Marin Real Estate Blog

• Buyer's Market < 25%
• Neutral              25% - 40%
• Seller's Market    > 4

As the market has changed a lot since we last posted, it seems to be a good time to report the inventory in Novato. 

I served as a docent today at the "Eichler Home Tour and the Exotic Car Show", a fundraiser for Hospice By the Bay (www.hospicebythebay.org).

The house I was at is located in Locus Valley.  One of the smallest model but sits on the 2nd largest lot in the area - originally a bit over 1300sf; after 2 remodels, it is now 2230sf.

The house took complete advantage of the original design of the Eichler home and totally transformed it. 

The original atrium is now part of the interior with a retractable glass dorm over the opening.  The owners love the atrium idea, so they converted the carport to a new atrium with pebble stones and a soothing fountain and beautiful maple tree and princess flowers; a scored concrete floor with acid washed top gives it a wonderful outdoor feeling.  The original walkway is now a wall of closet and storage spaces.  A totally remodeled master bath has a luxury feeling.  An expanded wing has three bedrooms with one used as a sitting area for the kids; and what accomplished musicians they are!

Kitchen is another conversation point.  Brushed stainless steel bartop draws instant attention to the beautiful remodeled kitchen - zebra wood cabinets, exotic looking granite has an illusion of depth, and beautiful stainless steel appliances rounds up the flawless design. 

The back wall of glass was pushed 4 feet out, giving the house plenty of room for entertainment. 

All the furniture is modern and tastefully selected to compliment the look of the house.

The outdoor setting is beautiful also, with sparkling pool surrounded by rolling hills, a true Eichler site which showcases the Eichlers!

The people I met are incredible also. The owners are just wonderful and very down to earth. They kept on going out and then kept on coming back and ended up answering tons of questions.

Tons of Eichler lovers came through the house, and many stayed a long, long time taking notes and pictures. 

There was one couple from Chicago, a man from San Diego and most incredible, a young mother and her 10 year old son came from an Illinois town just for this event.  Her son has the talent and interest in architecture design ever since he was 3 years old, so mom brought him here just for the tour. What a lucky child to have a mom like that, and how proud his mothers must be of him! Amazing!

Oh, don't forget about that $500,000 exotic car outside.

All in all, a wonderful experience for me.  Hospice (www.hospicebythebay.org) helped my father during his last days and I am eternally grateful for them.  I will definitely do this again next year! 

 2004 thru 2007 Mid  September House Percent of Pending

The following shows the comparison of percentage of houses pending in Marin county.  The Data is from Bay Area Real Estate Multiple Listing Service.  Although keep in mind that this is only a snapshot of a point in the year (Mid September), so when you look at the comparison, take it with a grain of salt.  

• Buyer's Market < 25%
• Neutral              25% - 40%
• Seller's Market    > 40%

Novato is famous for it's small town feel and low crime rate.

Although Novato officially has a population of over 50,000, but because of the appeal of different areas (such as San Marin, Country Club, Pacheco Valley, Pleasant Valley, Hamilton, Indian Valley, ..,etc); each area has it's own charasterics and own concentration of residents.

This is a family-oriented town and it always seems to me that I know almost everybody in town.Kids feel safe to go from one place to the other and they enjoy a lot of outdoor activities from soccer, to swimming, to horseback riding, to tennis, to baseball, .., etc. This is a wonderful and safe town for kids and families

Fabulous Custom Home in Pleasant Valley.  Great for EntertainmentRare Combination - Pleasant Valley Modern Home on 1/3 plus acre tastefully landscaped level lot, awaits discriminating owner

This gorgeous 4 bedrooms, 2 ½ baths, 2819sf custom home sits on an over 1/3 acre lovely Japanese-inspired landscaped level lot in a private court has all the luxury a family could want.       

The comfortable home has an impressive front porch with white columns.  Step inside to find the inviting formal living room with a marble fireplace; next to the living room is a formal dining room with views of beautiful greenery.  The bright entryway has two skylights, stately stairway and a marble powder room.  There is hardwood floor throughout downstairs living quarters. 

This functional home boasts a free-flowing gourmet kitchen with granite counters, garden window, huge center island, breakfast area, and a built-in desk.  The adjacent family room has wet bar, wine rack and cozy granite fireplace for family gatherings and entertainment. 

Spacious upstairs master suite with vaulted ceiling has breathtaking views of Mt. Burdell.  Luxurious master bath has marble floor, tub with massage jets, separate shower with marble surround and double sinks.  Large skylight allows sunshine in while soaking in the tub.   

Second bathroom has convenient double vanities, shower over tub, tile counters and tile floor.  Three additional bedrooms are generously sized for comfort; each enjoys fabulous surrounding views. 

Sliders from family room open to redwood deck and back patio with paved seating for relaxation and retreat in the gorgeous, tranquil backyard with many fruit trees and beautiful trellis. 

Close to Open Space, O'Hare Park, Stafford Lake, hiking/biking trails, health facilities, public transportation and award winning schools. 

My clients often asked me about the commute situation from Novato to the City (San Francisco)?

I live and work in Novato, so I pretty much try to avoid the traffic when I go into the city. If I go to the city outside of the heavy traffic hours, I can be in Outer Sunset (where my sister lives) within 30 minutes, and in downtown, Market street within 40 miuntes if not less.

However, my husband commutes to the city every day and he does have to negotiate the heavy traffic.

There are several ways to commute to S.F.; by car, by bus or by car then ferry, which is what my husband does mostly.

If you drive, you would take 101 South. The traffic backs up a bit where highway 37 merges in from Vallejo, going towards Freitas Parkway in San Rafael, and finally where the three lanes 101 merges into 2 lanes around Lincoln in San Rafael. Heaviest traffic is between 8-9, but otherwise, it's much better. That's why I think South Novato around Hamilton, Ignacio, Country Club, Indian Valley and Pacheco Valley are popular with commuters

There are some local routes you can take to avoid heavy traffic at places. If you call me or email me, I will be able to help.

You can also take bus into town. There are quite a few bus stops and the schedule is pretty user friendly for commuters. UCSF has a bus going to various UCSF campus. My son took that when he did internship there. However, you do have to be careful of when the bus stop running. If you missed the bus, you might have to take the ferry.

My husband loves the ferry. That's when he can relax, rest and enjoy the ride - what better way to commute to the city than being on the gorgeous water and enjoy the wonderful, million dollar view! The riders on the ferry are very considerate and it's usually very quite in the morning.  He enjoyed walking thru the ferry building in Embarcadero where there is a farmers market and other choice shops.  There is also a snack bar on the ferry so you can relax and enjoy the ride.  There was one time when Dancing with the Stars filmed there, he was quite pleased with that :-)  

Feel free to call me or email me with any questions. I would also love to help you find a home in Novato or other Marin county cities to fit your needs, whether it's commute, family, school, entertainment, ...etc.

Novato is an amazing town, located at the foothill of Mt. Burdell, there are lots of dedicated open space and many treasured parks. Hiking and biking trails lace throughout the town, parks and hills.

Stafford Lake is a local lake which hosts annual Labor Day firework with a gorgeous golf course nearby. Pioneer Park offers concerts and movie nights during warm summer nights and don't forget the annual San Marin Improvement Association's annual Easter Egg Hunt; Miwok park has a local historical museum and hosts summer programs for kids; O'Hare park is famed for the scenery trails and creeks and is also where local high school rivals San Marin and Novato High have their Red Rock Cross Country race; you often see horse lovers riding their horse next to the colorful peacocks strolling along Indian Valley (famous for horse properties); Scottsdale Pond, after the joint-clean up effrots by the three local Rotary club is home for the semi-annual 'Fishing in the City' event run by the city Parks and Recs along with volunteers from the Rotary Club; Hamilton Park offers recreational facility such as tennis courts, swimmig pool, even a skate boarding rink. These are just a few, not to mention a lot of small, local parks and playgrounds for kids.

And of course, last but not least, the famous Dogbone Park, established by volunteer dog lovers is a favorite stopping place for our four-legged friends and their peopel. If you know how lucky dogs are in Novato, you will know how lucky peopel are in Novato to live in such wonderful place -

We just came back from the Labor Day by the Lake, a tradition in Novato, CA (north most town in Marin).

The place is surrounded by gorgeous hills, sparkling lake, marsh, open space, and just wonderful, wonderful people all around. The kids runs free, the adults greet friends, the teachers work hard and are dedicated, hiking, biking trailers all around, sunny, beautiful weather most of the year, ,a 50,000 town but you feel like you know everybody.

My friend and I were talking, there is just no better place to bring up a family!

I gave up my great IT career after dot.com bust, chose the real estate career so I can stay around town, but I get to volunteer extensively at local high school doing things that help the kids, the teachers and the school. I am surrounded by wonderful people and great friends. I absolutely love the music teacher who dedicated her life to the kids, and the polite, well balanced kids, my husband is supportive and the kids are talented and doing just fine.

My RE career is doing great, and could be much better if I don't volunteer as much, but I get great satisfaction and joy out of doing that and be with the nicest people. So if I sell a few less houses than I would want to, I am happy and glad to be who I have become.

I guess I am not quite living in my dreams and life is not perfect but I am quite happy and very grateful for everything and the people that's around me. Isn't that enough?

Ofttimes I turn around, I hear people ask if this is still a good time to buy.  They read and heard so much about the troubles in Lending Institutions and how quite a few large companies have either shut down or been bought out; how lenders have tighten their lending practices and how interest rate has jumped for subprime and Jumbo loan.  

I recently received a chart showing the last 30 years average interest rate chart.  At 6.25% (1 point), we are still in the historical low rate - so, this is still a good time to buy Real Estate in Marin or elsewhere.

It is a PDF document, so email me and I will send that chart to you.