Dane County Real Estate Blog - Shawn Kriewaldt

What Do Rising Interest Rates Mean for Our Market?

If you’re a buyer, you shouldn’t necessarily be worried about rising interest rates. If you’re a seller, however, now is the time to get top dollar for your home.

Interest rates have finally started to rise. In fact, for the first time since last summer, they’ve increased to more than 4% for a 30-year fixed mortgage. Today, they’re at 4.5% for most of the lenders we work with.

We’re in for quite a competitive stretch in the housing market. By the end of last year, we had fewer than 1,000 active listings here in Dane County. Right now, we have 848 condos and single family homes for sale without accepted offers.…

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Your Offer Got Accepted. Now What?

Want to sell your home? Get a FREE home value report. Want to buy a home? Search all homes for sale.

What happens once your offer is accepted on your new house? Before you start celebrating, there are a few steps you have to take prior to sitting at the closing table.

Typically, transactions in our market are financed by a lender or bank. As a result, most transactions close in about 45 days.

After your offer is accepted, one of the first things you need to do is to make sure that you apply for a mortgage. If you were previously pre-approved before your homesearch, then we have probably already had contact with your lender, so we can send your documentation directly to them.

Normally, it will take 30 to 35 days…

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Adorable 3 Bedroom Home *SOLD*

www.209southst.com

Charming 3BR, 1.5BA home with amazing character. Features include a large eat in kitchen w/breakfast counter, separate dining room area with a sitting room, separate living room, main floor bedrooms, bath & laundry hardwood & tile floors throughout. Homes sits on a great lot! Fantastic starter home!

About Baraboo, WI

Baraboo Schools

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Gorgeous 2 Story in Foxridge Neighborhood *SOLD*

www.1404NHighPointRd.com

Gorgeous 2 story home in the Foxridge neighborhood! Kitchen has granite counter tops & pantry. Cozy fireplace in the main level family room, huge master suite w/ walk-in closet and sitting area. Enjoy your morning coffee in the sun/music room. The LL level has a wet bar, rec room, built-in home office, full bath & bedroom. Beautiful landscaping in both the front and backyard. The backyard with huge arbor covered deck and patio is perfect for peace, tranquility & summer entertaining! Near the beltline, restaurants & Greenway Station. Middleton Schools!

About Middleton, WI

Middleton School District  

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4 Simple Upgrades to Completely Transform Your Bathroom

Today, I’ll be sharing four simple, inexpensive bathroom upgrades that can add a lot of value before you list.

If you're planning to sell you home in the next year, I have some simple and inexpensive upgrades you may want to make before you list.

1. Flooring and color schemes. There are plenty of options out there for vinyl flooring today. Between wood plank patterns, tile patterns, and many more, there’s a lot to choose from. Additionally, this project is one you can easily do yourself. When it comes to color schemes, I highly recommend keeping things toned down. Tan or light blue are great, soothing…

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What Will the Market Be Like in 2018?

2018 is almost here. Do you want to know how our market is expected to change?
  Want to sell your home? Get a FREE home value report. Want to buy a home? Search all homes for sale.  

What’s happening in our market right now? What can we expect from the market in 2018?

First, let’s start off with the number of homes that are currently available in the Madison area. Currently, there's less than 1.5 months of supply in terms of both condos and single-family homes.  What does this mean you may ask? This means we’re in a seller’s market at the moment (brief explanation: a balanced market is about 6 months of available homes at the rate of sale using the average of the past 12 months. In a "balanced" market supply and…

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7 Tips to Prepare Your Home for Sale in the Winter

I'd love to share seven tips that you can use to prepare your home for sale in the winter months.

 Want to sell your home? Get a FREE home value report

Today, let's chat about seven things you can use to make sure you're ready for your wintertime sale.

1. Make sure your home is well-lit in the evening. Days are getting shorter and buyers will still likely be out looking after dark, so having good lighting will keep your home from looking gloomy and dingy. Turn your inside and outside lights on before a showing; if you won't be home, ask your realtor to do it for you. A lot of sellers use compact fluorescent lighting; these require a warm-up period before they…

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Some Advice on Preparing Your Home for Winter

Winter is coming. Here are just a few tips on getting your home ready for the cold.

Want to sell your home? Get a FREE home value report.

Want to buy a home? Search all homes for sale.

I’ve got a few quick tips to share with you today that will help you get your home ready for the cold temperatures that are coming this winter. 

1. Remove garden hoses from water spigots and drain them. If you leave a hose attached, it may hold water that could freeze and end up bursting your spigot and flooding your basement.  

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Don’t leave your hoses attached to the spigots.

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2. Get your furnace serviced. If your furnace hasn’t been checked in the last year, it's not a bad idea to have it looked at. At the…

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3 Bedroom Condo in Amazing Location *SOLD*

Click here for more information.

Well maintained, 3 bedroom open concept condo in an unbeatable location! Within walking distance of everything Hilldale has to offer: shops, restaurants, Target, Metcalfe’s, Sundance theater, and more! Convenient to UW, hospitals, and the bus line. Kitchen includes newer appliances and an island, plus a dining area. Other features: plenty of cabinets and closet space, in-unit laundry, and a balcony. Heat, hot water, and an off-street parking space included in condo fee!

About Hilldale

About Madison, WI

About the Madison School District

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5 Tips for a Safe and Happy Halloween

Halloween is just around the corner. To make sure your night is full of treats and not tricks, I’ve got five key tips to prepare yourself and your home.   Want to sell your home? Get a FREE home value report. Want to buy a home? Search all homes for sale.

Today I’d like to share five quick tips on how to prepare yourself and your home for the holiday right around the corner: Halloween.

1. Decorate the front of your home for trick-or-treaters. Decorating your porch or door will help let kids and their parents know that you’re giving out treats.

2. Make sure your property is well lit. Optimizing your lighting will make sure that people remain safe when they're approaching and on your property. You don’t…

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