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Vintage Fairfax Bungalow- 59 Cypress, Fairfax

New Listing:  59 Cypress, Fairfax $799,000

What We Love:

We love this listing for it’s vintage charm and the great location just minutes from downtown Fairfax and a quick bike ride away from miles of hiking and biking trails, waterfalls and endless open space.

Cool Details:

  • Front Porch- a throwback to yesteryear (We love front porches!)
  • Vintage fireplace with bricks from the San Francisco’s 1906 earthquake
  • Bathrooms renovated to capture that perfect period charm
  • Two separate parcels create a unique opportunity for a new buyer to get creative
  • Great home to entertain family and friends with a spacious deck back opening out to a backyard oasis perfect for entertaining friends and family

All the Specs:

  • 3 bedrooms, 2 baths
  • Hardwood floors
  • Recently remodeled kitchens and bathrooms
  • Sunny double lot with enormous level lawn
  • Entertaining deck
  • 2 car garage
  • Off-street parking for 3+cars
  • Mature fruits trees
  • Tons of storage
  • Finished 3 room basement with laundry room

Visit 59 Cypress, Fairfax:

  • Call Stephen 415-720-7832

Move to one of our favorite Marin towns!

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Larkspur’s Famous Magnolia Tree

This gorgeous Magnolia Tree sits along Magnolia Avenue in Larkspur, just across from Marin Primary School. The tree is in stunning full bloom right now! The story I have been told is that a dentist lived in the home and in lieu of payment, a gardener client planted the tree. It may have originally been two magnolia trees together.

If you know the real story about this Larkspur beauty, I would love to hear it!

~Ginger

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Time to invest in Marin Real Estate?


If you are unable to see the video above, please click here


According to the the National Association of Realtors®, “distressed homes” represented nearly 2 of every fifth home sold in January 2010.  Clearly, real estate investors in Marin County and around the country are taking advantage of good deals on inexpensive property.  But there’s risk involved.

This NBC Today Show interview first ran in March 2009, featuring real estate expert Barbara Corcoran. Despite its age, the message remains relevant. Today may be a terrific time to buy a bank-owned home — just make sure you do your research first.  There’s plenty of ways for investors to get burned.

Some of the tips in the video include:

  • Buy in your own backyard
  • Start small, then build to a bigger portfolio
  • Watch receipts — rent rolls don’t matter if tenants aren’t paying rent

Corcoran also gives pointers on how to evaluate a prospective tenant.

Foreclosures may represent a significant number of 2010’s total Marin County home sales and will offer interesting opportunities to bona fide real estate investors.

Remember, the stats and the data are from 12 months ago, but the advice stays meaningful.

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Fairfax Real Estate Update- March 2010

There are 12 active homes for sale in Fairfax and 10 homes under contact. Six Fairfax homes have sold this year. The average list price for a single family home is $748,120. The average sales price is $747,333. The average days on the market for a Fairfax home sold in 2010 was 157 days. The table below shows the trends for the month of January over December 2010, for 1 year and for 15 months.


1 Month
1 Year
15 Months
Dec
2009
Jan
2010
%
Change
Jan
2009
Jan
2010
%
Change
Nov
2008
Jan
2010
%
Change
For Sale
10
12
20%
22
12
-44.5%
30
12
-60%
Sold
8
2
-75%
1
2
100%
2
2
0%
Pended
4
4
0%
3
4
33.3%
5
4
-20%

Fairfax Home Sales Year to Date

  • 35 Azalea Ave $501,000
  • 79 Hillside Drive, $595,000
  • 28 Oak Tree Lane $626,000
  • 4 Spring Lane $656,000

Fairfax Real Estate Market Data effective as of March 2, 2010. Data provided by Bay Area Real Estate Information Services. Are you a Marin real estate junkie? Sign up to receive very detailed real-time market reports in your email. Just register and let me know which neighborhoods you are interested in.

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Happy Birthday Fairfax- 79 years!

Photo Courtesy of Uzvards on Flickr

Fairfax is one of my favorite Marin communities and today it celebrates it’s 79th Birthday! The Town of Fairfax was incorporated in 1931. Fairfax still retains its eclectic downtown area, features a vibrant local live music scene and is bustling with energy. Simultaneously, Fairfax is one of the prettiest outdoor communities with access to miles upon miles of hiking and biking trails, reservoirs, and more. Just outside the town you will find the Mt. Tamalpais Game Refuge and the Marin Municipal Watershed with thousand of acres of open space land reaching from Mt. Tamalpais to the Bolinas Ridge.

According the 2000 U.S. Census, 7,319 residents live in Fairfax.

Wishing a very happy birthday to the Town of Fairfax, California!

~Ginger

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Larkspur Real Estate Market Update

There are 15 active homes for sale in Larkspur and six homes under contact.  Four Larkspur homes have sold this year.  The average list price for a single family home is $1,252,067.  The average Larkspur home has been on the market 100+ days.  The table below shows the trends for the month of January over December 2010, for 1 year and for 15 months.  Keep in mind that Larkspur is a very small community and the statistics are easily skewed because of the small number of homes sold each month and year.


1 Month
1 Year
15 Months
Dec
2009
Jan
2010
%
Change
Jan
2009
Jan
2010
%
Change
Nov
2008
Jan
2010
%
Change
For Sale
12
14
16.7%
24
14
-41.7%
24
14
-41.7%
Sold
4
2
-50%
1
2
100%
1
2
100%
Pended
0
3
n/a
0
3
n/a
o
3
n/a

Larkspur Home Sales Year to Date

  • 34 Diane Lane $628,000
  • 60 Diane Lane $775,000
  • 135 Tulane Drive $975,000
  • 362 Madrone Ave $1,391,000

Notice the price point of homes sold in 2010 in Larkspur.  The lower end of our real estate market continues to move, albeit slower than in the past.

Larkspur Real Estate Market Data effective as of March 1, 2010. Data provided by Bay Area Real Estate Information Services. Are you a Marin real estate junkie? Sign up to receive very detailed real-time market reports in your email. Just register and let me know which neighborhoods you are interested in.

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Happy Birthday Larkspur!

On this day 102 years ago, the City of Larkspur officially incorporated. Larkspur earned its name in 1886.  Downtown Larkspur is only three blocks long and has retained its historic charm.  Larkspur gained a place on the National Register of Historic Places in 1982.  Downtown Larkspur remains the central business district today and is lined with small boutiques and restaurants.   Larkspur is primarily a residential community with 12,014 residents according to the 2000 U.S. census.

Larkspur is nestled at the base of King Mountain, under Blithedale Ridge and Mt Tam.  It is known for its perfect weather, majestic redwood trees and beautiful magnolia trees which line Magnolia Road, Larkspur’s main thoroughfare.

I am proud to call Larkspur my home!  Happy Birthday Larkspur!

~Ginger

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A Stormy Sausalito Mt. Tamalpais View

I took this picture yesterday afternoon from the houseboat docks in Sausalito at low tide, looking back towards Mt. Tam.  I love the way Mt. Tam looks in the background in the aftermath of the storm.

~Ginger

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How To Replace Your HVAC Air Filter

Replacing a home’s heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) air filter is one way to keep the unit’s motor running right.  It’s an oft-forgotten part of keeping a well-run home. And, it’s simple, too.

In the two-minute video above, you’ll learn how to replace an air filter from start-to-finish.  There’s no need for tools and no need for experience — the job is about as basic as home maintenance jobs come.

Air filters should be changed at least quarterly but it’s okay to change on a monthly rotation, too — especially if your home has shedding pets, or is under construction or repair. Just remember that not all air filters are created equal.

In this famous video, we see how $0.99 filters can fail to get the job done. Spending $10-15 for a filter that works is a better idea.

If you are not a do-it-yourself type, give us a call to find a Marin pro who can help you with your home maintenance.

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Resources for Avoiding Foreclosure

Foreclosures happen for many reasons and it is something no homeowner wants to experience.  There are many resources available to homeowners concerned about or in jeopardy of being foreclosed upon.  I have a series on this site with loan modification tips.  Unfortunately, we are hearing about many instances where homes are being foreclosed on while the homeowner is in the process of the loan modification.  We are also seeing many new short sale listings coming up after failed loan modifications.  We have a new series coming up on the short sales in Marin, stay tuned for that. In the meantime, we thought it would helpful to have tips and resources for homeowners who need assistance and information to avoid foreclosure.

CREDIT COUNSELING SERVICES- HUD approved, non-profit counseling service, offers assistance with debt management, budgeting, credit report review, housing education and financial planning.

The California Association of REALTORS provides this list of online resources:

FORECLOSURE AVOIDANCE TOOLS

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