Are you thinking of living in Madison, WI?

A conversation with Sara Alvarado, Broker Owner of Alvarado Real Estate Group in Downtown Madison, WI.

Like most 18 year olds, fresh out of High School, having lived all my life in my hometown, I couldn’t wait to get out of Madison. So many people come to the University of WI – Madison, fall in love with our city and end up staying and here I was, on my way out. But just as many people do what I did and grow up in Madison, escape for some fun and innocent young adult living and circle back. It took me 10 years. After living in big cities like Minneapolis and LA and then falling in love with and in Puerto Vallarta Mexico, getting married and and having our first son (yes in a foreign country) I woke up one day and said – we have to move to Madison. It must have been the affect of being a Mother and all of a sudden realizing the importance of family, community and neighborhood (easily forgotten when in search of the best night life). I wanted to raise our family in a place that had culture, diversity, great resources for learning, and a place that valued community and local businesses. So when my son was 18 months old, my husband and I moved to Madison and started to create our roots.

Madison is a wonderful place to live, to work, to learn and to raise a family. There is a warm feeling of being in a small city with the benefits of an urban environment all while surrounded by two beautiful lakes. What more can you ask for?

The State Capital City

Madison, known for being the Capitol of Wisconsin, Madison, is a hot spot for government affairs, new jobs, and strong opinions. Why is our skyline so gorgeous? There is a city ordinance which prohibits any building to be taller than the top of the capitol’s dome. This creates great views, all the time, from every different part of Madison. Our downtown is beautiful all times of the year as we truly enjoy 4 true seasons. The Capitol is at the center of the Isthmus so we break the city up by asking whether you live on the East side or the West side. We also have a thriving community on the Northside and a constantly growing Southside too. But for the most part, we talk about the East side and the West side. And by checking out the map, you can see why.

University Life

Madison is also the home to University of Wisconsin – Madison. The Badgers. Red and White. Again, more jobs, great growth opportunity and plenty of young adults 9 months of the year taking over the University area with gusto. Many students attend the University for the strong academics, inspiring professors and amazing campus life, sweetly located on 933 acres along the shores of Lake Mendota. Madison is also home to Edgewood College (and their new The Sustainability Leadership Graduate Certificate Program) and Madison College (also known as Madison Area Technical College). As much as the students try to keep us in check as to what is in style and what is not…we have not seen a change in the fact that college students love to wear their pj’s to class.

Madison People make Madison Style

Madison Style is authentic. We are Midwestern nice but with our opinions and usually progressive voices our nice voices are strong. We are friendly, kind and persistent. We love our city, the clean air, 5 area lakes and 6,000 acres of parkland (including 260 parks and 14 conservation parks) and more than 150 miles of running, hiking, and biking trails in Madison. So you’ll find us in bike helmets, jeans, flip flops, warm boots, skating at the outdoor rinks. We are active and dress casually, comfortably.

People live here because of our strong neighborhoods, a sense of community and great schools. We are a walkable and bikable city and if you aren’t active when you move here, you will most certainly find yourself biking to the farmers’ market in no time at all.

Eco Friendly is Mandatory in Madison

Maybe it is the lakes and our responsibility to make sure they stay clean, or the wonderful trees and parks and green space or maybe it is the strong environmental and political leaning that has made Madison an incredibly green city to live in. Whatever it is, it is mandatory. We have the one best recycling programs in the nation. Our restaurants and local grocery stores are full of local foods, support local farmers and sell grass fed beef. Don’t get me wrong, we are like any city and have a Wal-Mart, a Target and all the other big box stores. But Madison values building a strong economy through buying local. The non-profit organization, Dane Buy Local, supports local businesses and educates the community on all the benefits we get as community members when we shop at our neighborhood shops. From the Willy Street Co-op to our huge array of Farmers’ Markets in town, you will not struggle to find local foods.

Green Built Home is a nationally known program that promotes and helps to certify sustainable building and energy standards for Wisconsin residents. Partnering with Focus on Energy strengths the program and creates a partnership that benefits the homeowners and the planet. With so many older homes in the Isthmus area there are many residents that reach out to energy auditors to help them make necessary improvements to their older homes so they are more energy efficient to live in. Recycling a home is a powerful concept and brings a lot of character and strength to the more established, older neighborhoods.

It is typical to tour homes and see a compost in the backyard and a rain barrel hooked up to the gutter system. You’ll find natural hardwood floors, or cork floors, incredibly efficient front loading washing machines, solar hot water systems and compact fluorescent light bulbs through your home buying search. Many homeowners use low or no VOC paints and non toxic cleaning products to keep their indoor air quality healthy. Energy Star appliances are the norm and mini courses on rain gardens offered everywhere. And it gets better! All the time. Madison is a community striving to learn more, do more and be better to our planet Earth.

Madison Real Estate Market Update

What is going on in Madison’s real estate market? We have experienced the effects of the mortgage crisis and the economy’s downturn. As Real Estate Professionals we sit at the table with clients that are struggling and we hear sad stories. We are real people and so we feel the pain that clearly hits hard during these times and try to do everything we can to help people understand that there are many people suffering and it isn’t just them. We have had to get additional training (CDPE, Certified Distressed Property Experts) to assist our clients with short sales and foreclosures. It is the reality. The market changes and we need to change with the market to stay on top of things. These are some single family home numbers to give you an idea of what our market looks like:

2008 average sales price: $264,930, 2224 units sold

2009 average sales price: $242,227, 2341 units sold

2010 (through 7/31/10) average sales price: $248,694, 1449 units sold

So prices seem to be increasing but 2010 is not a normal year either. The April 30^th tax credit deadline pushed much of our summer activity earlier in the year. We are still experiencing high inventory and frustrated Sellers. As for opportunity, there is plenty. The interest rates are low and Buyers have a large selection of homes to choose from.

Words of Wisdom from a Madison Born REALTOR®

Research and gather information about neighborhoods and schools. Ask your friends and co-workers what they like and dislike about where they live to give you a clear picture of a neighborhoods features. And narrowing down your search based on a school district is important to your search too (if relevant). Don’t wait until you fall in love with a home to then find out that the school district isn’t good fit for your family. You can search homes in specific school districts on our website.

It is important to discuss and determine what you want before you go out looking. One of the most common complaints is, “My Realtor showed me homes that weren’t a good fit. S/he just didn’t listen to my needs.” And that is why a Buyer Consultation is so important. Sitting down at a table with all parties openly talking ensures your Realtor will understand what is important to you in your next home.

Make sure you are comfortable with your Realtor. We specifically market ourselves to like minded clients because we understand the importance of working with people you respect and enjoying their company. And make sure you are honest about what you expect and what your needs are.

Chickens in the City

I love what I do and one of the things I love most is that I encounter different situations every day. I’m always learning new things and meeting new people. After 8 years in this business I’m rarely surprised at what people will do or say. I try and laugh a lot.

After a fairly smooth transaction helping Sellers through the sale process of their home we were sitting at the closing table and I knew I was in Madison when the Buyer asked, after inquiring about the neighbors and when garbage day is, “Are there any chickens in the neighborhood?” and my Sellers didn’t blink an eye and started talking about one of the neighbors’ chicken coop and the delicious eggs that they produce. Now some of my friends would say that is East side Madison. But I know plenty of homeowners all over Madison that are taking advantage of Madison’s ordinance that allows homeowners to have up to 4 chickens on their property (no roosters though).

And that brings me to Sara’s words to live by: Don’t chicken out…live boldly!

Alvarado Real Estate Group is a family run business passionate about Madison real estate, healthy homes and vibrant communities. Our team model is unlike any other real estate brokerage in the Madison area. Yes, there are teams within companies, but we are unique in that our company is small on purpose to serve those we serve best with excellence. And we do that through specialization. We don’t try to be everything to everyone. We know what we are good at and that is where we excel.

We are proud of our team and how active everyone is in our community. It is our belief that home ownership is more fulfilling when families feel a part of their community and people have positive neighborhood experiences. Whether it is volunteering in neighborhood schools, Habitat for Humanity, serving on boards for local organizations, getting involved in Dane Buy Local, helping out with Rainbow Project or coaching kid’s soccer games, we are there and we are smiling!

Our passion for the environment is sometimes a big part of the conversation and sometimes it doesn’t come up in the conversation at all but it is at the core of how we do business. This has led to many powerful changes in the industry as well. Not all our clients are interested in what a green home is when we start looking at homes so we’ve created a Green Home Care Package that we give them after they buy their home. It has been well received by all our clients. We are able to point out simple things in their new home that will help them create a healthier and more efficient place for their family.

Sara Alvarado, Broker Owner