Eight Key Questions

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Consider these eight key questions before you make your offer. When did the seller purchase the property, and for what price? How long has the property been on the market? What was the original listing price, and how many times has the price been reduced? Has the property undergone any expired listings? What is the expiration date of the current listing? How many mortgage(s) does the seller carry on the property, and for what amount(s)? Does the seller carry a mortgage on any other property? If the property is unoccupied, how long has it been that way? Research helps A little knowledge can go a long way when it comes time to negotiate. Depending on the circumstances of the sale, the answers to the above questions can provide some good insight into the seller's motivations and willingness to negotiate terms and price. Your buyer agent can assist you with this information. If you prefer to do your own research, you'll find tools like the City of Madison Assessor's site, Tapestry Record Search, and Access Dane to be useful resources. Assessor resources by community Many municipalities now make their real estate assessment information available online. The breadth and depth of this information varies by community. We've provided links to these web sites below. You'll also find these resources listed within our community links. Access Dane - assessment information for all of Dane County Deforest - assessor contact information Madison - detailed property information, including sales comps McFarland - assessor contact information Middleton - property search page Monona - assessor contact information Stoughton - assessor contact information Sun Prairie - detailed property information, including sales comps Verona - property search page Related articles How to research Dane County foreclosures How to research delinquent property taxes How to research a home's listing history How to research a seller's mortgage About us This information is provided courtesy of Dan Miller and Shawn Kriewaldt of Keller Williams Realty and DaneCountyMarket.com. For more information, please contact Dan at 608-852-7071 (danielmiller@kw.com) or Shawn at 608-212-5743 (shawnkriewaldt@kw.com). Don't forget: if you're buying or selling, whether your timeline is 3 months or 3 years, we can help. Track the market and search for Real Estate You can receive our articles and monthly updates via email. Just go to our newsletter sign-up, enter your email address, and select your topic(s) of interest. Our real estate search tools are easy-to-use. Learn how you can simplify your search by saving your search settings, receiving email updates, and tracking your own list of "favorite" properties.  Search for South Central Wisconsin Real Estate Now Email this article to a friend: Email To: Email From: Name of Sender: Optional Message: Please enter the numbers/characters in the picture for verification *  Back