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Well, those numbers you see or hear from the press and your friendly Realtor are still climbing, but at a much slower pace than previously, at least here in Marin County.  Compared to 2016, the median price is one per cent higher now.  Other parts of the state showed a higher rate of increase. With a July median sales price of $1,210,000, homes in Marin County cost about the same as they did one year earlier. The months’ supply of inventory was 1.3, unchanged from June and down on an annual basis. Homes sold in an average of 44 days, and sellers received 99.5 percent of asking prices. If you'd like to know what your home might be worth, or want to discuss homes you may be interested in...

We find ourselves continuing in an interesting dichotomy on the state of the housing market.  Total sales have declined once again, for the 8th consecutive time.  Yet, prices continue to rise.  How is this possible, you ask.  Well, the following analysis should provide some enlightenment. Pending home sales in California and the Bay Area declined again in June, a trend that has persisted in every month of 2017. San Francisco County bucked statewide and regional patterns, as pending home rose by more than 20 percent year over year. California’s inventory crunch could once again drive double-digit-percent home price appreciation.   Pending home sales activity continued to decline in...

Usually what you expect to find here is information about homes for people--you, your family, friends and so on.  However, one type of housing often overlooked, but every bit as important, is housing for bees. "Bees?", you say incredulously. Well, yes!  That's because without bees, our world leading agricultural industry would be for naught, and without it, there wouldn't be sufficient quality food for all the folks like you wanting to live here.  Curious?  Read on. You’ve read news reports about the dangerous drop in honeybee populations in recent years. Honeybees are essential to California’s agricultural economy, and each year, farmers in the Golden State import millions of them to...

Just when it seems that values and the rate at which homes are selling cannot possibly go much higher, the latest statistics come out--and they're UP again!  There are a number of factors coming into play that contribute to this.  Read on and call us if you have any questions! California single-family homes sold in an average of 22.4 days in June, while homes in the nine-county Bay Area sold in an average of 20.4 days. The median sales price in the Bay Area rose to $908,740 in June, a year-over-year increase of 7.9 percent. Home prices rose from June 2016 in all nine local counties. San Francisco, San Mateo, Marin, and Santa Clara counties are the only ones in California where the median...

In these days of constantly increasing concerns about everyone's future and how to get the best return on every Dollar invested, you'd have to admit that a net gain of 10% per year is pretty good.  The question is "How can I get that?"  Well, the answer very well may be the house you live in.  Real estate statistics firm Core Logic indicates that an annual increase of ten per cent may very well be achievable by 2018.  Interested?  Read on. California home prices rose by 5.8 percent year over year in May and are projected to grow by 9.7 percent by next spring. U.S. rents rose by 3.1 percent on an annual basis in May, further eroding affordability. Although home values throughout most of the...

One of the more important economic indicators that has great effect on housing is job growth.  This is because it's logical that folks need to be working to be able to buy a home.  • Today’s national employment report gives cause for continued confidence in employment andeconomic growth. Employers added 222,000 jobs in June, and April and May numbers were revised up by 47,000 jobs. Over the last year, the U.S. economy added a total of 2.24 million jobs.. • June has been the strongest month for job growth in the last three years. Though this June was a bit weaker than previous years, the slowdown is consistent with exceptionally low unemployment levels. • The U.S. unemployment rate...

As if this were news, the latest statistics, through early June, shows that Bay Area suburbs, including here in Marin, remain the hottest areas in the nation for buyers.. As might be obvious, this is also good news for sellers.  Read on for more details. Nationwide, homes sold in an average of 60 days in June. The Vallejo and San Francisco metro areas rank as the two hottest U.S. real estate markets, based on the fastest pace of sales and the most online interest. Nine California cities rank on June’s hot housing markets list.   Limited inventory prompted U.S. buyers to snap up properties quickly this month, with homes in the Bay Area selling about twice as fast as the national...

Well, I've always been saying living in Marin was special--for many reasons, among them rate of appreciation in value. Well, the latest stats prove it once again!  Read on. The Bay Area saw an average of 8 percent annual home price appreciation from January through April of 2017, according to a recent analysis by Pacific Union Chief Economist Selma Hepp. But of course, home price changes varied by individual markets, ranging from 31 percent gains in one Marin County community to 35 percent losses in a couple of trendy San Francisco neighborhoods. Check out the 10 Bay Area ZIP codes that experienced the largest housing price gains and losses — including single-family homes and condominiums...

I'm sure you've heard it many times.  Buying a home may very well be the best investment you'll ever make!  Sure, it's not liquid like cash or stocks, but, long term, you can almost definitely look forward to that house being worth substantially more than what it cost you.  How true this is can be seen in the following. From the first quarter of 2016 to the first quarter of 2017, Americans gained more than $766 billion in home equity, the largest annual increase in nearly three years. Nearly 96 percent of Californians with a mortgage had equity in their homes as of the first quarter. The San Francisco metro area again had the nation’s highest number of homeowners with positive equity —...