Crazylegs Lane, Madison WILooking for a great way to get back into shape before summer?  Support the University of Wisconsin–Madison Athletic Department and enjoy a pre-summer workout! The 29th Annual Crazylegs Classic takes place on Saturday, April 24th and features a scenic 8K run/wheelchair or a two mile walk that begins at the Capitol Square and ends with the final leg in Camp Randall Stadium.

The Crazylegs Classic idea was “hatched over a couple of beers” in 1981 by three Badger fanatics at a local bar. Tom Grantham, Ken Sparks, and Rich Bakus wanted to raise money for UW Athletics, the three approached then Athletic Director Elroy Hirsch for permission to name it the “Crazylegs Run” in his honor. Elroy Hirsch was an American football running back and receiver for the Los…

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images from IrelandIf you missed the Madison parade and want to do a little more than going through the McDonald’s drive thru for a Shamrock shake, here are some fun activities in the Madison, WI area for St. Patrick’s Day:

Indulge in an Irish dinner at the Great Dane! They will be serving green beer, Irish food specials, and music from DJ Mike Carlson beginning at 9 p.m.

The Monona Terrace will be hosting an evening with rigel (Modern Celtic Music), that is free and open to the public! Themed menu specials, snacks, beer, cocktails, and soft drinks are available for purchase beginning at 5 p.m. Enjoy an evening of dancing and great music with friends!

The Overture Center on State Street hosts Danú, a leading Irish traditional ensemble! Admission is $17-$27 and…

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Recently I was contacted by one of my site visitors about a property they saw for sale in Middleton Hills on Trulia.com. The person was asking why they couldn't locate that listing on my website. After looking up the MLS number, I quickly discovered the property was no longer for sale. I thought I'd share with you my reply in case there is still anyone out there who feels compelled to search for real estate on listing aggregators such as Trulia and Zillow:

"Thanks for the Trulia link to MLS #1543347 (6933 Ramsey Rd) last night. Below is a link to the MLS sheet for this property:

Click Here to View Listings

As you can see, the current status for this property is actually "Pending". That means that all contingencies (subject to sale, financing, inspection,…

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Just a quick reminder that on Thursday, March 11th from 9:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m. the RASCW Green Committee will be hosting an educational program on Energy Rebates and Tax Credits.  The program will be held in the community room at the beautiful new Sequoya Library located at 4340 Tokay Blvd in Madison.
 
A panel of speakers will discuss energy credits, updates for green renovations for existing homes and new construction, as well as information on the Madison Area Builders Association Green Built Home™ program.
 
Speakers include Lee Schwartz, Piping Plover Energy Solutions; a representative from Focus on Energy and RASCW Green Committee Co-chair Troy Thiel. Peter Zarov of Homestead Title will be sponsoring the event.

For more information about green-built…

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In times of economic uncertainty, identifying a safe and secure environment in which to live, work and raise a family has undoubtedly become a much bigger priority for many Americans than before. In a survey released by Farmers Insurance Group in late December 2009, Madison Wisconsin ranked the third most secure place to live in the United States compared to the largest U.S. metropolitan areas.

The rankings used in the study considered factors ranging from crime statistics, extreme weather, risk of natural disasters, threat of terrorism, housing market depreciation, foreclosure rates, air quality, life expectancy, and job loss numbers. In total, 379 U.S. municipalities were evaluated for the study.

The survey ranked the top 20 cities (or…

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Madison residents have long enjoyed the many benefits that the city has to offer. From easy access to numerous cultural and recreational activities to ample employment opportunities and beautiful homes to select from, the capital city of Madison Wisconsin is simply a beautiful place to live. According to a recent article in Men’s Health magazine, however, the city is also among the top healthiest places for men to live.

In the January/February 2010 issue of Men’s Health, Madison was listed as the second healthiest U.S. city for men. To determine rankings, Men's Health Magazine weighed 35 criteria including employment rates, air quality, commute times, life expectancy, death rates related to different health conditions, weight-related health issues and even…

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The biggest investment many people make is their home and in recent years that investment has turned sour.  Rapidly rising home values appeared to be a sure bet.  As home values went up and equity magically increased, many homeowners sought and were given second mortgages which left very little net equity.  

Like all financial bubbles, the inevitable crash has arrived.  A major cause was Wall Street's securitization of "sub prime" loans.  A great explanation can be found at CrisisofCredit.com.  As housing prices fell, and as homeowners lost jobs or had other financial problems, their second mortgages and high interest rate loans combined to make many homes unaffordable.

One option to avoid unaffordable monthly mortgage payments is a short sale.  A…

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In the past year, the mortgage industry has implemented changes that will help provide customers with the essential information and enough time to understand their home purchases and refinance options. Some of those changes have included the Home Valuation Code of Conduct (HVCC) changes in May 2009 and the Housing and Economic Recovery Act (HERA) requirements that came into effect July 30, 2009. The newest addition to those changes is the RESPA (Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act) Reform, which became mandatory for all lenders and mortgage brokers on January 1, 2010.

Here's what you need to know about the RESPA Reform as a consumer and an industry colleague.

What is RESPA Reform?

RESPA Reform was enacted by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban…

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As of January 21, 2010, the FHA is changing their upfront funding fee from 1.75% to 2.25%. This is the fee the borrower can finance directly into their loan without making any changes to the purchase price. It doesn't affect the amount of cash required to close a loan and it won't change borrowers' mortgage payments very much but the change is getting a lot of attention nonetheless. Here's what's really going on:

The FHA is essentially going back to what it used to charge consumers years ago before it lowered its fee from 2.25% to 1.5%, and then increased it to the current 1.75%.

 So while this is definitely an increase, it's not really that big of a deal. Also, it won't impact very many borrowers because few lenders are doing loans with credit scores…

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An unpleasant scenario is starting to emerge regarding the mortgage rate picture for 2010. All my lender friends are telling me that the Fed is going to be winding down their purchase of mortgage-backed securities and will be all finished with the buying by the end of March 2010. Ouch. The experts don't see the Fed extending their buying spree so, although we aren't exactly sure what that's going to mean for mortgage rates, logic would seem to dictate that when you suddenly get dramatically decreased demand prices will have to drop in order for supply and demand to get back into equilibrium. As you may know, when it comes to mortgage-backed securities rates and prices move in opposite directions. So when demand for mortgage-backed securities diminishes and…

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