marin: Thank You for believinig In and Standing Up for Novato Students - 06/26/11 04:59 PM
This was originally posted on May 21, 2011 Novato.Patch.com
While dramas are playing out on different stages, and emotions run high in Novato causing much debate and anguish among Novatans on issues related to safety, schools and the city, a handful of volunteers quietly ran one of the most successful fundraisers for Novato schools.
With 257 registered riders from 16 public schools and 2344 donors; the Tour of Novato and FunFair fundraiser, held on one glorious April day, raised over $93,000 for Novato public schools!
It was quite an amazing sight witnessing the excitement going on around the registration table.  Riders … (6 comments)

marin: San Marin 2010 Classic Car Exposition, Novato, Marin - 06/07/10 08:24 PM
San Marin Improvement Association (SMIA - www.SanMarin.org ), a north Novato neighborhood of 1,700+ homes just north and south of San Marin Drive in Novato, hosted it's 4th annual Classic Car Exposition on May 22, 2010.
SMIA is a neighborhood association formed to safeguard San Marin neighborhood and to build community relationships through social event.
Some of the SMIA's accomplishments are:  
Purchase and protect Mt. Burdell, which is now a designated Open Space in Marin County Fend off building plans / zonings that do not agree with the neighborhood (recent accomplishment - the redeisn of the lot on the corner of San Marin Drive … (1 comments)

marin: Sail The San Francisco Bay - 10/18/09 05:01 PM
My Rotary Club, Rotary Club of Novato Sunrise, recently took a sunset sail in the San Francisco Bay. 
We sailed from the dock at the Bay Model in Sausalito, sailed past the Golden Gate Bridge, around the Marin Headland and then cruised back.
The weather was perfect, warm, low wind, clear sky, the bay is as blue as it can be.  Gentle breeze and we sailed into the sun setting against that magnificant bridge.  The day after the Chinese Moon Festival brought an incredible full moon, rising behind Mt. Tam...  The city Sparkled under the moonlight...
A perfect evening with a group of … (5 comments)

marin: Marin County July the 4th Event - For the Patriotic You! - 07/02/08 06:22 PM
Independence Day is a heartbeat away and one of the beauties of life in the North Bay is the variety of fun events that our charming communities organize at this time of year. Read on to learn of the many unique ways to observe this all-American holiday. Happy Fourth!  Also, be watchful of the local fireworks in this extremely DRY season!  Corte Madera-Larkspur 43rd Annual Corte Madera/Larkspur Chambers of Commerce 4th of July Parade - Elaborate floats, precision drill teams, classic cars and the Corte Madera Town Band.Parade Time: 10:30 am Route: From Redwood High in Larkspur, it moves down Magnolia into Corte Madera … (4 comments)

marin: Scorching Hot Days - Marin County Summer Cooling Centers Come to Rescue!!! - 06/30/08 05:03 PM
The following information is provided by the Novato Chamber of Commerce. This information can be quite handy for the very few, but could be quite uncomfortable scorching hot days in Marin. This is very important for Seniors who will need to be especially careful when weather conditions change drastically!----------------------
The following facilities have graciously agreed to open their doors as Cooling Centers (to those of any age) in Marin County in times of need.
Hours of operation as a Cooling Center are informally offered and may change when necessary.
Each site is air-conditioned, has water for drinking, a restroom and seating.
… (4 comments)

marin: Novato Real Estate, Marin County Market Overview - June 25th - 06/28/08 04:25 AM
                                                                  
Novato Real Estate Market Trend, June 25, 2008
As can see from the list below, the entry level Novato homes are enjoying a high percentage of pending sale than two weeks.  With the starting home price drops in Novato, and the avaiability of Short Sales and Bank Owned (REO) properties on the market, the first time homeowners and investors are out looking and actually buying. 
Several nicely priced mid range and higher end homes ($800K and up) are quickly claimed by ready buyers at the beginning of the summer housing season; a great time to shop and move. 
One reason of seeing increasing … (0 comments)

marin: Novato Real Estate, Marin Market Overview - May 28, 2008 - 06/22/08 10:45 AM

Interesting Market Trend since April 30, 2008
As there are more Short Sales and Bank Owned (REO) properties on the market, the trend is driving prices for short sales and REO properties downwards; attracting bargain hunters while higher end properties move slower and more cautiously.   
Coupled with the new programs since the announcement of the new Jumbo Loan limits, the consumers are out shopping again and will not wait when the right property comes along.  Instead of two loan threasholds, conforming (up to $417,000) and Jumbo (over $417,000); there are now three brackets - Conforming (up to $417,000), Super Conforming (between $417,000 and $729,250) and Jumbo ($729,250 and … (0 comments)

marin: WildFire Alert - Guidelines For Mowing Grass on Marin County Open Space District - 05/29/08 05:58 PM
Today, I received the ANNUAL FIRE LETTER from the Marin County Department of Parks and Open Space.
This letter is especially critical at this time of year when fire risk is increasing; particularly with the fact that we are already facing a very dry summer season.
Here is the information on the letter, which can be found on the county website Wildfire Safety Information as well.





Excerpt from Marin County Open Space District:
GUIDELINES FOR MOWING GRASS ON MARIN COUNTY OPEN SPACE DISTRICT LAND ADJACENT TO YOUR HOME
It is extremely important that your … (2 comments)

marin: Pumping Gas - How to Get The Most Out of Your Money - 05/06/08 05:42 PM
With Gas price skyrocketing ($4.00+ per gallon in Marin County, CA), I really appreciate getting the follwing tips on how to effectively pump gas and save the precious commodities - money and Gas.  And yes, I have been doing everything wrong until now, and probably still will ...
1) Only buy or fill up your car or truck in the early morning when the ground temperature is still cold.
Remember that all service stations have their storage tanks buried below ground. The colder the ground, the more dense the gasoline. When it gets warmer, gasoline expands, so buying in the afternoon or in the … (21 comments)

marin: Marin County Population Marks Growth in 2007 - 05/04/08 06:03 PM
According to Marin Independent Journal (Marin IJ), the populaton in Marin Country grew by 2,326 in 2007, almost a 1%  growth, the largest jump in 4 years.
Marin population grew from 255,080 to 257,406; a 0.9% growth from 01/01/2007 to 12/31/2007; which is in line with those of the state of California, which measures growth from 07/01/2006 thrun 06/30/2007.
Mill Valley had the largest growth percent wise at 1.1%, or 154 residents; San Rafael, on the contrary, saw the smallest growth of 0.7% or 392 residents. 
Property type wise, Novato has the most single-family detached homes, at 12, 196; and the … (1 comments)

marin: Novato Real Estate, Marin County Market Overview, Week of April 30, 2008 - 04/30/08 07:07 PM

Novato Real Estate Market Review as of April 30, 2008
Novato Real Estate Market changes since March 19, 2008.  Available units changed from 376 to 436 (16% increase), in escrow changed from 82 to90 (10% increase), so we have a loss of 5% in percent in escrow. 
The biggest gain in In-Escrow is in the your bread and butter single family home price ranged from $600K to $800K and not surprisingly, the $1M to $1.25M range where the rich but not super rich are looking for homes.  The fixers and very small homes (1,000 sf or slightly more) see a drop in houses under … (0 comments)

marin: Upscale Town Home in Desirable Partridge Knolls. Nature Lovers' Choice, Great Schools! - 04/29/08 02:45 PM
Sought-after Townhome in Courtyard at Partridge Knolls
3 Bedrooms, 3 Full Baths, over 1700sf Living Space
property website:  www.30LittleCreek.com
Lovely Townhome, priced at $699,000.  Private and serene, this wonderful townhome is conveniently located on a PRIME location in sought-after Courtyard at Partridge Knolls nestled in the hills of Mt. Burdell.  Sited off path from foot traffic and adjacent to a strip of greenland, this home offers rare privacy. 
The house has three bedrooms and 3 full baths with one bedroom and one full bath downstairs.  The tastefully remodeled kitchen has gleaming granite counters, maple cabinets and stainless-steel appliances, with gas range and Pure Water Filtration System.  The … (3 comments)

marin: Bamboo Bread Bag - Be GREEN while Keeping Your Bread Fresh! - 04/11/08 07:26 PM
Bamboo bags for carrying and storing loaves of bread are a new, sustainable product launched in November, 2007 by three Berkeley-based enterprenuies: Ann Arnold, a writer and illustrator of children's books; Linda Elvira Piedra, a photographer and Lauren Shi, an alternative medicine practitioner and acupuncturist-in-training who runs the Wellspring Clinic.
Ann, a Marin resident (her great grandparents gave Muir Woods, the National Monument, to California. Her grandmother was a Kent, as in Kentfield of Southern Marin), came across the bamboo cloth in a fabric store.  The cloth is woven from the substantially reproducing bamboo that's becoming one of the hottest multipurpose crops … (9 comments)

marin: KEY TO YOUR FUTURE - A GREAT EDUCATION - Four Marin Schools Selected as 2008 California "Distinguished Schools" - 04/10/08 04:09 PM
                    
              KEY TO YOUR FUTURE IS A GREAT EDUCATION!
        Come to Marin County - We Care for Our Children
Looking for GREAT Schools for your clients when moving to Marin County, San Francisco North Bay>?
Four Marin Schools have been selected as the 2008 California ‘Distinguished Schools' by the California State Department of Education.  
The newly minted Distinguished schools in Marin are Lu Sutton and Rancho elementary schools in Novato, Ross School in Ross and Bayside Elementary School in the Sausalito Marin City School District.
Only 343 of the states 5,250 elementary schools received the honor in 2008, which recognizes the … (2 comments)

marin: The Two Coolest Robots Ever! Penguin Empire and for Jerry the Dog! - 04/10/08 11:38 AM
I am fortunately enough to be one of San Marin High School (Novato, Marin County, CA) Robotics Club, Penguin Empire team's mentors. 
This rookie team won the 2nd place in the First Robotics Compeitition (FRC) Davis Regional event in March, 2008; an exciting event - Check out the Video.

The chief mentor, Dave, in search of inspriring Robotics videos for the students and mentors alike, came upon a video of this robot.  Thought you'd all love it.
The Coolest Robot Ever! is the title of the email from Dave; and I would have to agree with him :-)   Duke would want … (2 comments)

marin: Trulia Real Estate Unleashed Integration with Google Street View - 04/09/08 04:05 PM
Being one of the regular Trulia (a real estate website dedicated to providing buyers and sellers with advise and providing tools for realtors and consumers alike) contributors, it is of great interest to watch Trulia grow by leaps and bounds through the year (I think this is Trulia's second year ?).
The latest innovation unveiled is the Integration of Trulia and Google Street View.
This allows you to take a closer look of the house /areas you are interested in and from different angles.  Some may argue that this is not a difficult thing to do; however, the thought of Trulia taking the step to … (16 comments)

marin: Your #1 Green Home Choice? - HELP - What to Tell High Schoolers on Green Career Day? - 04/08/08 01:29 PM
GO GREEN, FEEL GOLDEN!  
That's the phrase for our local high school's first Green School Week!
My philosophy in life is always to take the challenge. 
So, when my son's high school (San Marin High School in Novato, CA, of which I am really involved in) decides to host it's first ever Green School Week and asked for parent volunteers to make a Green Careen presentation, I said "Yes".
I figured that I am a Realtor, not really a Green career, but I can CERTAINLY come and make a presentation about Green Housing; perhaps the students can take the ideas home. 
Now that … (4 comments)

marin: Great Schools, Cheap Homes - Don't Forget to Check Marin County Schools - 04/01/08 09:52 AM
Trulia took a shot at researching for affordable homes and great schools in and around the country.  The top choices are Philadelphia, Dallas and Boston.  While those are great selections, I feel that my hometown of Novato in Marin County, San Francisco North Bay was over looked.
While being in Marin county, San Francisco North Bay, we can not claim that we have the ‘Cheap Homes', but Trulia might have overlooked a couple recent articles about the Town of Novato in Marin and the quality of Marin county schools.
Marin County Schools was voted the best schools for the money by Forbes Magazine
And … (0 comments)

marin: Green Facts About Your Marin Home - Did You Know This? - 04/01/08 02:58 AM
I came upon this fast facts about your home on the GreenBuilding.com website; thought I'd shar the Green Facts.    Did you know that -
Older toilets use 3.7-7 gallons per flush
Dishwashers use 8-14 gallons per cycle
Top-loading washers use 45 gallons/load
A dripping faucet waste 15-21 gallons per day
US water users withdraw enough water to fill a line of Olympic-size swimming pools reaching around the world EVERY DAY (300 billion gallons)
Although our planet is 71 percent water, humans depend on a mere .65 percent of the water for survival - much of which is polluted.
About a quarter of the nation's largest industrial plants … (4 comments)

marin: Red Skelton "Pledge of Allegiance" - 03/27/08 03:00 PM
A friend at my Rotary Club sent us the link to the meanings of Pledge of Allegiance, beautifully done by Red Skelton; 30 years ago.  A Class Act!
I thought I'd share this with you all at the time of great changes, divide, worries, insecurity; here is something we should all reflect upon.  
This is a great country and let's keep it great for us and for our future generations!   
Red Skelton's Pledge of Allegiance … (3 comments)