San Rafael, CA

As Summer sets in, San Rafael CA’s real estate market has slowed a bit. It is increasingly fueled by foreclosures and short sales. The low end (under $600K) remains hot (67% of homes in escrow, compared with 64% in June 2009) and the $600K to $800K price band has seen steady activity with 35% of homes in escrow.

Increased affordability, low interest rates (rates are down from the time of last month’s report), an increased presence of FHA loans, and a shifting mindset by both buyers and sellers, are all resulting in a strengthening market. Additionally, the $8K tax credit for first time home buyers is likely helping pull some buyers into the fray, despite the income limitations placed on this credit. It will be interesting to see if the government expands the credit to include ALL buyers and increases the credit amount to $15,000 — that would make a big difference for a lot of people. Overall, the number of homes on the market fell to 159 homes (from 168 last month).

As with asking prices in Novato, San Rafael has seen an uptick in average asking prices over the past few weeks. It remains to be seen if this is a leading indicator regarding sales prices.

[Click HERE for the rest of the article, courtesy of www.SanRafael101.com.]

As of July 8, 2009 26% of available listings in San Rafael are in escrow.

For the month of June 2009 61 homes sold in San Rafael for an average final selling price of $636,049.

The average original asking price of these homes was $700,085.

The range of final selling prices was from a low of $119,900 to a high of $2,300,000.

Of the 61 homes that sold 7 sold at the original asking price and 8 sold over. All others sold for less. (19 were distress sales.)

It took these homes an average of 90 days to sell.

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

To learn more about this area, including all the fun things to do around here, visit my website or contact me directly.

From drab to fab in San Rafael... another Marin home staging success! Picture it SOLD! Home Staging

June 29, 2009

Before: All buyers see in this formal living room is the olive green paneling and outdated fireplace. Everyone loves grandma's house but it doesn't scream Buy Me!

After: We added color and jazzed up the space with transitional furnishings. Now, buyers can see this room's potential.

Before: In combination/"multi-purpose" rooms (like this one with family room/eating area), it can be tough for buyers to imagine where the furniture goes.

After: Now buyers clearly can see where everything goes - and can be assured that everything fits! Plus, adding furnishings with color and texture detracts from the room's brown-and-white color scheme.

Before: The dining room is clean and has lots of light, but all buyers see is a project! There's tired wallpaper, bland carpet and an old light fixture.

After: The furniture immediately updates the room and this dining room is transformed into a pleasing space to buyers.

We give free staging bids! Let's give your house the best chance to sell. Your competition is staged - shouldn't you be?

www.pictureitsold.biz

Moving into the Summer, San Rafael CA's real estate market is increasingly fueled by foreclosures and short sales. The low end (under $600K) has been hot (64% of homes in escrow). Meanwhile, the $600K to $800K price band has seen a surge in activity with 38% of these homes in escrow, up from 29% in May 2009. Increased affordability, low interest rates (although not as low as they were), an increased presence of FHA loans, and a shifting mindset are all resulting in a strengthening market. Additionally, the $8K tax credit for first time home buyers is likely helping pull some buyers into the fray, despite the income limitations placed on this credit. It will be interesting to see if the government expands the credit to include ALL buyers and increases the credit amount to $15,000 - that would make a big difference for a lot of people. Overall, the number of homes on the market fell to 168 homes (from 179 last month). Meanwhile, 40 homes sold in May 2009 (up from 26 in April 2009).

[Click HERE for the rest of the article, courtesy of www.SanRafael101.com.]

The developers who are redesigning Northgate Mall in San Rafael revealed today four more restaurants that will serve up food in the near future: Tomatina, BJ's Brewhouse, Chipotle Mexican Grill and Panera Bread.

All four restaurants have signed leases to open at the new Northgate as part of the center's dramatic redesign.

Tomatina, which serves homemade pizza, pasta and salads, is a local Bay Area favorite and Northgate will be its 6th location. It will be the only Marin County location to date.

"Northgate shoppers have asked for great dining options, and that's what we're delivering." said Kim Choukalas, vice president, leasing, for Macerich, the owner and developer of Northgate. "BJ's Brewhouse and Tomatina both will be premier gathering spots for groups of friends and families alike, while Chipotle and Panera Bread will offer healthy fast-casual dining for those on the go."

New restaurants at the redeveloped Northgate, including BJ's Brewhouse, plan to open with the new center beginning in fall 2009; additional restaurants and retailers will open at the property throughout 2010.

Before today, officials at Northgate have announced six restaurants coming or returning to the new Northgate: Roadside BBQ, See's Candies, Sbarro, Subway, Combo King and Wetzel's Pretzels. Applebee's has remained open during the mall renovation.

Here's a brief description of the newly announced restaurants:

Tomatina serves up fresh homemade pizza, pasta and salads in a family atmosphere. All doughs, dressings and sauces are made from scratch. Tomatina has been part of the Bay Area community since being developed by Chef Michael Chiarello in 1998. Chiarello has since moved on to become a Food Network and Fine Living Chef, has written numerous cookbooks and filmed several cooking series concentrating on entertaining.

BJ's Brewhouse serves quality food and fresh, handcrafted beers in a casual, high energy atmosphere. BJ's restaurants offer an innovative and broad menu featuring award-winning, signature deep-dish pizza complemented with generously portioned salads, appetizers, sandwiches, soups, pastas, entrees and desserts. Quality, flavor, value, moderate prices and sincere service remain distinct attributes of the BJ's experience. The company operates several microbreweries which produce and distribute BJ's critically acclaimed handcrafted beers throughout the chain

Chipotle Mexican Grill, one of the first "fast casual" restaurant concepts, offers gourmet burritos and other delicious Mexican meals and is known for its chunky guacamole, large burritos, and assembly line production. Chipotle operates more than 830 restaurants around the country, and was the first national restaurant company to serve exclusively naturally raised chicken.

Panera Bread bakery-cafes, another fast casual concept, bring the tradition of freshly baked artisan bread to neighborhoods, selling breads, sandwiches, soups, salads, bakery items, and organic foods. Operating 1,264 company-owned and franchise-operated bakery-cafes in 40 states and in Canada, Panera Bread was named number one in several categories of Zagat's 2007 fast-food chains survey.

For more Marin County resources and information, please visit www.BestHomesMarin.com