Thursday, June 26, 2008

Nationally, as well as many places in the Bay Area, home prices continue to fall, and time on the market is getting longer. However, there are DEFINITE EXCEPTIONS happening, particularly as to prices. In Marin County, though there are fewer sales than a year ago, and Days On Market (DOM) are longer, prices, on average, seem to be holding pretty steady.

The reasons are many and varied. First, Marin is, and continues to be, a very desirable place to live. It has a great lifestyle, generally easy commute, be it locally or to the City, excellent schools and a natural beauty that is hard to match anywhere.

While there are some individual places that have seen a drop in prices, Marin overall, has held pretty close to where prices were six and twelve months ago. Buyers have been holding back a bit, hoping to get lower prices for their purchases, but once they check the market here in Marin, they generally realize the values and opportunity and seriously look into acquiring property.

What does this mean to you if you're thinking of selling? Well, the very first thing to remember is that the houses receiving the quickest and best offers are those that are "ready to go". This means that the house should look as good as it possibly can before it is placed on the market. Any repairs or upgrades that have been put off should be completed. Clutter, and I understand as I am probably the most guilty person in this regard, should be removed. Have a garage sale, donate to charity or just get rid of it. Whatever your method, get it out of the house!

You may want to stage your home so it looks as close to perfect as it can. We regularly work with a variety of stagers and can refer you to the one who's just right for your home. We've said it often--staging does sell homes!

If you have any questions, please don't be shy. Give us a call! We'd be happy to help you, no matter what the question.