Madison Wisconsin Real Estate News

Postcard from Lake Kegonsa

Posted by Jolenta Averill on October 12th, 2010

This beautiful photo of Lake Kegonsa in all its fall glory was taken last weekend from the clear blue waters of Barbers Bay near Colladay Point on the western side of Lake Kegonsa in Stoughton WI. I was struck by how calm the waters were and how clear the skies were - an absolutely perfect day for a lake excursion in what is not quite the middle of October. Pretty amazing considering some of my friends and clients have already stored their boats away for the winter.

A few things you'll want to know about Lake Kegonsa: Lake Kegonsa is located a mere 15 minutes from downtown Madison WI at the end of the chain of lakes. It is 3,209 acres in size with a maximum depth of 31 feet and boasts some of the best fishing in the area including Muskie, Northern Pike,…

5332 Views, 10 Comments

How Much Home Can You Afford?

Posted by Jolenta Averill on September 7th, 2010

Purchasing a new home is an exciting time in anyone's life. Still, before you take the leap into homeownership, it is important to have a clear idea of how much you can afford to pay for a home. After all, you don't want to pay so much for a home that you are unable to keep up with the payments. As such, it is essential for you to have a good idea of how much home you can afford before you start looking at available properties. One simple way to make this determination is to have a better understanding of the debt-to-income ratio and how it affects the loan process.

How Your Debt-to-Income Ratio Affects Your Loan

The first step toward determining how much how you can afford is to get a good idea of your debt-to-income ratio, which is the…

3685 Views, 8 Comments

How to Choose Your Madison WI Realtor

Posted by Jolenta Averill on August 9th, 2010

Are you interested in selling your Madison WI home? If you are ready to make a move, you are likely planning to hire a Realtor to help you with the process. After all, Realtors are experts in the industry and, as such, should be able to help you sell your home more quickly and efficiently. Before you hire a Realtor, however, it is important to know more about how to choose your Realtor.

Experience

While it is certainly possible for a Realtor with little experience to do a great job with selling your home, you are more likely than not to get the results you are looking for when you hire a Realtor with experience. In addition to asking about the Realtor's general experience in the industry, you should also ask about his or her experience selling in your…

3531 Views, 4 Comments

When is it okay to walk away from your mortgage?

Posted by Jolenta Averill on August 3rd, 2010

Have you recently been laid off from your job and are facing difficulty making your monthly mortgage payments? Are you thinking of walking away from your mortgage? If you answered yes to either one of these questions, then you should know what adverse effects walking away from your mortgage could bring to your financial life.

When to walk away from mortgage

It is strongly advisable not to walk away from a mortgage, unless you are faced with an extreme situation, such as one of the following:

o    Due to a sudden drop in income you are unable to make your mortgage payments

o    You are underwater and have little or no equity in your home

o    You are not eligible for a loan modification and you are in a non-recourse loan state (see below)

Options for…

3729 Views, 5 Comments

The Importance of Undertaking a Home Inspection

Posted by Jolenta Averill on July 19th, 2010

Buying a house is undoubtedly a major event in any individual’s life for those wanting to set up a home and is the ultimate goal of professionals and investors that are looking to create a portfolio. For all of these people, investing time and energy into creating the perfect home or property is entirely satisfying, especially if you are working hard to ensure that your venture into the real estate world is productive. However, it is important to ensure that you have all of the necessary bases covered, one of which is home inspection. Of all the considerations involved in purchasing property, home inspection is especially important in ensuring that you get the best value for money possible prior to finalizing your purchase.

Home inspection is an…

2752 Views, 4 Comments

Madison Ranks 3rd Best City For Families

Posted by Jolenta Averill on June 18th, 2010

Parenting magazine just released a list of the top places to raise a family and Madison Wisconsin snagged third.

According to Parenting magazine, Madison Wisconsin is the third best city in the country for families.

Here are the results of the cities that made it into the top 10:

1. Arlington, VA
2. Austin, TX
3. Madison, WI
4. Ann Arbor, MI
5. Lexington, KY
6. Portland, OR
7. Spokane, WA
8. Scottsdale, AZ
9. Omaha, NE
10. Raleigh, NC

How did Parenting magazine determine the top 10? They surveyed mothers nationwide to determine the factors Mom consider to be most important when deciding where to make a home. Then they compiled a list of the top 100 cities by population according to the U.S. Census. Over 5,000 data points were gathered in 52 different…

2852 Views, 5 Comments

Parade of Homes 2010: Madison homes show

Posted by Jolenta Averill on June 8th, 2010

The Madison Parade of Homes 2010 will feature 26 spectacular custom homes available for touring from June 12 – 27th. These home showcases will be held in the nearby Madison communities of Bristol, Deerfield, Middleton, Waunakee and Verona.

This year's tour will feature 23 custom home builders showcasing the latest product and design trades in 26 new construction homes located in five geographically diverse neighborhoods: Savannah Parks in Deerfield, Middleton Ridge at Misty Valley in Middleton, Bristol Gardens in the town of Bristol (just outside Sun Prairie), Southbridge Kilkenny Addition in Waunakee and Scenic Ridge in Verona.

The Parade of Homes is being held from June 12-27. Hours are Monday – Friday 3-7 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday from 11-5 p.m.…

32562 Views, 5 Comments

Celebrating Memorial Day in Madison Wisconsin

Posted by Jolenta Averill on May 28th, 2010

History does not long entrust the care of freedom to the weak or the timid. ~Dwight D. Eisenhower

In Madison Wisconsin the Memorial Day weekend marks the unofficial beginning of summer. People fire up the grill, crack open a cold one, and pools are open. In sum, i's a nice, long weekend for many.

It is also time to remember those that made the ultimate sacrifice so that we can live in this land of abundant opportunity. It is them we honor on Memorial Day, also known as Decoration Day.

Please don't forget to pause wherever you are at 3 p.m. local time on Memorial Day for a minute of silence to remember and honor all those who have died in service to the nation. As Moment of Remembrance founder Carmella LaSpada says: “It’s a way we can all help put the…

3223 Views, 1 Comments

Madison WI ranks 9th strongest economy in the U.S.

Posted by Jolenta Averill on May 25th, 2010

While many have felt the effects of the economic recession, Madison Wisconsin's economy has remained strong through national turmoil - so much so that it was recently ranked the ninth strongest economy in the U.S. out of 366 metropolitan statistical areas that it analyzed.

The recent loss of jobs throughout the nation has been detrimental to the economy but the Madison area has remained consistent throughout the recession. Madison has remained among the top 20 metropolitan areas in the last three years Policom rankings. In 2009, Madison’s economy was ranked sixth strongest and in 2008 it was ranked 15th. It is reassuring to know that Madison has remained within the top 20 rankings in the last three years, given what a difficult period in U.S.…

2525 Views, 2 Comments

Wisconsin Still Faring Better Than the Rest of the Country in Terms of Foreclosure Rates

Posted by Jolenta Averill on May 21st, 2010

Foreclosure rates have been receiving a significant amount of attention over the past couple of years, and for good reason. After all, the rate of foreclosure is a good indicator of the overall health of the economy on a national level as well as on a local level. Therefore, for those who live in Dane County and Madison, Wisconsin, taking a closer look at foreclosure rates is of great importance -- even to those who are not directly involved in the real estate market, since the condition of the economy is something that affects everyone throughout Dane County and the state of Wisconsin.

According to RealtyTrac, 1 in every 180 housing units in Dane County, Wisconsin received a foreclosure filing in April 2010. Taking into account that the…

2990 Views, 2 Comments