Housing Prices Drop Due to Foreclosures in Marin County?

One of the questions I have been asked repeatly now a days is how do foreclosures, bank owned, short sales, and other properties affect the Marin Housing Market? Are the prices of homes dropping due to increases in pre-foreclosures, short sales and/or bank owned homes?

Here is my answer to the questions on how the foreclosures and Bank Owned properties are affecting Marin Real Estate Market:-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"As I have always said, and I stand by that statement - Marin county, due to it's unique qualities, does hold its value compare to other areas. Marin Real Estate value, although dropped some, will go back up sooner and I can go into much more details on that in another blog, and I will not go there for now.

As it's in any market, the fundamental is if there are foreclosures and REOs, the price will go down; both due to the nature of foreclosures and REOs but also due to the fact that sellers that do HAVE to sell are realizing that fact, though, very reluctantly.

Novato, the north most part of Marin county has seen the blunt of it; especially the condo/townhome market, and entry level homes, but the trend also trickles down to the higher end market - really good for home buyers like yourself.

Southern Marin has largely been unaffected, but we are seeing a slow trend to go towards that way. Since those houses were mostly purchased with more equity in the homes, most are safe, but you do have very few that are not. Those will be the ones who suffer and bring down the values.

Some effect is also due to the general economy, which, for the first time in many years, affected the high tech and financial sectors; which in turn, affect the affordability of the higher end market here and in other desirable places of the Bay Area. You will see some of those houses, not nearly the magnitude of the lower end housing, but few will also go on the distressed list and prices in those dropping slightly.

On the flip side, Marin is Marin, and people do love Marin - make sure you go to http://www.SylviaSellsMarin.com to read about Marin County!

The buyers who could not afford before, the bargain hunters, the ones who sold their homes before the market drop and are renting now, the investors, ..,etc are taking full advantage of this market and the declin(ed,ing) interest rate.

I know, because we have weekly office meetings discussing the traffic (and Frank Howard Allen is the #1 company in Marin county) and I personally hold open houses almost weekly for my sellers (always nice to get that one more buyer in for my sellers) and in doing so, I get a pulse of the market and customers, I see them out there.

A great deal is a great deal and they jump in there. Multiple offers and even flipping on homes are back again, and people with large down payments as well as cash buyers are moving in.

My clients and I looked at many areas, tons of houses, spend lots of months, and at times, write several offers before they get the best deals on the houses they want and need. But that's what it takes in Real Estate, before, now and in the future, to get the right house

If you have a Realtor - and you should get one who will look out for your best interest - he/she should do the same for you. .

As always, I would love to actually talk to you about this and provide you with details. So, drop me an email or give me a call, if you will.

Best wishes in 2009!
Sylvia

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And Yes, I think we will all have a great 2009 by helping our buyers finding the best deals and by helping our sellers with the best game plan to sell their house for the most money in this un-precedent market!

Sylvia Barry, Realtor, ePRO
Marin Realtor for Marin Real Estate
Marin, San Francisco North Bay
Frankk Howard Allen Realtors
website: www.SylviaSellsMarin.com
Blog: www.AllAboutMarinHomes.com

MARIN, SONOMA, S.F. BAY AREA REAL ESTATE - Beveldere, Corte Madera, Greenbrae, Kentfield, Larkspur, Marinwood, Mill Valley, Novato, San Anselmo, San Rafael, Sausalito, Tiburon; Cotati, Penngrove, Petaluma, Rohnert Park, Santa Rosa. Starter Home to Luxury Property. REO (Bank Owned), Short Sale, View Homes, Architecural Distictive Homes. Investment, 1031 Exchange.

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