Novato, CA

Last month, for the first time since I began writing Novato monthly updates back in 2006, I stated that it appears that the Novato, CA. market (for single family homes) seems to be improving in two meaningful ways. Certainly, sales have risen from last year and we have several months of increasing sales (as the inventory of short sales and foreclosures is quickly snapped up by motivated buyers).

As of August 13, 2009 an impressive 47% of available listings in Novato are in escrow.

For the month of July 2009 an encouraging 57 homes sold in Novato for an average final selling price of $572,231.

The average original asking price of these homes was $621,450.

The range of final selling prices was from a low of $187,000 to a high of $1,512,500.

Of the 57 homes that sold, 5 sold at their original asking price and 15 sold over their original asking price. All others sold for less.

It took these homes an average of 107 days to sell.

To search our MLS and see everything that is currently available for sale, click here.

For more information about this area visit my website or feel free to contact me directly.

Best Buy on Luxury Novato Home for Sale. This Novato Home is one of the finest Homes for Sale in Novato, located at 2424 Vineyard Road, Novato; it sets in the Prestigious Wild Horse Valley area of unincorporated area of Novato. This Novato Home features a large corner lot with a park like setting and a luxury interior that feels like a bed and breakfast.

This Novato Home is meant to be enjoyed in all seasons:

In Summer at your Novato Home you could take one of the two bridges across your own stretch of creek surrounded by natural foliage and tastefully fenced off for safety, over to the pool. The larger private pool area will allow you alone time to think in the warm summer sun or you could host a barbeque on the large patio over looking the creek. This house and property is well laid out you could host two parties at one time. The pool is separate and secure from the home with an electric pool cover. Back at the house you could turn on the air conditioning, but with the many ceiling fans you may just want to leave the doors open and smell the redwoods. There is a thermostatically controlled attic vent fan.

Come Fall at your Novato Home the kids will be off the Award Winning Pleasant Valley School District. Perhaps it would be a good day to go over to the Horse Corral (Plumbing for the Corral is in place) and take the Horse out in this Novato Horse Community. This is a Novato Horse Community without HOA Dues. In the evening your can barbeque on the large deck off one of the three family rooms rather than going down to the pool. Maybe you will want to run down to the insulated room in the garage that can be used as a wine cellar for a bottle of local wine to go with dinner. After dinner you can go to the other deck off one of the other family rooms and set in your Hot Springs Spa as the fog filters in through the redwoods from the coast.

As Winter comes to your Novato Home you might set in the living room and enjoy the two sided real wood fireplace featuring a granite and marble hearth and an Oak Mantle Piece. The home is filled with warm oak fixtures, doors, shelving, and built ins in the master bedroom; even the switch plates are oak. The nicest part is the newly refinished Old Style Red Oak Floors on the upper level. These are thick, heavy oak planks not an oak veneer over press board. Cooking for the holidays will be a pleasure in this kitchen, designed by a professional chef and restaurant owner for his own home cooking. The center piece of the kitchen is the six burner Thermador Gas Range; each burner putting out 15,000 BTU of heat. Over the range is a professional cook top hood with a powerful blower on the roof. The rest of the appliances are high end KitchenAid, these includes the 48” built in refrigerator freezer and the three ovens; one of the ovens being a KitchenAid Ultra. The luxury goes beyond the appliances to the Hickory Cabinetry with pull outs to the Juperana Florenca Granite with splashes all the way up to the cabinets.

Spring brings us full circle in your Novato Home. As you begin to move outside again you can see the hills from one of the rear decks, or play on one of the lawns. The front yard offers exotic and low maintenance landscaping. The black berry’s should be starting to come in down by the creek. When doing the spring cleaning the huge laundry room will come in handy with the sink, cabinet space, folding space and even a place to hang clothes. If there is still a nip in the air the house has three separate rooms that can be used as family rooms, game rooms, rec rooms, or what ever you want.

This home is peaceful and serene. It was not fixed up and upgraded to sell or for profit, but because the current owner has exacting standards and wanted the best possible home for him and his family. There is more here than I can tell you about, but the home is far more affordable than you would expect for a home with 3180 SF on almost a 1/2 acre of land.

Web Info at 2424Vineyard.com

Recorded Information at: 1-800-950-6159 ext 1003

For an exclusive viewing call 800-200-1305 directly.

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The Homes at Olive Court

Open Friday, August 7 from 1-4 p.m.

Also open Saturday and Sunday 1-4 p.m.

3, 19 and 27 Olive Ct. in Novato

Rare new construction in "no-growth" Marin County. Elegant NEW Craftsman-style homes with lots of architectural flair. Olive Court is a cul-da-sac community featuring 9 luxury homes in East Novato, less than a mile from downtown. Three homes have been completed and the developer is full-steam ahead on the remaining six. I was out there today and they were pouring foundations.

Olive Court features state-of-the-art GREEN building technology to help reduce the impact on the environment and improve the quality of life for the buyers and the surrounding community.

Each home has many designer custom touches and "intelligently" designed floor plans to meet the needs of today's buyers. Homes are level-in (so no hauling groceries up a flight of stairs) with the main living areas on the first floor. The spacious kitchen-family room combinations open to a level, landscaped yards. Most homes have no rear neighbors!

3 Olive Ct $899,000 - 3bd+/2.5 ba single level, 2840sf

19 Olive Ct $999,000 -5bd/4ba 2-story, 3444sf

27 Olive Ct $999,000 -5bd/4ba 2-story, 3444sf

Other features:

• One bedroom and at least one full bath downstairs
• Tall ceilings
• Wide-plank hardwood floors
• Oversized kitchen islands
• Kitchen with granite counters, stainless appliances (refigerator is included!)
• Crown molding
• Stacked stone fireplaces
• Built-in bookcases and entertainment centers
• 2- and 3-car garages

Close to Trader Joe's, the upcoming Whole Foods, 101 corridor and Highway 37. For a private tour, contact me at (415) 725-1911.

Listings Courtesy Kevin McGinnis and Mike Cohen, Frank Howard Allen Realtors.

If you are looking to buy newer construction in Marin County, Pointe Marin is an excellent place to consider. It's located in southern Novato in the Ignacio area on the west side if Highway 101.

Pointe Marin is made up of about 250 single-family homes, all built within the last seven years (since 2003). Pointe Marin's newer construction makes it a rare subdivision in Marin County, where there's a zero-growth policy.

Pointe Marin also has condos for people age 55 and over, along Entrada Drive.

The Pointe Marin neighborhood used to look a lot different, and it had a different name, too. Formerly called Rafael Village, these 100 acres along Ignacio Blvd. were the site of surplus military family housing for Hamilton Air Force Base (which was primarily located across the freeway at what is now a newer housing subdivision called Hamilton). The base was decommissioned in 1974, but some military personnel continued to use the housing until 1996.

Today, Pointe Marin is characterized by wide streets, mature trees, and beautiful homes - some of which sit on quarter-acre and larger lots. Points of interest nearby include the Marin Country Club, with its newly refurbished 18-hole golf course, and Pacheco Plaza, a shopping center undergoing a total transformation. Across the freeway, there is the newly-opened Hamilton Marketplace, which has the largest Safeway market in Marin County, plus popular restaurants Toast and Sonoma Latina Grill.

Single-family homes in Pointe Marin range from about 1,800 square feet to more than 4,400 square feet, with prices today (2009) ranging between about $685,000 and $1,100,000. Recently (first half of 2009), there have been several foreclosures and short sales in Pointe Marin that have brought down prices. So, if you were priced out of Pointe Marin in the past, it is a good time to take another look.

Are there drawbacks to living in Pointe Marin? Perhaps. A trade-off for newer construction is often smaller lot sizes. Some of the homes do have that "neighbor looking in the window" feel, with a 2-story home on three sides. However, some homes back to open space and have more privacy.

I'm Kevin McGinnis and I'm an expert in Marin County real estate and Pointe Marin homes. You can reach me at (415) 725-1911 or kmcginnis@fhallen.com

Search the MLS on www.BestHomesMarin.com