Madison, WI

For the week ending July 1, 2009

The average listing price of homes for sale in Madison remained consistent with a slight increase of .6% from $253,305 last week to $254.962 this week. The median sales price for the quarter slipped again from $199,950 last week to $192,500 this week. There are currently 2496 homes for sale in Madison compared to last week of 2531.

Bob
608-235-6701

bob@bentleyrealtygroup.net
www.bentleyrealtygroup.net

Bentley Realty Group is Your Clear Choice in Madison Area Real Estate!

The real estate market data provided was obtained from Trulia.com Information is deemed reliable, but not guaranteed.

More reasons to relocate to the best city around…. Madison, WI.

Once again, Madison has hit one of the top newspapers. This time around.... the New York Times.

First up… a slideshow of various activities around the city – click here to view it.

The article in the New York Times explores what you can do in 36 hours in Madison. Although most of the activities are food related, it’s still a good read. Check it out here!

Make it a Great Day Everyone!
Bob

608-235-6701

bob@bentleyrealtygroup.net
www.bentleyrealtygroup.net

Your Clear Choice in Madison Area Real Estate!

This post is important enough to re-post. First Time Buyers, Take Advantage if You Can!!

Earlier this year, Congress passed a Bigger and Better Home Buyer Tax Credit. In an effort to stimulate the economy and revive the current housing market, this temporary tax credit is a welcome one to many. According to the Internal Revenue Service, first-time home buyers should begin planning now to take advantage of this new Tax Credit.

A Tax Credit of up to $8,000 is now available for qualified first-time home buyers. Available for a limited time, here’s your glance at the credit:

• Who is Eligible? The credit is available to first-time home buyers only. A first-time home buyer is defined as a buyer who has not owned a principal residence during the three-year period prior to the purchase. For married home buyers, the history of both buyers is taken into account.
• Is There a Deadline? Yes. The credit is available for homes purchased on or after January 1, 2009 and before December 1, 2009.
• Is There an Income Requirement? Yes. Single taxpayers with incomes up to $75,000 and people filing joint returns with incomes up to $150,000 qualify for the full tax credit.
• What is the Tax Credit? The tax credit works like an interest-free loan and must be repaid over a 15-year period.
• Does the Price of the Home Matter? Yes it does. The credit is for 10 percent of the cost of the home, up to a maximum credit of $8,000.
• How is this Tax Credit Different than the $7,500 Tax Credit Passed in 2008? The most significant difference is that this tax credit doesn’t have to be repaid. This incentive to home buyers is a true “tax credit”. If however the home buyer doesn’t use the residence as a principal residence for at least three years, the credit may be recaptured by the government.

There are numerous resources available for additional, detailed information about the tax credit. click on either of these sites below that I found to have the most in-depth information:

• National Realtor Association Info on the Tax Credit
• Tax Information for U.S. Armed Forces

Bob
608-235-6701

bob@bentleyrealtygroup.net
www.bentleyrealtygroup.net

Bentley Realty Group is Your Clear Choice in Real Estate!

For the week ending June 24, 2009

The average listing price of homes for sale in Madison remained consistent with only a slight decrease of .2% from $253,832 last week to $253,395 this week. The median sales price for the quarter slipped a bit from $204,900 last week to $199,950 this week. There are currently 2531 homes for sale in Madison compared to last week of 2601.

Bob
608-235-6701

bob@bentleyrealtygroup.net
www.bentleyrealtygroup.net

Bentley Realty Group is Your Clear Choice in Madison Area Real Estate!

The real estate market data provided was obtained from Trulia.com Information is deemed reliable, but not guaranteed.

This happened several years ago... it was a normal day.

I had a full day of showings scheduled with some First Time Buyers.

We hopped in the car & headed out to a suburb of Madison.

First house was a lovely bi-level with a nicely manicured yard.

As usual, I opened the door using the key box - rang the bell once for good measure and in we went. It was summer - all of the windows shades were shut likely to try to conserve energy - at any rate the house is dimly lit.

We view the kitchen, walk out & check the deck, yard then to the living room. So far this house has potential! The clients start thinking about how to arrange their furniture in the living room while I head to the bedrooms to open them up and get lights on.

I head down a long hallway toward the bedrooms - I notice that all 3 bedroom doors are shut... this is never good.

I knock on door one - no answer - I walk in turn on the lights & open the blinds.

Next, door two - I knock - no answer - I walk in turn on the room lamp & open the blinds.

On to door three -- I knock - no answer - I open the door and walk in & flip on the lights without really looking in the room. I head to open the blinds - then out of the corner of my eye what do I see... a big, hairy man butt straight ahead of me.

Ahhh... I realize there is a very large naked man sleeping on his stomach in this room. My fight or flight reflex kicks in & I run like the wind to get the heck out of that room.

Ok, deep breath... back to the living room. I inform the clients that someone is sleeping in one of the bedrooms so we should skip viewing that room. The clients really, really like the house & want to see the whole house so they have a full picture so they can feel comfortable writing an offer.

I let them know that they will get a full picture that will be scared into their brains of a big, hairy man butt.

Undeterred, they head to the bedrooms. They check out the first two bedrooms and of course they are perfect.

On to door three... I decide I need to wake this man up. So I start pounding on the bedroom door - bang, bang, bang! I shut my eyes open the door & let the clients in - they quick scan the room & we head back to the living room.

At this point, these first time buyer's eyeballs looked like they were going to pop out of their heads. Just as I'm thinking it was time to head out Ms. Buyer says, "Don't you think you should go make sure that man is ok? If he didn't hear you knock - he could be dead."

Oh crap. If anybody knows me - they know I could never go in to the medical field as I do not like blood or dead things. Now, I'm supposed to check on big, hairy butt man to see if he is dead.

How to do this without touching this man? I go to the door & try some more banging - he doesn't wake up. I flash the lights on & off - he doesn't wake up. So I decide to grab a large basket of dog toys to gently throw at the big, hairy butt man.

First toss is a rib squeaky toy... bombs away. He doesn't wake up. Next shot is a chew toy - he still doesn't wake up. I decide to try one last tennis ball before I go in & shake big, hairy butt man. I wind up & toss the tennis ball - direct hit! Big, hairy, butt man starts to move & grunt. Yea! He is alive! Boo! He is waking up. I run down the hall & out of the house with the clients on to the next house.

I never did get a complete view of big, hairy butt man's face & he never saw me. So if you know anyone that mentioned that they went to sleep & then woke up with the lights on, blinds open & had a bed full of dog toys - now you know what really happened.

Jen Stauter ~ www.HomeTeam4u.net