Worldwide photowalk

Two worldwide events in a row?  You do not have to be naked for this one but you do have to bring your camera.  Scott Kelby's 3rd Annual Worldwide Photowalk is Saturday July 24, 2010.  I am posting this now so that you will have  time to sign up.  Such an awesome event which is happening in a city or country near you. Steve Wetzel, an incredible photographer, deftly led us last year and will be leading us again this year on a twilight walk. Take a look at the official Worldwide Photowalk  website.  It is awe-inspiring to see the exqusite photographs in remote and exotic locations, as well as all over the US. “Can’t stop smiling” By Bossakorn Buena  of Amphawa, Thailand was the "Best in Show." I also met some interesting people: besides all of the participating photographers, a few people came up to me and asked to have their pictures taken to make sure they were not missing out on something important. I saw some groovy street musicians, and even  a guy with a huge boa constrictor wrapped around his neck standing outside the Walgreens.  Here are four of my pictures, too.

Moons Over Madison: Madison's World Naked Bike Ride

My (mandatory) counterclockwise stroll around the Capitol Square for the Farmers Market on Saturday was a feast for the eyes with gorgeous plants and flowers, rhubarb, snap peas, mushrooms, smoked rainbow trout, and cheddar chive scones all vying for my attention. They could not compete, though, when semi-clothed and naked people rode their bicycles around the square! My companion, who is from the Twin Cities, commented, "This is so Madison!" It did happen to be an apparently world wide event protesting independence from oil and positive body image. Check out the video.

Well, after all, we do have  Cows on the Concourse every year at the Farmers Market, too.  And, hey California, very happy cows they are!

The market, even without special events, is such a delightful tradition and the place where you bring every single person who visits you from out of town, and mourn the last one of the season, scooping up apples and pumpkins and mums.

Memorial Union:The Heart and Soul of UW Madison

It is hard to explain the Memorial Union. It is, rather, a feeling. A breeze. The music. Also dogs, kids, students, alumni, sunbathers, dates, great debates, pitchers of beer, popcorn, Babcock Hall orange chocolate chip, sunburst chairs, Hoofer tech boats. Peeling off most of your clothes and jumping into the lake. Arriving three hours before the music starts. On purpose. My friend, Dick Statz, took the picture on the right, which goes a long ways towards capturing the ambiance of the Union. Ahhhhh. . .summer in Madison.

My Middleton Office-Mustard Museum and train whistles

I love my office. Now I can step out the front door to put out the Stark "Come on in and talk to a realtor" sign when I have floor duty, and what do I see? Why the National Mustard Museum, of course. On August 7th, we will have cones placed onto our parking spaces to assure us, we can bring a client in, fax an offer or the like, because Middleton will see and experience the first Annual National Mustard Day. It will be huge. Free hots dogs(no ketchup allowed), clowns, the Oscar Mayer Weiner mobile, all right in front of my office on Parmenter Street.

I also love it in the summer time when the doors of our office are open and I have to suspend my conversation in mid-sentence as the train roars on by just 50 ft fro my window. It helps you get a perspective on things, especially if the conversation is needing a bit of separating the emotion from the logic in negotiating of an inspection contingency, for example. After the train passes, a calmer tone has emerged.

One recent Saturday, as I was writing an offer on my computer, I saw a few people strolling by with dogs on leashes. Then a few more folks, with a black lab, Yorkie and a Golden Retriever. Nothing for a while and then 10 happy dog owners in a row. Then two. I never did check out the event on the Internet. It was more fun just experiencing the parade.

The North door of the same exact office steps out onto the sidewalk across from the Village Green, featuring great cheese burgers with sauteed onions, sweet potato fries and a Road Kill burrito. Oh yeah, beer and spicy chili too. A great place to take clients after a showing or to grab a cold one with fellow realtors in the evening.

What do you see out your office window?

Curb Appeal. You Want More Money for Your Home, Don't You?

All homes tend to sell for money after they are prepared properly for the market-we all know that! And the first place to start is on the outside. Ask a friend or neighbor to come over and give you objective advice, because after you live in a home for a while, you might not see the things that will distract home buyers.

First impressions count. If you are preparing to list your home for sale, your yard needs to be inviting. Trim back the bushes and trees, especially if they block views from the windows and make your home difficult to see from the street. Here are a few other low-cost curb appeal improvements that you can do for less than $500:


•Keep the lawn mowed, preferably on the diagonal. Keep the yard raked in the fall.
•Plant yellow flowers such as marigolds or chrysanthemums along the walk or by the front door. The color yellow sells.
•Wash the exterior windows.
•Paint or replace the front door and buy new hardware.
•Power spray the house to get rid of dirt and cobwebs.
•Buy a new welcome mat for the front steps.
•Paint or replace the mailbox.
•Paint your house number on the curb or buy a plaque displaying your house number and install near the entry.
•Wash or replace a front porch light fixture.

Ta da! You are well on your way to creating that good first impression!

HOT MARKETS! in the Greater Madison Area

The hottest neighborhoods on both the city's East and West sides share the key qualities of convenience and reasonable home prices, Based on inventory data for unsold homes from statistics by the South Central Wisconsin MLS to calculate the months of home and condominium sales inventory for all Madison neighborhoods and many other Dane County communities. Much of research can be found online at www.danecountymarket.com.

Months of inventory is a standard used to determine the health of a real estate market. It is determined using a year's worth of sales for each area and calculating how many months it would take at those sales rates to work through the number of homes and condominiums on the market.

Experts consider about 5.5 to 6 months of inventory to be an optimum balance between sellers and buyers. A smaller number indicates a seller's market while larger number indicates a buyer's market.

The inventory data identified the hottest and slowest real estate markets in the county and also revealed that:The county has a range from 3 months of inventory for single-family homes in the Atwood East neighborhood on Madison's East Side to 49.7 months for condominiums in Oregon.

The local single-family home market overall is much stronger than the condominium market.
The strongest single-family and condominium markets are in Madison neighborhoods convenient to shopping, schools, parks and buses, while the weakest markets are in the suburbs.

High gasoline prices could heighten the disparity between city and suburban real estate markets, said William Malkesian, president of the Wisconsin Realtors Association.

"I don't think there's a question today that if you're going out to buy a house, transportation is probably higher up on your list than it was a year ago," he said.

FIRST-TIME BUYERS
Five Madison neighborhoods are strong markets for single-family home sales despite the overall real estate market slowdown.


With small ranches and bungalows, the Atwood East area near the intersection of Milwaukee and Walter streets is close to Woodman's Food Store, Schenk Elementary School and Olbrich Park. Most homes for sale are priced below $200,000. Homes priced for first-time buyers are a huge influence on the market because people don't have to sell homes before they buy.

Other East Side neighborhoods with low inventory rankings include the Williamson Street/Atwood Avenue area along Lake Monona west of Olbrich Park, and the Monona Drive area near La Follette High School.

WEST SIDE

On the West Side, the Parkwood Hills/Faircrest neighborhood north of Mineral Point Road between Whitney Way and Gammon Road is among the hottest markets both for single-family homes and condominiums. It ranks second in both categories with 3.2 months of single-family home inventory and 17 homes for sale, and 7.2 months of condo inventory with 10 units for sale.

Every place is a little bit different, of course, Since traditional buyers are out there in the $250,000 and under price range, price point is very important.

The Near West area east of Whitney Way between University Avenue and Mineral Point Road also has a low inventory ranking, making it a hot market.

Maple Bluff is the county's slowest single-family market with 17.7 months of inventory, 28 homes for sale and most priced in the $350,000 to $700,000 range. Four homes are priced between $1 million and $3 million.

Other slower single-family markets are in Mount Horeb, McFarland and the South Midvale/Verona road area in Madison, south of the Beltline along Verona Road, and the Southwest area north of Raymond Road to the city limits.

(Excerpts taken from: MARV BALOUSEK |Sunday, May 18, 2008 Wisconsin State Journal)

$$ Tips and More Before Buying a Home

Don't buy if you can't stay put.

If you can't commit to remaining in one place for at least a few years, then owning is probably not for you, at least not yet. With the transaction costs of buying and selling a home, you may end up losing money if you sell any sooner - even in a rising market. When prices are falling, it's an even worse proposition.

Start by shoring up your credit.

Since you most likely will need to get a mortgage to buy a house, you must make sure your credit history is as clean as possible. A few months before you start house hunting, get copies of your credit report. Make sure the facts are correct, and fix any problems you discover.

Aim for a home you can really afford.

The rule of thumb is that you can buy housing that runs about two-and-one-half times your annual salary. But you'll do better to use one of many calculators available online to get a better handle on how your income, debts, and expenses affect what you can afford.

If you can't put down the usual 20 percent, you may still qualify for a loan.

There are a variety of public and private lenders who, if you qualify, offer low-interest mortgages that require a down payment as small as 3 percent of the purchase price. The Wisconsin Realtors Association even offers grants for closing costs and down payments. Ask me for details!

Buy in a district with good schools.

In most areas, this advice applies even if you don't have school-age children. Reason: When it comes time to sell, you'll learn that strong school districts are a top priority for many home buyers, thus helping to boost property values. Check out the local school districts online.

Get professional help..

Even though the Internet gives buyers unprecedented access to home listings, most new buyers (and many more experienced ones) are better off using a professional agent. Ahem! Like me! I can help you with market analyses of a home that captures you fancy to see if it is fairly priced, save you time, preview properties, help you with strategies during the bidding process, and, at all times, do whatever it takes to keep your best interests at heart.

Choose carefully between points and rate.

When picking a mortgage, you usually have the option of paying additional points -- a portion of the interest that you pay at closing -- in exchange for a lower interest rate. If you stay in the house for a long time -- say three to five years or more -- it's usually a better deal to take the points. The lower interest rate will save you more in the long run.

Before house hunting, get pre-approved.

Getting pre-approved will you save yourself the grief of looking at houses you can't afford and put you in a better position to make a serious offer when you do find the right house. Not to be confused with pre-qualification, which is based on a cursory review of your finances, pre-approval from a lender is based on your actual income, debt and credit history