Larkspur, CA

As of February 7, 2009 only 10% of available listings in Larkspur are in escrow.

For the month of January 2009 only 2 homes sold in Larkspur for an average final selling price of $817,750.

The average original asking price was $1,224,500.

The two final selling prices were $592,500 and $1,043,000.

Both of these homes sold for less than their original asking price.

It took these homes an average of 200 days to sell.

To see all homes that are currently available for sale, click here.

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

To follow up on my most recent blog, "How Are Your Favorite Home Retailers Doing? Must-Read Articles," this New York Times' article, "The Meltdown in Home Furnishings" lists troubled home furnishings retailers who are struggling in this economy, as well as many much loved "shelter" magazines:

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/29/garden/29industry.html?partner=rss&emc=rss

Due to the faltering economy and shrinking advertising dollars, the past several months have seen several home design magazines close up shop, to include:

The 106 year-old House and Garden, Home, Blueprint, O at Home, Cottage Living, Country Home, and most recently Domino.

At a personal level shelter magazines have been so important to me through the years as sources of inspiration, aspiration and upcoming design trends. I have folders and notebooks filled with pictures clipped over the years, kept to inform future projects. Some designers' works I've collected as if I were in a movie star fan club. (Don't forget those shelter magazines also elevated the careers of many successful designers.) Sifting through several of these notebooks before our move last summer I felt like I was traveling through a time capsule of dreams deferred (and sometimes realized), representing my own evolving design interests. And for years my Interior Design clients have shared similar magazine clippings with me, helping to crystallize a focus for their design plans.

I fear that some of my favorite magazines may be next in line for troubles (as well as those who write and publish for them), and send them my very best wishes.

Do you have favorite magazines that have particularly inspired you through the years? Which would you truly miss if they were no longer here? Are there past shelter magazines that you continue to miss? What other sources of design inspiration do you use in their place (blogs, etc.)?

**UPDATE**

2/5/2008 - This morning I just posted a follow-up blog about the cancellation of Domino magazine, from a recent New York Times article. Check it out at Domino Effect - NYT Reports Fans Mourning Demise of Magazine.

Thanks for your interest!

Leslie Olson - ASID, RESA

Leslie Olson Interiors Marin County, CA www.leslieolsoninteriors.com leslie@leslieolsoninteriors.com 415.233.2633

Freddie Mac announced today it will allow some homeowners to rent out their homes after losing them to foreclosure. (http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/mortgage_giants_renters)

Marin rentals and the effects of foreclosure is a hot topics with some of our tenants. Today's well-qualified tenants have valid concerns:

-- What happens to me and my family if I rent a home that suffers foreclosure?

-- What happens to my security deposit?

-- Will I be evicted even if I keep paying rent?

These are all valid concerns, however, due to ever changing legislation, tough to answer.

My understanding (and, of course, I am not a lawyer and my advice is not to be considered legal advice) is that once a home is foreclosed on, the bank is now the tenant's landlord. Rent should always be paid every month, otherwise the tenant risks defaulting on their rental contract and puts himself in a position to be evicted.

The Fredie Mac announcement today provides good news for tenants looking to stay in bank-owned Marin homes, but still probably doesn't answer the question about what to do next if your home falls into foreclosure.

The bottom line is that while the bank doesn't want to be a landlord, the bank also doesn't want to lose more money than necessary. If you are a tenant and you receive a notice of foreclosure consult a local tenant's attorney asap. You probably have more options than you think! (And hey, if you love the house you might even be able to purchase the property at a rock bottom price!)

My partners and I specialize in Marin Rentals and are happy to answer questions from landlords or tenants anytime.

The contractor shook his head when he heard that, to ease the budget, the family was going to continue living in the house while the dreaded popcorn ceilings were going to be scraped, a multiple-day process filled with grime and swirling dust that wouldn't clear out for months. You sure?

Uh-huh.

At least there was no asbsestos in this vile popcorn texture (the husband referred to it as "ceiling snot"), so it would be more inconvenience than safety hazard for the homeowners. You sure?

Uh-huh.

Warning the clients that it would be unpleasant at best, and living hell at worst, they agreed to work together. The contractor braced himself for surly clients, but after returning from the first day's work he was greeted by...

He tried to clean up the dust as best he could that day for the clients, but grainy dust swirled everywhere. The following morning as he reached to open the window for ventillation, he found...

Intrigued by the mysterious heiroglyphics, the contractor continued with the dusty work, clouds of dust covering the images with every hour. He worried about the family who must be at their wits' end by now. They had suffered days where the only running water was in the upstairs bathtub. In the evening they scrubbed away at stubborn wallpaper that should have been removed 20 years ago. To top it off, the new school year had begun, and the family was trying to maintain some normal daily structure, while living off Taco Bell. They were probably ready to devour their young by now.

But the next morning he was greeted with...

Much to the contractor's amazement, the daughter maintained her cheerful disposition throughout the weeks-long remodeling project, and they got along famously. She enjoyed watching the remodeling process evolve, and didn't complain once.

The dusty work was done, and more remodeling followed. But there was one hurdle to cross, and the contractor mulled over it for a long time before calling the daughter and her family in to the her room, which he was painting. He told her his idea, which she absorbed with solemn silence, then nodded. She took final pictures of the wall next to her doorframe, then he handed her the paintbrush.

Then, with a quiet sense of ceremony, she painted over several years worth of pencil marks on the wall, tiny hatch marks celebrating the increments of her growing height.

To this day nobody believes that the family survived happily through the Popcorn Scraping Episode. But they're still grateful for the privilege of working with such a kind and thoughtful contractor.

Leslie Olson, ASID, RESA

Leslie Olson Interiors Marin County, CA www.leslieolsoininteriors.com leslie@leslieolsoninteriors.com 415.233.2633

As of January 13, 2009 only 17% of available listings in Larkspur are in escrow. Hello Buyers!!! We want YOU in Larkspur!

For the month of December 2008 only 1 home sold in Larkspur for a final selling price of $755,000.

The original asking price was $895,000.

It took this home 199 days to sell.

To see everything that is currently available for sale, click here.

To learn more about this area visit my website or contact me directly.