The following is a snapshot of the number of homes for sale in Marin County, California, as of January 25, 2007, along with the price ranges for each town:
| Mill Valley |
52 Homes |
$715,000 -$6,000,000 |
| Sausalito |
25 Homes |
$949,000-$11,000,000 |
| Larkspur |
7 Homes |
$945,000-$2.699,000 |
| Corte Madera |
12 Homes |
$650,000-$27,000,000 |
| Kentfield |
8 Homes |
$1.595,000-$18.900,000 |
| San Anselmo |
28 Homes |
$699,000-$2,590,000 |
| San Rafael |
61 Homes |
$519,000-$4,595,000 |
| Novato |
113 Homes |
$495,000-9,250,000 |
Despite the seemingly healthy numbers of homes for sale in Mill Valley, San Rafael, and Novato (Marin?s largest cities), there is very low inventory county-wide (especially in Kentfield and Larkspur). San Anselmo has added nine homes to its inventory in the past three weeks.
The largest spread in price range belongs (again) to Corte Madera as the Bill Graham Estate on 11 acres remains Marin?s highest priced active listing.
If your town is not included above, or if you are interested in condominiums, please call Kyle at (415) 350-9440.
In Marin County, over the past few weeks and back as far as mid-November, more and more buyers have made their move and written offers on homes they feel represent good value. Many of them are bubble sitters who stood back over the past year to see where the chips were going to fall (e.g., hoping prices would fall precipitously).
Over the past two weeks, anecdotal evidence shows that buyers are confident that prices have found their bottom. Two modest homes in Tiburon, which were priced to sell, got multiple offers (3 and 5 offers, respectively). This trend is also being seen in Belvedere, Mill Valley, Larkspur, Greenbrae, Ross, and San Rafael. Same thing goes for Northern Marin. In Novato last week there were several homes (well priced at both the high and low ends of the spectrum) that went into escrow within a few short days of being put on the market.
In addition to the apparent slack tide of home prices, buyers are also pointing to recent indicators from the Fed that interest rate hikes are likely in the 3rd quarter. And indeed, rates are very low. Until two weeks ago, rates had been falling or remaining constant for months, resulting in the best buying atmosphere Marin County has seen for 12 years. When one looks at interest rate trends over the past 35 years, it is startling to see just how low rates are in relation to the past (please call me at (415) 897-4075 or e-mail me for a complimetary pdf version of a graph illustrating this point).
This savvy new crop of home buyers, many of whom have cash in hand from the sale of their home last year (or even the year before) and are capable of quick closes, knows value when they see it. They tend to be well-educated real estate veterans armed with lots of information and who have also learned that the tax incentives of home ownership are unrivaled. We shall see if the anecdotal evidence stands up once the numbers start coming in relating to sales and prices for January.
Today I was with clients walking through a bread and butter home in a desirable neighborhood in Mill Valley?average home, some upgrades, decent yard, partial views, all in all, decently priced at $1.1 million (I know this last part sounds crazy to those of you outside of the Bay Area). But, the thing that struck us was the alarming and unsettling use of paint.
In the brochure, the agent described the colors as ?designer.? But, among the seven or eight different colors used in the home?s interior, none seemed to accentuate the positive. It was like there was a paint sale and this was what was left.
Needless to say, my clients were not enthused by the home. They know that paint is just paint and that the home was priced well. But, nonetheless, they just didn?t like the house. I am pretty sure if the home had a more accessible color scheme, my clients would have felt very differently about that home because they ended up buying a home down the street that lacked the views.
Below are some thoughts on color and my subjective estimation of their desirability in the marketing process.
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Green is often mentioned when people are asked about their favorite color. It represents nature, environment, health, good luck, renewal, youth, vigor, generosity, fertility, jealousy, inexperience, envy, misfortune. It means lots of things to people from different cultures. As a home color, green is generally not the greatest choice. Grade = C
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Orange is a combination of yellow and red. Orange is considered a warm color like red and expresses energy. It has luminous qualities and can invoke memories of fall leaves, pumpkins, and Halloween. It symbolizes balance, warmth, enthusiasm, and demands attention. Muted hues of orange have a long history of prominence in the interior designer paint palette. Grade = B
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Purple represents royalty, spirituality, nobility, ceremony, mystery, transformation, wisdom, enlightenment, cruelty, arrogance, mourning. Purple is considered an exotic color and should be avoided as an exterior color and is sometimes recommended to be used sparingly inside the home. Not my favorite by a longshot. Grade = C-
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Red is the color that we pay the most attention to. It is the warmest and most energetic color in the spectrum. We associate red with love, danger, desire, speed, strength, violence, anger, stop signs, and blood. It can evoke a fight-or-flight response, raise blood pressure, and make the heart beat faster. There is a reason that it is not the color of choice for psychiatric wards, prisons, or hospitals. I like it sometimes. Grade = B- (if used judiciously)
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White is what we see when all colors come together in perfect balance. It represents reverence, purity, simplicity, cleanliness, peace, humility, precision, innocence, birth, winter, good, sterility, and marriage. When it comes to marketing homes, no color compares to the pure, clean, and salable qualities white brings to the table. Off-white works just about anywhere inside the home. Hint: paint it white! Grade = A
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Yellow represents joy, happiness, optimism, idealism, imagination, hope, sunshine, summer, philosophy, covetousness, deceit, illness, hazard, spirituality and inspiration. Despite some of these cited emotive responses to yellow, it may be one of the most common interior and exterior colors of homes (when you include the shades of beige as a derivative of yellow). Yellow(ish) exteriors appeal to lots of folks, if not too bright. Grade = B+
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Black is the absence of light (and color). It represents power, sophistication, formality, elegance, wealth, mystery, fear, evil, anonymity, unhappiness, depth, style, evil, sadness, remorse, anger, mourning, and death. I understand that back in the Sixties some Rolling Stones fans painted their homes black. I sometimes see teenagers? rooms painted black. This is not an advisable choice for interior or exterior paint when you are trying to sell your home. Grade = F
Climate and Land
Marin is located on the 38th northern parallel, which is about where southern Spain, Italy, and Greece lie. It is about 522 square miles. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean, on the south by the Golden Gate, on the east by the San Francisco and San Pablo Bays, and on the north by Sonoma County. The biggest mountain is Mount Tamalpais and its largest creek is Corte Madera Creek which has 28 tributaries and drains about 28 square miles. The other large creek of note is Lagunitas Creek which drains from Mt. Tamalpais and winds its way all the way to Tomales Bay on the Pacific side of the county. Marin County has many state, county, and city operated parks and recreational facilities including: China Camp State Park, Mt. Tamalpais State Park, Point Reyes National Seashore, and the Golden Gate National Recreation Area. The Marin Municipal Water District and North Marin Water District also control large expanses of land and several lakes.
90% of annual rainfall in Marin occurs from December to February and it rarely rains between May and September. Marin temperatures can vary by as much as 40 degrees within short distances during the summer. For example, western Novato can heat up to 100 degrees, while the fog on the coast (and to a lesser extent in Southern Marin) can keep temperatures in the 50?s ? 60?s.
Brief History
The first inhabitants of Marin, up until Francis Drake made landfall in 1579 (other explorers are also alleged to have been to Marin during that period), were the Coastal Miwok Indians. They settled in Marin about 5,000 years before the Europeans came and lived largely as hunter-gatherers. About 3,000 Miwoks, in 3 primary villages (with over 600 artifact sites), are estimated to have lived in Marin when the Spanish arrived. Within decades of Spanish settlement, virtually all Miwoks were killed or died of disease. Following Drake, a succession of explorers allegedly bumped into Point Reyes, but contact was minimal.
From 1602 to 1772, the European presence in Marin was negligible. The Mission in San Rafael was established in 1817. In 1821, Mexico won independence from Spain and began providing land grants in 1824 and the last was made in 1846. There were 21 landowners (they lived on grand ranchos) in Marin when the United States declared was on Mexico that year. The only battle of the Bear Flag Rebellion, which essentially ended Mexico?s possession of Northern California, was fought in Marin at Olompali (a Miwok village site in Novato). Following the Mexican-American War, most of the land grants were honored by the United States, who took over possession.
On January 24, 1848 (10 days before Mexico formally ceded California to the United States), John Marshall found gold in the Sierras. While the impact of that discovery would transform San Francisco overnight, it also had a huge impact on Marin. Marin?s population exploded over the next decade from 321 in 1850 to 3,330 in 1860. And Marin also had lots of lumber, much of which was used to build San Francisco. The next few decades saw Marin grow into a cohesive rural county with many of the towns connected by railroad (some remnants of which still remain today).
Trains, steamships, and ferries were introduced to the county in the 1880’s and 90s. One rail line even took passengers to the top of Mt. Tamalpais. Piers and ferry slips were built in Sausalito and Tiburon. Transportation allowed farmers to supply San Francisco with food (mainly beef and dairy) and other crops and natural resources. It also meant more people could enjoy Marin County without too much effort. In 1937, when the bridge spanned the Golden Gate, the pressure for development increased. During World War II, people came from across the country to work in Sausalito?s shipyards (now referred to as Marinship) and at the Hamilton Air Force Base in Novato (now in the final stages of housing development following closure of the base).
From 1850 to 1950 the population of Marin increased by 85,000 people. Twenty years later there were an additional 123,000 residents. Population growth has slowed since then and is now about 245,000.
Differences Matter
All agents are not the same. The services related to selling your home are not fungible—each agent brings a different level of skills and experience to the table.
Hiring the right agent is a serious matter. And it should be taken seriously. A home is (for most) one of the biggest assets in their portfolio. Selling that asset requires careful consideration and thoughtful preparation. The right agent can help you earn more money, avoid future lawsuits, and minimize marketing time and other inconveniences.
To put it in perspective: Would you hire a part-time brain surgeon who does 2 or 3 surgeries a year to operate on your spouse or children Or a cut-rate lawyer to prepare your estate Of course not. The same care should be taken in hiring the best representation possible when it comes time to sell your home.
Professional Real Estate Experience
In coming to that decision, it should not be about what agent has the bubbliest personality, the flashiest car, or buys the most vanity ads in the paper. Referrals from well-meaning friends can also lead to trouble. We all live next door to an agent (there are over 1,700 agents in Marin County). And while your aunt’s high school best friend’s husband/wife has a real estate salesperson’s license, does that mean you want to hire him/her to sell your house The average agent in Marin sells 2 homes per year! Does this person sell more than 2 or 3 houses a year? While selling a home is not brain surgery, you do want a seasoned professional who does the job every day.
Kyle is a Certified Residential Specialist (“CRS”). This is the highest designation any Realtor can attain (to give you an idea of how rare it is, there are about 20 CRS designated agents in Marin County (home to over 1,700 agents)—that’s 1–out-of-every-85 agents).
Warning Signs
Some agents focus mainly on getting listings, rather than selling listings (the reason for this is because it is widely believed by real estate agents that the mere fact of having a listing is better than not having one, regardless of whether the home has any likelihood of selling). Thus, many agents (the “Say-Anything” agents) will give vastly inflated estimates of likely sales prices and use other “salesy” tricks to get you to hire them. It is called “Buying A Listing” and is a complete disservice to both home sellers and the reputation of real estate agents everywhere. So, be warned.
Some agents buy lots of print advertising in local newspapers and magazines. These ads (called “Vanity Ads”) are designed to generate name recognition for the agent rather than sell your house. While it may feel good seeing your home in the paper on Sunday, these ads do not sell homes. Buyers do not waste time looking at a partial list of homes. They go to where they can find information about ALL homes for sale—the internet.
Proper Marketing Focus
The percentage of buyers searching the internet for information about their next home is dramatic. It is estimated that well over 90% of Marin buyers look for homes on the internet. Compare that to the estimated 4% of buyers who find their homes in newspapers and print magazines. It is pretty obvious where the emphasis should be when it comes to marketing your home.
Internet Marketing
Kyle is an expert in this area. He was one the very first agents to create individual websites for his listings (e.g. 7FortuneLane.com) in the Marin market. His website, NorthBayRE.com, was one of the first in Marin County to attach virtual tours. He was one of the first Marin realtors to recognize and use Craigslist as an advertising medium. That dedication to cutting-edge technology and marketing is ongoing—we could list some of the new strategies, but don’t want to give away our advantage.
Search Engine Rankings
NorthBayRE.com consistently provides Top Search Results in Google and the other major search engines. Below are some examples.
Marin Luxury Homes Novato
Lucas Valley Luxury Homes
Pointe Marin Novato Homes
Marin Condos
Tiburon Luxury Homes
Mill Valley Luxury Homes
As you can see from the breadth of search terms above (and this is just a sampling), NorthBayRE.com sits high atop the rankings, meaning better exposure for your home.
Additional Superior Marketing Efforts
In addition to the high search engine rankings which bring 24–hour traffic to your home online, Kyle makes sure that all the top local agents are informed about your home by virtue of telephone calls, flyers, and postcards. Kyle also participates in weekly networking meetings with other top Marin real estate agents exposing your home to buyers even before it hits the market. For a complete, point-by-point breakdown of Kyle’s marketing program, call Kyle for an appointment at 415/350–9440.
