Mountain bikers won’t want to miss this year’s annual Turkey Ride in Fairfax. It’s a 3-4 hour Thanksgiving Day ride out along the Pine Mountain Loop. Started in 1975 and celebrating the birthplace of mountain biking, this ride is an epic way to work up an appetite before you stuff yourself with all that turkey and mashed potatoes. Meet at Java Hut between 8-9 am for the start, and then end the ride at the Gestault Haus and top it off with a frosty pint of German beer. Last year we had something like 1,000 riders. Gobble, gobble!
Blog by the bay
Marin County, people, places, culture and real-estate
New listing alert: Privacy amid the action in downtown Mill Valley
This 2 bedroom, 2 bath townhome at 67A Lovell in Mill Valley is a great opportunity for those who like to be close to everything. It’s literally around the corner from restaurants, shopping, and nightlife, yet it’s really peaceful and private. A two-car garage and low HOA dues to boot.
More info at www.67lovell.com
A cute new listing in San Rafael…for just $279,000?
Yes! We just brought on a 2 bedroom house in Santa Venetia, with charm, a nice yard, and a 2-car garage, with an asking price of $279K. It’s a smaller house–950 square feet by the tax records–and it’s a short sale so the lender will have to approve any offer, but a nice opportunity for someone who wants to buy in Marin at a price point that’s rare for a nice house in the area. More info here.
Feds announce more help for some underwater homeowners
The Federal Housing Finance Agency announced today some changes to the Home Affordable Refinance Program (HARP). Basically, the idea is to make it possible for more people with loans backed by Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae to refinance to take advantage of low interest rates. The program has been limited to those who owed up to 125% of their home’s value, but they’re removing that limit so homeowners who are substantially underwater will be able to refi into lower payments, hopefully letting more people stay in their homes.
Of course if your loan isn’t backed by Freddie Mac or Fannie Mae, if you have a jumbo loan for example, this won’t be such exciting news.
You can read the official press release here.
New Listing: Sunny and Charming Fairfax Cottage
This week we brought on this super cute cottage just over the San Anselmo/Fairfax border. It has a flat lawn, tons of charm, and the location is great. A stone’s throw to downtown and a block from the new Good Earth grocery store, but just far enough from Sir Francis Drake to avoid the road noise. First Sunday open house tomorrow! www.20willowave.com
Marinwood gets its own high-end market
It’s been a great year for neighborhood markets in Marin. We stopped in the new Marinwood Market this week and were impressed to find a stylish grocery store with a nice deli, produce section, and meat department in the old Bell Market space…a much needed service for the neighborhood. They’re having their grand opening this weekend, complete with a bounce house for the kids, so we were told. Stop by if you’re in the area!
Hal Brown Park in Greenbrae, one of our new favorites
I know it reopened in February, but we just finally took the kids by Hal Brown Park (formerly Creekside Park), across from Marin General, and the renovation is impressive. It has great play structures, a large grassy area for playing soccer, an awesome loop for kids to ride their bikes around, and really sweet views of the lagoon and Mt. Tam. Great spot to picnic or have a kids birthday party. If you haven’t made it by it’s worth checking out while the weather is still nice.
And who doesn’t like owls?
Interesting item in SFGate. Sounds like a great way to control rat problems. Do they sell these boxes at Home Depot?
Pending rates for August
Here are the pending rates for August. It’s traditionally a slow month, with people out of town, but there’s still been strong activity in some parts off the county. Corte Madera, Greenbrae, and Fairfax continue to show a lot of demand relative to a small supply.
And here they are by price range. No surprise that the lower end continues to be stronger than the luxury market.
“Style Swap” for a good cause this Saturday in San Anselmo
From the Style Swap press release:
Marin County women will be swapping their jewelry and scarves to raise money to help less fortunate women re-enter the workplace at the first annual Style Swap this Saturday, September 17, in the parking lot next to the The Great Acorn Company located at 800 San Anselmo Avenue in downtown San Anselmo from 10 AM to 4 PM.
Sales and donations of jewelry and scarves will go to benefit Image for Success, a not-for-profit organization that provides two-week wardrobes to disenfranchised people in Marin County who are transitioning toward self-reliance. Image for Success not only provides the suit for the interview, but also clothes for everyday use – a critical need when someone is making the effort to change their life by re-entering the workplace.
How To Participate
There are three ways people can participate in this weekend’s Style Swap:
1. Bring jewelry and scarves that ‘just aren’t you’ anymore to The Great Acorn this week, or the day of the event on September 17, to redeem tickets that can be used to shop for other items at the event;
2. Donate jewelry and scarves to receive a tax deduction;
3. Just stop by and shop.
Additionally, Image for Success will accept other clothing donations during the Style Swap event.
“One woman’s fashion past can be another’s fabulous future,†said event co-organizer Laura Adler of Women of Inventions. “We all have things in our wardrobes that we just don’t wear anymore. We loved them at the time we got them. Now, instead of collecting dust, why not pass on the love to others.â€