Less Taxing

Ignoring, for a moment, the painful irony of a former school teacher choosing not to pay taxes that benefit public schools, check out an article from today's Marin IJ on how some Marin seniors can opt out of parcel taxes. In truth, the article is about a snafu by the tax collector, but the reason for this post is to bring awareness to our "boomer-ish" Marin readers (or readers with boomer-ish parents) who may not be aware of this program. We'd remind you that it's Marin's excellent schools that are partly the reason for our high property values, but we also know that when budgets get tight, this kind of relief can make a big difference.

Hold Your Breath

Check out this article for the latest news on Marin homeowners who are underwater. More than you thought? Fewer? Share your thoughts....

Foreclosure Database

Because of the seemingly never-ending fascination with distress sales, we thought we'd again offer up the link to the Marin County foreclosure database.

As always, we add the caveat that many homes that are in the foreclosure process, especially those that have received a Notice of Default, may never be offered for sale. In some cases, homeowners have "deliberately" gone into default as part of a strategy to achieve a loan modification.

More advice...be cautious when pursuing foreclosures. Auctions on the court house steps are the first place that novices stumble. But even when purchasing through an agent, disclosures are limited and contracts tend to heavily favor the bank's interests. Do your risk/reward calculations carefully. And, as ever, please buy and sell real estate responsibly. We're always here to help.

Safety First

For our many Mill Valley-centric clients, friends, and readers (and with apologies to those that aren't), here's a worthwhile read about Mill Valley's approach to disaster preparedness.

Clean Bill of Health

In possibly the least shocking news story of the year, Marin was recently ranked as as California's healthiest county. It's a very nice sustainably harvested feather in our organic hats. Laugh all you want, but these are the things that help real estate values. We plan to celebrate with a Double Double and a side of fries.

Rubber-necking Real Estate

Sometimes it's hard not to look. If you're curious to know more about foreclosures in Marin, check out the IJ's forclosure database. Please note, however, that while this information is public, it's also personal. Let decency prevail. You should also know that many home listed as "in the foreclosure process," will never become bank-owned. These days, most people attempting to do loan modifications are being advised to go into default on their mortgages. This starts the foreclosure process. In many of these cases, the lenders will modify the loan before the house is reposessed and the owners will remain in possession.

More on the SMART Train

The IJ had another update on the SMART train. Looks like a modified route is a possiblility. From where we sit, it's hard to get behind any option that doesn't include a connection at the Larkspur Ferry Terminal. How do other North Bay residents feel?

Slow Train Coming?

For those who missed it, here's an update on the SMART Train that will connect Marin and Sonoma Counties.

Posted by Jess Pearson