Blog by the Bay » Kentfield

Marin Views: Crown Road & Mt. Tam

Ginger Wilcox — Wed, 12 Jan 2011 18:52:53 +0000

I snapped this photo on a hike this morning of Mt. Tam from Crown Road in Baltimore Canyon. The colors were amazing after the evening rains. This hike is one of my favorites. You can take Crown Road to the left and down to Dawn Falls. We choose the trail head to the right, which leads you up on the ridge to view all of Marin’s gorgeous hills.

The Crown Road trail is accessible via Kentfield.

Driving directions:
From Sir Francis Drake, take College Avenue into Kentfield. Turn right on Woodland, left on Evergreen. Follow Evergreen up the mountain. Turn left Crown Road and continue to the end of the road. Parking can be difficult on weekends.

Marin Luxury Homes Sold Year to Date

Ginger Wilcox — Wed, 20 Oct 2010 19:57:11 +0000

There have been 50 Marin homes over three million dollars sold since January 1, 2010. In the same time frame last year, there were 37 homes over three million dollars sold in Marin. Yes, despite the mortgage mess the overall luxury home market has actually improved since 2009 in terms of number of sales.

As you can see in the chart above, the town of Tiburon tops the list of the most homes over three million dollars sold. The bulk of the luxury home sales are still under 3.5 million.

Top Ten Most Expensive Homes

The top ten most expensive homes sold year-to-date in Marin are as follows:

Ross	1 Upper Rd Ross, CA 94957	17,500,000	1/15/10	14,000,000
Ross	7 Laurel Grove Ave Ross, CA 94957	10,000,000	1/20/10	8,000,000
Tiburon	3680 Paradise Dr Tiburon, CA 94920	8,800,000	4/2/10	7,800,000
Belvedere	8 Eucalyptus Rd Belvedere, CA 94920	7,500,000	10/19/10	7,140,000
Tiburon	4639 Paradise Dr Tiburon, CA 94920	7,485,000	8/3/10	7,000,000
Tiburon	133 Sugarloaf Dr Tiburon, CA 94920	6,995,000	7/15/10	6,900,000
Sausalito	77 Harrison Ave Sausalito, CA 94965	8,750,000	4/15/10	6,834,000
Tiburon	232 Trinidad Dr Tiburon, CA 94920	7,995,000	3/10/10	6,500,000
Kentfield	65 Rock Rd Kentfield, CA 94904	5,500,000	5/17/10	5,500,000
Mill Valley	401 Lovell Ave Mill Valley, CA 94941	5,695,000	9/26/10	5,500,000

Both the price per square foot and the list price to sales price ratios were almost identical in 2009 and 2010. What’s to come for the luxury market? It’s still unclear how the meltdown of the mortgage markets will impact the overall economy and confidence in the real estate market. We’ll be watching carefully to see what’s next.

*information from Bay Area Real Estate Information Services.

Greenbrae’s Value & My Interview on Forbes

Ginger Wilcox — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 10:12:05 +0000

Forbes recently published their list of America’s most expensive zip codes, most of which have seen very sluggish home sales. As part of the story, they focused on real estate markets that have tremendous value for being the luxury home market “next door” to the toniest of neighborhoods. The Marin County neighborhoods of Kentfield and Greenbrae received the majority of the focus in the story which I was interviewed for.

Kentfield has seen prices decline 20% this year while Greenbrae is only down 9% according to stats by Altos Research.

Check out the video here:

View Greenbrae Homes for Sale
View Kentfield Homes for Sale

Kentfield School District Reinstates Teacher Aides

Ginger Wilcox — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 22:58:37 +0000

I was thrilled to open an email earlier today from Kentfield School District Superintendent Mary Jo Pettigrew. In the letter to Bacich and Kent parents, Mary Jo said the school board reinstated 21 classroom aides and approved the hiring of a 5th grade teacher to keep class sizes small. The funds for the positions are coming from “receipt of federal stimulus monies, a lower projected reduction in categorical funding for 2009-2010 from the state, the continued support of the Kentfield Schools Foundation and the fiscal prudence of the District.”

Despite lower property tax revenues and state budget cuts, the school has been able to keep small class sizes and enrichment programs such as art, music, woodshop, drama and physical education.

In addition to being good news for parents, the news is great for Kentfield/Greenbrae property owners. The high ranking school district helps keep property values in the community steady.

Interested in living in the Kentfield School District?

View Greenbrae Homes for Sale

View Kentfield Homes for Sale

Kentfield Real Estate Report

Ginger Wilcox — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 19:04:53 +0000

This market profile is a snapshot of what is happening in Kentfield. Home prices remain flat this week, The number of Kentfield homes for sale and the days on the market are both climbing. The Kentfield market action index has been trending down lately, indicating a weakening market.

Kentfield Real Estate Market Update

There are currently 45 homes* for sale in Kentfield, California. There are 5 homes under contract. (*single family)
Median List Price	$1,799,000
Highest Priced Home in Kentfield (single family)	$9,995,000 126 Cypress, Ave Kentfield
Lowest Priced Home in Kentfield (single family)	$875,000 17 Laurel Grove Avenue, Kentfield
Asking Price per Square Foot	$715
Average Days on Market	99
Percent of Properties with Price Decrease	42%
Percent Relisted	0%
Median House Size (sq ft)	2,988
Median Lot Size	0.25-0.50 acre
Median Number of Bedrooms	4.0
Median Number of Bathrooms	3.0
Market Action Index	8- Cold! Buyer’s Market

The Market Action Index answers the question: “How’s the Kentfield Real Estate Market?” By measuring the current rate of sale versus the amount of inventory. Index above 30 implies seller’s market conditions. Below 30, conditions favor the buyer.

Kentfield Real Estate Market Data effective as of June 28, 2009. Data provided by AltosResearch and Bay Area Real Estate Information Services, Inc. Are you a Kentfield 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. Download a sample report.

View current Kentfield homes for sale.