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. 11/19/2008

Annual Open House at Tyrol Basin Sunday, October 26, 2008   9am to 5pm It is hard to believe but it is that time of year already for Tyrol Basin's annual OPEN HOUSE.  Fall colors are fading fast and snow will be here before you know it and the Old Farmer's Almanac is predicting even more snow than last year.  In fact, the Tyrol Snowmaking crew already made a little white stuff back on October 4.  We're anxious and ready to start blowing snow for real as soon as the temperatures drop.   Tyrol Basin's Open House is a great time to come out for a few hours and enjoy the beautiful Vermont (Township) countryside.  There will be scenic chairlift rides (about the only time you get to be a foot passenger and ride around or get off at the top to walk around or picnic on the mountain) and fun inf... 10/25/2008

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 ho... 09/10/2008

The Wisconsin State Journal published an article yesterday (Tuesday, August 12) about the impact gas prices have had on Suburban Home prices.  I still stand by my original post. Here's the link: http://www.madison.com/wsj/home/local/300210 Make sure to read the feedback forum that follows the article.  There are also some cool links in an inset box to check out--especially the chart that has commuting costs vs. lower home prices!! 08/13/2008

A couple weeks back, the Capital Times published an article called "Bust Times for the 'Burbs" about how gas prices were causing people to buy closer to metropolitan areas to avoid commute times.My first inclination was to completely agree that this may be true, especially when I look at the great little communities of Blue Mounds and Barneveld, communities that have great value in home prices but are seeing a very slow market.I also was tending to agree because I am one of those workers that has the fortunate opportunity to work from home to avoid the cost of gas and that's exactly what I chose to do last fall. However, then I realized one problem with that theory--at least with Mt. Horeb. First, I know for a fact that my commute and the commute of anyone who has to drive the beltline ... 08/06/2008

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 ... 08/03/2008

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! 05/27/2008

To some degree I'm a customer service rep.  I provide a service, and I represent my client's best interests.  If I were to take one of those strength and weakness inventories, I would say this is my strength.  In no way, do I ever have delusions that any of my business relationships or transactions are all about me.  I don't think of any transaction in terms of winning or losing, what it will do to my "stats" or how good or bad I'll look.  I figure doing the right thing and doing it well will ultimately take care of anything else. Because of this outlook on my career, I am very sensitive to customer service in general.  When I get great customer service, every one in my life knows about that company.  Even something as simple as a friendly voice answering a phone can make me excited abo... 05/10/2008

The 1st quarter in real estate has ended and the stats are in, and everybody loves the stats. The following statistics are from the South Central Wisconsin MLS and, to quote my favorite blogger, they are deemed reliable but are not guaranteed. The problem with market snapshots like these is that there are a number of ways to look at the market.  This particular view is by school district.  In some respects, I'm comparing apples to oranges because I know some of these homes are in the city and some in the country.  But then I could factor in all sorts of specifics like age, number of bedrooms, square footage, and this blog would go on forever.  However, if you have a specific question about the market you home would be in, I'd be happy to help--no strings attached.Mt. Horeb School Distri... 04/16/2008

Sellers, I hate to tell you but there are few things that no buyer is desiring at this point.  I'm not trying to offend you, but it's the truth, and if you change them, you are likely to get your home sold sooner and closer to your list price.  I know it's not what you want to hear, but as a Realtor who works primarily with buyers, I'm telling you what they are feeling.Wallpaper. Not one of my buyers has ever walked into a wall papered home and said "I love it".  Ever.  Buyers look at wallpaper and see a bunch of work ahead of them.  And it doesn't excite them.Faux Painting.  A notch above wallpaper, but not by much.  At least it's only paint and easier to change.  So I would change it.  Colored Carpeting.  As in Emerald Green, Mauve, Blue, or Red.  Even if they are only in a bedroom.  ... 04/12/2008

My favorite stories in my personal career in real estate involve getting my buyers the house they had been searching for for about a year.  My first stories involve buyers from out of state.  They had sold their home there and were in a race against time to find a home to move into.  They had looked in Mt. Horeb and had fallen in love.  They knew they wanted an old house with character but not a fixer upper. They had looked so much they even knew their favorite neighborhoods.  But nothing was on the market.  So I drafted a letter to send to homeowners in those character filled, old home neighborhoods to see if anyone was thinking of selling.  Sure enough, someone was.  She was hesitant to pay a Realtor as she hadn't lived in the home to truly make a good deal of money on it.  So I wrote... 04/07/2008

It's interesting to me how many people talk real estate.  It's everywhere I go, all day long. At swimming lessons, at the coffee house, at school drop offs and pick ups, at church, at parks...Sometimes I'm sure people bring it up because it's what I do, but many times I'm just overhearing bits and pieces of conversations.What most people are talking about in this area are the number of homes on the market.  Currently in the Mt. Horeb School District there are 133 homes on the market.  I think that's the highest I've seen it in recent years.  I'm trusting that you readers understand that this is a challenge for sellers and those of you thinking of entering the market.  The upside is that there are a lot of really GREAT homes on the market right now in every price range.  I'm more excited... 04/07/2008

RESIDENTIAL SOLD STATISTICSJAN-FEB 2008 (by School District)Verona141 Active Listings22 Homes Sold$315,000 Ave Sale PriceList/Sale Price Ratio 96%Mount Horeb116 Active Listings11 Homes Sold$255,000 Ave. Sale PriceList/Sale Price Ratio 95%Middleton212 Active Listings22 Homes Sold$399,000 Ave Sale PriceList/Sale Price Ratio 96%Dodgeville78 Active Listings7 Homes Sold$120,000 Ave Sale PriceList Price/Sale Price Ratio 96%REMEMBER:   This is ONLY Jan-Feb. 2008 Data by School District (see heading) If you would like more information on your community, please contact me at karathomas@kw.com or 608-669-4811.  I love to talk shop! 03/17/2008

A group of people seeking to preserve the history of the Greater Mount Horeb Area, assembled in March of 1975. They formed the Mt. Horeb Area Historical Society and incorporated with the State Historical Society of Wisconsin in June of that year. This dedicated group developed a mission:-to provide educational and entertaining programs, -to participate in local and county historical events, and-to establish an educational museum. Their perserverance paid off!  The museum opened to the public in 1977, in a space donated by the Village of Mt. Horeb. The Society boasted extensive archives and collections.  Unwilling to rest on their laurels, the Society embraced the future, looking for ways to expand on their mission.  The Historical Society acquired the former Gilbertson Hardware Store in... 03/01/2008

I showed a handful of houses the other day.  Today I received two calls from two owners/sellers of those homes.  The startling fact:  Neither home is my listing.  The sellers were calling me to ask for showing feedback as well as tips to sell their home.  I was a bit taken aback--I asked if they had a limited service listing with their agent.  The answer was no.   I politely asked why their agent wasn't calling me.  They told me that they can never get a hold of him and that it takes too long to get information.  I'm sure that these sellers aren't the only two feeling this way.  But I have to ask myself, why do they put up with it?Selling a home usually the largest financial transaction that the average person does in his/her lifetime.  I would think a homeowner would want someone that ... 02/27/2008

Mount Horeb 2008 Upcoming Events4/25:  Village Wide Garage Sale5/30:  Mount Horeb Summer Frolic, Grundahl Park5/31:  Norsk Run, Grundahl Park Shelter6/6:    MHAAA Spring Art Tour,  Mount Horeb Area Artists' Studios6/7:    Blue Mound 14 & 25K Trail Run,  Blue Mound State Park6/8:    Wisconsin State Parks Open House Day , Blue Mound State Park6/14:   6th Annual Horribly Hilly Hundreds,  Blue Mound State Park6/21:   Little Norway's MidSummer's Eve,  Little Norway7/19:   Friends of the Library Pie Sale             Sons of Norway Kaffe Stue           37th Annual Art Fair8/1:    Trollway Daze Sidewalk Sales8/2:    Cave of the Mounds Discovery Tour Weekend          National Mustard Day8/14:  Chamber Golf Outing, Norsk Golf Watch for Additions and Updates on a Regular Basis   02/16/2008