Nicole Charles earned her Wisconsin Real Estate license in 2007, and by June of 2009 was in the top 1% of agents in the South Central Wisconsin MLS based on sold volume for that year. She was named the 2008 Keller Williams North-Central Region Rookie of the Year, and attributes her success to the power of networking. She was Wisconsin's number one Keller Williams single agent based on sold volume in 2009, and the majority of her volume came from referrals.

Contact Nicole and let her help you find your new home. (608) 513-0021 ∙ nicolecharles@kw.com

Thursday, February 25, 2010

Midwest Horse Fair 2010


The Midwest Horse Fair will be celebrating their 31st year and you can see anything and everything relating to the equine industry at this annual event. Shop the many vendors, attend the competitions and special events, including the World Blacksmith competition... you won't be disappointed at the 2010 Midwest Horse Fair!


Midwest Horse Fair 2010
April 16th, 17th, and 18th 2010
Alliant Energy Center
Madison, WI


Admission: Daily Pass is $10 in advance or $12 at the gate, and a 3-day pass is $27 in advance or $36 at the gate.

Tickets for the Friday night Rodeo will only be available through ticketmaster . Also available only through tickemaster is the Saturday evening "Jumping Grand Prix" event. Tickets for these events are on sale now!

FREE Home Buyers Fair 2010

Mark your calendars now for the 2010 Home Buyers Fair. The event will be moving back to the Alliant Energy Center and promises to be one of the best yet!



FREE - 2010 Home Buyers Fair

March 20, 2010, 8:30am-3:00pm

Alliant Energy Center, Exhibition Hall
1919 Alliant Energy Center Way
Madison, WI 53713



The fair is FREE and open to anyone interested in learning about the home buying process. The fair will offer first time home buyer education classes, an opportunity to win one of two $1,500 down payment grants and there will be housing industry exhibitors on hand to answer any questions that you may have.

• Learn how to own a home for under $1,000/month.
• Earn a Home Buyer Education Certificate in one day.
• Learn how to qualify for the extended Home Buyers Tax Credit
• Win one of two $1,500 grants to put toward your down payment.

For more information about the fair, please contact:
Amanda Wilson, UW Credit Union / 608-232-5000 ext. 2060

Wednesday, February 24, 2010

Awesome Real Estate Puzzle Coupon!



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Print and complete this word search puzzle and receive $250 off your Listing Commission when you list your home with Nicole Charles & Associates of Keller Williams Realty!

(Not transferrable to any other Keller Williams agent. Each office independently owned and operated. )

Freddie Mac losses mount, warns of foreclosures


Freddie Mac lost almost $26 billion last year, ominous news for taxpayers who are footing the bill to rescue the mortgage finance company and its sibling Fannie Mae.

Freddie Mac, which has lost a total of almost $80 billion since the housing crisis started in 2007, is bracing for more pain. The McLean, Va.-based company said a record 4 percent of its borrowers are at least three months behind on their payments and facing foreclosure.

Its chief executive, Charles Haldeman, warned Wednesday of a "potential large wave of foreclosures" still to come.

This is a major problem for the federal government, which seized control of Freddie and Fannie in September 2008. The two companies have already siphoned $111 billion from the government to stay afloat. That number is expected to hit $188 billion by fall 2011.

And while Freddie Mac didn't ask for any more bailout money last quarter, the company said it will likely need more financial aid and might never repay it.

"We now have unlimited taxpayer exposure to the bailout of Fannie and Freddie, a bailout nation where the big get bigger, the small get smaller and the taxpayer gets poorer," Rep. Jeb Hensarling, R-Texas, said at a House hearing Wednesday.

Fannie and Freddie dominate the mortgage market, backing about 70 percent of the loans made last year. The two companies purchase mortgages from lenders and package them into securities. Investors are willing to buy the securities because they are effectively guaranteed by the U.S. government. That puts American taxpayers at risk.

But the fragile housing sector is so dependent on the government that officials say they won't have a detailed exit strategy until next year. Underscoring the market's weakness, the Commerce Department said Wednesday that sales of new homes unexpectedly plunged 11 percent from December to January to the lowest level on record.

Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner told lawmakers Wednesday that the Obama administration will "make sure we bring about fundamental change in the housing market and get ourselves in a position where the government is playing a less risky, but more constructive role in supporting housing markets in the future."

Separately, Freddie Mac warned there is "significant uncertainty as to whether or when we will emerge" from government control.

For taxpayers, stabilizing Freddie and Fannie Mae has been one of the costliest consequences of the financial meltdown. Freddie Mac has received about $51 billion from Treasury to date, and the Obama administration has pledged to cover unlimited losses through 2012.

Freddie Mac said Wednesday it lost $25.7 billion, or $7.89 a share, for all of 2009. Of those losses, $4.1 billion went to dividends paid to the Treasury Department, which holds a nearly 80 percent stake in the company.

In the final three months of last year, Freddie Mac posted a loss of $7.8 billion, or $2.39 a share. The results, however, were a marked improvement over the fourth quarter 2008 when Freddie lost $23.9 billion, or $7.37 a share.

During the most recent quarter, Freddie suffered $7.1 billion in credit losses and a $3.4 billion write-down in low income tax credit investments. Also Wednesday Fannie Mae said in a regulatory filing that it plans to take a $5 billion charge when it reports its fourth quarter results later this week.

(Article from http://www.madison.com/, by Alan Zibel)

Monday, February 22, 2010

8 Dream Homes for Sale in the Madison, Wisconsin Area



7326 Black Hawk Road in Middleton, WI
$2.46 Million
MLS #1566722, Courtesy of Bunbury & Assoc.
4 bedrooms, 6.5 baths, 9502 sq ft, 4.3 acres






2295 Spring Rose Rd in Springdale, WI
$2.8 Million
MLS #1572037, Courtesy of Bunbury & Assoc.
6 bedrooms, 5 baths, 8255 sq ft, 20 acres






26740 Cooper Hill Rd in Richland, WI
$2.9 Million
MLS #1566191, Courtesy of Restaino & Assoc.
4 bedrooms, 4.5 baths, 6200 sq ft, 40 acres






W6500 Hwy B in Burnett, WI
$3.3 Million
MLS#1573293, Courtesy of First Weber
7 bedrooms, 7.5 baths, 6945 sq ft, 272 acres






W6138 Hwy J in Jefferson, WI
$3.5 Million
MLS #1463050, Courtesy of Stark Company
4 bedrooms, 8 bathrooms, 15,124 sq ft, 19 acres






3387 Timber Lane in Cross Plains, WI
$3.83 Million
MLS #1545264, Courtesy of RE/MAX Preferred
5 bedrooms, 4.5 baths, 14,126 sq ft, 26 acres






659 Farwell Drive in Maple Bluff, WI
$5.95 Million
MLS #1537504, Courtesy of Restaino & Assoc.
5 bedrooms, 5 baths, 7219 sq ft, 2 acres and 300 ft of Lake Mendota frontage






5750 Hwy Z in Wyoming, WI
$6.3 Million
MLS #1572013, Courtesy of Bunbury & Assoc.
5 bedrooms, 7 baths, 13,600 sq ft, 217 acres