My favorite beach in Marin: Fort Cronkhite

Lots of folks forget this spot but it’s quick to get to, provides nice hiking, and is breathtakingly beautiful.

From Marin you drive South on 101 until the very last exit before the Golden Gate. My favorite way to go is through the “5 Minute Tunnel.” One Saturday, I took my Mom and forgot to mention that the five minutes refers to the wait, as it’s a one-way tunnel and traffic lights are used to let cars through in each direction. We got there just as our light was turning green – when we passed through the tunnel 60 seconds later, she breathed a sigh of relief (a little claustrophobic as she is…) and wondered at how that was 5 minutes.

Driving through the Marin Headlands to get to Fort Cronkhite provides amazing natural views. More than once we have seen coyotes on the hills – and one time a smirking coyote (no really he was smirking) leisurely crossed the street after stopping traffic in both directions. He was no more than three feet from my car door. Of course, the Park Service does have posted signs throughout warning not to feed or pet the coyotes. Seeing them from my car – cool. Closer than that – not so cool.

Once you arrive at Fort Cronkhite there is plenty of parking and even convenient restrooms. For me, the first thing I do is walk over the bridge over part of the Lagoon and sit down. Just sitting and watching the waves is peaceful and Zen like; even better to dig your hands into the dark sand – I swear you can see tiny stones of every color. Once, while sitting on the beach watching the waves, I could have sworn it was the past and present merging in front of me as I saw: cargo ship, sail boat, cargo ship, sail boat…

I started doing quick trips to Fort Cronkhite when I moved to Marin in 1999 and I probably go 10-15 times a year. I find it such a great place to sit and think – just watching the waves here has helped me work through all sorts of things. But in addition to waves, the cliffs, the occasional cargo ships, and the cute surfers, there is so much more.

When I go with my kids they love digging in the sand, making tunnels, playing with whatever friendly dogs are hanging out that day, and, when it’s warm enough, playing in the water.

There is a fantastic walk around Rodeo Lagoon – here is a picture we took last weekend from the far end of the Lagoon looking out to the ocean.

There are some great, somewhat short but steep hikes from both sides of the beach –a good way to sneak in a little exercise.

And if that’s not enough, there is also the Marine Mammal Center, along with their visitor’s center. A couple years back my daughter had her 3rd grade report on the Marine Mammal Center which was being renovated. We went to the visitor’s center and learned all about Pinnipeds.

Even better, the Marin Headlands offers lots of other walks and hikes, bunkers, and incredible views, but that’s a blog for another day.

In the meantime, I am thankful that the memories are bountiful and I truly feel blessed to have this wonder in my backyard.

I created a photo gallery that contains some of my favorite images that I’ve taken from around Fort Cronkhite. I hope you enjoy it!

Posted by:Jennifer Masterson

UPDATE: The recent earthquake in Humboldt County on Saturday and the tragedy that struck Haiti on Tuesday are sobering reminders that we in the Bay Area are also susceptible and need to be prepared in the event of a major earthquake. We are very fortunate to live in a place with strong local infrastructure, and we encourage everyone to take advantage of the wealth of emergency preparedness information and education that is available.

Our thoughts are with the people of Haiti. For a list from the Associated Press of organizations accepting donations to help Haiti, click here.

Click here to read my blog post about how you and your family can be prepared in the event of a major earthquake or disaster.
Posted by:Noreen Smith

The Bay Area has been rocked with a few small rumbles lately, mostly centered around Milpitas, just north of San Jose. It serves as a good reminder to make sure that you and your family are prepared in the event of a major earthquake or disaster.

The Ready Campaign is a national campaign designed to educate and empower Americans to prepare for and respond to emergencies including natural and man-made disasters. Information for families and individuals can be found on the Ready America website:  http://www.ready.gov/index.html. In addition, there is Ready Business (information for small business owners) and Ready Kids (a site designed specifically for children). All three Ready sites follow the same guiding principles of Get a Kit, Make a Plan and Be Informed.

1. Get a Kit:
After a disaster, you may need to survive on your own for a while – in general, it is suggested that you have supplies to last 72 hours. Provisions should include food, water, a first-aid kit, battery powered radio, flashlights, extra batteries, etc. Depending on your needs, it’s also important to make sure you have items such as pet food, formula and diapers, extra medication, etc. More info can be found here.

2. Make a Plan:
Disaster can strike at anytime and anywhere so it is likely that you won’t be with family members; you’ll need to make a plan for how you will get in touch with one another and where you will meet. (For example, it is recommended that you have an out-of-area contact since it will most likely be easier to call long distance than locally once an emergency strikes.) You’ll also want to create different plans for different scenarios. The Ready Campaign has several online resources for making a plan. Make sure you also have a copy of or are familiar with the disaster plan at your child’s school or your workplace. More info can be found here.

3. Be Informed:
The best way to prepare is to be informed. In addition to the Ready.gov website, there are several local websites that provide useful information. Get Ready Marin has a resource page with a downloadable version of the Get Ready manual, presentation, and supply checklist – as well as other resources associated with the program. Get Ready Marin also offers free two-hour training courses which are presented in many cities and can be found here: http://www.getreadymarin.org/training.html. The San Francisco website, 72 hours.org, is also very useful for gathering information. More info can be found here.

Are you ready? Do you have suggestions on the best places for supplies? Let us know.

Posted by:Noreen Smith

Over the Christmas Holiday I was able to take my family on a ski vacation. My wife’s family owns a home in Tahoe Donner, usually a 3 1/2 hour ride from Marin. We left on December 28th in the afternoon and arrived by 9 p.m. that evening. It was a bit of a schlep as rain, wind and snow pelted us on the way up and Cal Trans required chains on all vehicles traveling over the pass. When rides get long and arduous, I sometimes question myself for making the trip. When we arrived, the house thermostat read 35 degrees! I built a fire, turned on the water (we shut it down when we leave so that the pipes don’t freeze) and soon we were asleep.

We awoke the next day to overcast but clear skies and an exterior temperature of 28 degrees. As this was the first day of our trip we decided to ski at the Tahoe Donner ski area. It’s small, just 3 lifts, a few runs, very inexpensive and nothing too difficult. It was nice to get our ski legs under us before we hit something meatier. All in all, it was a great day. A very cold but great day!

On Wednesday morning, it was storming. The snow was heavy, the temperature was cold (good) but it was windy. As we made our way onto Highway 89, what usually is a 25 minute ride to Alpine Meadows took over an hour. During our first ride up the chair, my 10-year-old son, Daniel, looked at me and said, “It sure is cold and windy!” I thought that this was not going to be a pleasant day. But then, it stopped. All the weather just stopped. The snow stopped; the wind stopped. All of a sudden, the conditions were perfect. Alpine Meadows is the perfect resort as well. With their 12+ chairs and numerous beginner, intermediate and expert runs, it has something for the whole family. For the next two days we had perfect conditions at Alpine Meadows. Alpine is not as large as Squaw Valley (just next door) but the same mountain with the same degree of variety and challenge.

What a great trip! Unfortunately, we were rained out on New Year’s Day but that was okay with us. We packed up, closed the house down and made the 3 1/2 hour trip back to Marin. I’m glad we made the trip. It was some of the best skiing I’ve done in 30 years!

Posted by:Mark Machado

A week ago, I had the opportunity to work at the San Rafael High School Christmas Tree Lot. What a blast! This is my third year participating and my job was to give the tree a fresh cut – I got to operate the chainsaw – attach the tree stand and secure the tree to the car. The experience really put me in the holiday spirit and I got to meet a lot of people who were in that wonderful, Christmas-giving mood!

This student and parent-operated lot is a great fundraiser for the San Rafael High. All the classes, clubs and athletic teams participate.Each of the four classes raises funds for their Senior Year Sober Grad Night and Prom, the athletic teams raise money for uniforms and training, and the different clubs raise money in order to support their interests. This year the lot opened on Friday, November 27, and closed Saturday, December 19. In this time period, the school sold 1400 Christmas trees and raised just around $23,000. All the trees came from Casella’s Trees, who has been supporting San Rafael High since 1990, with all of the proceeds going directly back to the school.

Next year, plan on helping the kids during the Christmas season and purchase your tree at the San Rafael High School Christmas Tree Lot – the students will be thankful!

Posted by:Mark Machado

The number of sales in Ross sales (average price $2.3M) and Belvedere (average price $3.9M) are holding steady, thank you.

In the past 12 months there have been 29 sales in Ross (compared to the prior year with 28) and 21 in Belvedere (prior year 24).

In Ross there are 26 homes currently on the market, with nearly 1/3 (eight) in escrow. Consequently the available supply of homes in Ross is 18 homes or an eight month supply.

In Belvedere there are 36 homes on the market, of which five are in escrow. The 31 homes available represent approximately an eighteen month supply.

The bright side is that the number of homes sold in the upper price ranges, while holding steady in these two tiny towns, is increasing throughout the rest of Marin.

Posted by:Tom Verkozen

Twitter recently launched a new list feature which allows users to create a custom list of people that others can follow with one-click. This is a wonderful tool, especially for those new to Twitter, as lists can be a great way to quickly find worthwhile folks to follow. In essence, these lists contain Twitter accounts that have been vetted by people with interests similar to your own so you can narrow in on specific groups such as Real Estate Pros, North Bay Happenings or Marin County Resources.

For example, if you’re interested in Social Media, Mashable (a leading site for Social Media news and resources) has created several lists you may be interested in following, including @mashable/social-media. Watch this list for a while and you’ll get great insights into Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and more.

For an extremely robust list focused on real estate, Pat Kitano (Real estate/tech speaker and commentator and co-founder of a Bay Area management consulting firm) created a Real Estate list that is 500 deep. As there truly is wisdom in numbers, follow this list and you’ll be up-to-date on what’s happening in the local and national real estate market in no time. Currently, Frank Howard Allen has created three lists which contain our most recommended folks to follow.

• Marin County Resources (70 people and companies): This is a list of local companies, media, non-profits, schools, and bloggers. Including the Marin IJ, Marin Humane Society, Tam High School, Marin Mommies and more. Go here for all things Marin County.
• Sonoma County Resources (40 people and companies): This list includes wonderful North Bay / Wine Country resources, including the Santa Rosa Press Democrat, Sonoma County Vintners, Petaluma Downtown Association, and more.
• Real Estate Best Of (41 people and companies): There are hundreds of real estate-related accounts to follow on Twitter. We have handpicked our favorites for this list to provide you with a great way to stay current by following some of the most influential real estate accounts on Twitter. Go here for wonderful insight from the experts behind Inman News, NAR, WSJ and more.

New lists are added every second on Twitter, so we recommend going to Listorious, a phone book, if you will, of Twitter Lists. You can search by hundreds of list topics and find the ones of most relevance to your interests.

If you would like to learn more about Twitter lists, click here for a wonderful “How To” guide.

If you’d like to be added to one of our lists, please follow @FHAllenRealtors and send us a DM or @mention..

Happy Tweeting.

Posted by:Noreen Smith

National economists and experts are touting that the housing market prices have bottomed out and show signs of stabilization. However, how does this relate to our neck of the woods?

Here are some interesting statistics for San Rafael and Novato which indicate that the housing markets in these two towns have stabilized in the third quarter of this year as the average sales price increased in Q3 (July 1 – September 30) from Q2. These two towns have also shown the most units sold in Marin County during Q3. Contributing factors include the attractive price point (relative to the rest of Marin County) and buyer confidence that they are getting good value, not to mention great interest rates and the first-time home buyer tax credit.

The following graphs provide an overview of Average Prices of For Sale and Sold homes for San Rafael and Novato in the last 9 months.

If I can answer any questions or if you need more information, please let me know: 415.298.2485 or nfaulkner@fhallen.com.

Posted by:Nigel Faulkner

I was standing outside an open house yesterday when I overheard an elderly gentleman tell another couple, “Sun Valley Elementary does a pretty decent job, but when you get to middle school, you better watch out. The middle school and high school are not good.” Wow, what a statement. Unfortunately, this man is grossly misinformed.

You see, I have two boys. The oldest is Charlie who is 16. He is a junior at San Rafael High School; he also attended Davidson Middle School. Daniel is 10. He is in fifth grade at Sun Valley Elementary School and will be attending Davidson next year. Both of these kids are well balanced, bright children. If you ask Charlie (4.1 g.p.a.) when the lights went on regarding academics, he will tell you, “6th grade math.” Ask him who is favorite teacher is and he’ll say, “Mr. Kordick, 6th grade Social Studies.” Yes, there are a slew of highly respected high school teachers that he likes now, but his middle school teachers held the keys that unlocked his academic vault.

Two weeks ago, I attended a function at Davidson Middle School. I was able to “shadow” a student through her morning classes. I am truly impressed by the mutual respect that the students and teachers hold for each other. The classrooms are clean and decorated with projects the students are working to finish. I was able to experience some great intellectual exchanges between student and instructor. The kids are not disruptive nor are they disrespectful. There seems to be a lot of learning going on at Davidson Middle School!

There is a large population of diverse ethnicities that attend the San Rafael City Schools. Our family looks at this cultural and ethnic diversity as a huge “plus.” One “gets” to experience different languages, different viewpoints and different cultures. This is real life! Take a look at California, where our children will one day work and co-exist with so many vastly different people. California is a conglomeration of ethnicities from all over this planet and our San Rafael City Schools reflect the melting pot that is California.

Next time you or someone you know wants information regarding San Rafael City Schools, I highly recommend making an appointment with the principal to see and experience the school firsthand. I promise you will be impressed beyond your wildest dreams. You can contact the school district through its website at www.srcs.org .

Posted by:Mark Machado

It feels like the perfect storm is still upon us this fall: an economy in crisis, high unemployment, record home foreclosures. The result: hundreds of local community members are in need of even the basics. Additionally, many Marinites who regularly contribute to local non-profits that provide assistance now find themselves on limited budgets of their own. With a greater need, and fewer resources, it’s so important that we pitch in and help our fellow community members.

The annual Frank Howard Allen Warm Coat & Food Drive is one way to lend a hand – and it doesn’t take deep pockets. Simply clear out your closets of no-longer-needed clean, reusable coats and jackets, as well as any extra canned goods that may be in your pantry, and drop them off at any one of several office locations between November 6 and 13.

Last year we exceeded our expectations by collecting over 1,500 coats. We hope to support even more community members this year, during a time when donations matter more than ever. Two of the organizations we are supporting shared their needs with us: Homeward Bound has seen a 50% increase in demand since last year for their emergency shelter services, and they have 25 families on a waiting list for their family shelter rooms. Meanwhile Marin Food Bank is in need of 2-3 times more food donations this year than last to meet Marin County’s rising need for food assistance.

Please drop off donations at the following Frank Howard Allen office locations. We thank you in advance for any donations you can spare.

Donation Drop-Off Locations:
Greenbrae: 511 Sir Francis Drake Boulevard
Mill Valley, Downtown: 25 East Blithedale Avenue
Mill Valley, Strawberry: 1204 Strawberry Village
Novato: 915 Diablo Avenue
Petaluma: 905 E. Washington Street, Suite 109
San Rafael: 700 Fifth Avenue
Santa Rosa: 460 Mission Boulevard
Sausalito*: 215 Second Street
Tiburon: 1660 Tiburon Boulevard

*Independently owned and operated brokerage

Donations to benefit the following organizations:
Homeward Bound of Marin and Marin Food Bank (Greenbrae, Mill Valley, San Rafael and Tiburon offices); New Beginnings Center and Marin Food Bank (Novato office); Petaluma People Services (Petaluma office); Redwood Gospel Mission (Santa Rosa office).

Posted by:Noreen Smith

I’m sharing this open letter to Marianne Rogoff, with whom I wrote ‘Men In Their Prime,’ hoping to hear from you. If you haven’t read our first chapter, check it out in my earlier blog posting.

Dear Marianne,

My, oh my … tonight I learned that Steven King writes 10 pages a day … damn, that has changed my view of writing as a work form. I’m game to go for the gold, illuminating character through dialogue, providing yummy, heartwarming glimpses of our Men/Women In Their Prime as they blaze trail away from civilizations hypnotic simulacrum, leading us with fast-talking, outlandish overgrown boy humor into the world of Women In Their Prime. Look out, guys, fun-trouble ahead!

Right now it is 9:40 a.m. in Lyons … 10:40 p.m. where I’m dining solo (my dear friend, master waiter Chip McAllister is guiding my gourmet experience), writing and languishing through an inspired French onion soup while sipping The Left Bank’s best Merlot, celebrating the opening of a surprisingly stunning art show at Hospice By The Bay my photo on canvas, ‘Work In Progress’ is displayed with some blazingly beautiful work by the magnificently talented hospice volunteers and workers, among them my favorite social worker, Laura Koehler ‘Lisbon 2009’, dear friend and fellow vigil sitter Jack Usilton ‘Sausalito Boat Builders’ volunteer coordinators Cheryl Wilkins ‘Grand Sunset, Venice’ and Kay McArthur ‘New Wing at the Nelson-Atkins’, then there’s Nadine Narita with ‘Come On, Get Moving’ internment camp collage and Ellie Cousineau’s controversial ‘Summa Apologia’, the devil weeping silver tears for the souls he’s taken, hung in the lobby …

Read the complete article >

Client names were changed to protect the innocent. Lender name changed only in the third tale. The range of responses is what is most impressive.

• Gary stopped me to tell that he was approached by his lender, Impac. He’d never been late on a payment. They called numerous times, he said, anticipating that his loan was upside down and offering to cut his loan interest rate. At first he thought the calls were a scam and didn’t respond. When he did talk to Impac he was surprised.
  
  After writing a hardship letter stating that his income was down by 20%, they adjusted his loan payment from 6% to a rate of 3.75% which they’ll hold for 5 years. They charged him $2000. Smart move, Impac.
  
  
• Nadine approached her lender, Wachovia, for a modification when she fell four months behind in her payments. “Our loan modifications take from 7 to 9 business days,” they said. Then they told her what to write in her hardship letter and were true to their word. In just under 2 weeks her mortgage payment was cut by 1/3 and the missed payments were forgiven.
  
  
• Martin is the more normal, not happy story. He approached his lender, I’ll call them Lender X, when his income slipped and he fell behind on his payments. They directed him to a website for a list of required information – bank statements, tax returns, hardship letter, etc. Then they unleashed their collection department, calling him at home and at work several times a day. “Your application was rejected as incomplete. You’ll have to resubmit,” he was told a month later when he quizzed one of the debt collection dogs. “We have changed our requirements, adding another form to the mix.” Martin resubmitted.
  
  The collection calls continued. “The modification can take up to six months. Can you make a payment today?” Ring, ring, ring, on and on. Then another rejection. Another resubmission. The third submission was scanned into their computer system (takes 7 to 10 days to scan, he was told). Two more months have passed and still nothing beyond the rumor that a negotiator has been assigned his loan and that he will either hear from the negotiator within 72 hours or, according to another Lender X wizard a week later, in 6 to 8 weeks. Bonus dollars for Lender X? God, I hope not!
  
  Posted by:Tom Verkozen

During the first three quarters of 2009, the number of closed Marin County real estate transactions that were Short Sales was approximately 10%.

As I’ve mentioned before in this blog, short sales can be a way to get a great deal on a home you might not otherwise be able to afford, however, purchasing a short sale takes courage.

But what exactly is a short sale? A short sale is a sale of real estate in which the proceeds from the sale fall short of the balance owed on the property loan – thus the term “short sale.”

In a short sale, the lender agrees to discount the balance of a mortgage because of an economic or financial hardship on the part of the homeowner. This negotiation is all done through communication with a bank’s workout department. The homeowner sells the mortgaged property for less than the outstanding balance of the loan, and turns over the proceeds of the sale to the lender. It does not extinguish the remaining balance unless settlement is clearly indicated on the acceptance of offer.

A short sale does adversely affect a person’s credit report, though the negative impact is typically less than a foreclosure. In addition, all mortgage debt is fully discharged.

As a real estate buyer, keep in mind the properties you see on the Multiple Listing Service (MLS) may not actually sell. The bank does not have to commit to the short sale and may not accept your offer even if the seller does. Approximately 50% of short sale escrows will close.

As a real estate seller, before putting your home on the market, make sure you and your realtor do some homework to see if there’s enough equity on your home to have a sale on the open market. If not, you at least need enough for the short sale. Otherwise, be prepared to get to know and have a relationship with the loss mitigator of your lending institution.

Foreclosures in Marin County

Foreclosure is a legal proceeding in which a lender, or lien holder, obtains a court ordered termination of a homeowner’s equitable right of redemption. Foreclosure sales begin with an auction, however, most do not sell at auction and the property goes back to the lender and becomes an REO or “real estate owned” property. Most often, REOs are priced attractively to sell, and buyers may find properties with immediate equity.

In Marin County during the first three quarters of 2009, 282 bank-owned properties were sold on the MLS. During all of 2008 there were 245 foreclosed properties sold on the MLS. The majority of the sales occurred in northern Marin.

Two foreclosures of good value currently on the market are:

1120 Mirabella, Novato – 3 bedrooms, 1 bath, 1,103 square feet – priced at $349,000

75 Kensington, San Anselmo – 6 bedrooms, 2 baths, 1,974 square feet – priced at $749,000

If you would like more information on REOs or Short Sales, please contact me directly at bsasan@fhallen.com.

Posted by:Beth Sasan

In this market, many first-time buyers are considering short sales (a situation in which the homeowner sells a home for less than the value of the mortgage) as an option to make homeownership a reality. While short sales offer the potential for a great deal on a home, buyers should be cautious before moving forward as they do present some challenges.

I recently closed a short sale on a property located in Novato. The property is a two bedroom, two bathroom home on Novato’s eastside, on a generous lot with an oversized two-car garage. When my client wrote his offer during the last week of April, there were four other offers. Fortunately, my client’s offer was accepted and we moved forward. Even though the listing agent had lender approval for this sale, the road to closing was long, arduous, and full of unpredictable obstacles that resulted in long delays.

Finally, at the end of summer, a closer was assigned indicating that we had at last made it to the top of the list. Curiously, instead of a contract, my buyer received a three-page letter stating the purchase price and time frames – no signatures required, no discussion. The letter was short and to the point. Dealing with a bank was as warm and fuzzy as swimming with barracudas.

Regardless, my client was on board for the sale and was ecstatic to be a first-time home owner in Marin County. His mortgage broker scurried to get the appraisal done and make sure the process was as smooth as possible. We still hit some snags and the last two weeks were spent dealing with minor crisis after minor crisis. Seems as though the banks internal mechanisms for handling short sales are as finely tuned as a major traffic intersection in Mexico City.

In the end, we got through the escrow and the buyer is happy as can be.

Short sales are tricky and can lead to much anxiety and many headaches. However, there are a few things that can be done to help make the process a little smoother:

• Choose an agent with experience dealing with short sales. Since it is different from a traditional sale, it helps to work with someone who has been through the process before.
• Make sure your agent uses the Short Sale Addendum. This form clarifies time periods, states that there is no assurance of Lender approval, and other important information.
• The Short Sale Addendum states a “Short Sale Contingency Date.” Make sure the time period is extended if the seller has not received consent from their lender.
• Stay in constant contact with the sellers and make sure that they are in contact with their lender. This can help you avoid potential setbacks since the bank won’t necessarily contact you in a timely manner if they are missing information or if something on the contract is incomplete. (For example, the listing agent in our deal did not have dialog with the seller’s lender for the first two months. Many calls and emails later, she was notified that our deal had not been processed because our department of real estate numbers were missing on page eight of the contract. The minor omission cost us weeks of time.)
• As the buyer, keep watching the market for new properties. Keep your options open.
• Be patient and keep your goal in mind! Short sales can take at least 90 days – or longer.

For Short Sale resources, check out these two helpful links:
Making Home Affordable Program
National Association of Realtors’ Field Guide to Short Sales

Posted by:Beth Sasan

This upcoming weekend is huge in terms of events around the Bay Area. If you’re looking for something to do, boy, have you got options. Whether you want to head across the bridge into SF, venture north or stay closer to home, there’s something for everyone.

Fleet Week
Every October, around Columbus Day, nearly one million people gather atop San Francisco’s rooftops and along our shorelines and hillsides to catch a glimpse of the Blue Angels as part of the annual Fleet Week festivities. Survey flights and practices – which you may have heard flying overhead – began Thursday with the official shows on Saturday and Sunday from 3-4 PM. The complete Fleet Week schedule, including the Blue Angels, air shows, exhibits, tours, performances, and concerts, can be viewed here, and California Beat offers a great guide on the Best places to watch the Blue Angels. Large crowds are expected, and viewing options are slightly different this year due to an ongoing restoration project and renovations inside the Presidio and near Aquatic Park. ABC 7 offers some great advice for how best to navigate it all.

Presidents Cup
The 2009 Presidents Cup is currently taking place at Harding Park in San Francisco, drawing the likes of Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson, Geoff Ogilvy and Vijay Singh. The 6-day event began on Tuesday and runs through October 11. Tickets are mostly sold out, but we hear you may be able to find some deals on Craigslist. If you’re not planning on attending the event, The Presidents Cup will air live on the Golf Channel on Friday, with coverage continuing on NBC Saturday and Sunday.

Our own Judy LeMarr, Mill Valley office, put together a great blog post about this event for our Guide Me Home 2 Marin Luxury blog.

San Francisco Jazz Festival
Presented by SFJAZZ, the 27th Annual San Francisco Jazz Festival presents a variety of jazz concerts at venues throughout the Bay Area. The festival runs from October 10 until November 21, and starts with Eric Reed on Saturday at the War Memorial Green Room. Visit the site for a full calendar of events and ticket information.

Italian Heritage Columbus Day Parade
San Francisco’s 141st Annual Italian Heritage Parade will take place on Sunday, October 11. The Parade begins at 12:30 PM at the intersection of Jefferson and Stockton Streets in Fisherman’s Warf and proceeds to Washington Square in front of Sts. Peter and Paul Church. In addition to the parade, festivities in North Beach include live entertainment, food booths serving up Italian delicacies, children’s activities, wine tasting, and a Ferrari Car Show.

If you don’t want to battle the crowds in San Francisco, then check out this weekend guide for events happening in Marin and the North Bay. We’ve got The Tolay Fall Festival, Biketoberfest, Slide Ranch Harvest Celebration and the ever-popular…

Mill Valley Film Festival
The 32nd Annual Mill Valley Film Festival runs October 8 through October 18. Each year, the 11-day festival sells over 40,000 tickets and draws filmmakers, film enthusiasts and celebrities to Marin County. Expected at the event this year are Clive Owen, Uma Thurman, Jason Reitman, Woody Harrelson and Emily Blunt. Tickets are currently for sale and films run daily at theatres throughout Marin. You can visit the MVFF website to Browse Films and Purchase Tickets.

Also, check out this blog post by Andy Gellepis, Mill Valley office, from our Guide Me Home 2 Marin Luxury blog.

No matter what you decide to do, have a wonderful weekend!

Posted by:Noreen Smith