Anna's Blog

Now that spring is here, it is the home buying season in Madison. I thought I would give you my Top Three Reasons to Buy a Home:

1. Great tax benefits: you can deduct your mortgage interest and your real estate taxes. Also, there are some new credits for energy efficient remodeling from the government (like new windows, added insulation, etc.) – ask your CPA about it.

2. Great investment: despite what the media is staying these days, real estate is historically a fantastic investment and one of the most stable investments out there.

3. Pride of Ownership: there is nothing like the feeling of owning your own home and knowing you can create your own space with your own personal style.

If you’d like more reasons, just give me a call and I would be happy to speak with you about home ownership! Until then, happy house dreaming!

This week I worked with two couples moving to Madison from different states… and it got me to thinking about how overwhelming it must be to make a big move like that and to acclimate yourself to an unknown city.

I relocated to Madison in 1991 for college and have stayed put, so when I made my big move all of my worldly belongings fit in the trunk of my parent’s two-door Volvo. These folks I am working with this week have children and a household full of stuff to move… not to mention the sale of their current home to worry about. So how can a REALTOR help?

Besides showing houses and helping with a home purchase, we can be a resource to new Madisonians – where to go out for dinner, what websites are helpful for learning about the schools, where to take your dog for a walk, what grocery stores and farmer’s markets are nearby… the list goes on and on. I often point out places of interest as we are driving around looking at homes, so that folks can get a feel for that neighborhood. And I encourage my clients to call me even after the closing for restaurant advice or referrals for a good house painter – whatever they need! My goal is to make their stressful transition not such a tremendous task.

Until next week – happy moving!

OK, I hope last week’s snow fall was the last we will see this spring! I don’t know about you, but I am starting to get that gardening bug. All the trees are starting to bud and the bulbs are blooming, so it is time to start planning your garden!

In Madison, rain gardens have been the new hot thing… the use of native plants helps to reduce storm water run off, keeping water in the ground instead of running out our storm sewers and into our lakes. If you are interested in planting a rain garden, here is a link to some tips:

http://www.dnr.state.wi.us/org/water/wm/nps/rg/index.htm

If you just want some gardening tips from growing vegetables to container gardening, here is a great site:

http://www.hort.wisc.edu/mastergardener/GardeningOnLine.htm

Happy Gardening!