Daily Show: Even Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner Can't Sell His House

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart	Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c
Home Crisis Investigation
http://www.thedailyshow.com/
Daily Show Full Episodes Political Humor Healthcare Protests

Hilarious.

Buyers Are Gaining Leverage

Dan Miller - Keller Williams Realty 8/19/2009 7:42 am Dane County Real Estate

Two months ago we looked at the percent of Dane County MLS listings under contract (i.e. the percent of listings with an accepted offer).

On June 20th, 22% of all single family home listings had an accepted offer. In other words for every one single family home listing under contract, another 3.5 listings were working for an accepted offer. As of August 18th, the percent of homes under contract dipped to 17%. For every home under contract, another 5 listings were working for an accepted offer. You'll see from the chart below the percent of homes under contract has dipped for most price categories. Homes priced under $225,000 tend to have a greater percentage of listings under contract.

The numbers demonstrate the seasonality of the market and make it clear buyers are gaining leverage as we enter the fall season. We're seeing a lot of price reductions from sellers right now. In many cases, those sellers would have been wise to lower their prices earlier this spring or summer, when more buyers were out in the market.

(Article and graph from http://www.madison.com/)

Madison WI's Taste of Madison Event!

The Taste of Madison

Saturday, September 5th: 2pm to 9pm
and
Sunday, September 6th: 11am to 7pm

• 60+ restaurants and caterers
• 3 stages with 5 music formats
• Huge TV screen showing the Badger game Saturday night
• 20 beverage stands, including soda, water, beer, wine, and milk
• Thousands of dollars raised for United Cerebral Palsy
• More than 200 menu items to sample
• Tons of live musical performances - all FREE!

Held each year over Labor Day weekend, the event showcases more than 65 local restaurants, 20 beverage stands and four entertainment stages. The participating restaurants sell a vast variety of both unique and traditional dishes to the estimated 150,000 attendees over the two-day period. And every food item is reasonably priced from $1 to $4. Best of all, admission to the event – which includes hours and hours of live entertainment – is free and open to the public.

Taste of Madison - www.tasteofmadison.com
For an alphabetical list of participating restaurants, their menus, and their prices - click here!
To view a PDF map of the restaurants on the square - click here!
For a line-up of bands performing on each of the five stages - click here!
To buy Taste of Madison t-shirts - click here!

The Office Season Six Premiere!

Mark your calendars with a beet like we did because The Office Season Six Premiere is coming soon!!!

September 17th, 9/8c

(Recap on Season 5 - watch full episodes on nbc.com here!)

Kid's Room Home Staging Tip: Tutu Table

A whimsical way to―literally―dress up a nightstand: Wrap a tutu around the edge of a kitchen stool and secure it with double-sided tape.

(Tip and photo from www.realsimple.com)

Middleton Good Neighbor Festival 2009

Middleton's Good Neighbor Festival!

When: August 28th through 30th, 2009

Where: Middleton's Fireman's Park

More Info: http://www.goodneighborfestival.com/

Parade

• Sunday - 12:00 pm, University Avenue

Carnival

• Friday - 5:00 pm to 12:00 am
• Saturday - 11:00 am to 12:00 am
• Sunday - 11:00 am to 7:00 pm
• Unlimited-ride Wrist Bands: Saturday - 1:00 pm to 5:00 pm

5k Run/Walk

• Saturday - 9:00 am
• On-site registration - 8:00 am at Capital Brewery

Kids Games

• Mascot Challenge: Saturday - 11:00 am to 1:00 pm
• Sack Race, Wheelbarrow Race, Fireman Race, Balloon Toss, Etc: Saturday - 11:30 am

Craft Fair

• Saturday & Sunday - 9:00 am to 5:00 pm

Bands & Entertainment

• Friday - 6:00 pm: David Landau, TDS Tent
• Friday - 6:30 pm: The Midwesterners, VFW Tent
• Friday - 7:30 pm: Apparently Nothing, TDS Tent
• Friday - 9:00 pm: Little Vito and the Torpedoes, VFW Tent
• Friday - 9:45 pm: John Masino Band, TDS Tent
• Saturday - 10:00 am: Kiddie Dog Show, TDS Tent
• Saturday - 11:30 am: UB The Band, TDS Tent
• Saturday - 2:30 pm: Westport Square Dancers, VFW Tent
• Saturday - 3:00 pm: Social Misfits, TDS Tent
• Saturday - 4:45 pm: Tony Rocker and the Comeback Special, VFW Tent
• Saturday - 5:00 pm: Bluetrain, TDS Tent
• Saturday - 8:00 pm: Gomers Good Neighbor Idol, TDS Tent
• Saturday - 9:00 pm: Mid-life Crisis, VFW Tent
• Sunday - 2:00 pm: Human Nature, TDS Tent
• Sunday - 2:00 pm: Fuzzy Side Up, VFW Tent
• Sunday - 3:45 pm: American English, VFW Tent
• Sunday - 4:30 pm: DIG, TDS Tent
• Sunday - 6:3o pm: Raffle Drawing, TDS Tent
  

Madison On the List of Best Places to Buy a Home!

The struggling housing market has sellers and buyers searching for the best regions to get a great deal.

Nationwide, home values are down 12 percent, compared with the same time a year ago, according to real estate website Zillow.com.

Zillow, which tracks virtually every house sale in the nation, has ranked the top five best locations for home buyers and sellers.

The results may surprise you, because the best places to buy a home are not necessarily where the houses cost the least.

"For people who are financially qualified, it never has been a better time in nearly 40 years," said Lawrence Yun, at the National Association of Realtors. "I think this is good long-term investment opportunity to get into the market now."

When you go to buy a house, low-priced markets not the only factor you should consider.

"The No. 1 factor for a market holding its value over time has to do with what types of jobs are fueling the local economy," said Amy Bohuntinsky, of Zillow.com

Look for communities with a strong job market and stable housing values. Some common threads: cities with military bases, state capitals and college towns all fare well because they are more "recession proof," according to Zillow. A strong tourism industry helps too.

No matter where you buy, statistics show you should stay at least seven years if you hope to turn a profit on your house.

"We're not out of the woods yet as far as a housing market that's declining," Bohuntinsky said. "But if you're thinking about living in the home for seven years or more, you're likely to ride this out and that's really important for buyers to think about when figuring out where to live."


#1: Virginia Beach, Va.

#2: Albany, NY

#3: San Diego, Calif.

#4: Austin, Texas

#5: Madison, Wisconsin
The college town of Madison, Wisc., rounds out the top five cities best for buyers. It's consistently ranked as one of the best places to live in America. An added bonus: Home values in Madison are flat from five years ago, and they are paying 3 percent less than listing price. "If we're looking in an area where home values are flat year over year, that's great. It means you haven't lost money in the value of your home over the past year and that's performing better than most areas of the country," Bohuntinsky said.

(Article and image from http://www.abcnews.com/)

Ten Funny Free Things on Craigslist

Sometimes you can find the strangest things in the "Free" section on Craigslist. Just in case anyone actually wants any of these goodies, or if you just want to laugh at them, here's an update on some of the best free stuff RIGHT NOW on Madison's Craigslist. Come'n git it!

1. Old, dirty, bent up Mini-Blinds from 1982.


2. All this throne needs is a new seat.

3. Buncha big sticks in a box.

4. He found this hunk of glass laying around. Bonus: He'll deliver it if you give him gas money.

5. Christmas light holder. A must-have. Hurry, there are currently only 4 in stock.

6. Even the background of this picture is disgusting. Come get your free mens leotard because, as the seller points out, "there's a real, non-synthetic chamois in the crotch."

7. Who wouldn't want to sit on this? Well worth it for the quick drive out to Marshall!

8. "It's not a rocket ship, it's used carpet padding."

9. This pile of junk even includes a walking stick!

10. "Have some tires for free. All different ones. Done need to come to my door. They are in my backyard just take."

Save Big with Coupons

Watch as our neighbor, coupon-clipping Angie Hoag from Milton, shows us how she saves so much on her grocery bills. She saves more than $8,000 a year with her coupons, and averages 70% off every time she hits the grocery store!

Check out her blog and leave her a comment! http://frugalmommie.blogspot.com/

(Video from http://www.madison.com/)

Go Mallards!

The Nicole Charles & Associates Second Annual Client Appreciation Celebration with the Madison Mallard's was a hit! It was warm and sunny, and the Mallards won the game three to one!

Madison, Wis. - August 8, 2009: Alex Rivers dominated on the mound en route to a Mallards' sweep of Eau Claire after a 3-1 win in front of 7,441 at the "Duck Pond" on Saturday night.

Rivers nearly went the distance only to be replaced by Patrick Lala after one hitter in the ninth. He picked up his fourth win of the season after eight strong innings, allowing a run on seven hits while striking out five and walking just two.

"He's what we call a veteran Mallard," Pitching Coach Jason Immekus said of Rivers. "He knows what it takes to get to the playoffs."

"It feels good," Rivers said of his great outing. "We know we need to win the last four games to make the playoffs."

(Article from http://www.mallardsbaseball.com/)

Check out 6141 Jeffers Drive on the West Side!

• 1440 square feet
• 2 car garage
• New carpet
• Fresh paint
• 3 bedrooms
• 1.5 baths
• Close to parks and Target
• MLS #1566740
• Currently listed at $217,500

Fantastically located near schools, parks, Epic, Target, and tons of great west side attractions, this move in ready, 8 year old home is the one you've been waiting for! With brand new carpeting and paint, a fantastic deck with pergola, sunny kitchen and dining area, nicely sized family room wired for Dolby 7.1 surround, and situated on a nicely sized lot in a great neighborhood, this one will be hard to beat! HSA Home Warranty for your piece of mind.

For more information or to schedule a private showing, call Nicole at (608) 513-0021.

Home-Buying Advice from a Recent Home-Buyer

Sarah, a recent client and first-time home-buyer, answers a few questions about her home buying experience -

• Q: What was the hardest part of buying your first home?
• A: Reconciling myself to yardwork.
  
  
• Q: How did you know your new house was "the one"? Were you tempted to keep looking?
• A: I had looked at several homes in my price range - enough to know that this one was special. Basically, I was looking for reasons not to buy my house, rather than talking myself into it.
  


• Q: Would you have done anything differently?
• A: Nope.
  


• Q: What advice would you give to someone thinking about buying their first home?
• A: Don't max out your budget with the mortgage - even with very little to do inside or out, I had several big shopping weekends just getting maintenance necessities and bits and pieces to make the house a home.
  


• Q: What surprised you about the process?
• A: The loan - don't buy furniture with it, and gift money payments are not a good thing!
  


• Q: What impressed you about your Realtor?
• A: She took such good care of me.
  


• Q: How did you know your Realtor was the right one to work with?
• A: I trusted her right away - she's so straightforward and I knew she wasn't going to let me make a bad decision.

2009 Sweet Corn Fest in Sun Prairie!

When:

Thursday, August 20 thru Sunday, August 23

Where:

Angell Park in Sun Prairie, WI

Intersection of Hwy 19 and Hwy N

What:

100,000 Midwesterners eat 70 tons of steamed sweet corn!

Sun Prairie, Wisconsin will host the annual Sweet Corn Festival Thursday, August 20 through Sunday, August 23, 2009 at Angell Park, near the intersection of Highway 19 and Highway N. For the low cost of $1.00 admission on Saturday and Sunday per person for gate walk-in, attendees can enjoy free entertainment, children's activities and more. Children age 6 and under are free admission, and if you park on the grounds admission is included in the price. Buttons are $1.50 for unlimited entrance to the Festival. Parking is $5.00 per vehicle and includes admission.

This event features a carnival-midway complete with rides and games, food booths, live bands, craft show, petting zoo, kiddie korner with large inflatables, family entertainment and much more. Thursday and Friday night are carnival wristband nights for the kids with unlimited rides from 6-10pm for $18.00.Thursday night kicks off the event with the parade down Columbus Street at 6:30 pm. Festival grounds feature the carnival, booths, and beer tent Thursday and Friday nights after 6 pm. All activities are in place on Saturday and Sunday when the park opens at 11:30 am.

Find out more about Corn Festival memorabilia, sponsors, the craft fair, the parade, and the history of the corn festival by visiting www.sunprairiechamber.com!