Bay
Area Real Estate Sales.com Newsletter
January 2007
IN THIS ISSUE:
Marin
Home Sales Statistics
Update
On Liz’s Micro Preemie Daughter
Map
Based Home Search Announced On Bay Area Real Estate Sales.Com
What Did Your Neighbors’ House Sell For?
How To Find A Real Estate Bargain
Is It Time To Refinish Your Hardwood Floor?
What Do Liz’s Clients Say?
Fast Facts
MARIN HOME SALES
STATISTICS
2006 Year in Review
After a year of media headlines shouting “The Bubble
is about to burst”, “Home prices being slashed,” and so on, I
was surprised to discover that as 2006 has come to a close the Median Marin
home price WENT UP in 2006. (Not a
lot, but it did go up a very small amount (down slightly for single family
homes and up slightly for condos). These are just my informal statistics,
pulling data from our local MLS system (BAREIS). But I showed that in 2005, the Median
home price (including Condos and Single Family Residences) was $850,000 and for
2006 it is $864,000.
I created charts for 2006 showing the average and median Marin
home prices with Condos broken out from Single Family Residences. To view these
charts, go to: http://www.bayarearealestatesales.com/marin.html and click on the charts titled: Marin County
Average and Median Home Prices. Additionally, I’ve included link to
additional charts with average home prices broken down by city and by
month. There is a lot of good data
here for you to review in your spare time!

Now that 2007 is here, I was surprised to see a lot of Marin
Real Estate activity already. Some of my clients put an offer in on a well priced Mill Valleyhome this week, and we
competed against 8 offers!! Yes 8 offers! I don't know yet how much over asking the house went into contract for (but list rprice was $995,000). As I've mentioned, there seems to be a continued shortage
of well-priced homes in Marin, especially in areas like Mill Valley
that has so much to offer. Additionally, at an open house I held open this last weekend, I had over
25 groups of buyers through to view the $1.4 Million dollar property.
Monthly Stats
These statistics show how many homes are available for sale in Marin, and of those how many are currently in contract (either pending or
contingent. For the 4th month in a row, the Marin overall real estate market is in a "Buyers Market".
There are 110 more Marin homes for sale this January (720)
then there were in January 2006 (611). The percentage of homes in contract went down
slightly as compared to last month, but is considerably higher than 12 months
ago, (when only 19% of available Marin homes were in contract). My feeling is that many of the homes
that did not sell have been pulled from the market, anticipating the slower
months during the holiday season, or to possibly restart the Days on Market
clock for that house trying to regenerate interest.
I believe that the market is going to start heating up, just a bit. I'm basing this on the fact that
in just these first few weeks of the year, I’ve received a lot of phone
calls from interested buyers on listings, and I held a $1.5 Million dollar home
in San Rafael
yesterday and I saw no less than 28 parties come trough to view the home. I think because interest rates have
stabilized and the talk of the housing bubble has cooled down a bit that there
is some pent up demand for homes (at least in Marin County). Again, this is just my $.02. I’d
love to hear your thoughts!
Although the overall Marin Real Estate market is in a “Buyers” market, where almost 24% of all listed homes are in
contract, there are some interesting facts to note: Greenbrae and Kentfield are both in a
Sellers Market this month, and homes priced from $2,000,000 to $2,500,000 are
in a Balanced Market.
And for those of you who do read these stats, I’d love
to know that you find the information useful! It actually takes me quite a lot of time
to track, compile and post the data each month – and I’d love to
know that it is being utilized!
Send me an email to let me know you like getting it!
I'm always searching for ways to bring my clients and
readers more local real estate statistics. I’m pleased to announce the
launch of my new Marin home Sales Statistics page. To view, go to: http://www.bayarearealestatesales.com/marin.html.
If you know of anyone
who would like to receive this monthly newsletter or is thinking of either
buying or selling a home please let me know. I’d love your referrals!
|
MARIN HOME SALES STATISTICS - BY CITY AS OF 1/15/07
|
|
City
|
Total
|
Active
|
Number in Contract***
|
Percent in Contract*
|
Type of Market*
(See Key)
|
|
Belvedere
|
18
|
14
|
4
|
22%
|
Buyers
|
|
Corte
Madera
|
18
|
16
|
2
|
11%
|
Strong Buyers
|
|
Fairfax
|
21
|
14
|
7
|
33%
|
Balanced
|
|
Greenbrae
|
16
|
10
|
6
|
38%
|
Sellers
|
|
Kentfield
|
14
|
9
|
5
|
36%
|
Sellers
|
|
Larkspur
|
9
|
6
|
3
|
33%
|
Balanced
|
|
Mill Valley
|
73
|
53
|
20
|
27%
|
Buyers
|
|
Novato
|
191
|
147
|
44
|
23%
|
Buyers
|
|
Ross
|
15
|
12
|
3
|
20%
|
Strong Buyers
|
|
San
Anselmo
|
33
|
25
|
8
|
24%
|
Buyers
|
|
San Rafael
|
161
|
121
|
40
|
25%
|
Buyers
|
|
Sausalito
|
42
|
35
|
7
|
17%
|
Strong Buyers
|
|
Tiburon
|
58
|
46
|
12
|
21%
|
Buyers
|
|
Others
|
51
|
40
|
11
|
22%
|
Buyers
|
|
Total Marin 1/15/07
|
720
|
548
|
172
|
23.89%
|
Buyers
|
|
Total Marin 12/15/06
|
898
|
669
|
229
|
25.5%
|
Buyers
|
|
Total Marin 11/16/06
|
1,197
|
902
|
295
|
24.64%
|
Buyers
|
|
Total Marin 10/15/06
|
1,401
|
1,095
|
306
|
21.84%
|
Buyers
|
|
Total Marin 9/15/06
|
1,395
|
1,127
|
268
|
19.21%
|
Strong Buyers
|
|
Total Marin 8/18/06
|
1,346
|
1,029
|
317
|
23.55%
|
Buyers
|
|
Total Marin 7/13/06
|
1392
|
1077
|
315
|
22.63%
|
Buyers
|
|
Total Marin 6/16/06
|
1323
|
959
|
364
|
27.51%
|
Buyers
|
|
Total Marin 5/18/06
|
1,177
|
817
|
360
|
31%
|
Balanced
|
|
Total Marin 4/10/06
|
977
|
629
|
348
|
36%
|
Sellers
|
|
Total Marin 3/15/06
|
894
|
597
|
297
|
33%
|
Balanced
|
|
Total Marin 2/20/06
|
782
|
520
|
262
|
34%
|
Balanced
|
|
Total Marin 1/8/06
|
611
|
449
|
162
|
19%
|
Strong Buyers
|
|
Total Marin 12/23/05
|
622
|
504
|
118
|
15%
|
Strong Buyers
|
|
Total Marin 11/27/05
|
961
|
655
|
306
|
32%
|
Balanced
|
|
Total Marin 10/14/05
|
1,086
|
730
|
356
|
33%
|
Balanced
|
|
Total Marin 9/11/105
|
1,012
|
651
|
361
|
36%
|
Sellers
|
|
Total Marin 7/15/05
|
1,030
|
616
|
414
|
40%
|
Sellers
|
|
Total Marin 5/25/05
|
940
|
503
|
437
|
46%
|
Strong Sellers
|
|
MARIN HOME SALES STATISTICS - BY PRICE RANGE AS
OF 1/15/07
|
|
Price
|
Total
|
Active
|
Number in Contract***
|
Percent in Contract*
|
Type of Market*
(See Key)
|
|
$100,000-$499,999
|
88
|
76
|
12
|
14%
|
Strong Buyers
|
|
$500,000-$749,999
|
189
|
127
|
62
|
33%
|
Balanced
|
|
$750,000-$999,999
|
148
|
106
|
42
|
28%
|
Buyers
|
|
$1,000,000-$1,499,999
|
110
|
88
|
22
|
20%
|
Strong Buyers
|
|
$1,500,000-$1,999,999
|
63
|
52
|
11
|
17%
|
Strong Buyers
|
|
$2,000,000-$2,499,999
|
33
|
22
|
11
|
33%
|
Balanced
|
|
$2,500,000-$2,999,999
|
17
|
15
|
2
|
12%
|
Strong Buyers
|
|
$3,000,000-$3,999,999
|
36
|
29
|
7
|
19%
|
Strong Buyers
|
|
Over $4,000,000
|
36
|
33
|
3
|
8%
|
Extreme
Buyers
|
|
Total Marin 12/15/06
|
720
|
548
|
172
|
24%
|
Buyers
|
|
DAYS ON MARKET (DOM)**
|
|
Date
|
Average
|
Median
|
Maximum
|
|
Dec
|
84
|
73
|
613
|
|
*Key to market type:
|
|
0% - 10% of Homes in Escrow: Extreme Buyers
|
36% - 45%
of Homes in Escrow: Sellers
|
|
11% - 20%
of Homes in Escrow: Strong Buyers
|
46% - 55%
of Homes in Escrow: Strong
Sellers
|
|
21% - 30%
of Homes in Escrow: Buyers
|
56% - 100%
of Homes in Escrow: Extreme Sellers
|
|
31% - 35% of Homes in Escrow: Balanced Market
|
**Based on
information from Bay Area Real Estate Information Services, Inc. (BAREIS). Information has not been verified, is not
guaranteed, and is subject to change and is based on one period of time.”
***Includes
all: Sale Pending & Contingent properties
FREE…..You can search for Marin listings directly on
BayAreaRealEstateSales.com: Search for Homes
UPDATE ON LIZ’S
MICRO PREEMIE DAUGHTER

Many of my
clients are aware that I gave birth to Micro Preemie Twins 13 weeks early in
October of 2005. Both of my daughters together weighed a tad over 3 pounds.
Sadly, my first born, Corinne only lived for 3 hours. Her surviving twin, Kaitlyn spent 127
days in the NICU.
Kaitlyn has been
home with us now for almost a year and is 15 months old. She is doing amazingly well for how sick
and tiny she was at birth. She now
weighs 18.5 pounds (that’s almost 12 times her birth weight: 1.5 pounds). She is crawling all over the place and
prefers to pull herself up whenever she can. Sadly, she still does have some medical
issues that we are dealing with on a daily basis. She has a paralyzed vocal chord and
doesn’t vocalize much. Kaitlyn doesn’t eat anything by mouth;
she is fed 100% via a feeding tube, which has been surgically implanted into
her stomach - she has horrible reflux and oral aversions and still vomits
multiple times a day. She is also
socially delayed; she only started smiling a few months ago. After spending your first 4 months of
life in a hospital being prodded and poked and then vomiting every day since, I
don’t think I would smile much either. With all she’s been though
she’s an incredibly good natured baby, and has quite an
energy about her.
I have been
changed forever by experiencing the pain of loosing a child and having a
medically fragile daughter. I have
been amazed by all the people that have reached out to us to give us support
during these tough times that I want to try to give back to the community of
premature babies. I have started a
local support group for preemie moms, a support group for children with feeding
issues, as well as a virtual micro preemie support group. If you know of anyone who can benefit from
these groups, please let me know! I
continue to chronicle Kaitlyn’s progress and am absolutely amazed that
her blog has received 70,000 visits!
She has a fan base from all over the world. If you would like to check in on
Kaitlyn, you can visit her blog at:
http://lizmccarthy.blogspot.com/
MAP BASED
HOME SEARCH ANNOUNCED ON BAY AREA REAL ESTATE SALES.COM

We’ve
added a new map based home search on BayAreaRealEstateSales.com This will allow you to search in any
particular area via map, narrow
down the specific homes that are available in that area. You can then view specific home sale
details like pictures, square footage and price. I hope you like this new feature – be sure to give me any feedback!
Map Based Home Search
Back to top
WHAT DID YOUR NEIGHBORS’ HOUSE SELL FOR?
The Neighborhood Homes Sold listing is a weekly reader
feature of the Sunday San Francisco Chronicle and is provided by California REsource, a title abstracting company. The data posted here is typically months
after the property officially sold.
This is the public data available in the published tax records. The home addresses, sales price, number
of bedrooms, square footage and the year the homes were built are based on
information supplied from Bay Area counties' property transaction records
which, in some cases, may not be complete.
Neither The Chronicle nor California REsource
guarantees the completeness or accuracy of the information. Questions or
requests for additional information should be directed to Cal Resource
Click on the following links to see what price homes sold
for in your neighborhood:
December 17, 2006: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2006/12/17/REHS_marin.txt
December 24rd 2006: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2006/12/24/REHS_marin.txt
December 31, 2006:
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2006/12/31/REHS_marin.txt
January 7, 2007 http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/01/07/REHS_marin.txt
Previous editions of
Neighborhood
Homes Sold
FREE…..You can search for Marin listings directly on
BayAreaRealEstateSales.com: Search for Homes
Back to top
HOW TO FIND A REAL ESTATE BARGAIN
By Dian Hymer

Everybody
wants a bargain. Last year, good real estate deals were few and far between.
This was due to the fact that inventories of homes for sale were at record low
levels. And, there was an abundance of buyers, all looking for the same thing.
Today in most areas, buyers have the luxury of choice. So, there's less of a
chance you'll overpay because you have to outbid another buyer. However, even
though there is a lot to choose from, this doesn't mean that it will be easier
to buy a property at a bargain price.
One reason is that most sellers aren't desperate to sell. Just because the
market has changed doesn't mean that sellers are slashing their prices
dramatically. Many listings that have price reductions were overpriced to begin
with.
Another factor is that there is usually little consistency in pricing. Some
listings are well-priced, others are overpriced, and then there is the
occasional listing that is actually priced below market value.
Another complicating factor is variability. Unless you're looking at listings
in a single tract development, where each house is a cookie cutter of the
others, you'll find disparities in age, condition, size and amenities. Each of
these variables has an affect on market value.
HOUSE HUNTING TIP: In order to find a good deal, you need to be able to identify
a fairly priced property when you see it. This requires intimate knowledge of
home values in the area.
A good real estate agent can help you to develop this product knowledge. But,
there is no substitute for doing your own due diligence--driving the area,
researching the local economy, viewing listings online and visiting open
houses. This gives you the confidence you need to make an educated decision
about what constitutes a good deal.
Even though the pace of the home sale market has slowed, you may have to make a
snap decision or risk losing out on a great buy. Many home sellers price their
homes too high for the market. They usually sit for a while before the sellers
realize the house can't sell without reducing their price.
But sellers who understand the market and have a pressing need to speed the
process along will price their properties at or under market value. If you
aren't up on current market values, you could let a good deal slip by because
you didn't act quickly enough.
Part of buying at the right price is being there when the well-priced listings
come on the market. Don't wait until a Sunday open house to see a new listing
if your agent thinks it will sell quickly.
It's possible to create a good deal. One way is to research the listings that
have been on the market a while without any offers.
Find out why they haven't sold. If there isn't anything wrong except the price,
ask the listing agent why the seller is selling and whether there's any
flexibility in the price. Sellers who have a real reason for selling, like a
divorce, death in the family or job transfer, will soften on price in time.
Be sure to find out the amount of the outstanding loans secured against the
property. If the sellers are mortgaged to the hilt, you might want to move on
and negotiate with a seller who has a strong equity position in the property.
Even if he sells for less than he'd hoped, he'll at least sell for a profit.
THE CLOSING: Steer clear of listings that aren't selling because they have an
incurable defect, like a location on a busy street. You may be able to
negotiate a bargain price, but you'll also have to discount your price when you
resell the property.
FREE…..You can search for Marin listings
directly on BayAreaRealEstateSales.com:
Search for
Homes
Back to top
IS IT TIME TO REFINISH YOUR HARDWOOD FLOOR?
by: Rob Buenaventura
How do you know when the time is
right to refinish your hardwood floors? Hardwood floors tend to be quite
durable and the stains long lasting. There are, of course, places in high
traffic areas that will begin to show signs of wear long before the floors have
worn out their beauty of usefulness. With that in mind, how do you know when
the time is right for refinishing?
Refinishing hardwood floors doesn’t have to be the stuff that nightmares
are made of. In fact, if at all possible this is the kind of chore you should
really entrust to professionals (this way someone else is responsible if
something gets messed up). Another reason to entrust this to professionals is
that they have access to the best of power tools for this specific job. And
using the right tools is sometimes all the difference in the world. While it
wouldn’t be cost effective for the average home owner to purchase these
tools for a one time project, a professional floor person would often have
cause to use these tools.
So what is the difference between a floor that simply needs to be cleaned and
one that needs to be completely refinished? One way to do this is to go to one
of the high traffic run down areas of your floor and spill a few drops of
liquid onto the floor. If the liquid beads up there is
still some life left in your original finish and you are not quite ready for a
major overhaul. If on the other hand, the wood soaks the water right up, it is
time to refinish.
One of the great things about refinishing is that you can choose to go lighter
or darker than before or even to use the exact same finish. If you’re
looking for a way to change the look of a room, changing the finish of your
floors is definitely a way to make a large impact on a room. Keep in mind that
stain samples will look different when they are on the entire floor and that
different stains react differently to different hardwoods, you definitely want
to choose a stain that is compatible to the hardwoods of your floors. The age
of your floor also has a tremendous impact on how the stain will look when the
floor is finished. A good place to try stain samples
is the floorboard of a closet.
Hardwood flooring comes in many different stains and colors, the more popular
stain options include stains that appear natural, light stains that don’t
significantly altar the look of the wood, medium stains, which bring out a
darker tint in the grain of the wood, and dark stains, which provide a rich,
velvety feel to the floor.
If you haven’t something that reaches out and grabs you, you can also go
to a local hardware store and have a stain custom blended for your floors. You
can get really creative for these stains and have a lot of fun in the process,
but remember this is your home and you have to live with the floors once they
are finished.
Back to top
FREE…..You can search for Marin listings
directly on BayAreaRealEstateSales.com:
Search for
Homes
WHAT DO LIZ’S CLIENTS SAY?
“Thank
you so much for being our broker during our first-time home purchase. Though we did a reasonably good job of
doing “our homework” in preparation for buying a house, your
experience and knowledge of the local Marin real estate market was invaluable
in all aspects of the process. By
the end of the process, we came to think of you as much more than just our
agent; we think of you as our friend.
If you ever
need a reference, we would be more than delighted to describe our experience of
being represented by you.”
-J. Nides
& S. Spencer
If you would like to have Liz help you sell your Marin home
or help you in finding a home, or you know of someone that could benefit from
her services, just send her an email:
liz@BayAreaRealEstateSales.com
“High-Touch through High-Tech”: Did you know that Liz
McCarthy is ePro Internet Certified by the National
Association of Realtors and that 70 percent of home buyers today use the
internet in their home search? Why
are you still working with a Realtor who isn’t a technology expert?
What this means to you:
Home Buyers:
Liz is an expert in helping save you time by using the internet, email
and other technology resources to help save your valuable time and money. She knows how busy you are!
Home Sellers: Liz
will hire a professional photographer and market your home extensively on the
internet: a personal property
website (see www.417Greenfield.com
or www.50milland.com for samples), she
will post your home on over 50 websites.
Back to top
FAST FACTS
Marin median
home price– 1/1/06 – 12/31/06:
$864,000 [Source: BAREIS]
Marin
average home price- 1/1/06 – 12/31/06: $1,089,129 [Source: BAREIS]
Marin median
SFR home price – 1/1/06 – 12/31/06: $$956,000 [Source: BAREIS]
Marin median
condo price – 1/1/06 – 12/31/06: $$548,000 [Source: BAREIS]
Calif. median home price –November 06: $555,290) (October
06 $548,680) [Source: C.A.R.]
Calif. highest median home price Nov 06: Santa Barbara So. Coast $1,083,000 [Source: C.A.R.]
Calif. lowest median home price by C.A.R.
region Nov 06: High Desert $332,340 [Source: C.A.R.]
Calif. First-time Buyer
Affordability Index - Third Quarter 06: 24 percent [Source: C.A.R.]
Mortgage
rates - week ending 1/11/07:
(Source: Freddie Mac)
·
30-yr.
fixed: 6.21%; Fees/points: 0.4%
·
15-yr.
fixed: 5.96%; Fees/points: 0.4%
·
1-yr.
adjustable: 5.42%; Fees/points: 0.6%
FREE…..You can search for Marin listings directly on
BayAreaRealEstateSales.com: Search for Homes
Be sure to
check out all the other great content & features of my website:
www.BayAreaRealEstateSales.com
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newsletter archives
The Bay Area Real Estate Newsletter is provided
to you by:
Liz McCarthy
Real Estate Broker, e-PRO certified
Liz@BayAreaRealEstateSales.com
415-250-4929
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