Marin Real Estate Blog

I just assisted buyer clients in the purchase of a lovely single family home in East Petaluma.  Located at 1536 Cerro Sonoma Circle, this home originally listed for $539,000 and I was pleased to negotiate the purchase of this home for $490,000.

Built in 1986, this 4 bedroom and 2.5 bath home featured an updated kitchen with granite counters, a family room off the kitchen and an oversized 2-car garage.  The rear yard boasted an abundance of spectacular fruit trees spilling over with apples and apricots.  

I thoroughly enjoyed working with my clients on this transaction and would welcome an opportunity to assist you with your real estate needs.  I bring a tireless and creative approach to home buying and selling; important skills to possess in…

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I generally avoid writing about interest rates as they tend to be even more transitory than the constantly shifting lending guidelines we’re forced to deal with. Whereas investor guidelines may change on a weekly basis, mortgage interest rates can make dramatic shifts on any given day. My focus when building a file is therefore directed toward the more tangible elements that support a loan – qualifying income, credit scores, likely loan-to-value ratios, and matching the borrower to the best-suited lender. While there is no sure way to guess when and where the lowest rate will be found, especially with a purchase transaction’s compressed timeline, careful positioning of a loan package is the best way to insure a favorable outcome.

That said, sometimes…

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With the first 6 months of 2010 behind us, I wanted to provide our clients, friends and  visitors with a mid-year Eichler real estate update for Marin County.

From January 1 - June 30th, a total of 25 Eichler homes have sold in Marin County. In the second quarter of this year, 12 Eichler homes were sold and I’m proud to say that I was personally responsible for more than 40% of all Eichler Home Sales in Marin during the second quarter of 2010 (representing either sellers or buyers).    Additionally, my Eichler listings sold for more than 99% of their original list price in just 32 days on average whereas Eichler homes that were not listed by me took more than twice as long to sell (80 days on average) and only sold for 96.1% of their original…

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Looking at the entire county's performance, we saw the sharpest decline in home values over the last 5 years from 2008-2009.  With the new Obama administration taking the helm, banks going under, job losses, short sales and foreclosures at abundant levels, and global market concerns, consumers pulled back from the market and the values took a sharp decline. The average sales price of a home in Marin in 2008 was $1,075,509 and in 2009 the average sales price dropped to $853,390. 

With values declining by 21%, interest rates hovering at an all time low and government incentives for first time home buyers, consumers were starting to feel like we were close to hitting the bottom of the market. Because of these events, we are starting to see some…

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A unique mortgage type that came to the U.S. market just a few years ago is gaining popularity and can offer significant advantages for borrowers with good cash flow and savings. Sometimes referred to as an “offset account” it operates as a first lien, equity line of credit that is joined to a full service checking account. Variations of this loan have been some of the more popular home financing options in the UK and Australia for many years, so it has a proven track record. However, don’t expect major U.S. banks to follow suit anytime soon as it would cut into their profits. For now, they offer offset loans only to their largest depositors.

This mortgage, marketed by just a few banks (including CMG as the Homeowner Accelerator or HOA), essentially…

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I just completed assisting buyer clients with the purchase of a lovely home located in Sausalito with outstanding views.  Boasting elevation in the hills of Sausalito, 70 Monte Mar Drive just closed escrow today and the purchase price was $1,750,000. 

This home boasts unsurpassed views of the Bay, Sausalito Harbor, Angel Island and beyond.  Offering 3 bedrooms and 2.5 baths with significant and luxurious remodeling, this home features multiple outdoor decks and living areas, beautiful landscaping, solar lap pool, wine cellar and an open gourmet kitchen.

I brought a creative and tireless approach to securing this home for my clients who were extremely pleased with the outcome.  I work hard for my clients and enjoy the satisfaction of seeing…

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Whenever people ask me, "How do you figure out what to do?", my first response is, "I don't really know, it's mostly intuitive at this point." But the reality is that there is a whole lot of theory, education, travel, exposure, reading and practice that goes into how any designer comes up with ideas of what to do with a property.

From my education - at LSU, in Baton Rouge - we were taught that the design comes from 3 places: first, the style of the home (no sense going against what you have, and also a desire to integrate the architecture and the landscape), second, what the land can actual do (this is what is now called sustainability, meaning what can really grow in a cetain place, not require vast resources, and last a lifetime) and third, what…

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As most prospective borrowers in search of mortgage financing quickly discover, a standard set of loan requirements dictates the items you’ll be expected to provide. These include tax returns for the two most recent years as well as verification of employment and assets to meet with the “investor’s guidelines.” For most loans, the “investor” is either Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac and even loans channeled through other investor conduits tend to conform to the guidelines or rules these two giants of the mortgage world lay out.

Although Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac’s guideline requirements are similar, subtle differences do exist allowing certain borrowers whose application may be blocked by one to win approval through the other. Most lenders sell exclusively…

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Robert Burle Marx holds a special place in the development of modernism in the field of landscape architecture. Often times in books - and in my professor's history courses - he was set apart from others of the same period. In Elizabeth Rogers' book, Landscape Design, she gives him his own sub-chapter: Roberto Burle Marx and the Garden as Abstract Art.

Wikipedia says:

    "Roberto Burle Marx in Brazil combined the International Style and native Brazilian plants and culture for a new aesthetic. "

That sums it up nicely - a new aesthetic. He was - and still is - so unique, that he stands out as a iconic master in the profession. His works are iconic also, especially the famed Copacabana Beach in Rio de Janeiro.

His paving patterns…

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Now that I have had Pat Kuleto's listing on the market for a couple of weeks, I wanted to share with you the incredible amount of exposure that has been generated for my client's property, as well as a glimpse of how I was able to do it. This underscores the importance of working with a Realtor who is skilled in the latest marketing technology.

The effort began before the property went onto the market. I was active on the social media front, letting folks know it was coming. I blogged about it, and I contacted my friends, family and clients to tell them about the property. As soon as the listing hit the market, my team got one of the online media sites to write a story on the listing. From there, it went "viral" as other outlets picked it up and…

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