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        <title>Lake &amp; City Views</title>
        <link>http://www.lakeandcityhomes.com/blog/</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>
        <item>
            <guid>http://www.lakeandcityhomes.com/blog/new-search-by-street-name-added-to-madison-home-search-tool.html</guid>
            <link>http://www.lakeandcityhomes.com/blog/new-search-by-street-name-added-to-madison-home-search-tool.html</link>
            <author>jolenta@lakeandcityhomes.com (Jolenta Averill)</author>
            <title>NEW! Search by 'Street Name' added to Madison home search tool</title>
            <description> <![CDATA[ 
The ability to search homes by Street Name has been available on lakeandcityhomes.com for some time, however it's been missing from the Quick Search on our home page. Until today, that is! Lake &amp; City Homes Realty is happy to announce that we have added "Street name" (see arrow on screenshot) to the "Start Your Home Search" field in the quick search on our home page. So now, in addition to searching by City, Subdivision, Zip, or MLS number from the Quick Search, you can also type in a street name to quickly reference all the homes currently for sale on that street, regardless of city. 


In addition, we added a "By Address" tab to our advanced search form here. :) And, happily, we did not eliminate the ability to drill down and search by street name when you reach a results page. Simply look at the options under the Refine Search button and you'll see the field 'Address' included there.


Please note that although it is possible to enter the full street address of a property, including the street number, at times it is possible that we will not be able to locate it for you if it's not in the same format as we store it. So it's best to try using the street name without the street number. This will also come in handy when you do not know the street number and/or there are several homes for sale on a certain street.


Lastly, we want to point out that in addition to the ability to search by City, Subdivision, Zip, MLS number, and Street Name from our advanced search page, you can also search by School, Lakefront, Zip Code, and interactive Map. Just hop on over to our advanced search options page and give it a whirl.


Although we have performed a reasonable amount of quality control testing on this new feature, should you run into any problems please let us know so we can address it (no pun intended!).


We hope you enjoy our new "search by street name" tool and look forward to hearing your thoughts in the comments below. As always, if we can be of assistance, please contact us by email us or call (563) BUY-SOLD (563-289-7653).
 ]]> </description>
            <pubDate>Tue, 15 May 2012 13:36:00 -0500</pubDate>
                    </item>
        <item>
            <guid>http://www.lakeandcityhomes.com/blog/new-similar-properties-added-to-property-details-pages.html</guid>
            <link>http://www.lakeandcityhomes.com/blog/new-similar-properties-added-to-property-details-pages.html</link>
            <author>jolenta@lakeandcityhomes.com (Jolenta Averill)</author>
            <title>NEW! "Similar Properties" Added to Property Details Pages</title>
            <description> <![CDATA[ 
Great news! We've added a new feature to our property details pages that we think you're gonna love. It's an idea similar to "Related Products" that we borrowed from Retailing except that it's for real estate so we call it "Similar Properties". Located near the bottom of every property details page you'll see four properties that are similar to the property you're currently looking at. The picture to the left is an example of what we mean. Underneath these four properties is a button marked "View all similar properties here" if you want a complete list of properties that are similar to the current property.


How do we define "similar"? Well, in order for a property to show up under "Similar Properties" it has to have the following characteristics:




be active on the market (available for showings),


be priced +/- 30% of the current listing,


be located in the same city as the current listing,


be the same type of property as the current listing (e.g. single family home, condo, etc),




From there the system will search by area in an outward fashion according to city, property subtype, subdivision, high school, zip code, area, etc.


Give it a try! Click on this newly listed Fitchburg condo located at 37 Glen Arbor Way and scoll down to the bottom of the property details page to see more similar Fitchburg condos. Then try clicking "View all similar properties here" to see other Fitchburg condos that may be similar to 37 Glen Arbor Way. But wait, this doesn't just work with Fitchburg condos! Try it out on any listing on lakeandcityhomes.com or just try it on the ones you saved to your "Favorites" folder. Then scroll down to the bottom of this post and let us know what you think -- we'd love to hear you weigh in with your thoughts!


No matter what you're looking for -- from real estate in Madison to the best homes in Middleton to the latest Verona homes to hit the market, we think our new "Similar Properties" tool is gonna save you time and effort, making your home search that much more enjoyable!
 ]]> </description>
            <pubDate>Fri, 04 May 2012 13:54:00 -0500</pubDate>
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        <item>
            <guid>http://www.lakeandcityhomes.com/blog/madison-realtors-celebrate-national-open-house-day.html</guid>
            <link>http://www.lakeandcityhomes.com/blog/madison-realtors-celebrate-national-open-house-day.html</link>
            <author>jolenta@lakeandcityhomes.com (Jolenta Averill)</author>
            <title>Madison Realtors Celebrate National Open House Day!</title>
            <description> <![CDATA[ 
In honor of NAR's National Open House day this weekend, Lake &amp; City Homes Realty will hold open houses at three different locations in the Madison area: 37 Glen Arbor Way in Fitchburg, 1965 Quam Point Rd in the Town of Dunn, and 1201 Douglas Trail (MLS #1645729) in Madison.


All three open houses will be held from 1-3pm.


37 Glen Arbor (MLS #1653463) is a stunning new 3-bedroom, 2.5 bath condo listing located in Forest Glen Estates in Fitchburg, 1965 Quam Point (MLS #1643373) is a Town of Dunn ranch with gorgeous views of Lake Kegonsa, and 1201 Douglas Trail (MLS #1645729) is a wonderfully affordable 4-bedroom located in the Glendale neighborhood on the East Side of Madison.


Please join us in recognizing the official start to the 2012 Spring real estate market by stopping by our open houses. We think 2012 is going to be a great year for real estate in Wisconsin and we've got some of the area's finest listings to show off to you!


For more information or to schedule a private appointment, please call Lake &amp; City Homes Realty at (563) BUY-SOLD (563-289-7653) or contact us online.
 ]]> </description>
            <pubDate>Sat, 28 Apr 2012 15:12:00 -0500</pubDate>
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        <item>
            <guid>http://www.lakeandcityhomes.com/blog/new-stunning-ranch-style-condo-in-fitchburgs-forest-glen-estates.html</guid>
            <link>http://www.lakeandcityhomes.com/blog/new-stunning-ranch-style-condo-in-fitchburgs-forest-glen-estates.html</link>
            <author>jolenta@lakeandcityhomes.com (Jolenta Averill)</author>
            <title>NEW! Stunning ranch style condo in Fitchburg's Forest Glen Estates</title>
            <description> <![CDATA[ 
Looking for the perfect ranch condo? Located just 10 minutes from downtown Madison in the popular zip code of 53711, this immaculately maintained, like-new ranch style condo located in Forest Glen Estates truly has it all! Main floor master suite with two walk-in closets, main floor study with French doors (currently used as a music room), nice-sized living room with gas fireplace, and beautiful gourmet kitchen with stainless steel Frigidaire appliances including gas range, refrigerator with French doors, dishwasher, and microwave. The gleaming granite countertops, gorgeous glass tile backsplashes, and custom lighting fixtures are simply dazzling! Relax at the breakfast bar, in the dining area, on the screen porch, or on the sun deck and enjoy the lush, private views. Generous entryway with lots of storage, lovely maple trim throughout and maple/cherry woodwork detail, imported tile, powder room and first floor laundry (currently used as a pantry) round out the main floor. The finished walk-out lower level sports a huge family room with second gas fireplace, wet bar (again with gorgeous glass tile backsplash), eat-in area, private patio/garden, as well as two more bedrooms (one currently used as an office), a full bath with granite countertop, and loads of additional storage with shelving. And if extras like the integrated audio system, humidifier, security system, and 2-car garage with storage weren't enough, 10 acres of conservancy and walking trails with immediate access to the Capitol City Trails is the icing on the cake! This Fitchburg condo located at 37 Glen Arbor Way is not only ideal for one-level living, you'll also have plenty of room for guests, family, and entertaining with loads of storage, privacy, and beautiful views in a spectacular setting close to everything! Hurry, this truly is THE perfect ranch condo!


For a private showing please call Jolenta Averill at (563) BUY-SOLD (563-289-7653) or stop by the open house this Sunday, April 29th from 1-3pm in honor of National Open House Day!
 ]]> </description>
            <pubDate>Thu, 26 Apr 2012 11:19:00 -0500</pubDate>
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        <item>
            <guid>http://www.lakeandcityhomes.com/blog/new-verona-home-for-sale-in-westridge-estates.html</guid>
            <link>http://www.lakeandcityhomes.com/blog/new-verona-home-for-sale-in-westridge-estates.html</link>
            <author>jolenta@lakeandcityhomes.com (Jolenta Averill)</author>
            <title>NEW! Verona home for sale in Westridge Estates</title>
            <description> <![CDATA[ 
Lake &amp; City Homes Realty is proud to announce its newest listing located at 343 Breckenridge Rd in the popular and sought-after neighborhood of Westridge Estates in beautiful Verona, Wisconsin.


This four bedroom, 2.5 bath, six year-old transitional is a Parade quality home with many upgrades such as granite countertops and California closets throughout - yet is priced to sell!


From the grand entrance with soaring ceilings to the Brazilian cherry hardwood floors to the well-appointed kitchen with walk-in pantry to the generous-sized Master suite with luxurious bath and walk-in closet, this 2,393sf home was built to impress! Need more room? No problem! The basement has nice high ceilings and is ready for finishing.


Check out all the property details of this elegant Verona home including room dimensions, photos, map &amp; directions, bird's eye view, nearby amenities, schools, neighborhood info, &amp; more on the complete property details page for 343 Breckenridge Rd at lakeandcityhomes.com. Located just steps away from beautiful Meister Park and close to Epic Systems, you'll fall in love with this upscale home in the picturesque, family-friendly Westridge Estates neighborhood of "Hometown USA"!


If you would like to arrange a tour, or wish to discover more about Verona homes, please contact the Lake &amp; City Homes Realty team today at (563) BUY-SELL (563-289-7653).
 ]]> </description>
            <pubDate>Wed, 18 Apr 2012 08:58:00 -0500</pubDate>
                    </item>
        <item>
            <guid>http://www.lakeandcityhomes.com/blog/new-custom-built-smiths-crossing-prairiecraftsman-for-sale.html</guid>
            <link>http://www.lakeandcityhomes.com/blog/new-custom-built-smiths-crossing-prairiecraftsman-for-sale.html</link>
            <author>jolenta@lakeandcityhomes.com (Jolenta Averill)</author>
            <title>NEW! Custom-built Smith's Crossing Prairie/Craftsman for sale</title>
            <description> <![CDATA[ 
Lake &amp; City Homes Realty is pleased to announce our newest listing, a gorgeous 3 bedroom, 2.5 bath, two-story home in desirable Smith's Crossing located directly across from beautiful Thoreau Park in Sun Prairie! This stunning three year-old Prairie/Craftsman style home features open floor plan with vaulted ceilings, "random select" maple hardwood floors, generous eat-in kitchen with stainless steel appliances, stunning natural quartz (silestone) countertops, and a reverse osmosis filtration system. There is a lovely separate formal dining room with beautiful views of the park. The living room is open to the kitchen, as well as to the upstairs, and is graced with a striking gas insert and cathedral ceilings. The generous owner's suite is situated on the main floor, as is the laundry room and powder room. Upstairs are two more bedrooms and another full bath with tub. Priced $64K below the assessed value for a quick sale, you won't want to miss this incredible value! Note: this is NOT a short sale. Enjoy the oversized 2-car garage with openers and patio area including electric patio awning. Need more space? The basement is ready for finishing and has already been plumbed for another bathroom. 


Live the life! Enjoy great Sun Prairie schools, beautiful Thoreau Park complete with play structures and pond (including water feature) located directly across the street. Walk to shopping and enjoy wonderful nearby restaurants like Buck &amp; Honey's! All appliances, washer/dryer, and water softener included. Select furnishings and artwork are also negotiable. Call Jolenta at (608) 628-9701 to schedule your private showing today! Click here for more pictures of 1526 Thoreau Dr.
 ]]> </description>
            <pubDate>Fri, 09 Mar 2012 13:37:00 -0600</pubDate>
                    </item>
        <item>
            <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!
 ]]> </description>
            <pubDate>Thu, 05 Jan 2012 12:59:02 -0600</pubDate>
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        <item>
            <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. 


 


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. 


 


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. 


 


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

 


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.


 
 ]]> </description>
            <pubDate>Thu, 01 Dec 2011 17:50:00 -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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        <item>
            <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! 
 ]]> </description>
            <pubDate>Thu, 29 Sep 2011 16:30:43 -0500</pubDate>
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