Photo: college.library · CC BY 2.02,634 homes sold in Madison in the last year, at a typical $430K
About one sale in 4 is a condo. Below: what each kind of home sells for, what your budget buys, the best months to buy, how hard you’ll have to bid, and a shortcut to every site where Madison homes are listed.
Every place Madison homes are listed, in one stop
We don’t copy listings: the agents’ sites have the photos and the latest price changes. Set what you want once and we open each site already filtered to Madison.
For sale
Rent
New, land & open houses
Links open the listing sites; TownRatings isn’t paid for them and doesn’t rank one above another. Rentals and government-owned homes come from sources outside the MLS.
20% of Madison’s sales are condos, at $174K less than a house
1818 houses and 521 condos sold in the year to May 2026. Houses sell faster and draw more bidding wars.
typical sale · 1818 sold in 12 months
- Per square foot
- $264WI $196
- Days to sell
- 47
- Sold over asking
- 42%
- Listings with a price cut
- 19%
typical sale · 521 sold in 12 months
- Per square foot
- $231WI $209
- Days to sell
- 50
- Sold over asking
- 29%
- Listings with a price cut
- 18%
Multi-family (2–4 units): 64 sold, typical $529K
Townhouses: 231 sold, typical $314K
Too few sales in 12 months for reliable figures.
Fewer homes sell than before 2021, at 1.9 times the 2016 price
2,634 sales in the last year, against 3,982 in 2020 and a low of 2,690 in 2025. The typical sale went from $229K in 2016 to $430K.
Source: Redfin Data Center, MLS sales. Typical price and $/sq ft are the monthly medians, weighted by sales.
What $450K buys in Madison
Check a listing against what Madison homes sold for
Against the town’s median price per square foot over the last 12 months. A rough check: condition, lot and location within town move a price more than this can see.
Bidding wars in Madison are back to pre-pandemic levels, but a third fewer homes come up for sale
We read every month of Madison’s home sales since 2015 so you don’t have to. Each figure covers 12 months, because a single month in a town is too few sales to mean much. Latest: the year to May 2026, 2,634 sales.
If you’re buying in Madison
- Shop in March. It brings about 402 new listings a month, close to the busiest month, with fewer bidding wars (41% over asking).
- You can negotiate. 19% of listings have cut their price, against 15% before the pandemic.
- Bid near asking. Buyers paid 100.5% of the list price on average; 38% paid over.
- You’ll usually have time. Only 37% of homes go under contract within two weeks; the typical one takes 48 days.
Spring brings the homes; summer brings the bidding wars
May has the most new listings (about 428 a month), but June is the most competitive: 53% of June sales close over asking. March offers nearly as much choice with fewer homes bid up (41%). January has the least competition (23%) but only about 235 new listings.
Averages for each calendar month, 2015 on.
Calmer than the 2021 frenzy, and about like Wisconsin as a whole
| Madison now | 2017–19 | 2021 peak | WI now | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sold over askingShare of sales that closed above the list price | 38% | 36% | 59% | 38% |
| Gone within two weeksShare of homes under contract within 14 days | 37% | 43% | 53% | 46% |
| Listings with a price cutShare of homes for sale that cut their price | 19% | 15% | 10% | 18% |
| Price paid vs. askingAverage sale price ÷ list price | 100.5% | 99.8% | 103.1% | 99.6% |
| Days to sellMedian days from listing to contract | 48 | 55 | 43 | 51 |
511 homes for sale on a typical day
That’s 1.2 times the 2023 low (416), 36% fewer than in 2017–19 and well under 2015’s 1056.
1 in 5 listings has cut its price
19% in the last year, against 15% in 2017–19 and 18% across Wisconsin.
Since 2019, houses are up 55%, condos 47%
A house typically sold for $457K in the last year (1818 sales), a condo for $284K (521).
Median sale price, weighted by sales each month. Years with fewer than 4 sales of a type are left out.
Madison ranks 87th of 158 busy Wisconsin markets for bidding wars
Share of sales over asking in the last year, among towns with 60 or more sales. Madison is in the middle of the pack.
Source: Redfin Data Center, city market tracker, January 2015 to May 2026 (MLS sales, not seasonally adjusted). Ratios are weighted by homes sold; price cuts by homes for sale.
Owning the typical Madison home costs about $2,872 a month
Price: Madison’s typical sale, last 12 months. Property tax at Madison’s 1.8% (median bill ÷ median value, Census ACS); insurance at 0.35% of price a year. Before PMI, HOA dues, upkeep and the tax deduction. Whether Madison is affordable on local pay is on Cost of living.
Six things worth knowing
New listings in May
The month with the most choice. December has the fewest, about 124.
Best time to buyProperty tax, a year
Of a home’s value: the median bill over the median home value. On a $430K home, about $7,550 a year.
Taxes vs. neighborsSchools
The schools grade for Madison, from test results, graduation and how much students grow.
Schools in MadisonCheck the flood map
Flood insurance isn’t in a standard policy, and lenders require it in FEMA flood zones. Check the address before you make an offer.
Natural hazardsLook up any property
Assessed value, lot size and every past sale of a home you’re eyeing are public, at the town or county assessor and the registry of deeds.
Fitchburg and Verona sell for less a square foot; Maple Bluff for far more
The busier markets within 25 miles of Madison, by what sold. Prices, taxes and how far a paycheck goes next door are on Cost of living.
| Sold | Typical sale | $/sq ft | Over asking | Days to sell | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Madison | 2,634 | $430K | $251 | 38% | 48 |
| Fitchburg | 376 | $469K | $235 | 31% | 65 |
| Waunakee | 286 | $567K | $244 | 26% | 72 |
| Middleton | 271 | $540K | $268 | 31% | 55 |
| Verona | 217 | $492K | $239 | 27% | 65 |
| Monona | 92 | $475K | $286 | 40% | 51 |
| Maple Bluff | 26 | $1.3M | $381 | 27% | 71 |
Redfin Data Center, June 2025 to May 2026. Towns with fewer than 20 sales are left out, and Redfin doesn’t report every town separately.
Post your home to Madison, free
Selling it yourself, renting out an apartment or looking for a roommate? Post it to Madison. People who follow the town see it, and so do people comparing Madison with their own town. No commission, no listing fee.
Questions about buying a home in Madison
What do homes sell for in Madison, WI?
2,634 homes sold in the year to May 2026 at a typical $430K, $251 a square foot. Houses sold for about $457K, condos for about $284K.
Is Madison a buyer’s or seller’s market?
A seller’s market: 610 homes were for sale in May 2026 and 259 sold, about 2.4 months of supply. Buyers paid 100.5% of asking on average, and 19% of listings cut their price.
When is the best time to buy in Madison?
May brings the most new listings. The sales history shows which months have fewer bidding wars.
How much are property taxes in Madison?
About 1.8% of a home’s value a year. On a $430K home that’s near $7,550.
Where can I see homes for sale in Madison?
Zillow, Redfin, Realtor.com and Homes.com all carry Madison’s MLS listings; the search links above open each one filtered to Madison.
Sales, prices, days on market and listings: Redfin Data Center (MLS, monthly, not seasonally adjusted). Property tax rate: Census American Community Survey. Two-bedroom rent: HUD Fair Market Rent. Typical home value: Zillow Home Value Index. Schools grade: TownRatings (how grades work).