Marin Real Estate

Bay Area Real Estate Sales.com Newsletter

October 2007

IN THIS ISSUE:

Marin Home Sales Statistics

Home Prices Tumble??

What Did Your Neighbors' House Sell For?

Search the Marin MLS for a New Marin Home

Mortgage Melt-Down Update

Pro's Guide To Painting Home Exteriors

What Do Liz's Clients Say?

Fast Facts

MARIN HOME SALES STATISTICS

As expected, the credit crunch had a big impact on sales last month. Sales of single-family, re-sale homes fell 39.3% from the month before, and were off 33.3% year-over-year. Year-to-date, home sales are down 2.2%. We expect sales to be slow this month, then start to recover at the end of the quarter as the credit crunch is alleviated.

The median price for single-family, re-sale homes in Marin County fell 3.3% in September, compared to the month before, up 14% year-over-year. The average price rose 7.8% to set a new record, and was up 22.6% year-over-year.

The median price for condos soared 29% to $632,000, a new record, and was up 14.8%, year-over-year. The average price rose 11.2% to $704,114, up 18.4% compared to September 2006. With only 22 condos sold last month, these prices are certainly anomalous. Condo sales were down 52.2% from August, and off 60.7% year-over-year. Year-to-date, condo sales are off 17.1%.

Prices have not really declined here in Marin. What has declined is the number of sales as well as the percentage of homes under contract. As you can see from the numbers the average sales price has increased over the prior month as well as the prior year. The strongest segment of the market is the "luxury Market" those homes over $2 million. Buyers are still making offers on good properties.

The percentage of listed home in contract, "Pending listed ratio" is a good indication of the strength of each market. Anything between a 20%-25% ratio bodes a balanced market where we have an equal number of buyers and sellers. Anything less than 20% is pushing towards a buyer's market. As you can see from the numbers Marin is in a Buyer's market (see chart below), and has been there for at least the past 6 months. It is important to keep in mind that real estate in Marin is location specific, and you will need to drill down to each market segment before you draw a broad conclusion as some areas continue to have strength especially those towns in southern Marin with good school districts.

MARIN HOME (CONDO + SFR) SALES STATISTICS - BY CITY AS OF 10/15/07
City	Total	Active	Number in Contract***	Percent in Contract*	Type of Market* (See Key)
Belvedere	22	19	3	14	Strong Buyers
Corte Madera	29	23	6	21	Buyers
Fairfax	26	19	7	27	Buyers
Greenbrae	33	27	6	18	Strong Buyers
Kentfield	32	26	6	19	Strong Buyers
Larkspur	32	26	6	19	Strong Buyers
Mill Valley	121	92	26	21	Buyers
Novato	371	328	43	12	Strong Buyers
Ross	21	15	6	29	Buyers
San Anselmo	52	38	14	27	Buyers
San Rafael	285	237	48	17	Strong Buyers
Sausalito	56	44	12	21	Buyers
Tiburon	85	69	16	19	Strong Buyers
Others	86	77	9	10	Extreme Buyers
Total Marin 10/15/07	1,251	1,043	208	16.63	Strong Buyers
Total Marin 9/18/07	1,232	1,043	187	15.18%	Strong Buyers
Total Marin 8/15/07	1,190	951	239	20.8%	Strong Buyers
Total Marin 7/15/07	1,252	969	283	22.60%	Buyers
Total Marin 6/16/07	1,325	1,003	322	24.30%	Buyers
Total Marin 5/16/07	1,286	948	338	26.28%	Buyers
Total Marin 4/15/07	1,108	793	315	28.43%	Buyers
Total Marin 3/15/07	966	688	278	28.78	Buyers
Total Marin 2/15/07	893	631	262	29.34%	Buyers
Total Marin 1/15/07	720	548	172	23.89%	Buyers
Total Marin 12/15/06	898	669	229	25.5%	Buyers
Total Marin 11/16/06	1,197	902	295	24.64%	Buyers
Total Marin 10/15/06	1,401	1,095	306	21.84%	Buyers
Total Marin 9/15/06	1,395	1,127	268	19.21%	Strong Buyers
Total Marin 8/18/06	1,346	1,029	317	23.55%	Buyers
Total Marin 7/13/06	1392	1077	315	22.63%	Buyers
Total Marin 6/16/06	1323	959	364	27.51%	Buyers
Total Marin 5/18/06	1,177	817	360	31%	Balanced
Total Marin 4/10/06	977	629	348	36%	Sellers
Total Marin 3/15/06	894	597	297	33%	Balanced

MARIN HOME SALES STATISTICS - BY PRICE RANGE AS OF 10/15/07
Price	Total	Active	Number in Contract***	Percent in Contract*	Type of Market* (See Key)
$100,000-$499,999	169	149	20	12	Strong Buyers
$500,000-$749,999	286	238	48	17	Strong Buyers
$750,000-$999,999	241	195	46	19	Strong Buyers
$1,000,000-$1,499,999	230	187	43	19	Strong Buyers
$1,500,000-$1,999,999	127	99	28	22	Buyers
$2,000,000-$2,499,999	59	52	7	12	Strong Buyers
$2,500,000-$2,999,999	47	44	3	6	Extreme Buyers
$3,000,000-$3,999,999	45	38	7	16	Strong Buyers
Over $4,000,000	47	41	6	13	Strong Buyers
Total Marin 10/15/07	1,251	1,043	208	17	Strong Buyers

Key to market type:*
0% - 10% of Homes in Escrow: Extreme Buyers	36% - 45% of Homes in Escrow: Sellers
11% - 20% of Homes in Escrow: Strong Buyers	46% - 55% of Homes in Escrow: Strong Sellers
21% - 30% of Homes in Escrow: Buyers	56% - 100% of Homes in Escrow: Extreme Sellers
31% - 35% of Homes in Escrow: Balanced Market

Buyers right now have the upper hand but if rates continue to move downward and the credit markets stabilize then the market will become more competitive for buyers. If you are pre-approved for a loan and are ready to make an offer now is as good a time as any to step in and test the waters.

The time it takes from when a home is listed for sale to when it is put under contract fell one day to 75 in September. The average days on market for condos fell 16 days to 74 days.

The sales price to list price ratio for single-family home dropped 0.9 of a point to 97.5%. The condo ratio gained 1.3 points to 98.8%.

Although the credit crunch is having an effect on home sales, there is money available at reasonable rates from portfolio lenders. These are lenders that loan their own money and do not bundle up the loans for re-sale on Wall Street. Some examples are ING, local credit unions, and some small local business banks. Also, Countrywide, and some of the bigger banks, are planning to keep more of their loans in-house.

The real estate market is very hard to generalize. It is a market made up of many micro markets. For complete information on a particular neighborhood or for an evaluation of your home's worth, call me.

If I can help you devise a strategy, call or click the buying or selling link in the menu to the left.

Monthly Statistics

Complete monthly sales statistics for Marin County are below. Monthly graphs are available for each city in the county. Just email me!

September Sales Statistics
(Single-family Homes)
	Prices		Unit			Change from last year
	Median	Average	Sales	DOM	SP/LP	Median	Average	Sales
Marin	$1,015,000	$1,511,190	108	75	97.5%	14.0%	22.6%	-33.3%
Belvedere	$3,810,000	$3,488,333	3	50	100.7%	49.7%	37.1%	50.0%
Corte Madera	$996,500	$1,022,167	6	30	101.6%	9.3%	14.3%	20.0%
Fairfax	$1,525,000	$1,525,000	2	57	99.5%	-6.3%	-16.3%	-30.0%
Greenbrae	$1,149,000	$1,224,333	3	40	100.2%	-13.9%	-19.5%	0.0%
Kentfield	$2,300,000	$2,166,667	3	70	100.1%	66.0%	52.4%	-25.0%
Larkspur	$817,500	$817,500	2	33	92.9%	-54.6%	-58.9%	-60.0%
Mill Valley	$1,300,000	$1,418,237	19	55	97.5%	9.7%	-1.4%	11.8%
Novato	$780,705	$820,118	14	71	96.2%	4.1%	-7.2%	-71.4%
Ross	$5,950,000	$4,841,667	3	107	94.2%	202.4%	141.8%	-25.0%
San Anselmo	$749,500	$855,000	6	51	96.4%	-15.7%	-14.6%	-33.3%
San Rafael	$849,790	$987,156	25	61	98.7%	2.4%	-5.1%	-13.8%
Sausalito	$1,825,000	$1,908,333	3	97	95.9%	83.2%	39.6%	-57.1%
Tiburon	$3,500,000	$3,455,167	9	171	96.5%	45.8%	45.8%	-30.8%

September Sales Statistics
(Condos/Townhomes)
	Prices		Unit			Change from last year
	Median	Average	Sales	DOM	SP/LP	Median	Average	Sales
Marin	$632,000	$704,114	22	74	98.8%	14.8%	18.4%	-60.7%
Corte Madera	$0	$0	0	0	0.0%	n/a	n/a	n/a
Greenbrae	$545,000	$545,000	2	23	100.0%	-22.0%	-22.0%	0.0%
Mill Valley	$868,000	$1,071,400	5	100	98.4%	48.1%	74.0%	-16.7%
Novato	$545,000	$518,500	7	64	99.1%	12.0%	5.1%	-41.7%
San Rafael	$503,250	$586,625	4	123	99.4%	-10.0%	1.9%	-85.2%
Sausalito	$723,750	$723,750	2	26	98.2%	9.7%	11.8%	-60.0%
Tiburon	$0	$0	0	0	0.0%	n/a	n/a	n/a

As always, it's important to view the individual city and price range stats - see the chart below for more details.

As always, drop me an email with any questions or call me at 415-250-4929.

I'm always searching for ways to bring my clients and readers more local real estate statistics. I'm pleased to announce the launch of my new Marin home Sales Statistics page. To view, go to: Marin Real Estate Statistics.

If you know of anyone who would like to receive this monthly newsletter or is thinking of either buying or selling a home please let me know. I'd love your referrals!

DAYS ON MARKET (DOM)**
Date	Average	Median	Maximum
Sept 07	75	52	450

Trends at a Glance
(Single-family Homes)
	Aug 07	Jul 07	Aug 06
Median Price:	$1,050,000	$985,000	$972,500
Average Price:	$1,402,247	$1,368,381	$1,227,378
Home Sales:	178	203	242
Sale/List Price Ratio:	98.4%	96.3%	97.6%
Days on Market:	76	70	64

**Based on information from Bay Area Real Estate Information Services, Inc. (BAREIS). Information has not been verified, is not guaranteed, and is subject to change and is based on one period of time."

***Includes all: Sale Pending & Contingent properties

August Sales Statistics
(Single-family Homes)
	Prices		Unit			Change from last year
	Median	Average	Sales	DOM	SP/LP	Median	Average	Sales
Marin	$1,050,000	$1,402,247	178	76	98.4%	8.0%	14.2%	-26.4%
Belvedere	$3,000,000	$6,322,000	5	209	97.6%	-1.1%	108.5%	150.0%
Corte Madera	$1,025,000	$988,344	9	47	97.2%	4.1%	-12.4%	-18.2%
Fairfax	$789,000	$816,857	7	35	103.9%	-6.3%	-16.3%	-30.0%
Greenbrae	$1,350,000	$1,184,000	5	35	103.9%	25.6%	17.6%	66.7%
Kentfield	$1,750,000	$1,882,937	9	70	99.1%	-15.3%	-12.0%	125.0%
Larkspur	$1,237,000	$1,237,000	2	66	99.2%	-26.0%	-21.9%	-75.0%
Mill Valley	$1,080,000	$1,316,894	33	47	99.4%	-2.9%	3.7%	-17.5%
Novato	$842,700	$885,266	29	85	98.0%	4.7%	-4.3%	-53.2%
Ross	$1,667,500	$3,335,167	3	128	98.7%	-8.1%	45.3%	0.0%
San Anselmo	$985,000	$976,800	18	70	97.9%	15.9%	-6.2%	28.6%
San Rafael	$820,000	$1,085,676	27	64	99.2%	-7.1%	1.7%	-48.1%
Sausalito	$1,612,500	$1,841,136	11	166	96.9%	-21.3%	-9.3%	37.5%
Tiburon	$1,300,000	$1,978,875	8	64	98.6%	-48.1%	-27.7%	-27.3%

August Sales Statistics
(Condos/Townhomes)
	Prices		Unit			Change from last year
	Median	Average	Sales	DOM	SP/LP	Median	Average	Sales
Marin	$490,000	$633,204	46	90	97.5%	-10.7%	6.4%	-14.8%
Corte Madera	$0	$0	0	0	0.0%	n/a	n/a	n/a
Greenbrae	$434,750	$434,750	2	48	98.5%	-24.4%	-24.4%	0.0%
Mill Valley	$519,500	$519,500	2	65	96.3%	-30.7%	-30.0%	-77.8%
Novato	$452,000	$435,048	13	109	95.8%	-11.4%	-12.4%	-31.6%
San Rafael	$444,250	$556,839	14	111	97.5%	-19.1%	-2.8%	-12.5%
Sausalito	$674,000	$691,100	5	60	98.7%	7.0%	-8.7%	66.7%
Tiburon	$1,410,000	$1,368,000	6	64	97.8%	28.8%	24.9%	500.0%

FREE...You can search for Marin listings directly on BayAreaRealEstateSales.com: Search for Homes

HOUSE PRICES TUMBLE??

Did you read the Marin Independent Journal (Marin IJ)headline on 10/19? It read: "House Prices Tumble from August"

Our local newspaper LOVES to sell newspapers with real estate headlines! It sells papers. I find it interesting that they changed the on-line headline of the article to read: " Marin Single-Family Home Price Holds Steady With a Year Ago While Sales Decline."

Now, September 2007 was the lowest sales month of ANY MONTH since one reviewer has been keeping records (1988). Unit sales were down over 40% from the previous year ( and that was a 35% decrease from the year before). Listings were down 28.5% and total dollar volume was down 23.7% from 2006. These dismal results follow a 25.4% decrease in unit sales for August. Average price for the year is still up but total dollar volume for the year is up just over 1%.

But home prices Tumble? ...

Here's the article from the Marin IJ, you be the judge:

"Late summer's credit crunch continued to plague the housing market in September, time-warping Marin's median single-family home price back to what it was a year ago.

The median single-family home price in Marin in September was $860,000, just shy of the $863,500 in September 2006, according to La Jolla-based DataQuick Information Systems. The median single-family home price in August was $1 million.

"September was a really difficult month in Marin," said Valerie C, president of the Marin Association of Realtors and an agent with Pacific Union Real Estate in Greenbrae.

"The total sales dropped dramatically, more than we've seen in recent years," she said. "The segment of the market that is most hard hit are properties under $1 million. ... Having said all that, truly there are some values out there."

Last month, 158 single-family homes sold, down from 201 in August and 209 in September of last year - a 24 percent decline.

Condominium sales were down 4.2 percent in September, dropping to a median price of $570,000 from $595,000 a year ago. The August median was $520,000. The number of condos sold was half of what it was last year. Thirty-five condos sold in September, compared with 57 the month before and 70 in September 2006.

A slowing housing market and tighter credit climate - particularly in jumbo lending - is to blame, officials said. A jumbo mortgage is a home loan for $417,000 or more. In Marin, nearly 80 percent of home loans are jumbo loans, industry officials have said.

"Lenders closed the spigot on these so-called jumbo loans - everything got locked down," DataQuick analyst John Karevoll said. "It was an over-reaction. They knew it at the time but they were just being cautious." Lenders are easing up, but it is expected to be months before the dust settles, he said.

"We just don't know how much of those deals that didn't go through in September are being time-shifted or deep-sixed," he said.

Marin, as usual, is not suffering like other Bay Area communities, he added.

"It's a unique submarket that has always done its own thing," he said. "It's probably going to be less impacted by this than the rest of the Bay Area. É Lenders are cherry picking. There's just more cherries in Marin, proportionally speaking, than elsewhere. "

Regionally, Bay Area home sales sank to their lowest level in more than two decades in September, DataQuick reported.

The median price paid for a Bay Area home was $625,000 last month, down 4.6 percent from $655,000 in August, and up 0.8 percent from $620,000 from September last year.

A total of 5,014 new and resale houses and condos were sold in the nine-county Bay Area in September. That was down 31.3 percent from 7,299 in August, and down 40.1 percent from 8,374 for September a year ago, DataQuick said.

Sales have decreased on a year-over-year basis the past 32 months. Last month was the slowest September in DataQuick's statistics, which go back to 1988, analysts said.

While Marin may be somewhat insulated, folks that can't sell their homes or qualify for as large a loan will affect the market locally, Berlinger said. "Typically in Marin we buy within Marin," he said. "If they can't sell their house for what they thought it was worth, their next move up is reduced."

Homes that hit the sweet spot will move - it is Marin, after all, Berlinger noted.

"Well-located, well-priced houses are still going to sell," he said. "We're dealing with a finite inventory - that's our saving grace.""

Marin IJ 10.19.07/Jennifer Upshaw

FREE...You can search for Marin listings directly on BayAreaRealEstateSales.com: Search for Homes

WHAT DID YOUR NEIGHBORS' HOUSE SELL FOR?

Are you Curious to know what the Median home price is in your neighborhood?

The Neighborhood Homes Sold listing is a weekly reader feature of the Sunday San Francisco Chronicle. The data posted here is typically recorded a few months after the property officially sold. This is the public data available in the published tax records. The home addresses, sales price, number of bedrooms, square footage and the year the homes were built are based on information supplied from Bay Area counties' property transaction records which, in some cases, may not be complete.
Previous editions of Neighborhood Homes Sold

Click on the following links to see what price homes sold for in your neighborhood:

10/21/07 Oct 21 Marin Home Sales

10/14/07 Oct 14 Marin Home Sales

10/07/07 Oct 07 Marin Home Sales

09/30/07 Sept 30 Marin Home Sales

FREE...You can search for Marin listings directly on BayAreaRealEstateSales.com: Search for Homes

SEARCH THE MARIN MLS FOR A NEW MARIN HOME

The following links will take you to home searches for different cities in Marin.
All search results are displayed from the highest price to the lowest price. You can scroll through pages at a time.

Belvedere homes for sale: Belvedere Homes For Sale
Corte Madera homes for sale: Corte Madera Homes For Sale
Fairfax homes for Sale: Fairfax Homes For Sale
Greenbrae homes for sale: Greenbrae Homes For Sale
Kentfield homes for sale: Kentfield Homes For Sale
Larkspur homes for sale: Larkspur Homes For Sale
Mill Valley homes for sale: Mill Valley Homes For Sale
Novato homes for Sale: Novato Homes For Sale
Ross homes for sale: Ross Homes For Sale
San Anselmo homes for sale: San Anselmo Homes For Sale
San Rafael HOMES for sale: San Rafael Homes For Sale
San Rafael CONDOS for sale: San Rafael Condos For Sale
Sausalito homes for sale: Sausalito Homes For Sale
Tiburon homes for sale: Tiburon Homes For Sale

MORTGAGE MELT-DOWN UPDATE

NO PAIN...NO GAIN? While that old maxim is often the case, for the past week the Stock market's pain has been the Bond market's gain. Last week, the Dow lost around 500 points - and as money flowed out of Stocks and into Bonds, this helped home loan rates improve by .125 - .25% over the course of the week.

But if you want to revisit some real Stock market pain, just dial back the clock twenty years from last Friday. On October 20th 1987, the Stock market suffered its very largest one day loss ever, with the Dow falling 508 points and losing 22.6% of its value overall. That's like the Dow losing over 3100 points today! And just prior to that wild meltdown, 1986 and 1987 had been banner years for the Stock market - fueled by hostile takeovers, leveraged buyouts and merger mania.

The rest of the economic news for last week was a mixed bag, including lower than expected Housing Starts and Building Permits for new construction homes, and also an overall tame read on consumer inflation via the Consumer Price Index.

While it will be interesting to see how Stocks fare next week, and if they will continue to slide lower - the week ahead also brings some potentially market moving economic reports. Existing Home Sales will be the headliner on Wednesday while Durable Goods Orders, weekly Initial Jobless Claims, and New Home Sales will arrive on Thursday. If the news of the week is very negative for the economy, Bond prices could move higher still and bring more improvement to home loan rates.

Remembering that home loan rates improve when Bond prices move higher, the chart below also shows some encouraging "floors of support", just underfoot where Bonds are trading right now, which should help them hold their current ground and perhaps even improve. But if the Stock market rallies and reverses course to move higher, this could quickly cause Bonds and home loan rates to worsen.

FREE...You can search for Marin listings directly on BayAreaRealEstateSales.com: Search for Homes

PRO'S GUIDE TO PAINTING HOME EXTERIORS

by: Bill and Kevin Burnett

Q: In an article on restoring a Victorian, you mentioned exterior painting using three coats: a coat of primer, a second coat of one-half primer and one-half coat of finish paint, and a final coat of finish paint. Is this your suggestion for all exterior painting?

A: Yes, especially on older wood homes. We also recommend the three-coat approach when painting trouble spots -- such as windowsills -- that are subject to the ravages of sun, wind and rain.

Wood siding on Victorian houses in the San Francisco Bay Area is usually clear heart redwood. A century ago, when the siding was applied, building paper and insulation were unknown. As a result, the wood dried from both sides. Even if the house was painted regularly, today the siding is as dry as a bone. A paint job on this type of house has to be done right to get the longest possible life from the new paint. It's time consuming if you do it yourself or very expensive if done by a professional.

From time to time we've described the painting process in varying levels of detail. Now it's time to go through it step by step. The painting process can be broken down into three basic steps: preparation, priming (including caulking and filling voids) and finish painting.

A paint job is only as good as the preparation. Prep is a boring process, but if you invest the time and effort, a good prep job will pay lasting dividends. Usually, the first step is to clean the surface to be painted by pressure washing. However, sometimes an older home's buildup of multiple layers of paint requires stripping the paint to the bare wood. If this is the case, use a propane torch or electric heat gun to strip the old paint before pressure washing.

If you use a propane torch, also use extreme caution. Dry wood and open flame do not get along well. Kevin spent a month or so burning the paint off one side of his Alameda Victorian. Good thing he did, too; the paint lasted at least 10 years before the new owners needed to repaint.

Let the building dry out a full week after pressure washing to ensure that any excess water evaporates. The next step is to use a disc or belt sander to feather the edges of the remaining paint. This way the transition from paint to bare wood is less noticeable. Be certain to dust away any residue after sanding.

Now it's time to paint. To spray or not to spray? An airless sprayer gets the material on quickly but is susceptible to leaving thin spots and to overspray. There's nothing quite as tacky as overspray on a roof. But brushes and rollers are slow. We've always compromised. We use the sprayer to get the material on the siding, then back brush or roll to ensure an even coat. This method works for all three coats of paint.

Whatever application method you choose, the next step is to apply the primer coat. Use a high-quality primer. We've always used an oil-based primer for exterior work. We recommend that you purchase the paint at a paint store rather than at one of the big box stores. Salespeople at paint stores cater to the trade and generally are very knowledgeable and ready with helpful tips. Ask about adding extra linseed oil to the primer to replace some of the moisture lost in the wood over the years. Also ask them to tint the primer toward the finish color for a finish that fully hides the undercoats.

Allow the primer to dry thoroughly. Then caulk and fill all voids in the building. This is critical. The better the caulking, the less chance of moisture penetration and of the paint failing. Joints should be caulked using an acrylic latex caulk. Nail holes and small divots in the siding should be filled with a good-quality exterior Spackle. For more extensive repairs, Bondo works well.

The split coat is next. Back in the day, when all paint was oil-based, painters mixed equal parts primer and finish material to get the "split" coat. Today, if the primer and the finish are compatible (oil and oil or water and water), this is the way to go. If not, apply a second coat of primer and have the paint store tint it a shade lighter than the finish coat.

The primary purposes of the split coat are to add an extra coat of protection and to eliminate "holidays" visible in the final coat. Depending on the color, even a full finish coat can show impressions through a white primer. After the split coat dries, inspect the job for any defects. Now is the time to fix them. Perhaps a little more caulk is required or a nail hole needs to be touched up.

Finally, apply a full finish coat. Follow these steps and you should have a handsome and long-lasting paint job.

FREE...You can search for Marin listings directly on BayAreaRealEstateSales.com: Search for Homes

WHAT DO LIZ'S CLIENTS SAY?

"We want to thank you once again for all your hard work in regards to the sale of our and the purchase of our new home.

David and I still talk about the incredible website you created to help showcase our home on Greenfield Avenue. We know the website helped create the tremendous interest we had in our home which resulted in the eleven offers and bidding war. It also demonstrated just one of the many ways you provided us with excellent client service.

In the best of circumstances it is not easy simultaneously selling and purchasing a home. It is particularly difficult when you have 3 kids, the oldest being only three years old! We cannot thank you enough for the extra work you put in on our behalf. The calendars you created to help remind us of important milestones, appointments and so forth was unbelievably helpful and critical to the success of both transactions. Your contact list of industry experts such as electricians, plumbers, inspectors of every nature , financial advisors and so on was ever so valuable during our due diligence process. Your willingness to act as a delivery person, a moving person, a baby holder and playmate to a toddler when necessary exemplifies the extra miles you took to help us out and speaks volumes about your character and professionalism. The whole process was made much easier and less stressful because of you. And, because of you, we sold our house for top dollar and we bought the house we wanted. Thank you!

Should you ever be in need of a reference, please feel free to use this letter or to have the individuals contact us. We would be more than happy to share our experience and to let people know how highly we regard you and recommend you. Thanks again for all. We wish you the greatest success!"

-D. & D. Henzl

If you would like to have Liz help you sell your Marin home or help you find a home, or you know of someone that could benefit from her services, just send her an email: liz@BayAreaRealEstateSales.com or give her a call: 415-250-4929

"High-Touch through High-Tech": Did you know that Liz McCarthy is ePro Internet Certified by the National Association of Realtors and that 70 percent of home buyers today use the internet in their home search? Why are you still working with a Realtor who isn't a technology expert?

What this means to you:

Home Buyers: Liz is an expert in helping save you time by using the internet, email and other technology resources to help save your valuable time and money. She knows how busy you are!

Home Sellers: Liz will hire a professional photographer and market your home extensively on the internet: a personal property website (see www.417Greenfield.com or www.50milland.com for samples), she will post your home on over 50 websites.

FAST FACTS

Marin median SFR + condo price- Sept 07: $892,000 2006: $864,000 [Source: BAREIS]

Marin average SFR + condo price-: Sep 07: $1,374,000; 2006: $1,089,129 [Source: BAREIS]

Marin median SFR home price - Sep 07: $1,015 ,000; 2006: $956,000 [Source: BAREIS]

Marin median condo price - Sep 07: $632,000; 2006: $548,000 [Source: BAREIS]

Calif. median home price -Aug 07: $588,000 [Source: C.A.R.]

Calif. highest median home price Aug 07: Santa Barbara So. Coast $1,262,000 [Source: C.A.R.]

Calif. lowest median home price by C.A.R. region Aug 07: High Desert $287,000 [Source: C.A.R.]

Calif. First-time Buyer Affordability Index - 2^nd Quarter 07: 24 percent [Source: C.A.R.]

Mortgage rates - week ending 10/11/07: (Source: Freddie Mac)

· 30-yr. fixed: 6.4%; Fees/points: 0.5%

· 15-yr. fixed: 6.06%; Fees/points: 0.5%

· 1-yr. adjustable: 5.58%; Fees/points: 0.4% (as of 6/14/07)

FREE...You can search for Marin listings directly on BayAreaRealEstateSales.com: Search for Homes

Be sure to check out all the other great content & features of my website:

www.BayAreaRealEstateSales.com

The Bay Area Real Estate Newsletter is provided to you by:

Liz McCarthy

"High-Touch through "High-Tech"

Real Estate Broker, e-PRO certified

Vision Real Estate

Liz@BayAreaRealEstateSales.com

415-250-4929

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