Time to Buy a Home in Marin?

Some of our buyers have asked, “Is this is a good time to buy?”  Looking at the long range picture of home values in Marin, we think this is not only a good time to buy but an opportunity for buyers.

These are confusing times for buyers. Some economic indicators are not great, and the media continues to support a pessimistic view. While some house prices are coming down–we think of this as an adjustment to a previously runaway market–others are not. This is definitely a great time for buyers!

Downtown Mill Valley

A Strong Market for Buyers

As the summer progressed, the market grew increasingly favorable for buyers. The Marin Heat Index, which uses MLS sales records to estimate real estate market conditions, shows that only Corte Madera and Greenbrae have balanced markets—favoring neither buyers nor sellers. For all other cities, the market strongly favors buyers. This means more houses to choose from, lower sale prices, and longer times required to sell.

Thoughtful Sellers Can Do Well

Sellers can sell in this market if they follow these guidelines:

• Make your house attractive to the largest number of buyers. A beautiful, updated house can sell easily. Often investing a modest amount can bring very good returns. We can help you with this. Also, see our July 8, 2010 blog, “To Stage or Not to Stage,” to learn what is involved in preparing your house for sale.

• Price your house realistically. We are no longer riding the crest of the real estate wave, but Marin homes are holding value well. The peak of the market was in 2007. If we look at summer sales, for July and August, the median price of single family homes dropped 22% from 2007 ($799,000 versus $1,028,000). If you can adjust to this reality, you can sell your home in a reasonable time. We can advise you on your specific needs and how to best price your house.

The fall market is a good time to sell before the holidays and winter weather. Call us!

The Big Picture of Home Values

Lake on Mt. Tamalpais

If you look at the history of prices of Marin homes, home values increased steadily (and often dramatically) from 1965 tom 2007.  The first significant drop was in 2008, then again in 2009. However, prices have recovered in 2010:

Average sale prices for Marin homes (from the Marin MLS):
2009                            $851,000

2010 (so far)                $918,000

This is an 8% increase over 2009!

Factors in this increase appear to be the diminishing number of low-cost foreclosure properties and the sale of more high-value properties.

Marin remains one of the wealthiest counties in the nation, and people want to live here. Coupled with little new construction and expansion of the market, Marin homes should remain good investments for many decades.

Madeline Schaider is an Expert on Eco-Homes

Madeline Schaider is a certified EcoBroker®. Madeline can help you take advantage of energy efficiency and environmentally sensitive design for your home and investment properties. Please ASK Madeline about ways to save energy in your home!

Energy Tip 1: Buy Energy Star Appliances

Buying Energy Star Qualified appliances can save a significant energy compared to your present appliance:

• Washer/Dryer, 50%
• Water heater, 50%
• Dishwasher, 25%
• Refrigerator, 15%

Energy Tip 2: Not All Compact Fluorescent Light Bulbs are Equal

Compact fluorescent bulbs can save 75% compared to standard light bulbs. If you order bulbs online, you can discover a much better selection and better prices that you find at any of the local stores. You can buy a wide range of sizes and wattages from the equivalent of 10 to 600 Watt, standard light bulbs.

Compact fluorescent bulbs come in a spectrum of colors. You are not limited to the dull color that you associate with many compact fluorescents. Color is measured in degrees Kelvin and ranges from warm or soft white (2700K to 3000K) to brilliant (daylight) white (5500K). For reading you may want a daylight bulb (about 5000K) but for the bathroom or dressing area a soft white (3000K) or cool white (3500K).

Compact fluorescent bulbs are also rated by the quality of the light that they produce. A Color rendering index (CRI) greater than 80 indicates a bulb with colors close to natural light.

Recommendations:

• Avoid most dimmable fluorescent bulbs. One of the better brands is Ushio.
• Look at the dimensions of the bulb. Some are smaller and may be a better fit in your lamp or light fixture.
• Look for quick-starting bulbs.
• Here are brands that are generally recommended: Sylvania, N:Vision, TCP, and Eiko

This web site is informative and has a large selection at good prices: Servicelighting.com. lightbulbemporium.com is another good source of compact fluorescent bulbs.

Marin anticipates summer (starting June 21) with festivals and abundant farmers markets from Marin City (Sausalito) to Point Reyes Station.

Festivals This Weekend

Here are special activities this weekend, June 12 and 13:

Fairfax Festival

Fairfax celebrates summer this coming Saturday and Sunday, starting with a parade Saturday morning at 10 am, followed by music, art exhibits, and more. For the details, see the 33rd Annual Fairfax Festival.

San Rafael Italian Street Painting Festival

A wonder of chalk art underfoot this Saturday and Sunday in downtown San Rafael. For information see Bella Terra.

Novato Art, Wine & Music Festival

Food, wine, and art on Grant Avenue (between Redwood and 7^th), Saturday from 10 am till 7 pm and Sunday from 10 am till 6 pm.

Open-Air Music and Community Parties

Corte Madera.Town Center in Corte Madera presents a Summer Music Series on Sunday afternoons beginning June 13^th through October 10^th, from 2pm to 4pm in the central courtyard.

Sausalito. Jazz and Blues by The Bay. Friday, June 11 through August 27. You can reserve a table or sit on the grass to enjoy a dinner picnic and the best music in Marin. A delightful event. 6:30 to 8 pm. Take a coat, as the bayside location may be either warm or cool. 

Tiburon. Friday Nights on Main. Friday nights from June 11 through August 20, starting at 6 pm dine on Main Street and enjoy live music. The street is closed to traffic and the local restaurants serve on tables in the street. You can drive into downtown   Tiburon, go by bicycle, or walk along the Bay from Blackie’s Pastureon Tiburon Blvd. This is a delightful family gathering place.

Farmers’ Markets

Marin Farmers’ Markets with fresh produce and food items take place weekly all summer long or all year, depending on location. Here is a summary of most of these open street markets:

Marin Civic Center Farmers’ Market. The largest market in Marin is held every Thursday and Sunday year round from 8 am till 1 pm. It is in a parking lot adjacent to the Frank Lloyd Wright Civic Center in northern San Rafael. These markets have a great variety including produce, flowers, baked goods, fresh fish and meat, and take-out food.

Corte Madera Farmers’ Market.  Wednesday from noon until 5:00 pm in the courtyard at the Corte Madera Town Center, all year.

Fairfax Farmers’ Market.  Wednesday 4pm – 8pm through September on BolinasRoad.

Marin City Farmers’ Market. This is the newest framer’s market, held every Saturday, 9 am – 1 pm, through September.

Mill Valley Farmer’s Market.  Throughout the year on Friday from 9 am till 2 pm in the Alto Shopping Center on E. Blithedale Ave, near the new Whole Foods Market.

Novato Farmers’ Market.  Tuesday 4pm – 8pm through September 28th, 2010 on Grant Avenue.

Ross Valley Farmers’ Market. 3-7 pm Thursdays through October 1 in the beautiful Marin Art and Garden Center on Sir Frances Drake Blvd opposite the Ross City Hall and Fire Station.

San Rafael Farmers’ Market.Every Thursday night from 5 to 8 pm part of Fourth Street is closed off from B St. to Lootens Place for this bustling farmer’s market, plus entertainment. Though October.

Point Reyes Farmer’s Market.  Saturdays, 9 am to 1 pm at Toby’s Feed Barn in Point Reyes Station, through October. This is worth the trip to enjoy the Point Reyes countryside.

Tam Valley Farmers’ Market.Tuesdays, 3-7 pm at the TamValley Community Center on Tennessee Valley Road.

Marin’s Distinguished Schools

Each year, the California Department of Education selects the highest achieving public schools in the state as Distinguished Schools. Schools may apply for this award only every four years. Here are the Marin schools on the list for the last four years:

Elementary and Middle Schools

* Note that Sausalito appears here with the best. For many years, Sausalito had the reputaion for weak public schools.

High Schools

All of the Distinguished high Schools are in the Tamalpais Union High School District. Go to this link to see which towns are served by each school.

* Independent study/ alternative education

The selections are based on API (Academic Performance Index) scores, No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) scores, and Closing the Achievement Gap for disadvantaged subgroups, where applicable. For more information about these criteria, see the California Department of Education web site.

Marin Has Plenty of Water

The unusual springtime rains filled the Marin reservoirs to overflowing by April 3, 2010. 

The Marin Municipal Water District (MMWD) reported: “Rainfall for April 2010 (through April 29) was an unusual 9.71 inches. Average for the month is 3.61 inches. April’s abundant rainfall brought our year-to-date numbers to well above the total annual average. Rainfall to date is 55.77 inches; average for this date is 50.38; annual (July 1-June 30) average is 52 inches.”

We will not have drought conditions this year. And with many Marin residents and business becoming aware of water conservation, water use has decreased by about 10% in the last year. Unless we have a severe shortage of rain over the next few years, our water supply should be adequate.

Great Water Quality, Too

When I moved to Marin in the 1970’s the local water tasted like water from fresh mountain streams! Since then, the state has required more water treatment to assure public health, but our water is still very good. For the details, see the annual report from MMWD on water quality.

Ross is a very special kind of small town. There are only about 800 homes with a median sale price of $2.12M in 2009.  There are some grand old homes, many over 100 years old, which range in price up to $14M (10 bedrooms and 9 baths on 3 acres, sold in 2010).

Here are two houses for sale now in Ross:

Grayoaks, by architect Bernard Maybeck, 126 Winding Way, $2,995,000

IDX Courtesy of Donna Goldman, Alain Pinel Realtors

20 Glenwood Ave, $14,850,000

IDX Courtesy of Bill Bullock and Lydia Sarkissian, Decker Bullock Sothebys International Realty

Ross residents collect their mail at the post office on the “Common,” the town square.  The few shops on the Common include a grocery shop, Sam the Butcher (now an art gallery), two restaurants, a coffee shop, and a boutique selling fine women’s handbags.

Ross began in 1857 when James Ross, a Tasmanian immigrant and liquor supplier to the Gold Rush, bought the land that now includes Ross.

To learn more about Ross, you can visit the Ross page at LivinginMarin.com.

How Small is Marin?

Recently we showed clients several houses in Ross. In the process, we learned that Ross has only about 800 homes in 1.6 square miles, which surprised many of our friends. It is difficult to determine judge the number of homes, since the town is heavily wooded and spread out, hiding homes from view.

We wondered about the sizes of other towns. The San Francisco Chronicle conveniently published on April 11, 2010 these numbers derived from sf.blockshopper.com:

You can see that the villages of  West Marin, Ross, and Belvedere have the smallest numbers of homes. Most Marin cities have from 2,300 to 5,200 homes. San Rafael and Novato are tied for the largest number, at about 19,000.

Marin Mini-News

Larkspur Landing Development Terminated

The agreement to build 126 townhomes and condos, and a 100-room hotel at Larkspur Landing has been terminated by the developer, Campus-St. James. The developer had planned to purchase and develop 9.5 acres from the by the Ross Valley Sanitary District (RVSD). Kelly Dunleavy discusses the complications, involving contaminated soil, in the Twin Cities Times, April 7, 2010.

Our Neighbors, the Coyotes

Marin has a good number of coyotes living in its hills and open space. Paul Jones reports on ways to coexist with coyotes in the San Rafael News Pointer on April 7, 2010.

Wetlands Restoration in the Point Reyes National Seashore

The addition of 9.3 acres completed the 563-acre wetlands restoration area in the Point Reyes National Seashore. The land was acquired by an exchange with the Giacomini family, original owners of the wetlands area. Andrea Blum reports on the latest in the wetlands project in the West Marin Citizen.

It certainly looks like Marin has stayed on the crest of the real estate market in these chaotic times. While prices in many neighborhoods are back to 2004 levels, these prices are not bad compared many areas around the Bay. However, Sellers who bought their homes in the highly competitive markets of 2004-2007 may now have to sell without a profit, or even at a loss.

In some cities, like Corte Madera and Mill Valley, many homes bring close to asking price and multiple offers. Others, which are either overpriced or in poor condition, are selling slowly. High-end properties, over $2-3M, are coming down in price, as buyers in this range are fewer or less motivated to buy.

An interesting article by Carolyn Said appeared last Sunday in the SF Chronicle that reinforced our observations. Areas “where prices were over $600 per square foot at the peak [summer 2006] generally have fallen about 10 to 20 percent since then—which makes them success stories” Looking at Marin home sales in the last six months, Mill Valley, Tiburon/Belvedere, Corte Madera/Larkspur, and Kentfield/Greenbrae appear to fall into this category.

Clearly Marin remains a very desirable place to live. There are many savvy buyers waiting for the right houses at reasonable prices. They seem to be acting quickly and decisively.

Outstanding Marin Schools Attract Buyers

In a recent Madeline Schaider Real Estate Newsletter, we discussed the high quality of Marin public schools. Last weekend  in the SF Chronicle,  Jeremy Schnitker claimed that homeowners in some Marin cities, like Corte Madera, pay 50% more for a house to be able to send their children to the public schools.

If you would like a copy of our bi-monthly newsletter, please send a request to info@livinginmarin.com.

Also, be sure to visit the Marin school pages at LivinginMarin.com.

Marin County has many natural features that make it exceptionally attractive: Mt. Tamalpais, 59 miles of spectacular coastline, and extensive parks and open space.

Preserving its natural beauty, Marin is fortunate to have about 85% its land (more than 200,000 acres!) as parks (national, state, county, and local), open space, watershed, tidelands, and protected agricultural land.  For an overview, go to this map of Marin County Open Space.

Our extensive open space limits the number of homes and population. While there are still a few homes built or rebuilt each year, Marin was considered completely “built-out” about 20 years ago.

There is still a small number of undeveloped parcels of land that are for sale each year. Madeline Schaider Real Estate has the largest of these parcels for sale at 110 Juniper Ave. in San Geronimo, a few minutes west of the Town of Fairfax.

22+ Acres in San Geronimo, CA

Magnificent, estate parcel of almost 23 acres. Beautiful Mt. Tamalpais terrain with majestic redwood groves, native plants, sunny knolls, trails, and panoramic vistas. Walking distance to Kent Lake. Three approved building sites out of at least 10 choices, adjacent to 1,200 acres of Giacomini Open Space. Walking, hiking, and horseback riding trails at your back door. Survey maps, topological maps, percolation tests, and additional information are available. Water and electric are adjacent to the property.

110 Juniper Landscape, San Geronimo, CA

For more photos, go to www.livinginmarin.com, Our Listings.

There is no sign on the property, but east access via a fire road.  For a tour, contact Madeline Schaider at (415) 515-9357.

Offered for $1,100,000.

Marin’s population is growing older, and as realtors we are assisting more clients 65 year and older to find the best living situation. Here are some interesting census numbers for Marin, from ABAG, the Association of Bay Area Governments.

Median Age of Marin Residents

This is almost a 50% increase in the medain age. In the same time span, from 1970 to 2008, the percentage of Marinites who are 65 years and over doubled, from 7.4% to 15.5%.

The Good News

All of us at Madeline Schaider Real Estate—Madeline, Beat, and Alan—have had consistently successful and gratifying experiences helping clients move out of houses that no longer fit their life styles and into appropriate houses or better living situations. In some cases, we help them stay comfortably and safely in their own homes. We have the experience and the patience.

Everyone Wins

We get to be part of their lives and appreciate their rich experience and knowledge. The beauty of Marin has attracted many interesting people over the years, and they remain interesting. Our clients benefit by living better lives.

Success Stories With Seniors

One day in the Corte Madera Post Office, Madeline met Don, a retired and disabled Novato resident. He said, “Would you sell my house? I have been trying to get out of there for 11 years!” Madeline and Beat helped make the house presentable in a few weeks, and quickly received several offers from buyers. Don was finally free, with about 20% more than he expected to get for his house.

Blanche came into our office one day asking for help with a repair to her house. Madeline and Alan looked out for Blanche till her 95^th year, helping her stay comfortable in her home. She had been a child genius, traveled the world, acquired two PhD degrees, became the family genealogist, and was a great storyteller. We did not sell her house, but what we received in her friendship was worth more than a commission.

Great Resources for Seniors

A friend and real estate agent in Marin for more than 50 years, Bruce Wrisley, has written the most useful book on housing for seniors. He discusses all of the factors facing seniors and their options, including staying in their home. This is the best book to read if you or anyone you know is facing these challenging decisions concerning where and how to live.

You can order the regular or large print addition “Stay or Move: The Senior’s Housing Dilemma” at Amazon.com or buy a copy locally at the Book Passage in Corte Madera.

Another excellent source of information is the “Specially for Seniors” page at livinginmarin.com. Please send you questions to this blog or contact us at Madeline Schaider Real Estate.

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Good Words From Satisfied Clients

We recently sold a house in San Rafael that clients had inherited from their parents. While the sale was fast, the negotiation for the buyers’ financing took a long time and required exceptional skill and patience. Here is a note from the clients.

“Madeline,

We want to thank you so much for hanging with us and the use of your expertise to get us through this difficult sale. So many of the roadblocks we encountered could have killed the deal, and I really appreciate your confidence and upbeat personality to get us to the final sale.

If I were to create a graph of “expectations”, it would look like a Richter scale reading. So many highs, then lows, etc., all out of anyones’ control. I also want to virtually thank the buyers, who apparently REALLY wanted the house. I hope they are happy with their purchase.

I will absolutely recommend you and your team for any real estate needs that may come my way. You were professional, polished, respectful, and have a great knowledge of the Marin real estate community, not to mention all the ancillary functions (house cleaners, stager, gen. contractor, etc.). I hope you have many more successes.

Again, thank you from all of us!”

Brian, Hilary, and Tyler”

Finally, we are thinking about the resources that we are using and the environmental quality of our homes. Green building is the buzzword in Marin and across the country. You can read a concise explanation of green building on Wikipedia. Here is what it means:

• Thoughtful use of resources including water and energy
• Reuse of building materials, like lumber
• Healthy interior environments
• Reducing air and water pollution

What does it do for you?

Green building lets you rest better at night knowing that you are helping the world stay in balance. It assures a healthier environment for you and your family; for example you may use carpeting and paint that do not release chemicals into the air. And, you can save money on your heating, cooling, and water.

Green building does cost perhaps 5% more; however you may recover these costs in a few years through energy and water savings.

“The best green building is a remodel”

Our building consultant, Robert Ross, believes that the best way to save resources is to remodel according to green principles. An older house does not wind up in the dump (another environmental problem) but serves as the foundation of your green home.

If you would like to ask Robert questions about his approach to green building, send your questions to this Blog, for a quick response. Or, email Madeline and she will put you in touch with Robert. This is a service that Madeline Schaider Real Estate provides FREE to our clients.