Getting the home you want

Even in this "down" market, here in Marin and S. Sonoma, the best houses can have multiple offers. Twice this month I had clients make offers on homes (one in San Rafael and one in Mill Valley) only to find out there were multiple offers. Both client's were able to get the homes with a little creativity.

The San Rafael deal had a multiple counter offer (this is when the Seller counters more than one offer and then pics the favorite...usually the price is the same on all counters and they just take the strongest financially). We decided to up our bid by 2k instead of just taking the Seller's standard counter price. The Seller took our offer because all three Buyers came back at the same price and we decided to add that 2K! The other agent said that it was the 2k that did it. The Seller had been planning on asking every Buyer to resubmit a new offer to create a bidding war, but was impressed with our effort and changed his mind taking our bid. Whew!

The Mill Valley property was very hot. We saw it on a Weds (the day it came out) and the other agent told me she had 4 or so offers circling. We wrote our offer, got it in that night with a 24 hour expiration. I wrote a letter about my client explaining that he was well qualified and that he was not an investor...I made it personal and the Seller decided to take our offer without looking at the other offers (there were more than 5 offers that came in that Friday!). The other agent said it was the letter that made them take the offer. They really wanted a Buyer who would love the house. A letter with your offer is a MUST!

Sometimes you have to act fast and think outside the box in order to get the home you want. I sure do love Real Estate!

Record Breaking Showing

Had a great day in San Rafael today. I have some clients who came up from Los Angeles to find a home in Terra Linda, Marinwood and Lucas Valley. They only had one day to find a home so we saw a whopping 20 homes in one appointment. Whew! I do believe that is my new record. We saw some wonderful homes under 800k. The inventory in San Rafael is terrific right now (August is always the peak for inventory in Marin). The Sun was shining and it was another fantastic day here in Marin!

Wacky Weather

This weather really makes me appreciate living in the beautiful Marin County area. Can you imagine if this is what the weather was like all of the time? Is it really 55 degrees and rainy in late May?

Despite the cold weather Marin Real Estate is moving. I am closing on a wonderful home in Sleepy Hollow tomorrow and a terrific home in Novato next week.

Now I am going to squeeze in a Mountian Bike ride! Hopefully the rain holds off.

The Tax Credits and New Listings

People love the tax credits! What a bonus for Buyers. I find that most Buyers are already in the market and the tax credits are just a nice little perk. I am not convinced that someone purchases a home in order to receive 8k. Most of my clients were already in the market for a home and they just enjoy the perk.

I have two new listings this week:

In Novato I have a light, bright and airy top floor end unit located in desirable Captain's Landing. 302 Mariner Way in Novato is a newly painted, move in ready unit, boasts vaulted ceilings, in unit washer/dryer, air conditioning and great views. Live in the perfect Novato location close to downtown and the 101 freeway. Enjoy the fitness center, relax by swimming pool and spa. Low HOA dues include water and garbage! This home is truly a great deal at 204K....still time to grab the tax credit too:-)

In Cotati I have 8276 Windmill Farms a beautiful detached PUD unit in desirable windmill farms! Easily the best location in the complex, this remodeled unit is move in ready. Lovingly maintained and completely renovated with new windows, exterior paint, all new flooring, roof, remodeled baths and kitchen complete with granite counters. Relax in the landscaped front and rear yards and stroll over the pool and tennis courts. This unit is light bright and ready for it's new owner and a steal at 225K.

Wonderful North Bay

Another great week here in the North Bay. After touring some great homes in Petaluma on Weds, I helped a client find her dream home. It is always so exciting when a client just knows. Too fun! Friday I spent 3 hours with my Mountain Bike and Mount Tam. This weekend my wife and I played tennis in the Novato city Championships and won the 3.5 mixed doubles division!
What a great place to live.

20 Mateo Drive

I was braving the crazy weather today at my new listing in Tiburon. It is a beautiful spacious custom Tiburon home located on a quite cul-de-sac. Truly a must see, this home has a wonderful flowing floor plan with 5 bedrooms including an Au Pair/Guest room, plus a home office and a media/playroom. I really Enjoy the Huge lot (almost an acre) w/ private tranquil seasonal creek and entertainment areas. It has been lovingly maintained by the current owners and it will appeal to your artistic side. Special features include: Hardwood floors, Stainless appliances and all new decks. Backing to Ring Mountain open space, the home has easy access to hiking trials. Everyone loves the award winning schools in Tiburon! Plus it is a great commute location only 15 minutes to the Golden Gate.

Please check out the tour:

http://www.Obeo.com/585769

The listings are coming!

As we leave the holiday season and head for the Spring our inventory here in Marin will increase more and more with each passing week until we peak in August or so. This week we had twice as many new listings as last week. Next week should be even better.

I promised a look into short sales so here we go! Short Sales have been very frustrating for buyers these past couple years. They can take anywhere between 3 months to 1 year or even more....there is nothing short about them! If a homeowner owes more than their house is worth (they cannot pay their mortgage anymore due to some sort of hardship) and they want to avoid foreclosure, they can attempt a short sale. Imagine if say "Bob Smith" owes 500K on his home in Petaluma. It is now only worth $350K. He puts it on the market and hopes the bank will eat the $150K (plus closing costs and back taxes). Once he has a Buyer he submits it to the bank along with his personal financial information and hardship letter. The bank then assigns someone from their loss and mitigation or short sale department who orders and appraisal etc... The process usually take a long long time...sometimes ending in foreclosure. The good news is that new government regulations are streamlining the process and soon (starting April 1st) the process is going to be standardized and much faster......we hope. I will keep you in the loop!

Whoa!

This week just flew by! Listings in Marin are just starting to come back on the market. Many Sellers take their homes off the market for the holidays and then re-introduce them in Jan. and early Feb. There were tons of new listings this week, but only about half were actually new listings. From here until August we will have more and more listings new listings.
Next week I will be explaining the mystery of short sales.

Windows for all

Thursday is Broker Tour day in Marin County. It was a beautiful day today....finally. I saw some great new listings in Mill Valley and Corte Madera today. Winter can be the best time for Buyers to find deals. There is less competition and the Sellers are usually motivated. 35 Carmelita Ave is just up from the park, and a few blocks from town. It is 3 days new on the market and a really nice 1906 Farm house with a HUGE grassy back yard at 1.149mil. I also saw 41 Sunrise in Homestead Valley...terrific views, new windows, great layout at 1.2mil. Lastly, I really liked 124 Stadium. It was beautifully remodelled, new windows, kitchen, baths, and great floor...not much yard but a great two car garage (something neither of the first two houses had).
OK - Today I want to talk about windows. We find many types of windows in Marin. They can be broken down into two groups dual panes or single paned...Here is an example of single paned windows from 1906:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6bKUeZ37dUo

There are also windows from the mid century that are single paned and metal. These types are my least favorite because they really let the heat and cool right through. In the 80's dual paned windows took off...but they were still metal. Metal is a conductor, so the heat and cool still make there way into your home...they do insulate against sound though. Take a look at this type:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uATlK189OZw

In the last decade or so we have gone to dual paned vinyl windows....they are terrific. They insulate against sound and weather! You can spot them easily by the wide white borders. Take a look:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dDrex5vlaTo

I am always free 7 days a week to answer your questions and show you property!

Cheers,

Jason

Heath Real Estate

Hello!
This is my second post of my Marin blog. I will be touring Marin Properties taking videos. Broker tours are full of tips and fun for my readers. I will be posting Thursday nights going forward.
This post is to introduce my new Brand: Heath Real Estate. A new face in Luxury Real Estate in Marin County. I also love working with first time buyers in Marin and Sonoma. There is no real estate question I can't answer, no transaction problem I can't solve, and no client I cannot help. I love real estate!!
I am very excited to get started. Tune in next week for my first Broker Tour Video!
Cheers,
Jason