Midway through Marin County real estate’s busy selling season also finds us at the beginning of many a homeowner’s personal vacation season. For those whose homes are on the market, one of the benefits of having a close working relationship with their Mill Valley real estate agent means that they can take off for their out-of-town holiday without having to worry about losing prospective buyers. If my clients instruct me to continue showings in their absence, it’s no problem; likewise, if they’d prefer to hold off until their return, the showing schedule is juggled accordingly.When a house sitter is part of the picture, it’s a low-stress showing situation, as well. Good house sitters keep their client’s property in order on a day-to-day basis anyway, so with the agreed-upon advance sche... 06/27/2016

The Marin listings are one piece of what is now a towering real estate marketing colossus. Our MLS is like the bulletin board at the local supermarket where you pin up your garage sale notice or picture of the old lawn mower you’d like to get rid of in that it’s simple to use and, for the sellers, free. The difference is that today’s Marin listings are on the internet, so instead of just being available to the shoppers in Mill Valley, it’s posted for the whole world to see. Literally.And people from all over the world, instead of just wheeling their carts past it on their way to a parking lot, are increasingly paying attention. The most recent survey had foreign buyers plunking down $104 billion for about 8% of total existing homes sales dollars. In other words, people in China are chec... 06/13/2016

Most Marin County house flipping veterans can look back on their successful projects and place them in either of two columns. Either they were intended to be quick flips—turnarounds where speed was a prime ingredient because of an original tactical decision—or they were not.The quick flips depend on speedy, focused action in three of the four phases a house flipping project entails. In the opening phase— lining up the capital—speed is not important. Of course, nothing else will materialize unless financing for the Marin property is obtainable when needed—but there is no timer ticking away. Once it is likely that funding will be obtainable, that’s when the clock starts.Phase Two—finding, negotiating, and closing on a suitable property—is a real foot race. A quick flip only materializes a... 06/06/2016

The Leasing Team at Foundation Rentals and Relocation just LEASED another property in Mill Valley for $4,995.  Thanks to everyone for a great transaction.  For any questions about Mill Valley property management or buying or selling investment properties in Mill Valley, call Broker Christopher Barrow at (415) 637-8934!   06/03/2016

Moving Day: for Mill Valley residents who relish order in their lives, this is one day when no amount of preparation is likely to totally quell the feeling that the world is on the verge of chaos. The day (or days, if the move is one that begins or ends outside Marin County) will predictably end with all worldly goods beginning to rearrange themselves in their new settings—but although the outcome is assured, as moving day approaches, rattled nerves require taking a deep breath. Several deep breaths…When you add small children to the mix, strategic preparation is even clearer as the order of the day. Some of the tried-and-true ideas are ones that all parents naturally figure out—such as having kids help put things away at the new house so they feel part of the process (as well as seeing... 05/30/2016

While reading a real estate magazine article about “the pros and cons of buying during the peak selling season,” I was fairly certain (as you probably would be) that, one way or another, the cons wouldn’t outweigh the pros. The Mill Valley’s peak selling season is certainly prime time whenever there are homes for sale, but often there are reasons when other times of year can be opportune.The article in came up with more pros than cons. No surprise there: we can all bank on the inevitability of that conclusion (that NOW is a good time to buy or sell) whenever we’re hearing from an industry whose business is buying and selling!  So—how do you actually get the straight scoop on the subject?The answer may lie in understanding why a true best answer for when to put up Mill Valley homes for s... 05/16/2016

Why it is that we’re drawn to “Top 10” lists in general is a matter we can leave to the psychologists. Suffice it to say that the lists are a staple on the super market tabloids and they’re all over the web. I admit they get more than their share of my own attention, even when my curiosity about a list’s subject matter is negligible. It’s probably because they’re quick to skim through and agree or disagree with…Since they are so pervasive, it occurred to me that there might be something to learn if we could determine which ones that deal with real estate topics get the most attention. Mill Valley real estate didn’t have its own Marin County-focused Top 10 real estate lists—but for the whole country, I guessed there could be hundreds (there were). There turned out to be a lot of ads mixe... 05/02/2016

The Leasing Team at Foundation Rentals and Relocation just LEASED another property in Mill Valley for $6,350.00.  Thanks to everyone for a great transaction.  For any questions about Mill Valley property management or buying or selling investment properties in Mill Valley, call Broker Christopher Barrow at (415) 637-8934! 04/29/2016

The Leasing Team at Foundation Rentals and Relocation just LEASED another property in Stadium for $3,000.00.  Thanks to everyone for a great transaction.  For any questions about Mill Valley property management or buying or selling investment properties in Mill Valley, call Broker Christopher Barrow at (415) 637-8934! 04/29/2016

The headlines last week had a familiar look to them, but in terms of what they actually signified for readers who might be potential home buyers or sellers in Mill Valley, they really should have triggered a snap-to moment:“Mortgage Rates Fall to New 2016 Lows,” was the Star Tribune’s headline.  Yahoo Finance echoed that, adding, “Is Now the Time to Buy?”  “Ho-hum,” readers might have reacted; “same ‘ol, same ‘ol…”The so what? treatment was also what most media outlets gave the news. After all, haven’t mortgage rates been low for a long time now? So what if rates hit the lowest mark since May 2013? TV newscasters (cable and otherwise) were mostly mum, except on the financial channels. News is about what’s new—and this just didn’t seem to qualify.Wrong!In terms of real people’s lives, th... 04/25/2016

The Leasing Team at Foundation Rentals and Relocation just LEASED anotherproperty in Mill Valley for $6,000.00. Thanks to everyone fora great transaction. For any questions about Mill Valley propertymanagement or buying or selling investment properties in Mill Valley,call Broker Christopher Barrow at (415) 637­8934! 04/20/2016

The Leasing Team at Foundation Rentals and Relocation just LEASED anotherproperty in Mill valley for $7,300.00. Thanks to everyone fora great transaction. For any questions about Mill Valley propertymanagement or buying or selling investment properties in Mill Valley,call Broker Christopher Barrow at (415) 637­8934! 04/20/2016

The Leasing Team at Foundation Rentals and Relocation just LEASED another property in Mill Valley for $7,300.00.  Thanks to everyone for a great transaction.  For any questions about Mill Valley property management or buying or selling investment properties in Mill Valley, call Broker Christopher Barrow at (415) 637-8934!  $7,300.00 04/20/2016

Something is being offered that is actually for free. No, really.It is truly the case that lately some banks and credit card companies have been including a new benefit for their Mill Valley clients: free access to their current FICO credit score.This isn’t the same thing as the ads we’ve been deluged with for years—the ones for “free” credit reports. Most of those wound up not really being completely free—at least not if you value your privacy (as in your email and other personal information). Most of them were bent on pitching you on surprisingly pricey subscription credit monitoring services. For anyone who placed value on the time it took to tell them “no” a half-dozen ways, these weren’t really “free.”But if you are a lucky Marin County client of one of the outfits now providing co... 04/19/2016

Not since Johnny Depp put his French countryside village up for sale have Mill Valley real estate investors had an out-of-town real estate opportunity like the one that grabbed national headlines last week. As markdowns go, it was remarkable. But there were…issues…This deal was described by Fortune magazine as “a 640-acre desert town that comes with a casino, a 10-room motel, restaurant, post office, and an airstrip.” Fortune apparently missed the mobile home park and convenience store that CNN Money noticed. Originally put up for sale in 2010 for $17 million, Marin investors should appreciate that its newly marked down asking price is just $8 million. Although some potential buyers’ enthusiasm might be dampened by the Google Maps satellite view of the township which shows it to be pret... 04/18/2016

They’re aimed at the Frustrating Five: spring cleaning tasks that Mill Valley homeowners tend to put off and/or ignore more than the others. Since spring is the most agreeable time of year to tackle household maintenance (even the vexing ones), here’s a list to contemplate—along with some widely accepted strategies for taking them head-on:          Kitchen cabinets gradually build up grease—and getting rid of it is one of those jobs we don’t tend to tackle on a regular basis. The first of the top 5 spring cleaning tips is the easiest: that grease is no challenge if you remember to keep a single-purpose product on hand. Marin hardware stores and supermarkets stock them: just look for the household cleaning bottles that have “Dirt and Grease” somewhere on the label.          Dirty windows... 04/18/2016

By now, our Mill Valley long-time house flipping veterans have seen it all: raging real estate bubble, over-the-cliff market freefall, energetic bounce-back, and now, the current, more rational market’s steady appreciation.House flipping experts prosper when they succeed in improving an undervalued Marin property quickly and inexpensively, and then “flip” it expeditiously. The key is to add value that is appreciated by the buying public. The Marin County’s long-term house flipping successes are the opposite of those who opt for skin-deep, purely cosmetic changes. Except in the most extreme sellers’market conditions, buyers are too perceptive to reward cover-up tactics. Mill Valley house flippers with staying power are usually the veterans who can spot quality beneath neglect. They also ... 04/18/2016

Modern life is said to have gotten immeasurably richer as labor-saving devices have empowered households and workplaces from one end of Mill Valley to the other.Richer, yes; simpler, surely not!Today’s Marin County householder’s typical day likely involves juggling multiple destinations: shop for dinner, get kids to lessons or practices, drop off packages and pick up dry cleaning—or several hundred other possibilities that modern mobile Americans integrate into their daily lives. We don’t give it a thought.Not to mention what happens when your profession isn’t tied to one location.When it comes to buying and selling Marin homes, the freedom brought by 21st century mobility makes selective house hunting much more efficient. But all the accompanying lifestyle changes have introduced compl... 04/18/2016

The Leasing Team at Foundation Rentals and Relocation just LEASED another property in Eucalyptus Knoll for $4,750. Thanks to everyone for a great transaction. For any questions about Eucalyptus Knoll property management or buying or selling investment properties in Eucalyptus Knoll, call Broker Christopher Barrow at (415) 637-8934! 04/13/2016

The Leasing Team at Foundation Rentals and Relocation just LEASED another property in 312 MELROSE AVE, MILL VALLEY, CA 94941 United States for $7,500. Thanks to everyone for a great transaction. For any questions about 312 MELROSE AVE, MILL VALLEY, CA 94941 United States property management or buying or selling investment properties in 312 MELROSE AVE, MILL VALLEY, CA 94941 United States, call Broker Christopher Barrow at (415) 637-8934! 04/13/2016