An interesting trend has taken shape in recent weeks in Marin County.  Sellers are disappearing!

Take Novato, for instance.  Sales right now are brisk, with half of all homes on the market in escrow.  While that points to a return to a Seller's market, there are just 347 homes listed for sale currently.  Typically, at the height of the Spring/Summer selling season, we'd have about 450 homes and condos for sale.  Roughly 1 in 4 homes are missing!

Several factors are causing this.  First, and most obviously, Sellers have been hit with falling prices and many may simply choose not to sell while the market is down.  Problem is, from where I sit, it isn't coming back anytime soon, so for some, it may be a long wait.  That means plans and lives may be put on hold for something that may or may not happen in the next 5-10 years.

Another factor affecting the inventory of homes for sale in Marin County is unemployment.  A big driver of home sales here is the constant churn of executives being relocated either to or from the Bay Area.  Fewer opportunities are out there than in the past, and that means more people are staying put.  The local unemployment rate is relatively stable, so those who still have their jobs are more content to stay put and to ride this thing out.

For a complete search of the Marin County real estate market, be sure to visit www.BestHomesMarin.com.