Corte Madera

Corte Madera is located in the heart of Marin County and stretches from bayside to airy ridge-tops on Mount Tamalpais. Named in Spanish "cut wood," Corte Madera, like other towns in Marin, supplied redwood lumber to build San Francisco homes.

As you enter west Corte Madera, you’ll find older, ranch-style homes--many on beautiful lagoons that are fed from Mount Tam and the Bay via the Corte Madera Creek. A little farther west is a neighborhood of California cottages, Victorian homes, and hillside homes with views of the Bay. The Old Town Square, where Madeline Schaider Real Estate is located, sits at the foot of Mt. Tamalpias. The square is built at the site of the former Corte Madera train stop.Climbing the slope of Mt. Tam on the west side of the square is Christmas Tree Hill with its narrow winding streets and diverse and interesting houses with water views. At the top of the hill, trails lead hikers to the open expanse of Mt. Tam.

Bayside (east) Corte Madera enjoys protected marshlands, the Ring Mountain Nature Preserve, and proximity to the Tiburon peninsula. Madeline lives in East Corte Madera and has become the number-one real estate expert in this area.

Like most of Marin, bayside Corte Madera has a mixture of level land and hills. The bayside houses on level land are older ranch-style homes, some with bay frontage and wonderful views to the east and south. Dividing Corte Madera from Mill Valley and Tiburon is Ring Mountain with its protected Nature Preserve. On the edges of Ring Mountain are many curving, climbing streets with nautical names and often spectacular views of the Bay, the Easy Bay cities, and Mt. Tamalpais. Since bayside Corte Madera was “discovered” a few years ago, many homeowners have modernized and upgraded these older homes.

Bayside boasts two new, modern housing developments built in the past fifteen years, Meadowcreek Station and Madera del Presidio. These provide a wide diversity of single-family homes and condos in a beautiful setting at the edge of Ring Mountain.

Best Corte Madera Web Sites

Town of Corte Madera

Corte Madera Chamber of Commerce
Corte Madera Town Band
Corte Madera History
Friends of Corte Madera Creek

Favorite PlacesFor shopping and eating, the Town Center, on the west side of Highway 101, contains a wonderful mix of local businesses. These are among our favorite stops:

• A. G. Ferrari  a real Italian deli with a staff that knows about Italian food and wine.
• Bryan’s Fine Foods provids a high quality, full service meat and fish department, great take out food, and more.
• Columbine provides a classy collection of home accessories, including bed linens, dinnerware, glassware, candles, and more.
• Sur La Table is a well stocked, mega-gourmet and cookware shop store.
• Meadowlark Gallery  has beatiful jewelry and decorative home items. If you want a fine gift, you can probably find it here.
• Featherbed & Bath is the finest bed and bath shop in Marin. They have great linens, towels, and accessories. 924-2244
• Pier 1 Imports  is a shopper’s dream.

The Village at Corte Madera provides a large number of standard shopping mall stores such as the Gap, Macy’s and Nordstrom’s department stores, Sharper Image, and Williams-Sonoma  (for kitchen and dining ware). This is a major shopping destination for all of Marin. Check their web site for a complete list of stores.

Other Areas of Corte Madera

• Ricks Wine Cellar  is the best wine bar in Marin with daily (except Monday) wine tasting, and wine sales. The wines are carefully selected from choice small wineries in California. The atmosphere is extra friendly, thanks to the owners Rich and Candy. This place can become a good habit.  Rick’s is on the Old Town Square at the top of Tamalpais Drive.
  
• The Book Passage  is a real neighborhood bookstore with discriminating taste and a constant program of lectures by authors, some very well known, and classes.
  
• Paradise Foods on Paradise Drive is a fine, high-end grocery store with a great take-out deli. (415) 945-8855.
  
• Passion Flowers on the Old Town Square is great for sophisticated flower arrangements. They are cutting-edge in their designs. They furnish flowers for weddings and parties. (415) 927-3983
  
• Tamalpais Paint on the Old Town Square carries the best products and provides excellent service. There is no sense going anywhere else to save a few dollars on a can of paint. They also have a great wallpaper department. (415) 924-7321
  
• Video Kamron, just off of the Old Town Square, is one of the best video rental places around. They carry a complete line of new and old tapes and DVD's; well organized and knowlegdable. (415) 927-4993

Health Clubs
Corte Madera is the home of three outstanding heath clubs and gyms:

• The Bay Club Marin  in the Town Center is an upscale club with a large variety of facilities. 945-3000
• Gold’s Gym at the Lucky Drive exit from Highway 101 is the site of the former skating rink. It is a good, down-to-earth exercise club with a large following. 924-4653
• The World Gym in east Corte Madera, in the Paradise Shopping Center, is a serious place for exercise, with a staggering array of machinery and weights.  927-9494

Restaurants

• Marin Joe's on the freeway frontage road in west Corte Madera is in the tradition of San Francisco’s neighbor “Joe’s” restaurants. Always busy, and reliably middle-American in atmosphere, it a great place for grilled and braised meats and grilled fish. Avoid the pastas and salads. The waiters have been there forever and are a treat. 924-2081
• Benissimo on the Old Town Square is a pleasant neighborhood Italian restaurant and bar.
• Stefano’s Pizza on the Old Town Square is a hangout for teenagers and a destination for hungry working folks on their way home. The pizza is quite good, but you should order a fresh-baked pizza rather than a slice of pizza. 415-924-9666
• California Pizza Kitchen in the Town Center is a popular, busy, and noisy place. Their thin crust pizza is great for take out, especially if you ask them to slightly over bake it. (415) 945-0401

Special Occasion Paces

• Stellar Spa, located in the former horse barn on the Old Town Square, is an upscale provider of beauty treatments and massages.

Check out Corte Madera in our Photo Gallery! 

Corte Madera is proud of its great schools, in the top percentile nationally. Click here for more information on Marin's excellent schools!

Making An Offer >Negotiations Part 2 If you are the buyer in a home sale transaction, you should be prepared to submit an offer to the seller. An offer is not simply the price -- there are more components involved. The real estate agent will act as the conveyor of information. There are a few things to look out for in such negotiations: 1) include a finance contingency, even if you have loan pre-approval, 2) insist on an engineer's, termite and radon inspection contingencies, 3) itemize the personal property you want included, such as chandeliers or drapes, and 4) submit the closing date you prefer. Buyers should be prepared to make their best offer first, but if that offer is not acceptable to the seller, they should expect to go through a round of counter-offers. See All Tips In The "Making An Offer" Category > See Complete Library Of Hundreds Of Tips In 30+ Categories >

Q  What four states in the Southwest are noted for having boundaries that touch. A  New Mexico, Arizona, Utah and Colorado, referred to as the "Four Corners", have adjoining boundaries. See More Real Estate Trivia >

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