For sellers
A lake house sells twice: in the photos and at the pier
If the first set of images does not show the frontage, the exposure and the view from the water, the right buyer scrolls past a property that would have suited them perfectly.
Three phases
Eight weeks from first visit to live
The mistake is starting prep in May for a May listing. If you want the strongest window, the punch list should be done in March.
Fix the six things that photograph
We walk the house room by room with a camera and hand you a ranked punch list with cost estimates. Paint, lighting, decluttering, landscaping, window cleaning and the shoreline. You choose how far down the list to go and we book the trades.
- Ranked punch list within two days of the visit
- Trades coordinated by us, paid directly by you, never marked up
- Shoreline and pier tidy plan for waterfront listings
- Styling day with our stager, usually the day before the shoot
Price on frontage, not square footage
We build the analysis from closed sales with comparable frontage, exposure and water depth. On this market, a hundred feet of protected east shoreline moves the number far more than another bedroom does, and a pure square-foot comparison will mislead you.
- Comparable set you can check yourself, not a summary
- Adjustments for exposure, depth and pier condition stated in writing
- A launch price and a walk-away price, agreed before we go live
- Commission negotiated and written into the listing contract
Shoot it properly, then go live Thursday
Interiors on a tripod with proper lighting, drone stills showing the frontage in context, a walk-through video shot in the morning light, and on-water photography for shoreline listings. We launch Thursday and run the first weekend hard.
- Full media package included, no upfront cost, no marketing fee
- Drone and on-water photography for every shoreline listing
- Floor plan drawing and a measured square footage sheet
- Weekly Monday reporting with showing feedback and traffic
Prep that pays
Two weeks and $2,400, not a renovation
A Monona living room before and after our pre-list punch list. Drag the handle to compare.
BeforeAfterPaint and lighting first
Neutral walls, matched bulb temperature and two replaced fixtures. About $2,400 on this house.
Edit, then add
We removed roughly a third of the furniture before our stager brought a single piece in.
Photograph the light
Shot at 9am, when this room gets the water reflection on the ceiling.
- See the full prep punch list
Sample results
What our listings did
- 214Sample transactions closed since 2016
- 98%Sample average of list price achieved
- 24 daysSample median days on market
- 19 yrsYears our broker has worked these lakes
| Address | Lake | List | Sold | Days |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1912 Lakeland Terrace, Maple Bluff | Lake Mendota | $1,750,000 | $1,812,000 | 11 |
| 615 Harbor Grove Lane, Middleton | Lake Mendota | $1,195,000 | $1,180,000 | 29 |
| 3801 Winnequah Road, Monona | Lake Monona | $795,000 | $826,000 | 8 |
| 204 Sunset Ridge Court, Shorewood Hills | Lake Mendota | $925,000 | $940,000 | 14 |
| 6640 Waubesa Shore Road, McFarland | Lake Waubesa | $689,000 | $672,000 | 44 |
| 18 Founders Quay, Unit 208, Madison | Lake Monona | $465,000 | $461,000 | 22 |
Sample transactions for demonstration. Past results are not a prediction of what any individual property will achieve.
Straight answers
Seller questions, answered
Timing, prep, pricing and what it costs to list with us.
Still wondering about something? Call the office and you will get a person, not a form.
(608) 555-0149All frequently asked questionsLate April through June. The water is open, the yard has come back and buyers can actually picture the summer. In-town homes are much less seasonal and sell well from March through October.
Do paint, lighting, decluttering, landscaping and anything that reads as deferred maintenance on the shoreline. Skip the kitchen renovation, skip new flooring throughout and skip anything you cannot finish before photo day. Our pre-list punch list ranks every item with a cost estimate.
We build the analysis on comparable frontage and exposure first, then adjust for the house. A hundred feet of protected east-facing shoreline moves the number more than an extra bedroom does, and a pure square-footage comparison will mislead you on this market.
Commission is negotiable and always has been. We agree it in writing in the listing contract before anything goes live, and the photography, drone work, video and staging consultation are included with no upfront cost.
On our sample data, a median of 24 days on market plus 35 to 45 days to close. Cash purchases close faster. Anything with a pier permit question or a shared access easement can take longer, which is why we resolve those before we list.
Start with a number you can trust
Five questions, one business day, and a real person with the comparable set behind the figure.
Four agents, one office on Monona Avenue, replies within one business day.