Novato, CA real estate/housing market update

Single-family home sales in Novato were down about 6 percent in 2010, when compared to 2009 sales. As for home prices, it all depends on how you slice the data. The average home price stayed fairly flat; the median went up about 5 percent, and the average price per square foot fell about 2 percent.

Here is a breakdown of the 2010 data for Novato single-family home sales:

• Total sales: 404
• Average price: $632,682
• Median price: $605,000
• Average size: 2,182 sq ft
• Price per sq ft: $290
• Days on market: 95

Let's compare this data to 2009:

• Total sales: 428
• Average price: $635,484
• Median price: $575,000
• Average size: 2,145 sq ft
• Price per sq ft: $296
• Days on market: 103

Also worth noting: The number of foreclosures was way down in 2010. In 2009, there were 114 bank-owned home sales (single-family homes). In 2010, there were 69 -- an almost 40 percent drop. During both years, though, foreclosures touched most price points, even million-dollar properties.

The number of short sales stayed almost the same.

Overall in 2010, Novato sales stayed strong in the entry-level price point of up to $500,000. However, the most active price bracket in Novato was $500,000-$700,000 (147 sales in this category).  What sharply dropped were sales in the million-dollar-plus range. In 2009, there were 14 sales between $1.2M and $1.5M. Last year, that number dropped to 8 sales. In 2009, there were 7 sales of $1.5 million-plus homes. Last year, there was only one.

Real estate is hyper-local, so if you want to know what the market is like in a particular neighborhood, we can tell you. www.BestHomesMarin.com or 415.725.1911.

Like Best Homes Marin on Facebook and enter to win a gift card to La Coppa, Peet's or Starbucks. Drawings held quarterly. Become market savvy!

We're here to help with all of your real estate needs!

Kevin McGinnis: 415.725.1911

Spiro Stratigos: 415.225.6412

Defining excellence in real estate

Frank Howard Allen Realtors | Luxury Portfolio Fine Property Collection

San Rafael, CA real estate/housing market update

Total San Rafael homes sold in November 2010: 32  (Single-family homes. This is almost unchanged from 33 sales in October. However, it's down from 48 sales during the same period last year.)

Based on November's sales, here's a snapshot of the average single-family home sale in San Rafael:

• Price: $688,753  (up from $651,427 in October) 
• Size: 1,945 sq ft   
• Price per sq ft: $355 (almost unchanged since October)
• Days on market: 89  (down from 118 days in October) 

This week in San Rafael real estate: The entry-level price range (under $500K) remains strong - 47% of these homes are currently in escrow. The $500K-$600K price range has surged ahead, with 49% of homes in escrow, up from 26% last month. 

The $600K-$700K range represents a mix of entry-level and move-up homes, and it's a buyers market for those homes right now, with 26% of homes in escrow. That's up from 20% last month. There are 31 other homes available!

$700K-$1M is a neutral market with 26% in escrow, favoring neither buyers nor sellers. There are 42 other homes in this price range from which to choose.

There luxury market is struggling: 19% of homes are in escrow in the $1M-$1.25M range. At the higher price points, there are two homes in escrow out of 25 listings, or 8%. This is up from zero last month.

Real estate is hyper-local, so if you want to know what the market is like in a particular neighborhood, we can tell you. www.BestHomesMarin.com or 415.725.1911.

Like Best Homes Marin on Facebook and enter to win a gift card to La Coppa, Peet's or Starbucks. Drawings held quarterly. Become market savvy!

We're here to help with all of your real estate needs!

Kevin McGinnis: 415.725.1911

Spiro Stratigos: 415.225.6412

Defining excellence in real estate

Frank Howard Allen Realtors | Luxury Portfolio Fine Property Collection

Novato, CA real estate/housing market update

Total Novato homes sold in November 2010: 20 (Single-family homes. This is down from 27 sales in October. This is also down from 38 sales in the same period last year.)

Based on November's sales, here's a snapshot of the average single-family home sale in Novato:

• Price: $547,650   
• Size: 1,986 sq ft  
• Price per sq ft: $276  (almost unchanged since October) 
• Days on market: 109  

This week in Novato real estate: The entry-level price range (under $500K) remains the strongest - 56% of these homes are currently in escrow, up from 47% one month ago. Meanwhile, the $500K-$600K price range is also active, with 61% of homes in escrow, up from 44% a month ago.

The $600K-$800K range represents a mix of entry-level and move-up homes, and it is technically a "neutral market" right now (favoring neither buyers nor sellers) with 32% of homes in escrow. 

$700K-$1M remains buyer-friendly, with 22% of homes in escrow.

In the luxury market: 19% of homes are in escrow in the $1M-$1.25M range; 17% in $1.25-$1.5M. Above that price range, it's even lower, just 6%.

Real estate is hyper-local, so if you want to know what the market is like in a particular neighborhood, we can tell you. www.BestHomesMarin.com or 415.725.1911.

Like Best Homes Marin on Facebook and enter to win a gift card to La Coppa, Peet's or Starbucks. Drawings held quarterly. Become market savvy!

We're here to help with all of your real estate needs!

Kevin McGinnis: 415.725.1911

Spiro Stratigos: 415.225.6412

Defining excellence in real estate

Frank Howard Allen Realtors | Luxury Portfolio Fine Property Collection

San Rafael, CA real estate/housing market update

Total San Rafael homes sold in October 2010: 33 (Single-family homes. This is up from 29 sales in September.)

Based on October's sales, here's a snapshot of the average single-family home sale in San Rafael:

• Price: $651,427
• Size: 1,833 sq ft
• Price per sq ft: $355
• Days on market: 118

This week in San Rafael real estate: The entry-level price range (under $500K) remains the strongest - 61% of these homes are currently in escrow. The $500K-$600K price range has 26% of homes in escrow, which makes it a neutral market, meaning it favors neither buyers nor sellers.

The $600K-$700K range represents a mix of entry-level and move-up homes, and it's a buyers market for those homes right now, with 20% of homes in escrow. There are 41 other homes available!

$700K-$1M is a neutral market, favoring neither buyers nor sellers. There are 55 homes in this price range from which to choose.

There luxury market is struggling: 16% of homes are in escrow in the $1M-$1.25M range. At the higher price points, there are no homes in escrow, but 35 are on the market.

Real estate is hyper-local, so if you want to know what the market is like in a particular neighborhood, we can tell you. www.BestHomesMarin.com or 415.725.1911.

Like Best Homes Marin on Facebook and enter to win a gift card to La Coppa, Peet's or Starbucks. Drawings held quarterly. Become market savvy!

We're here to help with all of your real estate needs!

Kevin McGinnis: 415.725.1911

Spiro Stratigos: 415.225.6412

Defining excellence in real estate

Frank Howard Allen Realtors | Luxury Portfolio Fine Property Collection

Novato, CA real estate/housing market update

Total Novato homes sold in October 2010: 27 (Single-family homes. This is down from 33 sales in September.)

One of those sales was our listing at 14 Balboa Court in Hamilton's Bayside neighborhood, pictured here. We got the home into escrow in 8 days and sold it for full price, $619,000. This was $322/square foot, which was higher than October's average in Novato.

Based on October's sales, here's a snapshot of the average single-family home sale in Novato:

• Price: $649,302
• Size: 2,344 sq ft
• Price per sq ft: $277
• Days on market: 89

This week in Novato real estate: The entry-level price range (under $500K) remains the strongest - 47% of these homes are currently in escrow. Meanwhile, the $500K-$600K price range is also active, with 44% of homes in escrow.

The $600K-$800K range represents a mix of entry-level and move-up homes, and it is technically a "neutral market" right now (favoring neither buyers nor sellers) with 28% of homes in escrow. 

$700K-$1M remains buyer-friendly, with a lower percentage of homes in escrow.

There is life in the luxury market: 25% of homes are in escrow in the $1M-$1.25M range; a strong 40% in $1.25-$1.5M. Above that price range, it's very low, just 6%.

Homes in Hamilton, Pointe Marin and the Presidents neighborhood have been hot lately in terms of buyer interest.   

Real estate is hyper-local, so if you want to know what the market is like in a particular neighborhood, we can tell you. www.BestHomesMarin.com or 415.725.1911.

Like Best Homes Marin on Facebook and enter to win a gift card to La Coppa, Peet's or Starbucks. Drawings held quarterly. Become market savvy!

We're here to help with all of your real estate needs!

Kevin McGinnis: 415.725.1911

Spiro Stratigos: 415.225.6412

Defining excellence in real estate

Frank Howard Allen Realtors | Luxury Portfolio Fine Property Collection

For years we've credited part of our home selling success to our use of quality, wide-angle photos in the marketing of your home. Now, there's research to back it up.

A new study by Redfin took a data sample of more than 100,000 listings that were listed for sale during 2009. They evaluated the selling price of homes that had pictures taken with a simple digital point and shoot and compared them to properties where the listing photos were taken with a digital SLR (professional quality photos). The result? Homes that had higher quality or professional photos taken got a higher selling price - between $934 and $116,076 more than homes that did not.

Which do you think looks better?

The photo on the left was shot with a wide-angle, professional grade camera. The one on the right was a point-and-shoot.

With 90% of buyers beginning their home search on the internet, curb appeal begins online. That's why every house that is listed with Kevin & Spiro receives professional-quality photos. What's more, we also believe in the quantity of photos, not just the quality. Another survey a few years ago showed that the more pictures you have in the local MLS, the faster your home sells.  Our local MLS allows 25 photos, and we use the maximum possible for each house we list.

Just consider this example. Escrow closed today on a house we sold in Pointe Marin, 7 W Barberry Place. It sold 55% faster than the average Pointe Marin home, and for 97% of the original price.  Outstanding photos captured the interest of potential buyers, plus we included a virtual tour: VIEW 7 W Barberry Tour

This home sold for $1,065,000.

Below, you can look at the data from Redfin's study. One last note: what's surprising is that only 15.4% of homes in Redfin's data set were marketed using professional photography. The majority of listings, 80.9%, were photographed using point-n-shoot photography, and still another 0.7% used just a camera phone.  

To learn more about how we market your home to sell for top dollar, contact us today!

Kevin McGinnis, Realtor

Spiro Stratigos, Broker/Realtor

www.BestHomesMarin.com

San Rafael Schools Show Gains in State Test Scores - 2010 Growth API Just Released

Sept. 14, 2010 -- The California Department of Education just released the much-anticipated 2010 Growth Academic Performance Index (API) results. Many San Rafael parents have awaited these test results to see how much their neighborhood school's academic achievement levels have changed since 2009.

The 2010 Growth API results show if a school met, exceeded or fell short of its performance goal in 2010.

Below are the results for all San Rafael schools. In summary, all schools posted gains! Here are some highlights: San Pedro Elementary School's API jumped 60 points.. Sun Valley Elementary's API rose 25 points.. Terra Linda High School's jumped 35 points... and all schools in the Dixie School District posted double-digit gains!

• The first graph compares the 2010 Growth API to the 2009 score.
• The second graph breaks down the test results into subgroups so you can see how various ethnic groups within the school performed.

San Rafael City Schools (Serving Central San Rafael and north around N. San Pedro Rd.)

Elementary Schools

BAHIA VISTA ELEMENTARY Test Scores

COLEMAN ELEMENTARY Test Scores

GLENWOOD ELEMENTARY Test Scores

2010 Growth API subgroup chart not available for Glenwood Elementary

LAUREL DELL ELEMENTARY Test Scores

SAN PEDRO ELEMENTARY Test Scores

SUN VALLEY ELEMENTARY Test Scores

VENETIA VALLEY (K-8) Test Scores

Middle Schools

DAVIDSON MIDDLE Test Scores

VENETIA VALLEY (K-8, SEE ABOVE)

San Rafael High Schools

SAN RAFAEL HIGH Test Scores

TERRA LINDA HIGH Test Scores

Dixie Elementary School District (Serving northern San Rafael- Terra Linda/Marinwood)

MARY SILVEIRA ELEMENTARY Test Scores

2010 Growth API subgroups chart not available for Mary Silveira Elementary

DIXIE ELEMENTARY Test Scores

2010 Growth API subgroups chart not available for Dixie Elementary

VALLECITO ELEMENTARY Test Scores

2010 Growth API subgroups chart not available for Vallecito Elementary

Middle School

MILLER CREEK MIDDLE Test Scores

Compiled by KEVIN & SPIRO, Frank Howard Allen Realtors

Charts from greatschools.net

WANT TO FIND A HOME NEAR A PARTICULAR SCHOOL? Contact us today!

Kevin McGinnis (415) 725-1911  kmcginnis@fhallen.com

Spiro Stratigos (415) 225-6412  sstratigos@fhallen.com

WWW.BESTHOMESMARIN.COM

Novato Schools Post Big Gains in 2010 State Test Scores

Sept. 14, 2010 -- The California Department of Education just released the much-anticipated 2010 Growth Academic Performance Index (API) results. Many Novato parents have eagerly awaited these test results to see how much their neighborhood school's academic achievement levels have changed since 2009.

The 2010 Growth API results show if a school met, exceeded or fell short of its performance goal in 2010. Every year California calculates a specific improvement target for each school based on the previous year's test scores and how the school's performance compares to state standards.

Below are the results for all Novato schools. In summary, more than half of the schools posted gains, some huge! Here are some highlights: Olive Elementary School's API jumped 50 points.. Lynwood Elementary's API soared 41 points.. San Ramon Elementary's jumped 16 points...San Jose Middle School posted a 41-point gain.. and Novato High School's API went up 15 points.

• The first graph compares the 2010 Growth API to the 2009 score.
• The second graph breaks down the test results into subgroups so you can see how various ethnic groups within the school performed.

Novato Elementary Schools

HAMILTON ELEMENTARY Test Scores (Serving the communities of Hamilton and Bel Marin Keys in southern Novato)

LOMA VERDE ELEMENTARY Test Scores (Serving Ignacio area west of Hwy 101, 94949)

LU SUTTON ELEMENTARY Test Scores (Serving central Novato)

LYNWOOD ELEMENTARY Test Scores (Serving south/central in 94947)

NOVATO CHARTER Test Scores  (K-8, Lottery-based admission)

 No subgroups chart available for Novato Charter School

OLIVE ELEMENTARY Test Scores (Serving downtown Novato and northern Novato, east of 101, 94945)

PLEASANT VALLEY ELEMENTARY Test Scores (Serving west Novato 94947)

No subgroup chart available for Pleasant Valley School

RANCHO ELEMENTARY Test Scores (Lottery-based admission)

Rancho's complete subgroup chart not available  

SAN RAMON ELEMENTARY Test Scores (Serving San Marin area in northern Novato west of 101)

Novato Middle Schools

HILL MIDDLE Test Scores

SAN JOSE MIDDLE Test Scores

SINALOA MIDDLE - No 2010 Growth API results available

Novato High Schools

NOVATO HIGH Test Scores

SAN MARIN HIGH Test Scores

Compiled by KEVIN & SPIRO, Frank Howard Allen Realtors

Charts from greatschools.net

WANT TO FIND A HOME NEAR A PARTICULAR SCHOOL? Contact us today!

Kevin McGinnis (415) 725-1911  kmcginnis@fhallen.com

Spiro Stratigos (415) 225-6412  sstratigos@fhallen.com

WWW.BESTHOMESMARIN.COM

Homes in southern Novato - Hamilton, Pointe Marin:  The first half of 2010 saw a resurgence of sales activity in southern Novato's 94949 zip code. Sales of single family homes jumped 68% over the same period in 2009, from 34 to 57 sales.

From April through June of this year (2nd Quarter), southern Novato sale prices were flat when compared to the same period last year, although in Hamilton the average sale price rose 6.24%.  In Pointe Marin/Rowe Ranch, the price per square foot increased 6.2% over the second quarter of last year.

Here are all the closed sales from the 2nd Quarter of 2010: 

Pointe Marin/Rowe Ranch

Property                 Bd/Ba        Sq Ft             Sale Price

87 Oak Grove Dr.     3/2.5        2,608             $685,000  

66 Hollyleaf Wy.       3/2.5        2,183             $695,000

20 Oak Grove Dr.     4/3.5         2,934             $700,000 

55 Oak Grove Dr.     4/3.5         2,608             $801,000

16 Valleyview Ter.    4/4            3,551             $920,000  

The average sale price in Pointe Marin and Rowe Ranch was $760,240. The average size home that sold was 2,777 square feet, and the average price per square foot was about $274. 

Hamilton

Property                 Bd/Ba         Sq Ft               Sale Price

8 San Pablo Ct.         3/2.5        2,099               $570,000  

22 Greenham Ct.       3/2.5        2,133               $590,000

7 Laconheath Av.       4/3           2,133               $620,000 

6 Woodbridge Wy.     4/3           2,044               $620,000

114 Chesapeake Ln.  4/3.5        2,731               $650,000   

52 Newport Lndg.       4/3           2,747               $660,000

103 Portsmouth Dr.   4/2.5         2,808                $665,000

54 Richardson Rd.     4/2.5         2,322                $670,000

38 Richardson Rd.     4/2.5         2,791                $688,000

30 Maybeck St.         4/2.5         2,791                $740,000

28 Portsmouth Dr.     5/3           3,006                 $760,000

146 Emerson Av.       3/2.5        2,578                 $799,000

The average sale price in Hamilton was $669,333. The average size home that sold was 2,515 square feet, and the average price per square foot was about $266. 

To get this type of market information sent directly to your email inbox, for any neighborhood or city, click here for our market reports:  Be Market Savvy

We're here to help with all of your real estate needs!

Kevin McGinnis: 415.725.1911

Spiro Stratigos: 415.225.6412

Defining excellence in real estate

Frank Howard Allen Realtors | Luxury Portfolio Fine Property Collection

BestHomesMarin.com

Home for sale in Hamilton, Novato! We just listed 14 Balboa Ct. today in Hamilton's desirable Bayside neighborhood. Well priced at $619,000. This is a sought-after "regular" sale, so you can move in quickly!

14 Balboa Ct. is a Plan 4 Hamilton Bayside home in a prime cul-de-sac location. The home has a dramatic 2-story entry with a gorgeous staircase. There is a formal living room and dining room. It has a large eat-in kitchen opening to a family room with fireplace. The inviting backyard is landscaped with a big lawn and patios for entertaining. 

Features:

• 4 bedrooms/ 2.5 baths
• 1,922 sq ft (approx.)
• 2-car garage
• Hardwood floors
• Spa-like master bathroom
• Central air

Live the Hamilton Novato lifestyle! Within this community there are trails, a library, cafe, parks and the newly renovated Hamilton pool. You are close to the new Hamilton Marketplace shopping center with shopping and restaurants. Plus, southern Novato offers an excellent commute location.

If you'd like to see this home or want more information, please contact Realtors Kevin or Spiro:

Kevin McGinnis: 415.725.1911

Spiro Stratigos: 415.225.6412

Defining excellence in real estate

Frank Howard Allen Realtors | Luxury Portfolio Fine Property Collection

BestHomesMarin.com