Next stop:  Fun events with kids!

The Bay is brimming with fun events for kids this weekend.  Here are just a few.  Feel free to add additional events in the comments!

San Francisco

The 19th Annual Union Street Spring Celebration & Easter Parade takes place on Sunday April 4, 2010 from 10:00am – 5:00pm on Union Street between Gough & Steiner.  The event is a fun and eclectic San Francisco tradition.  The promo even mentioned roller blading cows!! The celebration features some of Union Street’s best restaurants serving attendees in an outdoor bistro setting along with a variety of activities including large inflatable bounces, kids’ rides and games, a climbing wall, a hands-on children’s activities area, costumed characters, a petting zoo, a pony ride and musical entertainment.

Spring Eggstravaganza takes place on Sunday, April 4, 2010 from 11 am – 3 pm at Stern Grove.  San Francisco throws a giant Easter celebration that’s kid-friendly but open to all ages. Egg hunts, carnival rides, arts and crafts, entertainment, food and giant inflatables will keep you busy. At Stern Grove, 19th Ave. and Sloat Blvd. $5 admission. For tickets or more information, call (415) 831-2700 during business hours.

Big Bunny’s Spring Fling at the San Francisco Zoo takes place every day from now until April 4th from 11am to 3pm. All activities are free with paid Zoo admission and include live entertainment, bunnies to see and learn about from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. (weather permitting), photo opportunities with a costumed bunny, crafts, and games to play. Additionally, the Zoo will offer one FREE child’s admission with one paid adult for kids ages 4 to 14 who bring along their favorite plush bunny.

Marin

Belvedere- Join the Easter bunny at the Belvedere Community Center’s Easter Bunny Brunch on Saturday, April 3, 2010 from 10 am-noon.  The event includes brunch, crafts, face painting, music and of course, an Easter egg hunt!  To purchase tickets, call the recreation office at (415) 435-4355 or visit the Belvedere Community Center website.

Corte Madera- The  Corte Madera Parks & Recreation will be hosting a Children’s Egg Hunt, Saturday, April 3, 2010 at the Corte Madera Town Park.   The hunt starts at 10am. For more info, call (415) 927-5073.

Fairfax- Fairfax hosts it’s annual Easter Egg Hunt at Bolinas Park Saturday, April 3, 2010 from 10:00 am-12:00.  Call 415-456-5652 for more information.

Mill Valley- The Strawberry Recreation District will be holding their Spring Faire on Saturday, April 3, 2010 from 11:30am to 4pm at the Strawberry Recreation Center at 118 E. Strawberry Drive.  The event features activities for children ages 1 to 8 and will include carnival games, prizes and an egg hunt.  $5 admission per child. Call 383-6494 for more information.

Sausalito hosts their 30^th Annual Easter Parade and Egg Hunt on Saturday, April 4, 2010 from 10am -2pm at Dunphy Park located on Caledonia Street and Bridgeway.  The schedule of events includes:

• 10:00am – Parade led by the Easter bunny!
• 10:15am – Egg Hunt
• 10:30am – Live Music
• 11am – Easter Bonnet Contest- bring your craziest, creative and beautiful Easter bonnets.

More information

San Anselmo- The San Anselmo Parks and Recreation holds an egg hunt on Friday, April 2 from 7:50 pm (don’t be late) for kids ages 8 and older at Memorial Park in San Anselmo. For kids under 7, check out the Children’s Egg Hunt at 11am on Saturday, April 3, 2010 at Memorial Park in San Anselmo.  Call (415) 258-4640 for more information.

Santa Cruz Area

Time for a Sunday drive?  Consider heading down to Felton in the Santa Cruz Mountains for the Eggstraordinary Egg Hunt III on Sunday April 4, 2010 at 2:00pm at Roaring Camp Railroads in Felton.  Kids take the steam train to Bear Mountain to hunt for thousands of chocolate candy eggs hidden by the Easter Bunny in a redwood forest and win prizes. Special Easter crafts and games for families and kids.  Sounds like a blast!

Why I love Marin

Today I was driving in the car with my sunroof open.  The bay sparkled in the background and the sky was beautifully blue and clear.  As I soaked up the sun, I thought to myself- this is why I love Marin. Sunshine.  Moderate temperatures.  Gorgeous landscape.  No snow shovels or snow plows.

Being able to open my sunroof in December….priceless

Did you know over a million visitors have experienced the Sausalito Art Festival, which has been taking place in gorgeous Sausalito since 1952.

The contemporary art festival features more than 20,000 works of art including paintings, sculpture, ceramics, jewelry, fiber art, fine glass, woodwork, mixed media, and photography.

Sausalito Art Festival Schedule- Labor Day Weekend 2009

• Friday September 4th · 6:00pm · Preview Party
• Saturday September 5th · 9:00am – 6:00pm
• Sunday September 6th · 9:00am – 6:00pm
• Monday September 7th · 9:00am – 5:00pm

More Information:

• Website
• Preview Party Tickets: 415.331.1142
• Information: 415.331.3757

P.S. Take the ferry if you are coming from San Francisco- Marin traffic is expected to be a mess with the Bay Bridge closure

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

Larkspur Real Estate Market Update

There are currently 31 homes* for sale in Larkspur, California. There are 4 homes under contract. (*single family)
Median List Price	$1,469,000
Highest Priced Home in Larkspur (single family)	$2,895,000 51 Hillcrest, Larkspur
Lowest Priced Home in Larkspur (single family)	$750,000 228 Madrone Ave, Larkspur
Asking Price per Square Foot	$642
Average Days on Market	115
Percent of Properties with Price Decrease	36%
Percent Relisted	6%
Median House Size (sq ft)	2,295
Median Lot Size	6,501-8,000 Sq. Feet
Median Number of Bedrooms	3.0
Median Number of Bathrooms	2.5
Market Action Index	15- Cold! Buyer’s Market

The Market Action Index answers the question: “How’s the Larkspur 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.

Larkspur 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 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. Download a sample report.

Greenbrae Real Estate Market Update

There are currently 21 homes* for sale in Greenbrae, California. There are 7 homes under contract. (*single family)
Median List Price	$1,199,000
Highest Priced Home in Greenbrae (single family)	$2,695,000 26 La Cuesta Drive, Greenbrae
Lowest Priced Home in Greenbrae (single family)	$799,000 265 Vista Grande, Greenbrae
Asking Price per Square Foot	$544
Average Days on Market	122
Percent of Properties with Price Decrease	42%
Percent Relisted	0%
Median House Size (sq ft)	2,168
Median Lot Size	0.25-0.50 acre
Median Number of Bedrooms	4.0
Median Number of Bathrooms	2.4
Market Action Index	16- Cold! Buyer’s Market

The Market Action Index answers the question: “How’s the Greenbrae 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.

Greenbrae 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 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. Download a sample report.

Despite the many credit scoring models in use today, however, just 3 are relevant to American homeowners:

• The Equifax BEACON^® score
• The Experian Fair Isaac Risk Model
• The TransUnion EMPIRICA^®

Generically, these scoring models generate what are commonly known as “FICO” scores.

FICO scores are measurements of probability.  The higher a person’s credit score, by definition, the less likely a person is to default on his home loan.  This is one reason why credit scoring has added importance lately — mortgage lenders are very careful about what they’re lending and to whom.

Notably, minimum FICO thresholds have been added to all types of mortgage loans.

FICO scoring has 5 main components as listed above.  Payment history and credit capacity are two of the largest pieces, but a myriad of other factors contribute to a credit score, too.  For example, the longer your reported history of managing credit, the more favorably your credit score will respond.

The myFICO.com website does a terrific job with credit education, explaining in plain language the ins-and-out of credit scoring and ways to boost your score.  It also makes a free, 20-page PDF available for download. 

Whether you’re a homeowner or lifetime renter — consider it required reading.

1. AWESOME Interest Rates
2. Less Competition- you have a better chance of getting the home you want without feeling the pressure to bid against several other buyers (in most cases).
3. Reduced Home Prices- values have come down approximate 10-40% (depending on location) over the last 2-3 years. 2008 will see the first year over year price decline in Marin County since 1992. This is a rare opportunity to purchase a great asset at a discount.
4. Motivated sellers-for the first time in over a decade the buyer has the upper hand over the seller in (most) negotiations.
5. Top Notch Schools- The public and private schools in Marin are outstanding with test scores off the charts.
6. Fabulous Lifestyle -Marin is a wonderful place to live. The natural beauty is awe inspiring and we enjoy vast areas of protected open space for hiking, biking and gazing at, which is all free and part of the privilege of living in Marin.
7. Location, Location, Location- proximity to San Francisco, the wine country, the California coast and the Sierras.
8. Weather-  On Monday, the high in Chicago is expected to be 33 degrees and snowing.  In Marin, 65 and sunny.
9. Rent vs Own Gap Decreasing- The gap between what you pay for rent vs. what you pay to own is closer than it has been in years especially when taking tax breaks into consideration. The combination of increasing rents and declining property values has tilted the opportunity towards owning.
10. Timing is everything- Looking back throughout history the best time to buy any valuable asset is when the headlines are the bleakest. Buy when others aren’t.

Yes, there I said it.  I really love living in Marin County.  Anytime I leave the area and return home,  as I cross back over the Golden Gate Bridge into Marin County, I find a smile lights up on my face.  I could have been vacationing on the Mexican Riviera, and I still smile when I come home.  I think that says a lot.

I love the view coming through the Waldo Tunnel- the lights twinkling in the Sausalito harbor at night, crystal blue water during the day, Mt. Tam majestic in the distance.  Oh, sometimes we are socked in fog, but often, I leave a foggy San Francisco and can see the skies open up in to glorious sunshine.  Marin County truly has some of the best weather in the country- never too hot or too cold.  Despite living in such an affluent community, I find most Marin residents are very friendly. I  love all of the quaint downtown areas in places like Larkspur and Mill Valley.  Sometimes I feel like I have stepped back in time- “quaint” downtown areas are non-existent in the suburbs of Arizona where I grew up.

If you are lucky enough to live here, you probably know how special it is.  Sure, Marin housing prices are ridiculous.  Part of the reason they are is because we live in such a special place- close proximity to San Francisco, easy commute, tons of outdoor activities year around,

Marin, glorious Marin.  I am happy to call you my home.

If you don’t like living in the fog, these pictures demonstrate is an excellent reason to drive just a couple more exits north on the 101 freeway.  As you can see, the fog sits on the mountains between Mill Valley and Corte Madera/Larkspur.  While Mill Valley, Tiburon, Belvedere, Sausalito and San Francisco are socked in with fog, often the rest of Marin is sunny (and frequently 5-10 degrees warmer).

Unfamiliar with Marin?  It is important to understand the many weather micro-climates of the communities. A few miles (even within the same city) can mean a substantial difference in fog, light, wind, sunshine, and even rain.