Madison’s condo dwellers who think they lack the space for a garden don’t know what they’re missing. Imagine entertaining your friends on your deck or patio this summer, surrounded by Paradise. It just takes a little creativity and lots of planting containers and potting soil to feed your green thumb, add some color to your patio and enchant your guests. Let’s take a look at some things to consider when planning for your spring or summer balcony (or patio) garden.

Sun or Shade?

Does the spot you’ve chosen get lots of sun, afternoon sun or is it primarily in shade for much of the day? Shady gardens are a challenge for even those with plots of land but you can find plants that do well with less sun.

Consider the wild red columbine (Aquilegia

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

Happy Halloween from Lake & City Homes Realty! Check out this amazing pumpkin carving website and choose your favorite from the pumpkin carving gallery. Then comment on anything you see in my blog (including this post) and you'll be eligible to win a $10 sign-up promo code from Alice.com (no affiliation). The drawing will take place at Lake & City Homes Realty on Friday, November 6th, 2009.

When I realized that the creator of these amazing pumpkin carvings, Scott Cummins, only spends 1-2 hours on each carving, I was inspired to figure out how I too might start working smarter, not harder! So, whether you're buying or selling, here's some tips (as opposed to dirty tricks!) for working smarter in today's real estate market to get the kind of results you

"Lake, City, Lake." You know it as the City of Madison's trademark. And now it describes the content on our website more accurately than ever before! 

Lake & City Homes Realty is proud to announce eight new search shortcuts for quickly locating new waterfront listings in Madison WI and its surrounding communities. All eight shortcuts are accessible from the homepage of LakeAndCityHomes.com. First, there are daily updated listings and prices for Madison lakefront homes. These are properties in Madison or elsewhere in Dane County that are either situated on a lake or on a river and which include actual water frontage, be it 50' of water frontage all the way up to 300' of frontage or more. Secondly, there are daily updated prices and listings for Madison

In real estate, it's a well-known fact that many buyers have difficulty imagining what a house would look like if the furniture was arranged in a completely different way. Worse yet, buyers typically have a hard time getting past furnishings that aren't to their liking or style. That's why I'm a big believer in staging a home prior to putting it on the market. I've been known to go to great lengths to stage homes, and even greater lengths to avoid marketing a vacant home, especially when furnishing it and staging it is a possibility. I've even used excess furnture from one home to stage another! And I'm an even bigger believer that in these challenging economic times, sellers need to be even more open to advice and counsel about staging their home than