Is your heart set on a classic Cape Cod, a cool Contemporary, or a character-filled Victorian?  The beauty and diversity of Madison's diverse architecture is one of the most enjoyable aspects of shopping for a home in the Madison real estate market. But when buying a home it can also be confusing if you're unfamiliar what's available in our area or unsure which style will suite your lifestyle best. 

Whether or not you've decided what architectural style's for you, it's easy to familiarize yourself with Madison's housing styles with our Guide to Madison Architechtural Styles page. Here you'll find brief descriptions of popular architectural styles found in Madison along with one-click access to all the homes currently for sale in each category. 

What…

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holiday_greetings_450Seasons Greetings, from our home to yours!

We are grateful for your patronage and greatly value your feedback. If you enjoy our site and would like to show your appreciation, please "Like" our new Facebook fan page.

Did you know that with the exception of December 25th, we will be open for business throughout the holiday season? So, please don't hesitate to call on us if we can be of service.

Wishing you comfort and joy this holiday season and much success in the year ahead.

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Madison was just ranked the most secure place to live in the United States among large metropolitan areas (500,000 residents or more), according to the seventh annual Farmers Insurance study. The Wisconsin state capital was ranked 3rd last year. This is the 5th time out of 7 years that Madison has placed in the top 20. The rankings were compiled by BestPlaces. Factors used to determine how secure any given metro area is included the following:

  1. crime
  2. extreme weather
  3. risk of natural disaster
  4. housing depreciation
  5. foreclosures
  6. terrorist threats
  7. environmental hazards
  8. air quality
  9. life expectancy
  10. job losses

According to the news release from Farmers Insurance, Madison moved up to No. 1 due to a low unemployment rate, low…

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The twinkle of holiday lights is something that brings much joy to both children and adults alike. At the same time, while these lights and other decorations are beautiful and are the source of a great deal of excitement, they can also be a source of danger if they are not installed and maintained properly. To ensure that your holiday season is bright, but does not endanger you or the ones you love, be sure to keep these 5 tips in mind.

Tip #1: Inspect Lights Thoroughly

Before you hang your lights, make certain they are not frayed, cracked or damaged in any way. Also, inspect the sockets to ensure they are not broken. If you find anything wrong with the cord or socket, discard the lights and purchase new ones, as damaged holiday lights pose a…

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in madison wi average price for single family homes sinks in oct

 According to the SCWMLS (South Central Wisconsin Multiple Listing Service), in October 2010 the average sale price for single family homes sold in Madison Wisconsin fell to a new 5-year low of $219,014 for the month of October, just barely above the 2010 low of $217,874 which occurred in April 2010. November average price data will be out shortly and we'll keep you updated on whether this trend continues, slows, or changes direction.

For five year charts showing Madison WI single family home sales, as well as average days on market (average DOM), please visit our New! Madison real estate statistics page. Later in the week we'll also have some updated MLS statistics for the Madison WI condo market.

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These seemingly pretty flowers (or perhaps margarita glasses, as my son pointed out!) are actually huge water tanks. Sady, they remind me that, despite the typical seasonal slowdown for this time of year, sales of single family homes in Madison Wisconsin virtually tanked last month.

In October 2010, the number of units of Madison single family homes sold fell to a new 5-year low for the month of October. Only 84 units made it to closing. The average price was $219,014 and it took an average of 78 days for these properties to go to closing.  

Please check out the chart below which puts the sales slowdown for single family homes into historical perspective. You can see charts for average prices and average DOM (Days On Market) for Madison single…

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Given our frequent focus on the Madison market, we thought an update about the overall market for real estate in Dane County was in order. So we put together the market snapshot below showing the performance of the Dane County real estate market in each category of sales for October 2010.

As you can see, October sales in Dane County compared favorably to that of, well, molasses. As you can see, no more than approximately 5% of any category of available real estate inventory sold during the month of October. Moreover, sales of the two biggest categories, single family homes and condos, were down over 50% and 70% respectively from last October. Prices held firm for condos and multi-family homes and even increased 10% for single family homes, however…

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This Thursday, as many of us sit down to eat more than we probably should, we all have a great deal to be thankful for. I, for one, am always grateful when Thanksgiving approaches because this holiday affords me the opportunity to thank all of our friends for their patronage this past year and for allowing us to be of service to you.

Safe Thanksgiving Travel Tips

Did you know that 94% of all people in the U.S. traveling over the Thanksgiving holiday will be traveling by automobile? (Only 4% of the U.S. will travel by airplane and only 2% will travel by train.) Also, if temperatures fall below 32 degrees and you try to put air in your tires, it could freeze the valve stem open and cause air to leak out faster.

So please take the time to check your…

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NAR and MBA are predicting mortgage rate rises in 2011I wanted to share something with you in the event that you may still be on the fence about buying a home in Madison (or anywhere in Dane County). As we've seen over the past two weeks, the historically low rates that we've been witnessing are not going to last forever and, in fact, have already started rising. And while it is true that Madison house prices may continue to soften (although it must be pointed out that, overall, they have held up quite well), from a buying perspective there may never be a better time to buy a house in Madison and here's why:


But before I launch into an explanation of why now is such a good time to buy, please know that I am not trying to “talk you into” buying a home in Madison; on the contrary I'm assuming you're already…

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Lake & City Homes is proud to announce our newest tool for buyers: our Dane County Zip Codes page. This new page features a map of Dane County with one-click access to every home for sale in every Dane County zip code, a kind of zip code quicksearch. Why is this a great tool? Well, for a couple of reasons. First, if you already know which Dane County zip code you want to live in, this tool gives you one-click access to all the homes for sale in that zip code. For example, with just a single click you can instantly see all the homes for sale in the popular 53705 zip code or 53562 zip code or any other zip code you're interested in. Second, this tool is useful for anyone who isn't tied to Madison and wants to research homes for sale in different parts of…

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