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Looking for something to do this weekend? Film is the ticket this weekend in Marin County as the Sausalito Film Festival rolls in to town. The event takes place this weekend at Cavallo Point at Fort Baker in Sausalito.
If you haven’t been to Cavallo Point, the setting alone is well worth the visit. It has some of the most breathtaking views in all of Marin. Cavallo Point sits at the southern tip of Marin County at Fort Baker. It overlooks the San Francisco skyline and a gaze up reveals the Golden Gate Bridge.
The film festival takes place today and tomorrow. I love the description of the film festival from their website:
In the heart of an artist’s community, with the Golden Gate Bridge and San Francisco across the water, lies the ideal backdrop for a premiere film festival experience.People around the world are drawn to Sausalito, certainly for its picturesque beauty, but possibly because it is so uniquely different from anywhere else. Creatives, nonconformists, the famous (and infamous) have felt its gravitational pull. Artists, writers, philosophers, rock legends and film stars have made it their home, in the company of boat-builders, bootleggers and ex-madams.
Films that speak to our naturally rebellious nature, our creative soul, our passion for cultural understanding. Films of all lengths and genres are presented – features, shorts, animation, and documentaries from around the globe. Coupled with conversations and presentations that will stimulate, and provoke the senses. Because this is no mere picture show.
The event features 13 exclusive bay area premiers and a total of thirty films, both full length and short film. The centerpiece film is the award winning documentary, Climate Refugees which explains the growing reality of displaced populations due to environmental disasters. Be aware, some of the shows are already sold out.
- What: Sausalito Film Festival
- When: August 13, 14, & 15th
- Where: Cavallo Point, 601 Murray Circle, Fort Baker, Sausalito, CA 94965 at Cavallo Point
- More Information
Enjoy!
Guess what? If you’re looking for your dream home, you might end up finding it yourself. Odd for a REALTOR® to say, right? When I meet with home buyers, I always tell them that I may not find them their dream house. It is quite possible they may find it online or because their friend knows someone who is selling a house before I even know they are ready to buy. I have talked to a number of home buyers recently who felt the agent didn’t do their job because the buyer found the house, not the agent.
Buying a home is very different than it was ten years ago. Consumers are armed with a tremendous amount of data easily found online. Your real estate agent’s job isn’t just to help you find your home, their job is to help you buy your home. Finding the perfect dream home is really only a small part of a very complicated transaction. Zillow, Trulia, Realtor.com or even our very own blogbythebay.com- there are literally thousands of places for home buyers to find homes. A consumer can literally be inundated with data. A good agent can help you sort through all of that data.
For some home buyers, finding that perfect dream home is much more complicated than others. I had one client who wanted space for a tennis court in an area without a lot of land. Finding their perfect property took a tremendous amount of effort and time, and required extensive research and diligence on my part. There are many homes that aren’t on the multiple listing service or on one of the 1001 home listing websites that a good agent will know about. We sell a lot of off market homes to buyers that they could never have found online, but other times clients call us and say, “Hey, we found the perfect home. We would like to buy it.” This is often when the difficult part of our job begins.
So how do you find an agent who can not only help you find your house, but also help you buy it- aka close escrow? There are a number of things you should look for:
- A skilled negotiator: The entire contract process involves a series of negotiations, even after the contract is ratified and you are in escrow. Your neighbor’s cousin who is an agent may be sweet, but can they save you money, time and aggravation by negotiating successfully for you? This doesn’t mean you hire someone who negotiates just to hear themselves negotiate which can lead to a failed purchase- a contract falling out of escrow. Negotiating successfully involves a series of give and take to reach the desired end result- a home purchase within the budget and time requirements.
- An educated real estate professional: Have they taken classes beyond the pitifully small amount required to get a real estate license? I took all of my licensing courses online. Quite honestly, the process was a joke. When I finished my licensing, my real education began. I mentored with an experienced agent and took extensive course work to make sure I had the skills needed to do my job. Make sure your agent gets ongoing education- this business isn’t standing still. Ask them how they stay up to date on current rules and trends.
- A business professional: She should treat you, service providers, and other agents with professionalism and respect. A good agent will not bad mouth her competition, nor her other clients, even if it is deserved.
- An organizer: Your agent is essentially your project manager to get your transaction closed. Nobody wants a sloppy project manager. A missed deadline in a contract could mean the loss of not only the transaction, but possibly an earnest money deposit for you. An average earnest money deposit in Marin County is about $30,000. I wouldn’t call that chump change.
- Trustworthy: Are they looking out for your best interests? We talk our clients out of buying homes we think are a bad investment all the time. Make sure your agent will do the same.
- Mobile: If your agent can’t assist you while out in the field, they can’t work for you the majority of the time. Successful agents are not in their offices. Find someone who is mobile and can assist you on the go.
- Tech Savvy: If your agent is mobile, they are probably not a technological neanderthal. This is a good test. Your agent doesn’t have to be a tech guru but they need to be up to date on the latest tech tools to not only help you find your house, but manage the transaction process along the way.
- Local: We see many failed transactions with out of area agents. The majority of out of area agents don’t know the intricacies of the individual county, city and even subdivision rules that can impact a home purchase and later on, a home’s resale value. Hire a local agent who knows not only the rules and regs, but also has a pulse on the local real estate market and knows the local agents who will be influencing the transaction process.
- Good with the numbers: Buying a home can very emotional, but it is also a major financial purchase. Your agent should be providing you comparable sales and comprehensive real estate market stats, charts & reports to help guide your decision making process, and should be giving you informed advice about the value of the home.
Your agent may not be the person who finds you the dream home, but a great agent will help make the complicated home buying process successful, no matter who found the property.
Tiburon’s Del Mar neighborhood may no longer see utility lines. The neighborhood has been fighting a court battle for nearly seven years to get utility lines buried in the neighborhood. According to the Marin IJ, the project will impact 164 Tiburon homes.
Some homeowners in the neighborhood have been fighting the project because of issues with the homeowner assessment needed to fund the project.
This is positive news for homeowners with bay views that have been restricted by the power lines. I can’t tell you how many times I have shown property to home buyers who say “I love the house, I love the view, but the powerlines…”
Tiburon Homes for Sale
Showing properties
1 - 5 of 66.
See more Tiburon Del Mar Homes.
(all data current as of
5/17/2012)
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$4,500,000 : 79 Saint Thomas Way, Tiburon4 beds, 3 full, 1 part baths
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$1,735,000 : MLS # 21211715 in Tiburon6 beds, 4 full, 1 part baths
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$12,900 : 98 Hacienda Dr, Tiburon7 beds, 4 full, 1 part baths
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$2,200,000 : MLS # 21211542 in Tiburon2 beds, 2 full baths
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$9,500 : MLS # 21211016 in Tiburon5 beds, 3 full, 1 part baths
Listing information deemed reliable but not guaranteed. Read full disclaimer.
Imagine living in a place where the bike parking lot gets full…
I love this photo I snapped at the Sausalito ferry. The fantastic climate in Marin makes environmentally friendly commuting easy and clearly people are taking those options!
Joan Baez will be performing in Fairfax on Saturday at past of Kidszstock, a day long festival taking place in Fairfax on Saturday. The event will benefit Cascade Canyon School, a small progressive private school in Fairfax where Baez’s granddaughter is apparently a first grader.
I have to admit that I am totally jealous that I can’t bring my kids. This event looks amazing. Marin County musicians from the ages of 6-18 will perform all day. The kids had to audition for the event.
The event will include an interactive community art project, vendor booths from local businesses, carnival booths, tell chillout zone, instrument making, cookie decorating and more. (WOW!)
I am imagining the site will be gorgeous – described as the rolling hills in the wooded canyon.
- What: Kidzstock Music Festival
- When: Saturday, June19, 2010, 11am-7pm (doors open at 10:30)
- Where: The Theater for Tolerance, an outdoor theater built from recycled lumber by volunteers from Fairfax’s Cascade Canyon School
- Benefits: Cascade Canyon Private School
- Tickets: Adults $25, ages 6-17 $10, kids 5 and under are free. Tickets can be purchased online or at the door.
- Getting there: Parking is limited to street parking in surrounding neighborhoods. Carpooling or public transportation is strongly recommended.
- More Info
So what has been happening in the Marin Real Estate Market? Lots of homes for sale! This chart of home inventory shows the upswing in homes listed for sale in Marin over the last few months. We saw a major decline in homes being listed in the late fall and early spring with the bottom in March. Part of this decline was seasonal, but also reflected seller concerns about the market.
A similar story is happening with Marin condos for sale. The number of Marin condos listed actually jumped past July of last year. Many sellers raced to put their homes on the market to take advantage of buyer tax credits.
These numbers represent homes for sale across Marin County. Market statistics can vary dramatically in the individual cities. Interested in learning more about Marin County price trends, supply and demand and leading indicators to help you make educated real estate decisions? Get our weekly Marin Real Estate Market Report.
Fannie Mae’s new loan quality initiative will make it harder for Marin home buyers and refinancing homeowners to close on a mortgage.
Beginning June 1, 2010, with all new applications, Fannie Mae wants lenders to verify that borrowers have not taken on new debt during the underwriting phase of the mortgage. If new debts are found, the mortgage is subject to a re-underwrite and a possible turndown.
Fannie Mae hopes to reduce the number of loans that go bad because of new, non-disclosed debt. Lenders have the freedom to verify in whatever manner they wish, but in most cases, the verification process will amount to a credit re-pull made just prior to closing.
The underwriters will be looking for 3 things in particular — even after your loan is approved.
- Your updated credit report will show your current credit card bills and minimum monthly payments. Those numbers will replace your original numbers made at the time of application. If the debts exceed a certain threshold, your loan will be denied.
- Underwriters will be looking at your updated credit score. If your FICO has dropped below minimum lending standards, your loan will be denied or you may be subject to a new loan-level pricing adjustment. Loan level pricing adjustments are mandatory loan fees based on your credit score.
- Underwriters will be looking at your credit report’s Credit Inquiry section. The goal is to see if you’ve been applying for credit elsewhere. Underwriters can use this information at their discretion.
Fannie Mae is trying to improve its loan pools with the Loan Quality Initiative. Unfortunately, it’ll mean more loan denials for mortgage applicants.
If is important for homebuyers to take extra care of your credit between the time of application and the time of closing. Don’t buy new cars, don’t buy new appliances, and — most definitely — don’t open new credit cards. Be extra safe with your credit because a mortgage application that’s supposedly cleared-to-close can be revoked at the eleventh hour.
When in doubt, talk to your loan officer about what may or may not trigger the Loan Quality Initiative.
90 Mill Valley Real Estate Market Statistics
| 90-day stats for Single Family properties in MILL VALLEY, CA94941 as of October 7, 2011 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Median List Price: | $1,039,192 | Average List Price: | $1,403,263 |
| Total Inventory: | 121 | Price per Square Foot: | $510 |
| Average Home Size: | 2,259 | Median Lot Size: | 9,136 |
| Average # Beds: | 3.44 | Average # Baths: | 2.75 |
| Homes Absorbed: | 8 | Newly Listed: | 7 |
| Days on Market: | 122 | Average Age: | 51 |
View all active Mill Valley homes for sale.
Interested in learning more about Marin County price trends, supply and demand and leading indicators to help you make educated real estate decisions? Get our weekly Marin Real Estate Market Report.
90 day Tiburon Real Estate Market Statistics
| 90-day stats for Single Family properties in TIBURON, CA94920 as of October 7, 2011 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Median List Price: | $2,375,000 | Average List Price: | $3,385,825 |
| Total Inventory: | 79 | Price per Square Foot: | $715 |
| Average Home Size: | 3,396 | Median Lot Size: | 18,466 |
| Average # Beds: | 4.06 | Average # Baths: | 3.68 |
| Homes Absorbed: | 5 | Newly Listed: | 4 |
| Days on Market: | 156 | Average Age: | 36 |
Interested in learning more about Marin County price trends, supply and demand and leading indicators to help you make educated real estate decisions? Get our weekly Marin Real Estate Market Report.
The Consumer Confidence Index is rising, a potentially double-edged sword for residents of Marin County and for Americans in general.
According to The Conference Board, economic confidence is as high as it’s been since August 2007 — 4 months before the start of the recession. Americans are optimistic again.
Confidence matters to the economy because as confidence increases, in theory, consumer spending follows. Consumer spending accounts for 70 percent of the U.S. economy, which is why Wall Street is responsive to confidence data.
When consumer confidence is rising, households start to make big-ticket purchases they may have otherwise put off indefinitely. Maybe it’s a replacing old appliances; or, trading in an old automobiles; or, splurging on a vacation.
Rising confidence can also spur real estate sales. When confidence is rising, a growing family that chose to “make do” in their 3-bedroom, 1.5-bathroom starter home may opt to move-up to a 4-bedroom, 3-bath instead at a slightly higher monthly carrying cost. And there are families in every city in every state making those same decisions.
As a result, the housing market gets a boost — especially in the mid-to-upper price ranges. Values rise on higher demand for homes. The downside is that growing confidence tends to push conforming and FHA mortgage rates up. This is because an expanding economy draws investment dollars away from bonds and into stocks — including mortgage bonds.
The reduced demand for mortgage-backed bonds leads bond prices to fall and mortgage rates to rise. Sometimes by a little, sometimes by lot.
The consumer confidence may have less of an impact on Marin County home prices as our market was behind the rest of the country to fall.