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Sun Prairie, WI

Sun Prairie Wisconsin School District

Michael Collins- SFR-WI Short Sales/Foreclosures: Real Estate Brokerage in Janesville, WI

Wisconsin SchoolsBelow is a list of Sun Prairie Wisconsin area schools. You will find contact information, including phone numbers and addresses. This list is supplied by Education.com. If you are looking for specific details on Sun Prairie area high schools, middle schools and elementary schools this is a great place to start your search.

Bird Elementary School
1170 North Bird St | (608) 834-7300
PK, K-5 | Sun Prairie Area School District

Eastside Elementary School
661 Elizabeth Lane | (608) 834-7400
PK, K-5 | Sun Prairie Area School District

Northside Elementary School
230 West Klubertanz Dr | (608) 834-7100
PK, K-5 | Sun Prairie Area School District

Patrick Marsh Middle School
1351 Columbus St | (608) 834-7600
6-8 | Sun Prairie Area School District

Prairie View Middle School
400 North Thompson Rd | (608) 834-7800
6-8 | Sun Prairie Area School District

Royal Oaks Elementary School
2215 Pennsylvania Ave | (608) 834-7200
PK, K-5 | Sun Prairie Area School District

Sun Prairie High School
220 Kroncke Dr | (608) 834-6700
9-12 | Sun Prairie Area School District

Westside Elementary School
1320 Buena Vista Dr | (608) 834-7500
PK, K-5 | Sun Prairie Area School District

Sacred Hearts School
219 Columbus St | (608) 837-8508
PK, K-8 | WI Private Schools

Calvary Baptist Christian School
304 Woodward Dr | (608) 837-8823
PK, K-11 | WI Private Schools

Peace Lutheran School & Pre-K
232 Windsor St | (608) 837-5346
PK, K-8 | WI Private Schools

Horizon Elementary School
625 North Heatherstone Ridge D | (608) 834-7900
PK, K-5 | Sun Prairie Area School District

If you would like further detailed information on Sun Prairie Wisconsin Local Information, please visit the page linked below on Rock Realty's website. These pages offer local area information and statistics for Wisconsin Cities and Towns in Dane County and Rock County Wisconsin. Items like Real Estate Market Stats, Neighborhood Walk Score, Colleges and Schools can be found via the link below. These stats are gathered from Zillow.com, WalkScore.com, Yelp.com, TeachStreet.com, MatchCollege.com, and Education.com.

Wisconsin City Statistics and Local Area Information

Sun Prairie Wisconsin Short Sale Real Estate Agent|Realtor®

Michael Collins- SFR-WI Short Sales/Foreclosures: Real Estate Brokerage in Janesville, WI

Sun Prairie WI Short Sale Real Estate Agent|Realtor®

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Sun Prairie, WI Short Sale RealtorAre you looking for a Sun Prairie Wisconsin Short Sale Real Estate Agent? Rock Realty is a real estate brokerage that specializes in Short Sales and Bank Owned Foreclosures in the Sun Prairie WI area. We have helped home owners in both Rock County and Dane County, from Beloit to Lodi.

My name is Michael Collins, broker for Rock Realty. I have completed the Short Sales and Foreclosure Resource training and have been given the SFR designation through the National Association of Realtors® (NAR). Feel free to contact me directly at 608-921-8536 for help with any of your short sale home questions. I have helped many Sun Prairie home owners with their distressed property needs and consider myself a Wisconsin Short Sale Specialist.

REALTORS® who have earned the SFR certification know how to help sellers maneuver the complexities of short sales as well as help buyers pursue short sale and foreclosure opportunities. The certification program includes training on how to qualify sellers for short sales, negotiate with lenders, protect buyers, and limit risk.

What is a Short Sale?
A short sale occurs when a lender agrees to take less than the amount owed to payoff a loan as an alternative to foreclosure. Lenders know that it will cost them a significant amount of money to take a property back. The Real Estate Agents at Rock Realty can often convince them that they will be better off financially if they sell the property now rather than taking the home through foreclosure and trying to sell it later. So, a short sale can actually be good for the bank. It can also be good for the home owner, as it is typically better to perform a short sale on their Sun Prairie property instead of letting it proceed to foreclosure.

Short Sale Home Evaluation
Many home owners have preferred to first determine if a short sale is the right option for their Sun Prairie home. I have set up an online form that is very simple to fill out. Upon completion, I can determine if a short sale with your bank is the most favorable option. Often, we find that simply listing your home for fair market value is the best first step.

Click here for a free
Sun Prairie WI Short Sale Home Evaluation

If you are curious what short sale homes we currently have for sale, please feel free to visit our Short Sale Home Listings page. These are fantastic homes at a great price.

Sun Prairie and local Down Payment PLus is Assistance not restricted to first-time home buyers

10-12-11
Bill Crawley
Bill Crawley: Real Estate Agent in Sun Prairie, WI

Sun Prairie and Down Payment PLus for a home purchase is assistance not restricted to first-time homebuyers. This local program is for homes in the Dane and Grant County areas. Read furthure for more information.

Wisconsin Community Bank

Wisconsin Community Bank - Downpayment Plus
Wisconsin Community Bank is helping to expand home ownership opportunities to low and moderate-income households in our area through Downpayment Plus®, a down payment and closing cost assistance program.
  • Receive up to $6,000 in down payment, closing cost, and rehabilitation cost assistance to purchase a primary residence with a new home mortgage from WCB and a required out-of-pocket contribution of only $1,000.
  • Occupy your new home for five years or sell to an income-eligible purchaser and the full amount of your grant will be fully forgiven.*
  • To qualify for assistance, applicant's total annual household income must be at or below 80% of the area median income as determined by HUD, for example:
    • Maximum $44,950 (1 person household) or $51,400 (2 person household) in Dane County;
    • Maximum $37,200 (1 person household) or $42,500 (2 person household) in Green County.
  • Downpayment Plus® is NOT restricted to first-time homebuyers.


Call or click today for free pre-qualification and available mortgage program information.

Kane ShutterTom Liszka

If your thinking about buying a home in Sun Prairie, Madison or the surounding Madison area. Bill Crawley can help you locate the perfect home for you.

Should I Buy a Home from a Family Member?

10-12-11
Bill Crawley
Bill Crawley: Real Estate Agent in Sun Prairie, WI

Should I Buy a Home from a Family Member?

A common real estate question I get asked in Sun Prairie is whether or not you can buy a home from a family member. The answer, in most cases, is yes. If the home is current on payments (i.e. not a short sale or foreclosure ), a homeowner can sell the property to any party they choose at a negotiated price. Similar to purchasing a car or other asset from family, there are many possible benefits to purchasing from a relative. Some of these include:

Quick close - Most family members have the opportunity to discuss the purchase face-to-face, and can agree on contract details before involving their real estate agent or title company. This can greatly reduce the amount of resources wasted on counter-offers and amendments and allow for a quick close date. It will also save on title and escrow fees due to the reduction of unnecessary paperwork.

Lower sale price - If you're purchasing from family, chances are they will agree to a lower sale price than if they were selling to someone at arms-length. This is a great perk for buyers who are looking to build immediate equity in their new home. Buyers should be aware, however, that they may run into steep capital gain taxes if they choose to resell the home within a two-year time period.

Alternative or owner financing - If the seller owns the home outright, they may be willing to finance the property for the seller, which is very helpful if the buyer does not qualify for traditional financing due to low savings, poor credit or an untraditional employment history.

While the benefits of purchasing from a family member may be easy to understand, the downsides are not always so apparent. The old saying ôdon't mix business and familyö did not become popular without a reason. Below are just a few of the downsides that arise from this common real estate question.

How to Safely Buy a Home from a Family Member

Purchasing from family can cause friction between relatives from the early stages of negotiation until well into home occupancy. Jealousy from other relatives, buyer remorse and resentment are just a few of the issues that may wreak havoc on family relationships. While these are all common downsides of business transactions, it's important to remember when doing business with family that the business relationship often carries over into personal relationships. If you're considering doing business with family, make sure both parties are aware of these potential pitfalls and understand the risks before entering into a purchase agreement.

Now that you have a clear understanding of the benefits and risks of buying a home from a family member, here are a few tips I recommend to my clients in Sun Prairie when buying from a family member:

Ensure mortgages are current If the home is still financed, be sure that the mortgage payments are in good standing. The last thing you want is a lien put on the home when you are trying to purchase it.

Use a REALTOR® Many realtors are experienced in dealing with sales between family members. If this is the first time you are buying from a relative, your realtor will be able to ask and answer the right questions for you to make sure your sale goes smoothly.

Seek legal advice Make sure you have a lawyer look over all of the paperwork, including the offer, any counter offers and your purchase agreement. They will likely catch something you may have missed, and make certain the appropriate verbiage is in your contract to protect your property investment.

Once you've covered all of your bases, including understanding the risks, benefits and best practices for purchasing a home from a family member, you can be well on your way to entering into an agreement that meets both you and your family's needs.

Home Loan Application 4 great tips before shopping Sun Prairie homes

10-06-11
Bill Crawley
Bill Crawley: Real Estate Agent in Sun Prairie, WI

Home Loan Application and Sun Prairie homes 4 excellent tips to use now


Home Loan Application / Sun Prairie Homes 4 excellent tips use now. As underwriting guidelines for lenders become more stringent, we need to re-examine what a good Home loan application looks like. As home buyers begin their search for a home, there are a few items they should be aware of that they can do to help get their mortgage loan application approved (with the best possible terms), and, at the same time, lessen some of the stress that goes along with the home loan application process.

1. Income documents

Most lenders want to see a full month of paystubs and two years’ complete Federal Tax Returns. Assembling them ahead of time and holding on to every paystub you get is a good idea even before you find a home and/or submit your mortgage loan application because it will save you time later. Moreover, looking at those documents and being prepared to explain any deductions that show up is crucial. Child support, alimony, garnishments, and Unreimbursed Employee Expenses are often crippling factors that, if explained and dealt with upfront, can make your home loan application approval smoother.

2. Asset documents

Most lenders will scour your bank accounts for the two months prior to going to contract. They are looking for large deposits because large deposits can signal a new mortgage loan application that wouldn’t show up on your credit report yet. What’s a “large deposit”? Typically, any deposit that would represent more than your income can support. If you make $5000 a month, after taxes you likely net $3800 (or $1900 a bi-weekly pay period). Therefore, deposits in excess of that will need to be explained and documented. Sold a motorcycle? Have a paid receipt and motor vehicle documents in place. Received a gift? You will need a Gift Affidavit, proof of the donor’s ability and transfer of the funds. Any and all questions should be discussed with your home loan application officer.

3. Credit Score Optimization

Do your best to curtail your use of credit as it relates to your available credit lines. Target a cap of 30% of usage of available lines to get the best scores. Do NOT cancel credit cards. That will lower your amount of available credit, thereby raising your percentage of usage. That will damage your score. Do NOT shop for a car, explore life insurance, apply for a new credit card or increase the limits on your current cards because the running of your credit by people in other industries will also lower your credit score. Most importantly, don’t do anything that will require having your credit run without first discussing it with a home loan application professional who knows the impact it could have.

4. Appraisal Concerns

It’s unlikely you will make an offer to purchase without checking out comparable home sales. It’s also likely you received that type of data from the real estate agent you are working with. Make sure your agent prepares the same information for the appraiser. Data about similar sales, similar homes currently on the market and maybe even cost estimates for any repairs or improvements anticipated can preempt future problems with appraised values and conditions.

Overall, it is recommended that you hold onto copies of everything financial, think before allowing your credit to be run and work with an agent and loan officer who can use their experience to put your home loan application in its best possible light…as soon as you start thinking about buying a home. Start using these four tips now home Loan Application /Sun Prairie Homes.