Novato, CA

Novato Market Report November 2009

Set down grab a cup of coffee and some No Doze. You are about to get some numbers to make your head spin and sleepy, unless of course you are excited about the Novato Housing Market and trying to buy or sell a home in that area.

The Novato Housing Market offers some of the best buys on Luxury Homes in Marin County with Excellent Schools and a fantastic life style.

This Novato Housing Market report looks at single family home sales in Novato and compares September figures to October figures looking for sales trends; and examines at the current Active Novato Housing Market. As the Novato Housing Market covers a number of Luxury Homes I decided to also take separate looks at homes priced over $750,000.00.

In September there were only 36 homes sold in the Novato Housing Market. On Average those homes had 3 bedrooms, 2.61 bathrooms and were 2,159 SF. The Average List Price was $655,727.00 and the Average Sold Price was $651,767.00; with an Average Days on Market of 107. The Median Numbers are similar with 4 Bedrooms, 2.5 bathrooms and Median SF of 2,034. The Median List Price was $625,000.00 and the Median Sold Price was $635,000.00; with a Median Days on Market of 69. My Favorite Number is Price Per SF which is $302.00.

For homes over $750,000.00 in the Novato Housing Market in September the Average number of bedrooms was 4 and bathrooms 3.3 with 3,275 SF. The Average List Price was $992,655.00 and a Sold Price of $965,950.00; with an Average of 88 Days on Market. The Median Numbers are 4 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms and 3,023 SF. The Median List Price was $929,000.00 and the Sold Price was $897,500.00; with 58 Days on the Market. Average Price Per SF is $295.00.

In October there were 50 homes sold in the Novato Housing Market; and this number may go up with late reporting. On Average those homes had 3 bedrooms, 2.68 bathrooms and were 2,267 SF. The Average List Price was $679,303.00 and the Average Sold Price was $667,788.00; with an Average Days on Market of 96. The Median Numbers are similar with 4 Bedrooms, 3 bathrooms and Median SF of 1,996. The Median List Price was $599,000.00 and the Median Sold Price was $597,500.00; with a Median Days on Market of 66. Again my Favorite Number is Price Per SF which is $299.00.

For homes over $750,000.00 in the Novato Housing Market in October the Average number of bedrooms was 4 and bathrooms 3.41 with 3,177 SF. The Average List Price was $1,017,795.00 and a Sold Price of $998,052.00; with an Average of 89 Days on Market. The Median Numbers are 4 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms and 2,918 SF. The Median List Price was $850,000.00 and the Sold Price was $830,900.00; with 61 Days on the Market. Average Price Per SF is $314.00.

How does this compare to the Current Novato Real Estate Market? The Average Home has 4 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms with 2,537 SF and an Average Asking Price of $826,071.00. The Average days on the Market is 103. The Median numbers are similar with 4 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms and a list price of $709,000.00 and 72 Days on the Market. This is an Average Asking Price of $325.00 per SF.

For homes priced over $750,000.00 in the Novato Housing Market the Average numbers are 4 bedrooms, 3.64 bathrooms, 3,419 SF; with a List Price of $1,166,431.00 and 101 Days on Market. The Median Numbers are 4 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms, 3,292 SF, and priced at $950,000.00; with 86 Days on Market. The Average asking Price Per SF is $341.16.

So what do all these numbers mean. Here are a few highlights I see:

• The Average Price is going down slightly, but on the high end homes the price is rising.
  
  
• The Market is picking up. Currently there is a 4 month supply of housing. This is a balanced Market.
  
  
• Homes that sell tend to sell fast. There are some homes weighing down the Average Days on Market numbers. The Median Days on Market better reflects a properly priced home.
  
  
• The Sold Prices are almost as high as the List Prices in some areas and those numbers are getting closer. People are not making extremely offers on over priced homes.
  

Click here to see our Premier Novato Listing for November. One of the Best Buys in town priced at $282.00 per SF - Horse Property - Pool - Wooded Estate with a flowing creek.

Some time back we posted a blog about Staging only the Outside of a Home. We weren't sure if just Staging the Outside would have a big enough impact but the Realtor's seamed confident and that's what they wanted us to do. The property was large and there was a big back yard. We brought in serveral pieces to fill the space surrounding the pool.

We got a call within a week, the Realtor's told us that within six days of listing the property they got multiple offers and over asking price. The Realtor's told us that the family that bought it had a little girl around 12 years old that loved the backyard and really wanted her parents to buy the house.

Here are the before and afters:

BEFORE

AFTER

Before

After

Some Afters

More Afters

Stage with Divine Style will work with you to get your home Staged and Sold. Linda D. Pufford, owner and principal designer is the only Accredited Staging Professional MASTER in Marin County, CA. Personally trained by Barb Schwarz, Founder and CEO of Stagedhomes.com. You can contact Linda at 877.267.4649. You never get a second chance to make a great first impression!!!

An aging public pool at Hamilton Field, Novato is almost ready for a grand debut after a $5 million renovation. The pool is located across from Hamilton Field's "The Landing at Hamilton" new home development (which is set to break ground in coming months) and the existing neighborhood of South Gate.

The renovation was approved unanimously by the Novato City Council in November 2007 and final plans were approved in March 2008. The leaky old pool was not compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act and access to its bathhouse was restricted by the Marin County health department.

The revamped facility at 206 El Bonito Road includes a main pool of 185,000 gallons and a shallow pool of 12,000 gallons. There is new decking, piping, lighting and landscaping plus bathhouses.

Solar power and water leaks that have been fixed will lead to considerable savings compared with costs of the old pool, but the city will have to pay the water bill that was previously paid by the U.S. Coast Guard.

Traditionally, Hamilton Pool has been open Memorial Day through the end of September. If a private operator is signed to a contract, it could be open year-round, Shinault said.

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The above information was derived from an article in the Marin Independent Journal, 10/30/09. If you have any questions relating to Novato real estate, call Kyle Frazier at (415) 350-9440.

Kyle Frazier, CRS (Christies's Great Estates | Morgan Lane Marin Real Estate | Pacific Union International)

When your home goes on the market you want it to be the best looking product for the best price, because you never get a second chance to make a great first impression.

With 87% of today's savvy buyers searching on the internet to find a home you will want your photos to look great and stand out. You want your home to be:

IMPRESSIVE

IMPACTFUL

INSPIRING

According to the statistics on Stagedhomes.com 94.8 percent of ASP/ASPM Staged homes sell on average in 37 days or less versus 182 days on market for non-staged homes.

So if you are listing and selling your home in today's market you want to stand out so your home will sell faster and for more money!

How does selling your home faster translate into $$$ and time to you? Do you want your home to set there or move quickly?

Staging your home is always less than your first price reduction. A 300k house at a 5% price reduction would be 15k a 10% price reduction would be 30k. Stage your home to get the best first impression.

Stage with Divine Style is here to help you make a lasting impression! So let our Creative Team help your home to look:

IMPRESSIVE

IMPACTFUL

INSPIRING

Detail your home (your largest investment) like you would detail your car if you were selling it. If you want your home to Shine and Sell, detail now with Stage with Divine Style. Call us at 877.267.4649. We are dedicated to making your life easier and assisting you in realizing your dreams.

Marin County Horse Property - Price Reduced Dramatically

If you have not seen this Marin County Horse Property or taken a look at the photos of this Horse Property you need to. www.2424Vineyard.

This property is emaculate with a style and a setting that has been described as "like being in lake Tahoe" or "Being in a National Park." The Kitchen has been designed and used by a proffesional chef with restuarants in New York and California.

The price has been dropped about $100,000.00!

For recorded information and/or an exclusive showing call:

1-800-950-6159 ext 1003

For a full description link here for the Novato Horse Property.