We'll be releasing our 2026 Dane County real estate predictions very soon. In the meantime, we can share that we do see the growth in local home and condo prices moderating in 2026. 

Why is this so? Inventory has been quietly and steadily improving over the last two years, and the city of Madison will be adding two new large subdivisions in the year ahead. Both of these are positive developments that will make homeownership more accessible to more people in the year ahead. 

In the long run, we do expect our growing population to continue to fuel more price appreciation over the next few decades. According to the Capital Area Regional Planning Commission, Dane County's population is projected to grow to 887,000 residents by the year 2050 (more than 325,000 residents more than the 2020 census).

Our long-term outlook is that many people will continue to move to the Madison area for quality of life, economic opportunity, and climate change reasons. Because of this, we fully expect Dane County real estate will remain an excellent long-term investment.