Monroe Street Shoe Repair a Delight

Nestled in the 2600 block of Monroe Street sits an unobtrusive shoe repair shop that is magic to your torn sandal strap or broken zipper.

For more than 30 years, proprietor Sally Kopecky has been repairing boots, luggage, coats and handbags.  Step inside her quaint little shop and the smell of leather wafts over you like a warm shawl.  Small (and large) shoe knick knacks are scattered around the shop and antique shoe advertisements hang on the walls.  Sally even uses an old cash register with the old fashioned "typewriter" buttons and the cha-ching that reminds me of my younger self.  No computer or cell phone needed here!  The Monroe Street Shoe Repair is the kind of place that makes you want to slow down and enjoy the simple things in life.

And the workmanship and customer service are superb!  Need some boots resoled?  I know the place to go.  How about a zipper replaced?  I know the place to go.  Broken purse strap?  I know the place to go.  Stop in to see Sally at the Monroe Street Shoe Repair.  You won't be sorry.  And it may provide a little respite from your hectic day!

A House Story

You've heard the saying, "If these walls could talk...".  What if they could?  Every house has a story to tell, most with many chapters.  The first chapter includes the first homeowners and the memories that were made.  Perhaps these homeowners built the home, in which case the chapter includes decisions on floor plans and fixtures.

Succeeding chapters follow the lives and updates of subsequent owners.  The story embraces the changes these new occupants made to the house to make it their own.

There is a house on my block that has a long story, but only one chapter that spans 62 years!  Until recently, the house was occupied by the original owner.  The three bedroom, one bathroom 1200 square foot bungalow served the family well.  It offered shelter from the snow and rain and it provided a safe place to sleep at night.  The small, cozy kitchen supplied nourishment of both food and family time.  And the yard was a source of much joy through the years.

The owner has a notebook that documents everything about the house, from the cost of building materials and construction labor to the roof that was recently replaced due to hail damage.  The house, and the notebook, date back to 1940.

In more recent times, we have become a transient society, moving from home to home whenever the mood strikes us.  We wanted more.  More space, more bathrooms, more bedrooms...more, more, more.

For one family in my neighborhood, less was more!

Soon, this one-owner home will have a new family residing within it's walls.  This strong, sturdy house will again offer shelter and a safe place to be.  It's unlikely that the new homeowners will live in this house for 62 years, but hopefully the memories they make will last a lifetime.

Fall Is Here!

Ahh, Fall is here!  Cool, crisp nights, leaves crunching under your feet and my least favorite, shorter days.  But you can make the most of those short days by taking in some great fall activities around the Madison area.  Here are a few of my favorites.

• Apple picking at a nearby apple orchard.
• Visit one of the many county parks to view the fall colors.
• Jump in a pile of leaves!
• Visit a pumpkin farm.
• Take in a football game - nearly every weekend evening one of the area high school teams is playing at Mansfield Stadium at Memorial High School.
• Roast marshmallows over a bonfire.
• Make Carmel apples.
• Explore Picnic Point.
• Get lost in a corn maze.
• Take a hay ride.

The possibilities are endless.  Whatever you decide to do, make it a great season!

Sustainability on Parade

Sus-tain-a-bil-ity [suh-stey-nuh-bil-i-tee], noun

1. the ability to be sustained, supported, upheld, or confirmed.
2. Environmental Science.  the quality of not being harmful to the environment or depleting natural resources, and thereby supporting long-term ecological balance.

Based on that definition, The Sustainability Parade scheduled for Saturday September 24 from 10:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m. certainly qualifies.  The "Parade" begins at Sequoya Public Library with a tour of the library's "green" construction methods.  A marching band will then lead the group to the Midvale Heights neighborhood where several residents will offer advice and tips on sustainable gardens, landscaping and construction.

The Sustainability Parade is part of a larger program called "Moving Planet".  The Sustainability Parade is one of four events in the Madison area.  For more information, contact organizer Judy Skog at TransitionMadisonArea1@gmail.com

The Objection

I recently hosted an Open House for a colleague of mine.  It's a very nice home in a new subdivision (you can check it out here).

I had a good showing, six or eight different parties through in the course of two hours.  That's a nice number, as I have a chance to visit with those that come through.  One woman really like the house, however there was one aspect of the home that she wasn't crazy about.  As she voiced her objection, I was all set to counter her objection with all the reasons the feature she disliked was actually positive, but I stopped short.

It's not about whether I like this feature or that amenity, it's about finding out what the buyer likes and wants. I"m not buying a house, she is.   I realized this may not be the house for her and that's OK.  Sometimes objections can be overcome, but sometimes they aren't meant to be overcome.  They just are!

So instead of objecting, I just said "Hmm, I've never thought of that."  Selling real estate is not actually selling at all.  The Realtor's role is to form a partnership to assist the buyer in finding the right home or property to meet their needs and then advising and guiding them through the process.  When a buyer finds the house they want, they will sell themselves!

Add Your Voice to Hoyt Park Area Planning

If you live on the near west side of Madison and have concerns or opinions on the urban planning process, plan to attend the Hoyt Park Area Neighborhood public meeting.  That meeting is scheduled for Tuesday September 13th at 6:30 p.m. at the Sequoya Public Library.

A volunteer committee has been working for several months, in partnership with the city and Vandewalle and Associates, to develop a plan for the neighborhood bordered by Midvale Boulevard, Mineral Point Road, University Avenue and Franklin.

Add your voice to the group that will be gathered on the 13th to discuss concerns and aspirations for the neighborhood.  Can't make it?  Take the neighborhood survey.  To find out more, visit the Hoyt Park Area Neighborhood Plan website.

I hope to see you there!

August Home Sales

In an earlier post I mentioned that August is typically a slow month for the housing market, for a variety of reasons.  In fact, one fellow Realtor told me she thought August was slower than December!  Well, this past August was slow!

If we look at what happened in the housing market in August 2011 compared to June 2011, we find some interesting statistics.  The number of homes that sold in August in Sunset Village, Westmorland and the Dudgeon-Monroe neighborhoods has stayed virtually the same from month to month, but what changed in August versus earlier in the year was the final sales price for homes.

For instance, in Sunset Village, the prices in August dropped 19% from the prices houses sold for in June.  In the Dudgeon-Monroe neighborhood, the spread was even wider with prices dropping 37% from June until August.  The Westmorland neighborhood is the only area of the three that saw an increase in the average home sale price in August compared to June, a 114% increase.

Now, there are lots of parameters that could account for this.  The size and condition of the homes on the market, as well as the price.  Location, a long-time foundation of real estate transactions, could also be a factor (busy street, corner lot, etc.).

Whatever the reason, I anticipate (and hope!) that the market will pick up during the coming fall months.  Interest rates continue to be at historical lows and there are houses available for the right buyer.  The good news is all three neighborhoods continue to see fairly quick movement, at the right price.  It took less than a month for these homes to sell, when the price was right.

We'll have to watch and see what September brings.  In the meantime, here's what happened in August:

Sunset Village - August Sales 2011

Address	1st Price	Last Price	Sold Price	SP/FP	SP/LP	Cum. Days of Market	# Days From Last Price Change Until Offer
118 S. Owen Dr.	$289,900	$289,900	$287,500	99%	99%	43	43
321 Westmorland Blvd.	$337,000	$324,900	$324,000	96%	99%	49	49
Average Total	$313,450	$307,400	$305,750	98%	99%	46	25.5

Westmorland-August 2011 Sales

Address	1st Price	Last Price	Sold Price	SP/FP	SP/LP	Cum. Days of Market	# Days From Last Price Change Until Offer
4011 Winnemac	$179,900	$169,950	$160,000	89%	94%	46	24
526 Toepfer	$229,900	$229,900	$215,000	93%	94%	12	12
4116 Euclid	$284,900	$284,900	$278,000	98%	98%	12	12
Average Total	$231,567	$228,250	$217,667	93%	95%	23	16

Dudgeon-Monroe-August 2011 Sales

Address	1st Price	Last Price	Sold Price	SP/FP	SP/LP	Cum. Days of Market	# Days From Last Price Change Until Offer
3632 Gregory St.	$229,900	$229,900	$225,000	98%	98%	5	5
870 Woodrow St.*	$239,000	$239,000	$230,000	96%	96%	53	53
3526 Wyota Ave.	$289,900	$289,900	$260,000	89%	89%	44	44
Average Total	$234,000	$234,000	$227,500	97%	97%	29	29

*It should be noted that this property was first listed at $264,900 in 6/2009.  That listing expired in 1/2010 at which time the price had been dropped to $243,000.  The 96% SP/LP is based on the most recent listing, not the original 2009 listing.