In recent years, homes located in neighborhoods & communities that are within walking distance of shops, restaurants & entertainment are becoming increasingly in demand.

Pride of Ownership evident in this Near West Side Home for Sale!

You’re not alone if you wish you could find an affordable, good-sized, walkable, bikeable home on the near West Side of Madison! Well, you've come to the right place! Check out this 3 bedroom, 1.5 bath national folk/farmhouse in University Park neighborhood across from Shorewood Hills just behind Whole Foods! This charming vintage 2-story is clean and move-in ready. It features a formal living room and formal dining room, and kitchen with full suite of appliances including gas stove and full-sized dishwasher. There are sliding glass doors off the dining room that lead to a spacious back deck and private fenced-in yard with included hot tub and rebuilt 1.5 car garage! This charming…

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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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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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Lake & City Homes is proud to announce the addition of its new Walkable Madison homes page. Now, in addition to being able to search by WalkScore, you can also instantly access a list of Madison homes for sale that are considered "highly walkable". What is a "highly walkable" home? Homes with a high degree of walkability are homes located in neighborhoods within close walking distance to businesses, shops, places of worship and dining. Although walkable homes are typically located in the older sections of cities, villages, and towns and may therefore have a smaller overall footprint, walkable homes are often more expensive to buy. A recent national study by CEOs for Cities states that walkable homes command a premium of anywhere between $4,000 and $34,000…

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San Francisco was recently named "Best Walking City in America" by Prevention magazine in conjunction with the American Podiatric Medical Association and Sperling's Best Places. Boston, New York, Philadelphia and Chicago competed for the remaining top four spots. Among the 19 criteria utilized for comparing different metro areas was "population density per square miles of public parks". Prevention also published a list of honorable mentions - cities considered best for families, nature walks, fitness walkers and walking commuters.

Lake & City Homes recently integrated WalkScore into its MLS search criteria. As a result, you can view how high the walkability factor is for properties that interest you right on our Property Details page. Read about how…

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It's well established that walking offers better health, fewer greenhouse gases, more transportation options (e.g. bicycling and busing), increased social interaction with family and neighbors, and stronger local businesses. So in its effort to match people with Homes that fit their lifestyle, we at Lake & City Homes are proud to announce the addition of WalkScore to LakeandCityHomes.com. We simply love that WalkScore ranks thousands of neighborhoods all over the country to help you find a walkable place to live. So we decided to integrate that functionality into our search capabilities and more. Here's how we do it (so far):

Search for "highly walkable" homes 

A "Walk Score Minimum" field has been added to our MLS Search so you can search for homes…

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