November 2009 
There are 16 blog entries for November 2009.
Holiday Gift Ideas for Mid-Century Modern / Eichler Home Owners
Saturday, November 28th, 2009 at 10:18pm. 2424 Views, 1 Comments.
With the holidays upon us, I wanted to offer a few timely "stocking stuffer" gift ideas for fellow fans of Eichlers & other mid-century modern homes.
Since the holiday shopping rush is on, I'll start with a few inexpensive books that I've read and would recommend to fellow modernists this holiday season:
RANCH HOUSES: Living the California DreamReleased earlier this year, this book was written by two Bay Area Architects and features some fantastic "California Modern" ranch homes ranging from Cliff Mays to homes by noted architect Richard Neutra. The book has some incredible photography by architectural photographer Joe Fletcher.
ATOMIC RANCH: Design Ideas for Stylish Ranch Homes
Published in 2006, this is a fantastic book which…
San Francisco Modernism & Art Deco Holiday Sale
Saturday, November 28th, 2009 at 8:28am. 1469 Views, 0 Comments.
Next week one of my clients, Peter & Deobrah Keresztury, will be hosting their annual Art Deco & Modernism sale in San Francisco. Held twice a year for the past 25 years, this wonderful event occurs the first weekend of June and also the first weekend of each December. The December sale is known as "Deco the Halls" and will be held next weekend (December 5-6, 2009).
Deco the Halls 2009
The Deco the Halls Art Deco & Modernism Event in San Francisco will feature furniture, accessories, art, pottery, books, jewelry, vintage clothing and collectibles from the 1900s to 1980s. While the theme is predominantly art deco & mid-century modern, you'll also see other genre's represented including art nouveau, moderne, vintage western and…
Another Tax Credit to Consider for Marin Home Owners & Marin County Home Buyer
Wednesday, November 25th, 2009 at 10:25pm. 1181 Views, 0 Comments.
In the current Marin Real Estate Market, the hot topics for housing bargains are usually Marin Short Sales, Marin Foreclosures, REO's (Real Estate Owned or Bank Owned), or the Homeowners Tax credit of up to $8,000 for new homebuyers and up to $6,500 for repeat Home buyers.
One sometimes forgotten way for new home buyers or existing homeowners to save is the available tax credit for making your home more energy efficient, usually by installing replacement windows or installing energy efficient heating and cooling systems. This is not only an immediate benefit but a savings for the life of the home on utility bills and will help with its resale value.
Here is an explanation from the IRS website:
"Residential Energy Property Credit (Section…
October 2009 Marin Home Sales & Market Update
Wednesday, November 25th, 2009 at 8:12am. 1298 Views, 0 Comments.
Typically as we enter into the fall season in real estate, the number of home sales decline from the peak of spring and summer. In Marin, we saw a reverse in this fall cycle. Comparing October 2009 to October 2008, the number of single family homes sales increased by 40% and the number of homes going into contract increased 121%.
Supply decreased by 13% over this same period. The number of months supply of inventory decreased by 61% to 4.6 months of actual inventory. This number represents a more balanced market. Last year’s supply of inventory enlarged to 11.7 months which represented an extremely strong buyers market. A seller's market is around 3.5 months of inventory. At the moment, buyers are buying up the inventory and not a lot of new…Further Considerations Regarding The Short Sale Process
Tuesday, November 24th, 2009 at 8:56am. 1407 Views, 0 Comments.
I receive frequent inquiries from my Marin Modern clients and friends about properties being sold as Short Sales in Marin. Although there are many different lenders involved in Short Sales, all with their own internal procedures, there are a number of common steps in the process which I would like to briefly address.
HOW LONG DOES THE SHORT SALE PROCESS TAKE?
The short sale process can take approximately 45-90 days. The lender must obtain:
- its own appraisal of the property
- review all of the documentation submitted by the homeowner
- seek authorization from the investor and/or insurer on the loan
WHAT ARE COMMON REASONS FOR A LENDER'S DECLINE OF A SHORT SALE?
Short sales are declined for a variety of reasons, the…
35 Woodside Way, San Rafael - SOLD!
Monday, November 23rd, 2009 at 3:05pm. 1235 Views, 0 Comments.
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This stunning contemporary 4 bedroom, 2 bath home is situated at the very top of the highly sought after San Rafael neighborhood of Glenwood. Featuring views of the rolling hills of China Camp, access to trails, gorgeous chef's kitchen, remodeled bathrooms and a beautiful backyard.
This home just sold for $894,000. I assisted my clients in securing this property within 12 hours of them viewing this home. There was another offer on the home at the time, and I negotiated an offer on my clients behalf the seller could not refuse. With a lot of efforts on both the listing side and buying side, we were able to successfully close escrow today.
If you are interested in learning more about the San Rafael housing market, feel free to contact me.…
12 Del Haro Way, San Rafael - JUST LISTED Eichler Home!
Wednesday, November 18th, 2009 at 4:34pm. 1821 Views, 1 Comments.
I'm pleased to present my newest listing, an updated Eichler home located at 12 Del Haro Way in San Rafael.
Built in 1959, this 4 bedroom / 2 bathroom atrium model Eichler is located on a quiet and low traffic street in Terra Linda. This is a bright, sunny, and well maintained Eichler home which features:
- 4 BR / 2 BA with multi-purpose room (1,794 sq ft per tax records),
- Remodeled bathroom with jacuzzi tub,
- Tasteful, lush landscaping with beautiful stonework and hardscaping,
- Excellent outdoor space with views of the surrounding hills. Built-in BBQ and spacious yard for relaxing or entertaining.
- Foam roof,
- Working in-floor radiant heat (copper pipes) with upgraded boiler,
- 2 car garage…
Loft at 128 Morris St, San Francisco - SOLD!
Tuesday, November 17th, 2009 at 5:00pm. 1847 Views, 0 Comments.
I just helped one of my buyer clients close on the sale of a live-work loft in San Francisco located at 128 Morris Street, #2, San Francisco, CA 94107. The final purchase price was $675,000.
Located in San Francisco's vibrant South of Market (SoMa) neighborhood, this spacious tri-level property featured 2 bedrooms, 2.5 bathrooms, high ceilings, gas fireplace, ample storage, deeded parking and all the amenities in a happening and hip San Francisco neighborhood. This loft development also featured a spacious roof deck which is ideal for entertaining friends and guests.
Contact me if I can assist you in anyway with your San Francisco real estate needs or for assistance locating and purchasing lofts for sale in San Francisco…
Extension of Conforming Limits Supports Low Rates and Marin County Real Estate
Monday, November 16th, 2009 at 10:29pm. 1694 Views, 0 Comments.
Both chambers of Congress recently passed a resolution extending current conforming loan limits through December 31, 2010. The resolution, signed by President Obama on November 6th, sets the maximum conforming loan sizes that can be bought or guaranteed by Government Sponsored Enterprises (GSEs) such as Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. This extension maintains the regular conforming limit of $417,000 and the high-balance conforming limit for Marin and other Bay Area counties up to $729,750. Without the extension, the maximum conforming loan would have been reduced to $625,500 at year's end.
Because they receive federal support, conforming loans carry significantly lower interest rates, especially for 30-year fixed pricing. Over the past month, 30-year…
Nicholas Ballard - Marin Mortgage Broker & Guest Blogger
Monday, November 16th, 2009 at 12:04pm. 4072 Views, 0 Comments.
As a value-added service to our Marin Modern Real Estate clients, website visitors and guests, I'm pleased to announce that Nicholas Ballard, a local and well-respected mortgage professional in Marin County with California Mortgage Adivsors, Inc., will serve as a contributing editor to our popular Marin real estate blog.
As a blog contributor, Nicholas will share his wealth of knowledge regarding the mortgage industry and also offer timely insights and tips regarding the residential lending market. You can keep track of his bi-weekly updates by following the Marin Mortgage News thread of our blog.
On a personal note, I can tell you that Nicholas has helped a number of our Marin Modern real estate clients and he consistently receives…