Summer 2026
Inventory is up, but not where buyers need it
Our read of the Yahara chain this quarter, written by the person who walked most of the frontage on it.
The read
Active inventory across the Yahara chain finished the quarter at 85 properties, up about fourteen percent on the same period last year. That reads like a buyer's market until you separate frontage from everything else.
Frontage listings account for 42 of those 85, and the median frontage property still went under contract in 31 days at ninety-eight percent of asking. The growth in inventory is concentrated in near-water and condo stock, where buyers now genuinely have choices and sellers are negotiating again.
Our read for the rest of the season: price frontage carefully and it still sells quickly, price near-water optimistically and it will sit. Buyers looking at condos on the Isthmus have the strongest position they have had in three years.
Headline numbers
- Frontage under contract in a sample median of 31 days, unchanged year over year
- Near-water median days on market up from 16 to 24
- Condo inventory up 31 percent, the largest movement on our map
- Sample average of list price achieved across all types: 98 percent
Days on market
How fast each lake is moving
Median days from listing to accepted offer, this season. Shorter bars are faster markets.
Sample figures for demonstration only. Not an appraisal, a forecast or investment advice.
By lake
Everything on one page
| Lake | Median sale | Per front foot | Days | Active | Our note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lake Mendota | $1,285,000 | $14,000 - $26,000 | 31 | 18 | Point and east-facing lots continue to clear asking within two weeks. |
| Lake Monona | $742,000 | $9,000 - $15,000 | 22 | 24 | The peninsula is the busiest sub-market on our map this season. |
| Lake Waubesa | $596,000 | $6,500 - $11,000 | 34 | 16 | Best value per foot in the county, with the shallowest water. |
| Lake Wingra | $688,000 | No private frontage | 17 | 7 | Entirely park-ringed, so every sale here is a near-water sale. |
| Lake Kegonsa | $512,000 | $5,500 - $9,500 | 41 | 11 | Stoughton side offers the longest lots for the money. |
| Lake Ripley | $418,000 | $5,000 - $8,500 | 47 | 9 | Seasonal cottages take longer to sell outside the summer window. |
Want this run on your own street?
We will pull the comparable set for your block and talk you through what it means, whether or not you are thinking about selling.
Four agents, one office on Monona Avenue, replies within one business day.