Taste of Spring

With the snow piled high and the temps still frigid, it doesn't feel like spring will ever arrive.  Need a taste of spring?  Visit the spring flower show at Olbrich Boanical Gardens.

The Wisconsin Woodlands theme features hyacinths, tulips and other spring flowers sure to give you that little pick-me-up during these last days on Winter.

Olbrich's spring show is open daily from 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. from March 9-24.  A $2 admission is suggested.  Proceeds benefit Olbrich Botanical Gardens.  Happy Spring!

Market Flip

Well, here we are in mid-February.  Not yet spring, but winter winding down.  In the Real Estate world, this is what's called pre-market.  Spring is typically when the Real Estate market really picks up.

I'm hear to tell you, the market has already picked up and it's a crazy home buying-selling world out there!  Buyers are out in droves and are pounding the pavement hard!  Many of these buyers are renters, who have been sitting on the sidelines waiting for the perfect time to buy.  They have come out of the woodwork! I'm working with four different sets of buyers who are all renting.   

The other thing we are seeing is low inventory.  Houses that are only on the market a few days are getting offers quickly and in some cases multiple offers.  I have been involved in two multiple offer transactions in the last week!  Even homes that have been languishing on the market for months are receiving offers and going to closing. 

The market has flipped.  Just a few short months ago it was a buyers market.  Today, sellers are in the drivers seat.  In the Dane County area, a healthy market is 6 months of inventory.  As of last week, the inventory in Dane County was 4.2 months.  Low inventory means it's a sellers market.

Interest rates continue to be low, but those are expected in increase over the course of the year and be at or over 4% by year-end.  Still a great rate, but not as good as the 3.5% you might be able to get today.

If you are thinking of selling, get on the market now.  The buyers are not only looking....they are buying!

Phone Books...Really?

I was coming home the other day and passed a van and several young man walking door-to-door delivering telephone books.  Every year, it seems two or three different phone books are dropped  on my front stoop.

It used to be there was one phone book with hundreds of uses.  Need the number of a neighbor?  Look in the phone book.  Searching for an auto mechanic?  Check the yellow pages.  Need a birth certificate?  Check the government listings in the phone book.  Right now, I have FIVE phones books in my kitchen cabinet.  How many have I used?  ZERO!  A new and exciting thing called the Internet has made the phone book virtually obsolete…but they keep coming!!   Well, they don’t have to anymore.  I recently learned that you can get off the phone book list (click here to learn more).  You can always throw them in the recycling bin, too.

Which reminds me, did you know you can trade in your refuse containers for smaller or larger sizes?  Who knew?  I recently exchanged our recycling bin for a larger one.  Gotta love that!

I’m heading to the recycling bin with all my phone books now.  How about you?

How are Your Trees?

Snow, snow, snow!  While beautiful, my back is sore from shoveling and my trees poor branches are sagging!  With the heavy snows we’ve had recently, it’s sad to see my arborvitae bent or even broken from the weight. Removing the snow from the trees is the standard advice.  Here are some tips from Olbrich Botanical Gardens Horticulture staff.

 

Olbrich battles the same thing – only with a lot more trees and shrubs!   Olbrich’s Director of Horticulture, Jeff Epping, has suggestions on the best snow removal techniques that might be able to save your plants.  

 
Get that snow off!

If possible, get out into your garden and gently remove the snow with a broom or some other soft device during or immediately after the snowfall.  “If it’s practical, get out while it’s still snowing, maybe even one or two times,” Jeff says. Of course, he adds, it’s not foolproof advice, “I went over my arborvitae twice at home and they still bent over from the weight of the heavy snow.”

It’s best not to wait any length of time to remove the snow, especially if colder temperatures are forecasted, since snow will freeze onto the foliage or branches of the plants and be difficult to remove without causing further damage.

Technique

Jeff’s favorite method for getting the snow off low branches is to brush it off in a sideways motion using his entire arm.  That way the snow gets pushed off to the side without damaging the foliage, rather than wet clumps falling further down into the plant.  However, for tall arborvitae, you might need to be more inventive. There’s no real tool for this, so Olbrich’s horticulture staff has come with a few contraptions that make the job easier. “We use telescopic pole saws so we can adjust the height.  We remove the saw blades and attach a small flexible rake or a foam ball with a rag around it secured with duct tape.  You want something that’s soft on the plants and not so heavy to lift.” Even so, Jeff admits, your arms will get tired and your hands will get cold!

Well, sore back, tired arms and cold hands, it is winter in Wisconsin!

New Market Coming to Sequoya Commons

It's long overdue!  For too long, the Westmorland and Sunset Village neighborhoods have been missing a quick place to pick up essentials such as milk, bread, eggs or occasionally a bottle of wine or craft beer.

The long wait will soon be over!  The Market, a new neighborhood market will be opening in April at Sequoya Commons!  Katy Kovall, The Market owner, says it will be a friendly neighborhood market that will cater to area residents.

"We want this to be a place where we know our customers and they stop in often for that forgotten ingredient or pantry staple," she says.  "We are working with vendors now to determine our exact inventory."  Organic items are something they hope to have on hand when possible, she added, as well as cheeses, prepared sandwiches and perhaps a small frozen food section.

The Market will be holding an informational meeting on Sunday February 3 from 1:00 p.m.-3:00 p.m. at Sequoya Commons.  Neighbors are encouraged to stop by to talk to Kovall about what you'd like to see in a neighborhood market.  I plan to be there.  I hope to see you there!

No Beards Required

On a whim, my husband and I decided to go out to dinner on a recent Wednesday night.  Off to the Brasserie V on Monroe Street!  It was a first for us, having never ventured into the Belgian Restaurant and Pub.  At the advise and urging of friends, we were not disappointed.  The service was great, the food was delicious and the atmosphere was delightful!  Can you really go wrong with a sandwich that includes Nueske bacon and avocado?  Yum!  The list of beers was endless, certainly a brew for every palate.

As my husband and I enjoyed a beverage and chatted about the recent happenings in our lives, I couldn't help but notice all the employees with beards.  Two bartenders, two waiters, one host and at least one chef were all sporting beards.  I wondered, was a beard a requirement to work at Brasserie V? 

So, not shy, we asked the waiter.  "Is a beard a requirement to work here?" A little taken aback at the question, he looked around.  "No," he responded.  "I guess I've never noticed.  That waiter just started last night," he gestured, pointing to a fellow bearded waiter.

"I think it's just January in Wisconsin," he added.

Indeed!

The Divide

A colleague and I were talking the other day about housing trends, interest rates and the current housing market.  Typical Realtor talk.  As we discussed, we both agreed that spring has arrived early this year.  Of course, not the weather, but the market.

Open house traffic is at a fever pitch, buyers are out.  I've been involved in transactions with multiple offers and I've arranged showings for houses that are not even listed.

My colleague and I were discussing the ramifications of this scenario.  What our focus group of two decided is that buyers are out, but inventory is low.  It's either too early for sellers to be thinking about listing their house (it's not too early this year!), or they are waiting for the market to turn.

Well, here's the thing about waiting.  What you have and what you want are only going to get further apart.  That great divide will continue to grow.  Sure, you may get more for your house if you wait a year or two, but the prices of the house you want will also increase and so will the interest rates.  It's a lose, lose situation.

So, sellers can wait and let the divide grow, or jump in.  As always, it's your decision.