Skip to content

Blog by the bay

Home loveMarin County, people, places, culture and real-estate

Sausalito Art Festival -Labor Day Weekend

Sausalito Art FestivalThe Sausalito Art Festival kicks off Friday at 6pm with a gala and then continues through Labor Day. The festival is located along the shore of Sausalito at Marinship Park and the Bay Model Visitor Center.

The art festival offers a great opportunity to see works of art in several mediums and it also allows you to meet the artists one-on-one. In addition to the contemporary art, festival goers will be able to enjoy live entertainment on three stages (Main Stage, Artist Stage and Children Stage) and gourmet food & wine. Continue reading

Greenbrae Community Picnic- September 9th

Greenbrae School ParkThe Greenbrae Community Picnic will take place on Sunday, September 9 from 3-7 pm at the Greenbrae School Park (off Parkside Way). Children’s activities include a climbing wall, jumppee, jula hoop demonstrations & more! Watermelon BoyThe picnic will be catered by Swami Tommy’s BBQ Experience and will feature sliced tri-tip, chicken, side dishes & salad. Live bluegrass music will be performed by the David Thom Band.

Tickets: $8 children/ $12 adults in advance, $10 children/$15 adults the day of the event. Admission fee includes meal, beverage, and dessert + entertainment.
Need More Info? Contact me!

 

40,000 Jobs Lost in Mortgage Industry

Looking for a job?40,000 job lost in the blink of an eye. It is incredibly sad to see so many jobs lost. This article in SFGate is an excellent summary of what has happened this year. The construction industry has lost 20,000+, and the National Association of Realtors reports declining membership as well.

Some of these losses can be a good thing. Hopefully the untrained and unscrupulous will go away. Real estate has been booming over the last five years. Sellers have made easy money, as have loan brokers and real estate agents. A leveling out of the market is not a bad thing. A leveling of the playing field for buyers and sellers is ok.

How many more mortgage companies will go down before it levels out? How far up will rates goes? Where will housing prices go?

These are all excellent questions, which we can only speculate at.

Kentfield Market Snapshot

Kentfield Real Estate Update as of August 23, 2007
*Single Family Homes Only

Homes Sold Year to Date56

  • Median Price – $2,193,500
  • Highest Sale – $8,863,000
  • Lowest Sale – $925,000
  • Average Days on Market- 70

Active Listings – 23

  • Median $2,299,000
  • Average Days on Market -114

None of the 23 listings have had price reductions.

Currently In Contract- 5

  • Median $2,500,000
  • Average Days on Market- 63

Marin Neighborhoods- Corte Madera Part 1

Corte Madera Town CenterCorte Madera has long been a hidden gem in Southern Marin.

Everyone knows where Corte Madera is- it is the retail center of Southern Marin. Corte Madera Town Center and the The Village at Corte Madera Shopping Mall flank highway 101. From Nordstroms & Williams Sonoma, to Il Fornaio & Champagne Bakery. Corte Madera has tons of fabulous shops and restaurants.

But do people actually live in Corte Madera? Yes! They do! Continue reading

Do you have an Adjustable Rate Mortgage?

Have an adjustable rate mortgage that will be reset within the next 12 months?

Get a mortgage check up sooner rather than later. Actually, call a mortgage broker NOW. Call a Marin Mortgage Broker- NOW!

According to Sofia Nadjibi, a mortgage broker with Union Trust Mortgage, borrowers struggling with monthly payments now might be shocked to know that monthly payments can double in some cases once an ARM resets.

Double???? Now that could be pretty scary! If you ARM is about to reset, call a qualified mortgage professional today to discuss your options!

Should You Buy, Should You Sell? Part 1

Marin Mortgage PuzzleThe mortgage market is definitely on shaky ground and it is impacting the real estate market- even in Marin County. So, should you buy, sell or hold? This is a great question without a blanket answer.The news reports indicate that the market is going to tank, but they often paint a wide doom and gloom picture of what is happening. The Marin real estate market is substantially different than the rest of the country. The cities, towns and even subdivisions within Marin vary greatly with regards to the state of the market. Some areas have been hit pretty hard this year. Many have not. There is no doubt the lowest priced homes and the more affordable neighborhoods have suffered but overall, Marin County has still done pretty good.

Continue reading

Marin Neighborhoods- Strawberry Part 2

Strawberry Shoreline, Mill Valley, CaliforniaThis is Part 2 of my Marin Neighborhoods series about Strawberry in Mill Valley, California. (View Strawberry Part 1)

Strawberry has many diverse neighborhoods and housing styles. Despite its close proximity to San Francisco, it is still somewhat of a hidden gem among Mill Valley neighborhoods.

Continue reading