Hello, again! In spite of the doom & gloom, houses are still selling here in Marin! The key seems to be proper pricing and appearance of the home. Yes, we know home sales are down 34% from 2007, and the median price has fallen quite a bit. However, in most areas of Marin County homes are selling, and, in some cases, with multiple offers. No, this isn't a return to the glory days of a few years ago, but it DOES prove that all is not as dark as some so-called 'experts' claim. Foreclosures and short sales are impacting the market somewhat, but, once again, it's a very geographical issue--some areas have much more of this than others.

Making it short & sweet, people always have to have a place to live. If you price your home at what the real market value is, and don't get carried away with unrealistic ideas for pricing, your home will likely sell, and very possibly in 30-60 days. Staging it so it looks as good as it can is also very highly recommended. The better a home appears to a potential buyer, the more likely that buyer is to want to make you an offer. Call us for a free valuation of your home, or for any info on the state of the market. We'd be happy to help!

Hello everybody! Just an update or two on Marin Real Estate--As we continue to hear dire predictions of more doom and gloom for real estate from all directions, we are finding more than ever--they are not necessarily true! Yes, home prices are falling in many areas. Yes, total numbers of homes sold are down significantly from a year ago. BUT--NOT EVERYWHERE!! We are finding more and more evidence that a home priced correctly and properly prepared for sale will bring a well priced offer--and in some cases, multiple offers (That's right--multiple offers).
If you want to successfully sell your home, you MUST do certain things to prepare it for market. You must have it looking as good as it can look. This means cleaning up or repairing any items that you've been 'living with'; repainting where a fresh coat of paint will give your property that 'like new' appearance; possibly replacing carpet if the existing carpet is old, worn or hopelessly stained; and then staging the home.
Some of you will scoff, but over the last few years, it has been proven over and over again--staging sells houses. It is like the 'model home' in a new development. People see the home as it can look and say, "I have to buy this house--it's beautiful." Staging gets the same reaction. Spending a few thousand dollars can make the difference in sale price of tens of thousands or of selling the home versus failing to at all.
If you're thinking of selling, but uncomfortable with all of the doomsaying 'experts' call us--we have some ideas for you!

Hello, again! Happy New Year! As we move into 2008, the market is still in an evolving status. Numbers of sales in Marin have continued to slow in terms of numbers sold compared to 2007. However, prices are showing that homes can still garner top offers if they are initially priced correctly, and are properly prepared for showing. This means staging the home, coupled with a multi-faceted marketing campaign. Today, such a campaign must include much exposure to the Internet. Internet exposure means going beyond just having your home shown on the MLS or the agent's own web site. It also includes placing it on as many sites as possible, including one custom built just for the property. A good example of this is : www.366summitave.com . Any listing The Richmonds take places the property on over 90 separate sites, including the custom built one.
Thinking of selling, or just curious about what your home is worth in today's market? Give us a call or email us at: pjrichmond@pacunion.com , and we'll be happy to assist.

Welcome back to the Richmond Report! Just an update for you on the Marin market--the market for Marin County residential properties seems to be one of dichotomy. On the one hand, the slowdown talked about everywhere has also arrived in Marin. But that is only as to the number of sales compared to a year ago. Numbers of sales are down about 25% from November 2006. However, the prices continue to rise, with the countywide median price up to $975,000, as compared with last year's $964,000.
Of course, some individual towns vary from this, but these are overall Marin figures.
Check back in a few days for more!
And don't forget: you can email us at: pjrichmond@pacunion.com; or call at: (415) 531-4091/279-6466.
Peter & Jane

Welcome to the Richmond Report. Here, you’ll find helpful information about Marin County real estate. Check in whenever you feel like it. We hope you find the information posted here informative and helpful to you. If you have any questions, want some assistance regarding your own existing property or some help in finding just the right property to buy for home or investment, check in here any time at all. We’ll leave the light on for you.

One of the hottest local topics at the present time is what’s happening in the Marin real estate market. After eight or nine years of record increases in values, multiple offers, and sellers realizing huge gains on the sale of their real estate, a change has arrived on the scene. No, the so-called ‘bubble’ hasn’t burst. There never was a bubble, in our opinion. What HAS happened is that the market has undergone a slowdown, the effect of which is that buyers are taking their time before buying and they are also being much more particular as to how much they pay for a piece of property. Coupled with increased loan rates, this has resulted in longer periods of time on the market for a home before it sells, and more listings expiring unsold.

So, what can you do about this if you’re a seller? The most important thing you can do is not overprice your home. Price is always important in selling a house, but with the market leveling out more and more it has become more important now than ever. Some houses are not remaining on the market for much longer periods of time. Rather, they are still selling in 1-2 weeks, sometimes with more than one offer. The reason for these exceptions to the market is simple. They were priced correctly with the current market in mind. Curious what your home is worth? Give us a call. We’d love to help you.

Welcome to the first edition of the Richmond Report. This will appear regularly on a bi-weekly basis. It will keep you up to date on all the happenings in the Bay Area real estate market.