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Tis the season to give the gift of home

Ahh wouldnt that be nice for so many of us Alas homes are not Fitbits and they dorequire a bit more investment thought and personal wealth But holidays aside is a Marin home affordable in any season Actually yes Andrelative to San Francisco and the Peninsula we are seen as a bargain Anecdotallywere finding San Francisco buyers who come to take a peek at the Marin housinginventory stymied by how much you can get for your money here (relatively of

course) Imagine how investors from London Tokyo Shanghai or Paris feel Marinhomes are downright cheap But for the purposes of this report letrsquos stick to the local scene and whatshappening here in our backyard Home prices have risen this year a full 94 higherthan the median single family home price of 2014 ($1010000 vs$1105000) Prices have definitely slowed their rapid rise this fall which is givingmany buyers hope that they may be able to afford their dream homethat is if morehomes come on the market We still have a very low amount of Marin countyhousing on the market right now a total of 192 homes and 64 condos as ofDecember 11 Typically this signals a sellers market but thats not to say sellers can get away withoverpricing their homes anymore Savvy buyers know neighborhood values andwhether or not a seller is stuck in the clouds with their offering price Over-pricing isactually the wrong strategy in this market While counter intuitive pricing a propertyjust below its realistic value can stimulate traffic and interest amongst buyers oftenresulting in a higher offer price But its important to note that not all properties goover asking price and some stay on the market only to be reduced for sale later wellbelow the sellers ideal price

November 2014 vs November 2015

Now is a great opportunity for buyers Yet for some reason we find active buyersunwilling to offer lower than asking price for fear of insulting the seller To that wealways respond You cant win if you dont play If you see a house out there and

its been on the market for more than two or three weeks try a below-asking offerMany sellers are reluctant to reduce their price for fear of ultimately having to gobelow that price yet they are perfectly happy to accept a below-asking offer on theirhome Give it a shot If you are interested in buying we suggest buying soon Any day now we expect theFed to raise the rates It is also likely rates may possibly increase again in the NewYear Though the Fed rarely affects long-term mortgage rates (which are set bymarkets and often behave perversely) existing ARM (adjustable-rate mortgages)and home equity borrowers are directly influenced by the Fed changes While the entire market slows down for the winter holidays and many agents taketime off we remind you that Vanguard Properties is open throughout the holidaysand actually believes this to be a very productive time for buyers and sellers alikeFor an analysis of your homes value or to see whats on the market I invite you togive me a call or send me an email

And for a bit of Bay Area holiday cheer click here or on the image belowhttpswwwyoutubecomwatchv=3AD_WkwCAHs

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