inspection of the property, especially if it wasn't pre-inspected. Never rely just on photographs when making your purchase decision. You can hire a Realtor with expertise on lakefront properties who can guide you to properties appropriate for your needs and price range, and who can be your &ldquo;feet on the ground.&rdquo; When viewing properties, be sure to check out the house, the grounds, and the lake to make sure everything meets your expectations. 

When you get to the property, find out all you can about the lake and the lakeshore. What is the lake like? Is it big enough for all of the water sports you are partial to? How about the shoreline? Is it sandy or mucky? Can you imagine yourself and your family spending time there? Find out what the lake bottom is like&mdash;is the slope gradual or a steep drop-off? Does it have a rocky bottom or a sandy bottom?

It is also vital to ask if the area gets flooded and, if so, how high the waters rise. You may regret buying the property if you find your house submerged in floodwaters the first year you are staying there&mdash;check with your real estate agent for hazard disclosures and flood histories on any property in which you are interested.

In short, lakeside living can be a dream come true, but a real estate purchase is no time to start daydreaming. Do your due-diligence, cover all of the bases, and find out all you can about the property before purchasing it. That way your lakeside life can truly be one of serenity and happiness.&nbsp;&nbsp;














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            <pubDate>Thu, 07 Jul 2011 00:53:32 -0500</pubDate>
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            <guid>http://www.lakeandcityhomes.com/blog/new-east-side-madison-transitional.html</guid>
            <link>http://www.lakeandcityhomes.com/blog/new-east-side-madison-transitional.html</link>
            <author>jolenta@lakeandcityhomes.com (Jolenta Averill)</author>
            <title>NEW! East Side Madison transitional for sale</title>
            <description> <![CDATA[ 
Lake &amp; City Homes is proud to announce our newest listing located on Madison's East Side at 5121 Butterfield Drive in the popular Ridgewood neighborhood in the 53704 zip code. This attractive, impeccably maintained, four bedroom, 3.5 bathroom, 2-car garage, two-story has a fantastic floor plan and an incredible walkout lower level.

Open Sunday June 26th from 1-3pm, you won't want to miss this transitional that's priced to sell. Main floor features include formal living room, formal dining room, eat-in kitchen with new stainless steel appliances, family room with fireplace, and huge newly-refinished deck. Upstairs you'll find three nice-sized bedrooms including a Master suite with walk-in closet and full bath with granite countertop. The walk-out lower level is the clincher: a huge finished space with gorgeous bar for entertaining plus a fourth bedroom (currently used as an office) and full bath.&nbsp; 

Located close to restaurants, coffee, grocery shopping, parks (Sycamore Park and Reindahl Park), East Towne, Borders and much more, you'll feel right at home at this lovely, modern home with beautifully landscaped yard on a quiet, residential sidestreet on Madison's East Side.

For pictures, maps, directions, and WalkScore results, please visit 5121 Butterfield Dr or call (563) BUY-SOLD to schedule a private showing. 
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            <pubDate>Sun, 26 Jun 2011 10:49:42 -0500</pubDate>
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            <guid>http://www.lakeandcityhomes.com/blog/new-lot-sizeacreage-added-in-property-details.html</guid>
            <link>http://www.lakeandcityhomes.com/blog/new-lot-sizeacreage-added-in-property-details.html</link>
            <author>jolenta@lakeandcityhomes.com (Jolenta Averill)</author>
            <title>NEW! Lot Size/Acreage Added to Property Details</title>
            <description> <![CDATA[ 
A small but critical omission has been corrected on the Property Details pages of LakeandCityHomes.com. First, some background info to put things into context: 

Recently I added Lot Size to the search criteria for all the available searches on the site, however when a site visitor looked at the Property Details page for any given property, Lot Size/Acreage was nowhere to be found in the information displayed. But thanks to a very observant visitor to the site, this was pointed out to me and I corrected the issue as quickly as I could. My heartfelt thanks to Jessica for her valuable feedback! 

Below are screen shots showing where you can specify one or more Lot Sizes to your property searches, as well as where you can now see Lot Size/Acreage displayed in your search results on the Property Details page.

&nbsp;







&nbsp;

Have you always dreamed of owning a home with more than a postage-stamp sized yard? Do you long not only for a beautiful yard but for pasture land for your hobby farm, an orchard, and room for all your toys? Check out the eight new &quot;shortcut&quot; searches I created for those of you interested in locating Madison homes with acreage and Dane County homes with even more acreage. These shortcut searches can be found on the right sidebar of the homepage under the heading Homes With Land and they include &quot;one-click&quot; searches that display all the homes for sale that sit on 1-2 acres, 2-5 acres, 5-10&nbsp;acres, 10-20&nbsp;acres, 20-40&nbsp;acres, 40-80&nbsp;acres, and over 80 acres. 

Happy house- and land-hunting!

&nbsp;
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            <pubDate>Sun, 19 Jun 2011 13:38:25 -0500</pubDate>
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            <guid>http://www.lakeandcityhomes.com/blog/5-tips-for-getting-your-home-sold.html</guid>
            <link>http://www.lakeandcityhomes.com/blog/5-tips-for-getting-your-home-sold.html</link>
            <author>jolenta@lakeandcityhomes.com (Jolenta Averill)</author>
            <title>5 Tips for Getting Your Home Sold</title>
            <description> <![CDATA[ 
Are you trying to sell your home? While it may still be a buyers market, it certainly doesnt mean your home has to remain on the market for several months. In fact, by implementing a few simple seller tips, you will be far more likely to get your home sold quickly and at a reasonable price. Here is a look at 5 basic tips that all home sellers should keep in mind.

Tip #1: Curb Appeal is Key

Curb appeal, or the way your home looks when a potential buyer drives past it, is essential to getting your home sold. Not only do many buyers keep an eye out for homes as they cruise the streets, but the way your home looks from the street will give the buyer his or her first impression. First impressions are long lasting, so you want to be sure yours is a good one.

Tip #2: Depersonalize the Space

When trying to sell your home, your agent will do his or her best to help the buyer envision himself living in your home. If you have family photos, knick-knacks or souvenirs sitting throughout your home, it will be difficult for the buyer to visualize anyone other than you living in the home. In the process of removing personal items, you will also reduce the amount of clutter in your home. By reducing clutter, you will make your home appear larger, airier and more comfortable to the buyer.

Tip #3: Appeal to the Senses

To help convince the buyer that your house is his or her next home, you need to create a &ldquo;homey&rdquo; atmosphere. One of the best ways to do this is to appeal to the senses. Things such as baking an apple pie or chocolate chip cookies before the buyer visits your home will help fill the air with scents of home. Similarly, placing a vase filled with fresh flowers on the table or even playing soft music in the background will appeal to the buyers senses and help link positive thoughts and feelings to your home.

Tip #4: Choose Neutral Colors

Applying a fresh layer of paint to the interior walls is always a good idea when prepping a house for sale. As you select your colors, be sure to choose neutral colors that will appeal to the broadest range of buyers. While you may like neon orange trim, you are not likely to find many buyers who feel the same. By selecting neutral colors, you will significantly increase the number of buyers who will be interested in purchasing your home.

Tip #5: Select the Right Agent

Selecting the right real estate agent can make a world of difference when it comes to selling a home. Ideally, the agent you select should be one who has experience selling homes in your neighbourhood. Furthermore, your agent should be able to lay out a comprehensive marketing plan that will include the use of traditional marketing techniques as well as the vast array of technology that is available to todays real estate agent.About the author: Crystal Tost is an experienced Calgary Realtor where she has been a full time real estate agent since 1997. |RE/MAX Realty Professionals| 403.264.7653 | www.calgarylistings.com
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            <pubDate>Tue, 14 Jun 2011 18:20:16 -0500</pubDate>
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            <guid>http://www.lakeandcityhomes.com/blog/new-updated-monona-ranch.html</guid>
            <link>http://www.lakeandcityhomes.com/blog/new-updated-monona-ranch.html</link>
            <author>jolenta@lakeandcityhomes.com (Jolenta Averill)</author>
            <title>NEW! Updated Monona ranch</title>
            <description> <![CDATA[ 
Looking for a home in a mature neighborhood where all the work's already been done? You're in luck! This completely updated three bedroom, 2 bath ranch in Monona has everything you need but, more importantly, everything you want! There's the sunny, updated, eat-in kitchen with new stainless steel appliances and tile floors, the bathroom with dual sinks, jetted tub, and main floor laundry, the spacious four-season porch with vaulted ceiling and separate entrances from both the house and Master bedroom, not to mention an exposed lower level family room with room to relax, a second full bath and loads of storage. 

The entire house has been complete repainted (including the ceilings), every piece of trim work and molding has been carefully replaced, the hardwood floors have been refinished throughout, and the roof is brand new. Aprilaire was also just added to the furnace. A two car detached, insulated garage and beautifully landscaped, partially fenced-in yard complete this picture of the perfect move-in ready, yet affordable, home. It's not every day you find affordable Monona WI homes like this that have been redone to such a high standard. You'll love the location too: walk to Crema Cafe, Stone Bridge Park, the Monona Library &amp; so much more! 

Please visit 4605 Schofield St, Monona for pictures, maps, directions, WalkScores, and more or call (563) BUY-SOLD to schedule your own private showing today! 
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            <pubDate>Wed, 25 May 2011 10:15:53 -0500</pubDate>
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