What is a Short-Term Rental? A Short-Term Rental (STR) is a furnished residential living space available for a stay of 30 consecutive days or less. STRs are commonly listed on websites like AirBnB, VRBO, and FlipKey. STR's permit homeowners to supplement their income. While some cities and towns in Marin County prohibit STRs, others allow them and have detailed ordinances governing the Continue Reading
Why are Home Warranties Important in Real Estate Transactions?
Home Warranties Protect Buyers and Sellers We believe that a home warranty is an essential part of every home purchase. A home warranty benefits both sellers and buyers. A seller can create a feeling of confidence in the buyer, who will be protected against repair bills should an appliance or system fail. We have had many satisfied home buyers who have used their home warranty to correct problems Continue Reading
Benefits and Drawbacks of Buying a Condo in Marin County
What is a Condo? A condominium, also known as a condo, is a home owned by the occupant in a complex containing multiple living units. These units may be in one or more buildings. Here are the characteristics of a condo: The condo owner owns exclusively the inside of the unit, from the walls inward—also called the airspace. The owner shares communal property, including the building Continue Reading
How to Find the Best Home Insurance Policy for Your Marin County Home
Interview with an Experienced Marin Home Insurance Agent We sat down with Garret Goo, an insurance broker at State Farm Insurance who, along with his wife Shere, we’ve been recommending to our clients for many years. They always provide prompt and useful information. Shere has had a State Farm office since 1989. We asked Garret about how to choose a homeowners’ insurance company and for advice Continue Reading
Free Structural Evaluations for All Madeline Schaider Real Estate Clients
Interview with Robert Ross, Our Structural and Design Consultant Robert Ross, who has many years of experience designing and building homes in Marin County, has worked with Madeline Schaider Real Estate for over 30 years as a structural consultant. In this role, Robert (who is not a Realtor) acts as a trusted advisor, collaborating closely with us to provide advice benefiting both our buyers and Continue Reading
How to Choose a Mortgage Advisor in Marin County and Get the Best Deal
An Experienced Mortgage Advisor Shares Her Tips We sat down with Susan Willis, a Senior Mortgage Advisor at All California Mortgage, who we’ve been happily recommending (along with her business partner Lisa Fonarow) to our clients for three decades. Susan has been in the loan business since 1988 and a mortgage consultant since 2001. We asked her about choosing a mortgage advisor and tips for Continue Reading
History and Prevention of Wildfires in Marin
Marin’s natural beauty can be attributed in part to its wooded slopes and valleys. Given the recent increase in California wildfires, clients often ask us about wildfire hazards in Marin. Although insurance companies have become cautious about insuring homes in the county because of the large fires further north in the state, wildfires have not often occurred in Marin. Most fires were in Continue Reading
Splitting Lots in Marin County Under SB9 – What you Need to Know
SB9 allows lot splitting in single-family zones with only ministerial review California Senate Bill 9 (SB9) allows a property owner – if certain conditions are met – to subdivide a parcel in a single-family zone into two lots that can be smaller than the required minimum size (usually 7,500 square feet). SB9 is meant to help ease the state’s critical shortage of affordable housing by encouraging Continue Reading
Accessory Units (ADUs) in Marin County
Solving the Lack of Housing in Marin: Implementing Senate Bill 9 (SB 9) The California Housing Opportunity and More Efficiency (“HOME”) Act, also known as SB 9, paves the way to increased housing in residential Marin neighborhoods. California needs more affordable housing, estimated to be 2-3 million new homes by 2025. The law focuses on more housing in single-family neighborhoods. Almost 66% Continue Reading
How to Obtain Fire Insurance for Your Home in Marin County, CA
California’s Homeowners’ Insurance is Changing The landscape for homeowners’ insurance in California has been treacherous recently. Many major insurers, including State Farm, Allstate, Farmers Insurance, and United Services Automobile Association, stopped writing new policies because of wildfire exposure. Homeowners have had to turn to the State’s Fair Access to Insurance Requirements (FAIR) plan Continue Reading