Six shorelines
Six lake areas, compared honestly
Each of these is inside a twenty-five minute drive of our office. They are not interchangeable, and the differences are bigger than the map suggests.
Pick the water first, then the house
Buyers who choose a lake before they choose a floor plan almost always end up happier. These guides are written to help you do that.
Maple BluffLake Mendota Deep frontage and old oaks, nine minutes from the Capitol
A village of about thirteen hundred people on the Mendota north shore, with the deepest frontage lots in the county and a country club at the middle of it.
- Sample median sale: $1.32M
- Homes sold last year: 21
Shorewood HillsLake Mendota Village services, a public beach and a walk to campus
A one-square-mile village wrapped by Madison, with its own elementary school, its own beach and pier, and university buildings at the edge of it.
- Sample median sale: $845K
- Homes sold last year: 58
MononaLake Monona A separate city on the south shore with the skyline across the water
Fourteen thousand people, its own school district and city services, and a peninsula of frontage looking back at the Madison skyline.
- Sample median sale: $472K
- Homes sold last year: 184
MiddletonLake Mendota West-shore frontage, strong schools and the long view east
The west side's own city, with Mendota frontage along Century Shore, a downtown that has grown up fast and schools that draw buyers on their own.
- Sample median sale: $598K
- Homes sold last year: 341
McFarlandLake Waubesa The best price per foot of frontage in the county
A village of about nine thousand on Lake Waubesa, fifteen minutes from downtown, where frontage still trades in the high six figures instead of the low sevens.
- Sample median sale: $418K
- Homes sold last year: 147
Westport and Governors IslandLake Mendota Point lots, acreage and the shortest boat ride to open water
A township on the Mendota north shore where lots get bigger, frontage gets longer and the Governors Island peninsula holds the rarest property in the county.
- Sample median sale: $1.08M
- Homes sold last year: 39
Sample market data
What each lake is doing this season
Every figure below is a sample for demonstration. Ask us for the real comparable set on any property you are considering.
| Lake | Median sale | Per front foot | Days on market | Active listings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lake Mendota | $1,285,000 | $14,000 - $26,000 | 31 | 18 |
| Lake Monona | $742,000 | $9,000 - $15,000 | 22 | 24 |
| Lake Waubesa | $596,000 | $6,500 - $11,000 | 34 | 16 |
| Lake Wingra | $688,000 | No private frontage | 17 | 7 |
| Lake Kegonsa | $512,000 | $5,500 - $9,500 | 41 | 11 |
| Lake Ripley | $418,000 | $5,000 - $8,500 | 47 | 9 |
Sample figures for demonstration only. Not an appraisal, a valuation or investment advice.
Where we work
Six shorelines, one office
Everything on this map is inside a twenty-five minute drive of our door on Monona Avenue. We have walked the frontage on every one of these lakes this year.
Not sure which shoreline is yours?
Take the two-hour area tour. Most buyers eliminate half the map in one afternoon, and it costs nothing.
Four agents, one office on Monona Avenue, replies within one business day.