Monday, September 23, 2013

Madison Continues to Rank

For long time Madisonians there is a reason we live here.  It's a healthy place to live, it offers great amenities, and of course the lakes are a big asset.  The list of reasons is endless.  Even newbies learn this quickly.  We are not alone in out love of the city.  Madison continues to rank high in the plethora of rankings that take place each year.  Once again, Madison makes the top 10 in several areas.  Read on to learn more:


Madison Ranked #4 Brainiest City
Atlantic Cities, June 2012 (Visit Website)

Put your brain to the test at some of Madison’s most intellectual locations:

Wisconsin Veterans Museum
30 W Mifflin Street, Madison
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Wisconsin Historical Museum
30 N. Carroll Street, Madison
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Chazen Museum of Art
750 University Avenue, Madison
Visit Website

Trivia Nights
Local Restaurants and Bars In and Around Madison
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Great Place to Raise a Family MSN, August 2012
(Visit Website)

Madison has countless family friendly locations and activities to offer!

Henry Vilas Zoo
702 S Randall Avenue, Madison
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City Parks
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Children’s Museum
100 N. Hamilton Street, # 100, Madison
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A Best Place to Retire
Huffington Post, April 2013
(Visit Website)

Enjoy all the relaxation time you’ve worked hard for with these activities:

University of Wisconsin-Madison Retirement Association
Visit Website

Golfing

Find a Golf Course
Visit Website

Organizations

Madison Area Retiree Golf Association
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Executive Women's Golf Association-Madison Chapter
Visit Website

Women’s Municipal Golf Association
Visit Website

Libraries/Classes
Visit Website

Fishing

Find a Fishing Spot
Visit Website

Monday, September 16, 2013

Third Quarter Housing Positive

As we close out the third quarter of 2013 here is what we see: Overall Dane County home sale transactions reported to the South Central Wisconsin MLS are up 24% for the period of January 1, 2013 through August 31, 2013, with sales transactions at Restaino & Associates for the same period up over 30%.

The number of foreclosures reported on a national basis are down, with the latest figures showing a drop nationally in the number of foreclosures completed of over 25% for the July 2013 over July 2012 period. Interest rates, which have risen almost daily for the last seven weeks, began trending downward ever so slightly in the last week of August. Thirty year fixed rate loans, while higher than mid-year levels are, currently hover around 4.6%. We continue to believe that any rate under five percent is still a remarkable and very attractive level.

What do we see in all these numbers?  I believe the numbers are pointing towards increased stabilization in the housing market...and with that stability comes ability: The ability to make sound real estate investment choices for you and your family.

Thursday, September 5, 2013

Water

Water.  We can't live without it.  In fact, about 60 percent of our body weight is made up of water.  For a child, that percentage jumps to 75 percent.

For those of us that live in Madison, water is an ever present part of our lives.  With three lakes in the city, we swim in; paddle on; fish in; walk, bike and drive around; and ski on water daily.  Even in the winter, the frozen water is part of our lives.

So it was with  enormous satisfaction that I learned that our drinking water here in Madison is considered the best tasting water in the state!  Who knew there was such an award!  Apparently, there is.

In August, Madison competed in the Wisconsin Water Association (WWA) Water Taste-Test at the 2013 State Fair against more than a dozen other municipalities and came away with the blue ribbon. The City of Madison and the Madison Water Utility were honored at the Common Council Meeting on September 4th.
The Madison Common Council also unanimously passed a resolution at the meeting commending Madison Water Utility for "the many contributions made by the staff to provide safe, high quality, and delicious drinking water 24-hours-a-day."
 
The first-place win qualifies Madison to compete in the North American competition and vie for the national title at the AWWA Annual Conference and Expo (ACE) 2014 next spring in Boston.
 
Congrats to the City!  Now I'm thirsty!