BLOG - Marin Real Estate

MAR (Marin Association of Realtors) 2006 president came to my Rotary Club's meeting and talked abouer the "Truths" about Real Estate in Marin.  Some of her points (and expanded by me) are:

Truth # 1
Marin County has a diverse economy. It is not dominated by one large industry or company. Real Estate property in Marin is in limited supply. Marin is a highly favored place to live, have a family and work. All work together to stabilize the market and establish appreciation in Real Estate investments

Sylvia's Note - S.F. Bay Area is the gateway to the Pacific Rims, with great jobs, and the economy is coming back strong after the dot.com bust starting from the South Bay and up.  With limited supply (aided by all the designated Open Space), and positive outlook in the region, we are seeing upward trend slowing coming back.   

Truth #2
Balance in the R/E market is back. The days of multiple buyer offers is over. Our limited inventory of available properties varys normally with demand, win-win situations are normal where buyers and sellers actually negotiate a transaction.

Sylvia's note - In recent months, we have seen multiple offers cautiously coming back in ceratin pockets of the area, such as Mill Valley, Ross, Kentfield and in Novato, the least expensive town in Marin, if the house is priced right, situated in a great location 

Truth #3
The Fall of 2006 was the low point in the Marin market. For Marin, in Feb 2007 the number of sales were up 19% and the median sales price was up 6.4%. For Novato the number of sales were up 10% and the median sales price was up 7.9%. Since 1975 investment returns in R/E have been consistently up an average of 9.1%/yr. Yes, R/e estate investment is a good investment.

Truth #4
When selling R/e property like a residence, staging the property is a significant aide to selling the property.

Sylvia's Note - I have helped my clients staged many houses (there are different levels of staging, starting from cleaning/organizing to full house staging - see my staging page).  It is such a pleasure to see the huge before and after changes to the house.  It's also great to see how happy and proud my clients are after their houses are staged.  Walking into a home for the first time, a well staged house shows owner's pride and give an impression of a well-cared for, and loved house.    

sylvia's Note - As a Statistician by training, I know first hand how numbers can be very misleading if you don't know the facts, conditions behind the numbers.  Find the facts, don't just look at the surface.