Kara Thomas

As my idol in St. Paul likes to say, the following statistics are from our Southwestern Wisconsin MLS and are deemed reliable but not guaranteed.

If you'd like to receive these monthly stats for your community or neighborhood, shoot me an email and I'll put you on my list!

Mt. Horeb

• 8 homes sold

• Average sale price of $262,780 (about 96% of list)

• 4 of those 8 were $300,000+

• Additional 6 homes have accepted offers or offers pending

Verona

• 8 homes sold

• Average sale price of $307,087 (about 97% of list)

• 6 homes about $300,000 or more

• Additional 9 homes with accepted or pending offers (1/2 of which are over $300,000)

Blue Mounds and Barneveld--sorry guys--no action there last month except for accepted offers on a few farm properties.

In case you missed the article in last week's Mt. Horeb Mail, you can click here to read! Realtors speak out about local housing market.

I was hoping that HGTV had disspelled the myth that the smell of freshly baked cookies or the right scented candle was the key to a successful showing or open house. Unfortunately, there are still some people stuck in that mode. There are really only TWO things within a sellers control for a positive open house:

1) You must overly clean your house. I don't mean just vacuum and dust. I mean degrime your faucets, clean the tile grout, the burner pans on your oven, the handles on your frigerator door--clean it all. It is a must in today's competitive market!

2) Declutter. Some owners have done a great job at depersonalizing and getting rid of knick knacks. However, there is still a fair amount of daily life that comes with clutter that you should remove for showings and open houses.

• Clear counter tops of the utensil holders, small appliances (toasters, can openers, etc), and cutting boards. When in doubt, clear it all out.
• Don't have sponges or hand towels or even dishracks in the sink.
• Pet food and water dishes should be out of sight.
• Office areas should look organized and very streamlined. I would hide as much as you can!

You can bring all these things back out to live in your house...just have a place for them for when potential buyers are coming through.

It's important to remember, too, that potential buyers often look behind shower curtains, in cupboards and pantries and in closets. You can "shove" it all in there, but it should still look organized. Otherwise it truly is a charade and buyers don't like to feel like they are being "faked out".

Good luck and go get 'em!

Mt. Horeb has flown under the radar as a great place to live for years, but now it's official. Madison Magazine rated it the #1 Madison suburb. The magazine looked at things such as population, crime rate, property taxes, housing, appreciation, culture, schools and government services.

If someone asked me why Mt. Horeb is a great place to live I would give you the following top 3 reasons:

• Schools: AMAZING teachers and low class sizes have equaled a great educational experience for kids
• Rec Department: Parent volunteers play a large part in the great sport/activity offering from our rec department. Soccer, baseball, gymnastics, and swimming programs are not only cheap--they are excellent.
• Sense of community: While hard to measure on a day to day basis, certain community events like the lighting of the fire house Christmas tree, Relay for Life, and the high school Homecoming make you feel like you are a part of something really cool.

Of course, I have kids so I'm looking at this town through those eyes. Feel free to weigh in on why you think Mt. Horeb is a great place to live!

Few Mt. Horeb Neighborhoods and Median Sale Prices

All statistics from Southwestern Wisconsin MLS. Deemed reliable but not guaranteed.

• Valley View Heights: $304,000
• Hickory Hills: $314,900 (only one home sold)
• Sutter Prairie Ridge: $282,500 (all but one were brand new homes)
• North Cape Commons: $295,000 (all brand new)
• Vista Ridge: $222,000 (all about 10 yrs old and 2100 sf and under)
• Kara View Heights: $215,000 (20-30 yr old homes)
• Nordic Hills: $278,900
• Trotter Glen: $250,476
• Brookstone Ridge: $247,700

There are many neighborhoods in Mt. Horeb. These are just some of the "subdivisions" in town. If you'd like to know something more specific about your area either in Mt. Horeb or the surrounding area, I'd be happy to run those stats for you!