Archive for the ‘Marin Land and Water’ Category

The Enduring Appeal Of Marin

Thursday, February 3rd, 2011

The 2011 Marin Real Estate Market

There was an unexpected and unusual surge in buyer activity in December of last year that has continued through January. Sunday open houses have had better attendance and multiple offers have been reported for some properties. Because of this increase in buyer interest (and the good weather), houses are going on the market earlier in the year than usual. This should be a realistic year for Marin buyers and sellers, with prices holding steady.

Marin Home Sales Picked Up in 2010

Compared to 2009, the number of Marin single family homes that sold countywide increased by 10% and prices increased by 4 %.

Marin condo values countywide increased by about 8%, while the number of condos sold dropped by 7%. The increase in value reflects the smaller proportion of foreclosed (and discounted) Marin condos in 2010.

While Marin real estate values vary significantly with neighborhoods, the countywide increases indicate a strong and steady real estate market in Marin. It is still the place people want to live and raise their families. And, a significant pool of buyers can afford Marin homes.

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Madeline’s Favorite Hike in Marin

Tuesday, September 28th, 2010
 Christmas Tree Hill Walk

Right behind our office on the Old Town Square (Menke Park) is the oldest part of Corte Madera, winding up Christmas Tree Hill. Like many of the older neighborhoods in Mill Valley and Sausalito, there are stairs to take residents and summer visitors up the hills to the good life and spectacular views

One of Madeline’s favorite hikes starts at our office and proceeds uphill via stairs and streets to Summit Ave, then onto trails that show you the best that our mountain has to offer: views of San Francisco and the Bay, a panorama of Corte Madera north past San Rafael, oak and redwood forests, and fern-lined canyons.

You can pick up a trail map to the right of the front door of Madeline Schaider Real Estate, at 217 Corte Madera Ave. Then walk two doors south past Stefano’s Pizza, make a right turn and start up the hill on the Hill Path stairs. The hike is about 1.5 miles long and takes about 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 hours.  Be warned, the first part of the hike up to Summit is steep, so you may have to stop a few times. It is worth the effort. You will once more be refreshed by the beauty of Marin.

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Beautiful Marin

Wednesday, March 24th, 2010

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 Marin homes and its 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.

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Blogging in the Rain, in Marin

Monday, January 25th, 2010

The rains have come to Marin the way we are used to them. We normally have intermittent rains December through March, with sunny days between.

Rain is good; it provides our drinking water. Marin has unusually good drinking water, 75 % coming from five lakes on Mount Tamalpais and two large reservoirs in north-western Marin. The lakes on Mount Tamalpais are Phoenix, Lagunitas, Alpine, Kent, and Bon Tempe. Take the time this year on a sunny or misty day to visit Alpine, Bon Tempe and Kent lakes on the south west side of Fairfax; they are spectacular.  The northern reservoirs are Nicasio and Soulajoule. The rest of our water (25%) comes from Lake Mendocino via the Russian River.

So far, the rain is doing well to fill our lakes and reservoirs. The Marin Municipal Water District (MMWD) reported on January 24 that water storage this year is at 82% of capacity. The average to date is 79%. The rainfall at Lake Lagunitas, high on Mount Tamalapais, has been 28 inches this rainy season, twice as much as last year. The average rainfall at Lake Lagunitas since 1879 was 52 inches. We still have time to catch up.

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Living on the Water in Marin: The Risks and the Solutions

Monday, January 18th, 2010

With our first major winter storm, it is a good day to talk about flooding. This is not a problem limited to Marin, but is a possibility wherever people live near water. Where I grew up, in Trenton, New Jersey, the major streams had been buried and diverted since the 18th century. When the rain was heavy and the Delaware River filled, buildings flooded.

In Marin, heavy rains and runoff into our creeks can cause flooding in nearby neighborhoods. If the bay tides are high, the streams drain slower and flooding can be more severe. There have been only a few years of flooding in Marin. The Marin Sheriff’s Department has a short history. 1982 was probably the worst year, with 2005-06 next in severity.

I lived on the Arroyo Holon Creek (Baltimore Canyon) in Larkspur in 1982 when we had much rain and high tides. The house was on a beautiful sunny lot with redwoods and oaks and a bridge across the creek. Close to midnight, the water came up to my front doorstep, flooding the garden and basement. My electrical sump pump in the crawl space could not keep up, and then the power went out. Winds that often accompany winter rains had taken out a power line. The furnace was under the house. One cold night!

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