Homes & Happenings

in Marin County

Can you believe it's already August? Summer always flies by, and before we know it, backpacks are packed, calendars fill up again, and our daily routines find their rhythm.

This year that rhythm looks different for me. My youngest, Cole, is off to Cal Poly this fall — officially closing out 22 years of school days in Mill Valley, from preschool and Old Mill Kindergarten through Mill Valley Middle School and Tam High. I look back on those years with so much gratitude: countless hours volunteering, sitting on committees, helping in classrooms, chaperoning field trips, cheering from the sidelines at games I never got tired of watching. I miss those days, but I feel lucky to have raised my kids in such a wonderful community — and even luckier to get to share what I've learned with the new families moving in.

It also means I'm looking forward to this fall with a little more time and energy to reconnect with neighbors and this community I love. On the real estate side, I've got some exciting off-market properties in the works, with more lining up for the 2027 market and I don't see demand slowing down anytime soon.

As we head into a new season, here's a look back at our summer market, a few local updates, and a couple of things I hope you'll find useful.

As always, thank you for being part of this wonderful community!

Market Report

key market insights

As we move deeper into summer, the Bay Area housing market continues to show real strength — though where you look matters more than ever. National headlines tend to flatten everything into a single number, but the reality on the ground is far more local, with each community responding differently to inventory, pricing, and the wider economy.

Much of the recent momentum traces back to San Francisco, where the technology sector — and the artificial intelligence boom in particular — has driven a surge in demand. That energy has been strong enough to push the city's median sale price up roughly 25% over the past year, with much of the interest concentrated in family-ready homes in specific, sought-after neighborhoods. Some of that demand has spilled south onto the Peninsula, where San Mateo County has seen prices rise nearly 10%.

Closer to home in Marin, the picture is steadier and more balanced. Prices across much of the North Bay are holding near where they were a year ago, which makes preparation and pricing all the more important. Well-presented, move-in-ready homes continue to attract motivated buyers — and in the right neighborhoods, multiple offers — while properties that need significant work are taking longer to find the right buyer. Today's market rewards a thoughtful, strategic approach.

Mortgage rates remain a real consideration. They ended July near their highs for the year, held up by inflation concerns tied to energy prices, tariffs, and broader economic pressures. Affordability continues to shape how and when buyers make their move. Even so, limited inventory across many of Marin's most desirable communities has helped support home values, creating genuine opportunity for sellers who come to market with a clear plan.

Whether you're considering a move this year or simply keeping an eye on where things are headed, understanding your specific local market will always serve you better than following national headlines. If you'd like to talk through what today's conditions mean for your home or your goals, I'd be glad to help.

They didn't interview anyone else. Here's why...

Twelve years ago, I represented the family who sold 431 Wellesley Avenue to its current owners. When those owners decided to sell the same home themselves, they called me, no listing presentation, no comparing agents. They already knew.

What I want to share isn't the sentimental part, though there's plenty of that. It's what we actually did with that trust. I talked them out of a full primary bathroom remodel they initially wanted to do and instead we focused on more strategic items to improve the ROI.

We priced deliberately under the market value to create real competition. It sold for $4,000,000, 8.3% over the $3,695,000 asking price, in seven days.

This week's case study walks through the full strategy: how we decided what to renovate and what to skip, how the timing was built around the sellers' own lives instead of an arbitrary deadline, and why underpricing worked here even though it isn't a formula that works everywhere.

The History of

Marin County

I've spent more than 30 years watching how history shows up in the details of this county, a ranch-era road that never got straightened, a hillside neighborhood that grew one lot at a time instead of by grid, a ridgeline that stayed open because someone fought to keep it that way decades ago.

This week I wrote up the fuller story: how Marin's geography shaped early settlement, how the Coast Miwok's presence still echoes in place names and village sites, how the railroad and ferry lines built Mill Valley as a retreat long before it became a residential hub, and why the Golden Gate Bridge connected us to San Francisco without turning Marin into an extension of it.

None of this is trivia. It's the reason certain neighborhoods feel the way they do, and why that character has held up as well as it has.

Quote of the Month

food for thought

"What stands in the way becomes the way."

— Marcus Aurelius

"Attention is the rarest and purest form of generosity."

— Simone Weil

Events & Updates

West End Block Party

San Rafael | Aug. 21 & 28th

This weekly block party on Friday evenings packs downtown San Rafael’s Fourth Street with music and community. 

Run Tiburon

Tiburon | Aug. 30th

Lace up for a 5K or 10K to benefit UCSF’s cancer research and clinics, all along idyllic views of the bay from Tiburon’s waterfront.

Celebrating Hardly Strictly Bluegrass with Lyle Lovett

San Francisco | Sep. 13th

The San Francisco Symphony comes together with Lyle Lovett and his Acoustic Group for a celebration of the iconic San Francisco music festival’s 25th anniversary.

SUNSET SESSIONS Marques Wyatt, Julius Papp, Dragonfly & RØZi

Sausalito | Sep. 13th

This is a very special intimate Sunday daytime dance party on bay in Sausalito.

Off Market

Pending Off Market Sales

For Sale

Some Recent Sales ..

mill valley

334 W Blithedale Ave

4 BD 3 BA 2034 SF $2,450,000

mill valley

42 Vista Real

4 BD 5 BA 3905 SF $4,111,110

corte madera

267 Corte Madera Rd

4 BD 3 BA 2360 SF

Compass National Network

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Looking for a primary residence, second home, or investment property outside of Marin? I am connected to some of the best agents in the country and would love to help you to find the right match and make an introduction for you!

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Buyer Needs

collaborative interests

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