All Blog Entries by Lisa Mallon

I am frequently prompted to go to the City of San Rafael website when a client asks me about their home's permit history or whether they need a permit in order to do some minor remodeling. One recent visit to the site so impressed me by the variety of information and events advertised that I thought I'd share the wealth.

The City of San Rafael has an "epermit" page where you can check your home's permit history by either address or parcel number.  On that page you can also check the status of planning projects that have been initiated with the city by a homeowner.  The site also provides a list of common remodeling projects requiring permits and has a downloadable form to order city resale inspections if you are about to put your home on the…

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Recognizing that a majority of people tune out information that is delivered with a lot of statistics and charts, I wanted to share with you some very significant statistics related to the Marin real estate market in an "easy to read and digest" format.  These statistics were presented at a monthly “market update” meeting held for the benefit of the Marin real estate community.  

• Comparing January 2011 to January 2012 listings (defined as properties new to the market for sale) were 40% lower in January 2012 when compared to one year ago. 
• The number of properties under contract to sell (pending properties) in January 2012 in a year to year comparison was up 54% over January 2011. 
• Number of months of unsold inventory was down…

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In Marin’s county seat of San Rafael – the news in the last week of two major music venues in the works for early spring (or sooner) is big and exciting news.  Phil Lesh’s purchase of the Seafood Peddler in the canal neighborhood brings this Grateful Dead bassist back to the same neighborhood where the band maintained its’ business arm, rehearsal spaces and archives from 1970-95.  The restaurant will remain intact with a change in menu and the current pavilion space alongside the restaurant will shut down for major renovation and re-open as The Grate Room in early 2013. The entire project has been aptly named Terrapin Crossroads.  This represents a dream realized for Phil and his wife Jill who unsuccessfully tried to get approval…

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I am very excited to announce that I represented buyers in securing front row seats to the America's Cup beginning in the summer of 2012! These clients successfully closed escrow on 22 Atwood Avenue in Sausalito earlier today. This home is brand new, eco-friendly construction with unparalleled views of the bay, city skyline and beyond.  Boasting a location that is within walking distance to downtown Sausalito as well as located at the top of the the Second Street steps, this property is sophisticated and well designed for enjoying maximum, world-class views.  There were numerous high end amenities featured in this home including hand-scraped burma teak floors, bronze and mahogany doors and windows as well as custom wrought iron balconies and…

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I am delighted to announce that I assisted yet another first time home buyer in purchasing a beautiful townhouse in the Ladera Vista community in southern Novato.  23 Acapulco Court closed today for $299,000 and represents a fantastic deal for a very patient but very happy new homeowner!  This townhouse boasts approximately 1850 square feet and had recent upgrades including hardwood floors, a granite and stainless kitchen and upgraded baths.  This process took several months to complete because it was a short sale but the end result was a sweet one for my client.

Short sales are increasingly common in Marin and many have already been streamlined by the short sale lender producing quicker approval times and even in certain cases, moving incentives…

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Perhaps you are preparing to move to another home locally or across the country.  Maybe you are about to embark on a major remodel of your home and need to move much of your belongings out for a fixed period of time.  Another scenario finds you getting ready to sell your home.  You've selected a realtor, met with the stager and you need to make way for some important staging and accessorizing of your main living areas.  Your garage is already packed to the gills so what exactly are your options? 

The public storage options in Marin County are varied, flexible and quite affordable.  They are designed to meet every conceivable need whether you've already identified it or are still trying to sort it all out.  The important…

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Since mid-May, Larkspur Ferry commuters have been enjoying the Friday "Food Truck Crush" from 4 to 8 p.m. each week.  This pilot program is coordinated by Marin County-based Ready Set Entertainment, Inc. and will come to an end at the end of this month.  Thankfully, there is a recommendation pending before the Golden Gate Transit District to establish a long-term program beginning next spring.  A concept that has its' true genesis in Portland where gourmet food trucks and carts have taken up permanent residence in large parking lots throughout the city, this is Marin's first foray into the world of gourmet food that is fast, fresh and outrageously delicious!

The truck line-up includes Asian Fusion, Peruvian sandwiches, Cajun, Mid-west style…

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Given the downward trend in home prices,  I thought it would be an interesting exercise to compare in today’s Marin County community-specific housing market, what one million dollars buys in the way of real property.  Does it look all that different from the height of the market in early 2007 when the median price of a single family home approached one million dollars?  I’ll let you be the judge based upon a survey of communities throughout southern, central and northern Marin.  I have limited this survey to properties sold since July 1, 2011 which were conventional sales with one exception for a short sale in Ross, as noted below.  I also provide an analysis on a price per square foot basis as another important comparative measure…

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I recently showed condominiums and cooperatives in Terra Linda to a buyer-client and they were unfamiliar with the differences between these two types of homes.  You may be surprised to learn that Marin is home to several cooperative communities so I thought a brief discussion about these two types of properties would be both helpful and instructive.

As a practical matter, there is no significant advantage or disadvantage to cooperative vs. condominium ownership. They are both considered Common Interest Developments or CIDs.  However, a condominium is considered real property and a cooperative is considered intangible personal property.  In a cooperative, the building containing the apartments is owned by a "cooperative housing corporation."  In a…

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In recent months I've had several clients ask me about radon testing.  As a result, I thought it would be useful to provide a brief discussion about radon, what it is, why it is dangerous and how to determine whether your home is in a neighborhood with high radon levels. 

Radon is a naturally occuring radioactive gas.  It is odorless, invisible and without taste, and cannot be detected with the human senses.  The only way to detect it is to test for it.  Radon is released during the natural decay of uranium, which is found in most rock and soil and its' occurrence is influenced primarily by geology.  When radon escapes into the open air, it is harmless. However, when the gas enters into the living areas of buildings and accumulates, it becomes…

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