Tag: real estate

Posted on

Madison Homeowners, Tips To Combat The Rising Fuel Prices

Summer is here and it is hot!  I can hear the screams of joy by some and the sighs of disgust by others.  For many this is the time of year that their electricity bills soar as they run their air conditioner units almost 24/7 in an attempt to keep their Madison homes cool.  Unfortunately, as the fuel prices rise so does the electricity costs, making it even more costly to stay cool.   Between the oil, gas and electricity expense, many Madison homeowners are feeling a bit pinched financially.  I therefore wanted to share some ways to keep your home cooler while saving some money and minimizing your impact on the earth’s atmosphere. (Yeah a chance to be green!)

Some passive cooling techniques for your Madison home:

1. Try to prevent the heat from entering your home.  On very sunny days, keep the blinds closed.  You can also plant bushes and trees in strategic places so they provide extra shade for your home and direct breezes towards your Madison home and windows.

2. Look into some heat reflective film for your windows where the sun shines the strongest.  This will help keep the temperature down in a big way.

3. Keep in mind that the accent pieces on your home should be lighter in color so they will reflect the sun rays.  Examples of this are shutters and roof shingles for the next time they need to be replaced.

4. Utilize fans to circulate incoming breezes.  This is much less expensive than running an AC.  (Also when done in conjunction with an AC for those days that an AC is a must for you, it can minimize the amount of time it has to run.

5. If the heat is really getting you down, just remember you own a home in Madison.  Chances are it will be snowing again before you know it!

Posted on

Get There Green in Madison

Save your gas and Save Your Money, Get There Green in Madison!

There is no question that gas prices both nationally, and here in Madison, are through the roof!  Everyone I know is relying a little more heavily these days on public transportation.  I am therefore providing a great link which is a complete reference map for alternative transportation in Madison.  This site is sponsored by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources and the Madison Environmental Group.  It has an interactive map with all your public transportation options in Madison.

Utilizing public transportation is a great way for Madison homeowners and residents to save money on gas as well as live a little green!  The fact that Madison has such great alternative transportation options is also a great reason to consider Madison and its surrounding towns as your next place to live.  If you are interested in learning a litte bit more about the Madison real estate market, just send me an email and I will gladly send you a link with some great real estate buys in the Madison area.

Posted on

The Dane County Farmer’s Market – Madison – It doesn’t Get Much Better!

It is impossible to list all the amazing things about the Farmer’s Market in Madison.  Being a realtor in Madison I see what kind of pull and attraction it has for Madison homeowners, residents and prospective real estate purchasers.  It is one of the largest Farmer’s Markets in the country and just filled with such incredible treats, produce, and “Madison atmosphere.”    Although it is open year round, it truly is something to see in the months when it is warm enough to be held outside; which is NOW!!

A few things that stick out about the Madison Farmer’s Market as well as all the others across the country.

  1.  It is green! Less gas getting products to market place is better for the environment and on our pockets since food that travels far tends to be higher in price!
  2.  Supporting our local farmers and economy. This is good for our Madison community and our Madison real estate market.
  3.  Less preservation and chemicals needed on our food since we can buy fresh from the local farms. That is good for our health and our environment.

So the big points for me on the Madison Farmer’s Market.  It is green and good for our community and Madison real estate market.

You can find more details on the Dane  County Farmer’s Market here.

Posted on

The Madison Real Estate Market, Taking A Look Back At April

The month of April was a good one in the Madison real estate market.  The 30 year fixed rate mortgage rates remained low ranging between 5.8% and 6.1%, there was plentiful invenory available for Madison area buyers to select from, and many buyers and sellers were able to come together in real estate transactions. 

Madison – Single Family Homes 

There was a healthy number of single family home sales in Madison through out the month of April. We saw 158 sales representing about 42% of the total available inventory.  The average list price was $290,146, while the average sold price was $259,702.  The average days on market has come down to 82 for Madison single family homes.  (The average days on market in the first quarter of this year was 95.)

Madison – Condominiums

The Madison condo market moved at a bit slower pace in the month of April when compared to the single family properties.  We saw 57 condos sell representing about 22% of the total available inventory.  The average list price was $232,368, while the average sold price was $197,995.  The average days on market has increased to 159 days for Madison condos.  (The average days on market in the first quarter of this year was 133 days.)

Posted on

Are You Painting Green in Your Madison Home

Since it is Spring, and there seems to be many people buying Madison real estate and moving to new homes these days, I thought I would share another green decorating tip. This one is about painting.

We all know that paint is not the most environmental friendly to produce and that it needs to be discarded of properly to avoid causing environmental contamination. With that being said though, we all still need paint so that we can make our Madison real estate investments look and feel like home!

The last post included a link to the mod green pod, which offers some great green paint products. But on top of that it is also important to ensure that we don’t buy more paint than needed. HGTV has this great paint calculator you can use before you start your next project. Check it out before you start painting the next room in your Madison home.