Early last month, ApartmentList.com released their list of the top 75 metros in the U.S. for millennials. The criteria for inclusion fell into three categories: 

  • Jobs
  • Livability
  • Affordability

“Few metros offer the ideal mix of a strong job market, affordable rent and home prices and high livability scores,” claims Sydney Bennet, Apartment List’s research associate.

Madison, however, is one of only three others that offers that ideal mix, with a perfect score (A+). Provo, Utah and Pittsburgh were the other two.

Madison is a livable city

Although Madison came in third overall, we scored the highest in the livability category. Apartment List surveyed renters to come up with this metric.

They asked them about weather, access…

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We get a number of calls and emails from homebuyers who want to live the lifestyle inherent in the City of Four Lakes moniker. In other words, they want lakefront living and contact us for advice on which lake is the best, which has homes in certain price ranges and more.

We’ve found it impossible to name which lake is the best – they all have their advantages. One of the most popular lakefront neighborhoods however, at least among our clients, is Spring Harbor.

Tucked onto the southwest shores of Lake Mendota, and up against the City of Madison’s western boundary, the more-than 400-acre Spring Harbor neighborhood is an active lakefront community with a lot to offer.

History buffs – listen up

Hickory Hill House was established as an…

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Imagine you own a home and you decide to sell it. You hire a real estate agent to help you and the agent crunches the numbers and determines that your home, which overlooks a golf course in a high-demand community, is worth $629,000.

The home is listed in the MLS, the agent goes about marketing it, but nothing happens. Or, when offers do finally come in, they are for $100,000 less than the list price. Both the agent and the homeowner are astounded since other homes in the neighborhood with more square footage sold for $100,000 MORE than this home.

How can this happen?

Fake news. Yup, it even happens in real estate and the results can be catastrophic.

Zillow.com

If you are familiar with Zillow you know about the website’s “Zestimates.”…

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Dejected: That feeling you get when you finally find a home you want to purchase and your agent tells you that there are multiple offers on it. You’re not alone; there are plenty of dejected homebuyers in the current Madison real estate market.

Here it is only June and yet the nation’s housing market is hotter than July. And, although buyers across the country are having a tough time of it, they should be thankful they aren’t looking for a home in Madison.

After all, they have about 103 days to look before homes are snatched up, according to The Capital Times’ Lisa Speckhard. Here in Madison? Move quick because homes priced less than $250,000 are being scooped up within 10 days of being listed.

By the way, although this is bad news for…

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Strong job growth, a confidence-inspiring economy and even the lowest mortgage interest rates in decades aren’t enough to boost home sales in Madison. Why?

Because there aren’t enough homes available to satisfy the demand. In fact, at the end of April (the latest month for which we have statistics), there were only 1,079 homes for sale in all of Dane County. This represents a 1.62-months’ supply of inventory. A 6-month supply, by the way, indicates a balanced market.

With supply and demand at work here, home prices are escalating quickly, while the number of closed sales are dropping.  How did we get here and what, if anything, can be done to ease the pressure on the market?

Interest rates beckon

Despite recent hikes, interest rates…

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Not to be snarky, but there are a whole lot of people who don’t work in the real estate industry who think they know everything there is to know about buying and selling a home – from the lending process to the closing. Most of them gleaned this vast knowledge base from having bought or sold a home in the past.

I’ve had my hair cut and car repaired in the past but still know little about the intricacies of either. Maybe it’s just me . . .

What real estate “experts” don’t know, however, could end up costing them, dearly. Do yourself a favor. When you’re working with a real estate agent, use him or her for all he or she is worth. Pick their brains, down to the last bit of gray matter. If in doubt about anything, ask, regardless of how “stupid” you…

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On Saturday, we celebrated Armed Forces Day across the country. Here in Wisconsin, home to nearly 900,000 U.S. veterans, the day was noted with a Harley-Davidson Support the Troops Ride, military displays, a 21-gun salute and Echo Taps and more. A couple hours north of Madison, Fort McCoy held an open house celebration.

California’s attorney general Kamala Harris sums it up when she said “We owe our vets the support and benefits they earned while wearing a uniform.” We all know about the shoddy medical support these men and women have been subjected to. What may come as a surprise to you, however, is how few of our nation’s heroes understand the home loan benefit to which they are entitled.

Of our 21,369,602 military veterans, only 2.4 percent…

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A couple of weeks ago we discussed ways to remain in Madison after you retire and, as promised, this week we’re going to help you find a neighborhood in Madison.   

While experts are quick to designate cities as ideal retirement havens, narrowing down your choice of neighborhood will be a bit more challenging. Thankfully, we have you covered here, and we’ve categorized them according to what our older clients say they’re looking for.

I don’t want to live around old folks

“I’m retired, not dead,” is a common refrain we hear and we get it. The last thing most 60-somethings want is to be put out to pasture, doing arts and crafts in a community room at a senior center. So, ok, check out Sunset Village. Yes, there is a senior center in the area…

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In 2015, the Huffington Post gave us “5 Reasons Madison, Wisconsin May Be The World’s Best Place To Retire.” Forbes named us number one on its list of “25 Best Cities For An Active Retirement,” in 2011. AARP puts Madison as the best medium-sized city on its list of “The Most Livable Places at 50+” and CNN Money claims that Mad City is the best choice of their “5 best cities to grow older in.”

And, no, we haven’t taken a job with the Madison Booster Club (if there is one), we just wholeheartedly agree that Wisconsin offers retirees a dream “forever vacation.” Whether you’re just now considering taking down the shingle or you’ve already stepped into retirement, Madison is one of the best places in the country to live.

But, can you afford to…

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woman riding a bike in a park

No doubt you’ve heard it repeatedly: your home may be the biggest investment you make in your lifetime. Sadly, most homebuyers don’t keep that in mind during the purchase process. Instead, it is all about emotions -- the sexy staircase, the über-cool kitchen and the to-die-for flooring. Seldom are we asked how to know if a home will hold its value, what factors into determining a home’s future value and how to shop for a home that will eventually make the buyer money.

While the answers to these questions are complex, some predictors of future value are obvious:

  • Location
  • Age
  • Size
  • Layout
  • Condition
  • Upgrades
  • Market variables

One must dig deep into even these obvious factors to find the “nuggets” of needed information. For…

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