The fact that Marin residents, even in this economy, approved a $49 parcel tax this year to help fund our local libraries speaks volumes. (Pun definitely intended.) With 12 community libraries in Marin alone, and numerous thriving independent booksellers in the North Bay, there’s no doubt we love our books.

In Reason #51 we wrote about our innovative art house theaters. Also very innovative are two of our most popular booksellers: Book Passage and Copperfield’s.

Book Passage, Corte Madera Photo Credit: CWC Marin

Even with competition from two super-chains in Marin, Book Passage in Corte Madera (and also in the ferry building in SF) is the destination for many local bookworms. Started by Elaine Petrocelli in 1976 in a 900-square-foot retail location in Larkspur, Book Passage has expanded into a beloved community hub for readers, writers, and students alike: In addition to the wide variety of books they carry, there are immensely popular author events, writing and language classes, book clubs, and highly-respected annual conferences.

Farther north, Copperfield’s Books has an equally passionate following. Launched in downtown Sebastopol in 1981 by Barney Brown and Paul Jaffe, Copperfield’s now has eight locations in Sonoma and Napa Counties and offers a vast selection of new, used and even rare books. Locals enjoy the comfortable store surroundings, book clubs and many author events held each year.

Book Passage and Copperfield’s may have the big names, but we’re also spoiled with over a dozen other independent booksellers in the North Bay, each with its charm, warm personalized service and strong dedication to providing wonderful books to local readers of all ages.

Is it because we love books so much that we have such great independent booksellers in the North Bay? Or is it the great independent booksellers that make us love books? Either way, we all win.

North Bay Independent Booksellers

First Street Books 850 College Ave.,Kentfield

Book Passage 51 Tamal Vista Blvd., Corte Madera

Copperfield’s Books 1330 Lincoln Ave., Calistoga

Copperfield’s Books 2316 Montgomery Drive, Santa Rosa

Copperfield’s Books 104 Matheson St., Healdsburg

Copperfield’s Books 140 Kentucky St., Petaluma

Copperfield’s Books 3900-A Bel Aire Plaza, Napa

Copperfield’s Used and Rare Books 176 N. Main St.,

Copperfield’s Books 138 N. Main St., Sebastopol

Depot Bookstore & Cafe 87 Throckmorton Ave., Mill Valley

Flying Oliver Books 215 Caledonia St., Sausalito

Habitat Books 205 Second St., Sausalito

Levin & Co. 306 Center St., Healdsburg

North Light Books & Cafe 550 E. Cotati Ave., Cotati

Pages Books on the Green 920 McClelland Drive, Windsor

Point Reyes Books 11315 State Route 1, Point Reyes Station

Readers’ Books 130 E. Napa St., Sonoma

River House Books 1234 Adams St., St. Helena

River Reader 16355 Main St., Guerneville

Stinson Beach Books 3455 Shoreline Hwy., Stinson Beach

Treehorn Books 625 Fourth St., Santa Rosa

Whyte’s Booksmith 615 San Anselmo Ave., San Anselmo

Source: Northern California Independent Booksellers Association

Follow along as the full list unfolds – 100 Reasons Why We Love Where We Live

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Posted by:  Frank Howard Allen Realtors

Fall is in the air, the Giants are in first place, and even though they lost, the 49ers almost pulled it out against the best team in the NFL … along with that we have a bit of good economic news … On Monday the stock market was up 145 points … and in the past week 38 properties (single-family and condos) in Marin closed escrow, while 92 properties came on the market and 102 homes were reduced in price. Kudos to those sellers and their agents … there are 1,646 properties available right now, of which 1 in 4 are in escrow (287 are under contract with conditions and 109 are pending, no conditions, simply waiting for the moving van).

As we look at these sales, we sometimes wonder about specific locations (let me know if there are some towns you’d like to track)… so today I checked in on a cluster of towns … Corte Madera, Kentfield and Ross. Four new properties on the market, four reduced in price, two sold and three awaiting a moving van. Not bad for this time of transitions … school, weather, sports, etc.

The two sales in these three towns were both in Kentfield … 45 Quisisana, a four bedroom, three bath home originally listed at $2,099,000 which sold for $1,640,000 after five months and a few reductions. Listed by Emile Chapot and sold by Kimberly Strub, both of Frank Howard Allen at $585 per square foot. … and 55 Kent, listed and quickly sold by Jerry Piro of Coldwell Banker for just about asking price, $1,570,000 in less than a month at $658 per square foot. Two good sales among the 38 that sold that week … if you multiply the 38 times 4.3 (the number of weeks in a month) that’s a month of around 180 units closing escrow … again, not too shabby for sales originated in the August doldrums.

While the market isn’t blazing hot (a la 2005) it has some power and 1 property in 4 in escrow is a good go. If your home is on the market you want to be one of those one’s not one of the other three. And the way to do that is to step back and ask … what will it take to move this property? … what will I do when I sell? … am I fully prepared to do what it takes to get there? … what will my life be like when I do sell? and … let’s do it now!

Posted by:  Tom Verkozen

Last week you (hopefully) read here that during the prior week there were 62 new Marin County single family listings brought on the market through MLS. That week, 30 homes closed escrow and 81 were reduced.

This week, the MLS listing numbers are … 63 new listings, 35 closed escrow and 101 homes reduced in price. Aye, activity has increased … or has it? Some wonderful homes are sitting.  I’m showing a client a home tomorrow that knocks my socks off … and showing 122 Alder, again.  The former has sat on the market, being reduced and reduced and reduced … hmmmm … and 122 Alder in San Anselmo’s Yolanda Park is amazing everyone as it has been on the market for over a week and only had ‘I may be writing an offer’ rumblings. Darn!

Let’s look at Marin County price reductions … first, the stunning home at 30 Toussin, Kentfield. This four bedroom beauty, listed by Ann Boucher of Decker Bullock, Sotheby’s International has been for sale for a looong time. (In 2004 it was listed at $9,975,000). Now available at $5,750,000, this home has had offers but you still have a chance … and since May the price has dropped by $1M! 

Of the 101 homes that have been reduced in the past week, five were in San Anselmo, two in Stinson Beach, six in Tiburon, twenty-one in San Rafael and one each in Woodacre and Corte Madera. Oh, about 208 Summit, Corte Madera … it sold for $760,000 in ’07 and has been on the market for over two years … starting at $699,000 this two bedroom contractor’s special is now being offered at $399,000. Oh, find me a contractor with money! 

Belvedere has seen three price reductions in the past week. 16 Eucalyptus, a three bedroom home listed by Max Applegarth, Decker Bullock … this home has been on the market for over a year and is now down by $200,000; 10 Lagoon, a three bedroom home … yes, on the lagoon, has been on the market for 83 days with Patricia Navone, Pacific Union – Morgan Lane (in ’09 it was offered at $2,395,000 but is now $2,019,000, after being reduced this week by $78,000); and 207 Beach, amazing 1900s classic five bedroom home offered by Janet Williamson, Frank Howard Allen, has just slipped under $3M … in ’08 it was offered at $1M more.

So that’s a bit of the numeric description of the activity we’ve seen in the past week, the week before the week before Labor Day.  More to follow … but in the interim, if you’re simply thinking of buying, hey, there’ve been some bargains that’ve slipped away … 20 Marin View, Mill Valley … went to auction. And perhaps one of the great homes that isn’t an extreme bargain might render your life marvelous … so, , go to my website www.tomverkozen.com or call (415) 637-7974 and let’s have some fun while we shop.

Posted by:  Tom Verkozen

Some towns are hot, others not. Here in the lusty town of Corte Madera homes are selling and inventory is down to a five month supply (27 homes available). In the last twelve months 69 of the tightly-priced homes have sold … blame the sales on the schools and the competition.

Tightly-priced is my personal term of art since the price per square foot asked on the sales was $544 and the homes sold at $530 …. with an average sales price of $994,841. The least expensive home was 57 Summit, which sold to a developer for $350,000 last year and this year for $410,000 to someone who is going to live and repair …. here’s wishing them good luck.

The most expensive home was a five bedroom 5066 square foot home 659 Chapman, which sold in April ’08 for $3,766,667 and this year started asking $3.6M, reduced to $3.2M, where it sold after 113 days on the market.

Right now there are 27 homes available, average price per square foot of $524, days on market at 98. There are another sixteen in escrow (approximately 40%), three anticipating moving vans (all contingencies have been removed on 9 Echo, 10 Mohawk and 8 Alta Way). The average asking price of those homes in escrow is $100,000 less than the average sales price over the last year … which I take to say that buyers are buying in the lower price ranges, there are no $3.2M homes in escrow, and prices are relatively firm.

If you’re thinking schools, recreation, proximity to 101 and home values, Corte Madera is a great place to live. If you are, CALL ME.

Posted by:  Tom Verkozen

At the current time the banks are not lending on TICs (Tenants-In-Common: A fractional or partial ownership interest in a piece of property, rather than owning the entire piece of property) outside of San Francisco proper. Or so they say. I’m planning to call Renee Rymer, Corte Madera branch manager (and manager of the year) at Bank of Marin tomorrow because Patti Cohn, a superstar agent with FHAllen, has a potential buyer with BIG accounts that may want a loan…. There is a loan on one of the other four units with Circle Bank … I called and they turned down a ‘we’ll put money on deposit with you if you will do another loan on this project.’ Anyway, due to the need for buyers to bring in an all cash offer, the price has been reduced and this is now one heck of a good buy – a beautiful, private, one bedroom, furnished cottage one property from the surf for $399,000?

Last evening I got the following email from Terry Pearce, the owner:

Tom: Since there has been so much discussion about the form of the TIC, thought it might be prudent to synopsize the reasons it is a perfect form for me. I realize that it might not be for everyone, and certainly not for every environment, but for a small recreational property at the beach, it has worked out perfectly for me.

1. I don’t rent the property, so I depend on my partners and neighbors to let me know if anything needs to be handled. Since we all have an interest in one another, there is never a question about notification or competition….we work together.
2. In a TIC, the partners are critical. This group is a wonderful mix of talents and commitments. Three of the owners have been there a long time, so they really know the ropes, they know the neighbors, they know the process and they are truly nice people.
3. The property manager, Bob Walker, was the original owner of my property, so he knows the whole history.
4. On the street, there are two contractors who are full time residents. They are both members of local boards and of advisory boards for the county who deal with the creek and the road.
5. One of the contractors takes care of the maintenance of the road and the access issues. We have no problem with the public parking on our road in the summer.
6. There are two other full-time residents on the street. (other than the contractors) One is the full-time manager of Slide Ranch, the other is retired and is rapidly and impressively upgrading her property. She is also active in local politics.
7. The TIC requires that the partners get together every year. There is a good camaraderie and cooperation to maximize the enjoyment of the property.
8. If you do wish to rent the property, you have four other partners looking out for your interest.

In short, if I had the choice to own this property as a TIC or not, I would definitely choose TIC. It encourages community, protects the property and allows me to have a great deal more security knowing that I have partners with the same interest.

Posted by:Tom Verkozen

I have a confession. I love to read. I don’t like to read a lot of heavy stuff. I like the lighter fare: books by Grisham, Lescroart, Cornwall, Parker, etc. You get the picture. Sometimes I find myself perusing the book table at the Novato Costco searching for my next thriller. Then there are days when I’ll spend hours wandering the aisles at Borders in San Rafael on a quest for my next novel. Once I’ve read them, I take the books to our family home in Tahoe and put them on the shelves there so others can enjoy them. I don’t think many get read. Last time I looked, there were hundreds! What a waste of money and space. So I got to thinking…

When was the last time you went to the library?  Last month, I applied for and received a new library card. “Woohoo,” you might say.  But “Woohoo” is right!  I get to read the current offerings of my favorite authors and also investigate new authors without having to invest any money. If I don’t like the book, I simply return it. Libraries also offer a big selection of books on tape, music CDs, and movie DVDs. If you haven’t been to the public library since you were in 5th grade, now is the time!

Marin County Libraries:

Marin County Free Library‎ – more info »
3501 Civic Center Drive, San Rafael, CA‎ – (415) 499-6056‎

Sausalito Library‎ – more info »
420 Litho Street, Sausalito, CA‎ – (415) 289-4121‎

Marin City Library‎ – more info »
164 Donahue Street, Sausalito, CA‎ – (415) 332-6159‎

Belvedere-Tiburon Library‎ – more info »
1501 Tiburon Blvd, Tiburon, CA‎ – (415) 789-2665‎

Mill Valley Public Library – more info »
375 Throckmorton Avenue, Mill Valley – (415) 389-4292

Corte Madera Library‎ – more info »
707 Meadowsweet Drive, Corte Madera, CA‎ – (415) 924-4844‎

Larkspur Library‎ – more info »
400 Magnolia Avenue, Larkspur, CA‎ – (415) 927-5005‎

San Anselmo Library‎ – more info »
110 Tunstead Avenue, San Anselmo, CA‎ – (415) 258-4656‎

Fairfax Library‎ – more info »
2097 Sir Francis Drake Boulevard, Fairfax, CA‎ – (415) 453-8092‎

San Rafael Library‎ – more info »
1100 E Street, San Rafael, CA‎ – (415) 485-3323‎

Novato Library‎ – more info »
1720 Novato Boulevard, Novato, CA‎ – (415) 898-4623‎

South Novato Library – more info »
6 Hamilton Landing, Novato, CA‎ – (415) 506-3164‎

Inverness Library‎ – more info »
15 Park Avenue, Inverness, CA‎ – (415) 669-1288‎

Point Reyes Station Branch‎ – more info »
11431 State Route 1, Point Reyes Sta, CA‎ – (415) 663-8375‎

Stinson Beach Library‎ – more info »
3521 Shoreline Highway, Stinson Beach, CA‎ – (415) 868-0252‎

 

Posted by:Mark Machado

It’s spring, the height of the selling season, and agents are ‘very busy’. Yet they’re also hungry because for all their work and effort there have been very few closed escrows. (For example, the topic at another marketing group was how to price the $1M plus home in San Rafael since there are 96 for sale and thus far this year only three have closed escrow.)

One of the six by-invitation-only Realtor marketing groups I attend meets at Tamalpais Bank in Corte Madera. (Each group is 10 to 30 agents from different companies who gather to help each other succeed). By presenting property and analyzing sales these groups help us create successful sales. From the Tamalpais Bank meeting:

“Tell us about the closing Willow. I heard it was tough.”

“After 28 years in the business and 100s of escrows, the closing was tough but manageable. The first lender changed underwriting standards after two weeks. Because the communications were clear nobody panicked as the buyer switched lenders. The second lender presented their own challenges including a last minute demand that included two review appraisals.

“Congratulations on your Ross listing, rumor has it that it’s a beauty. But it won’t be on for another week, right?”

“Yes, but I can get you in to see it. Hey, another rumor, two more sales and you’ll move to #1. So when’s your next sushi feed?” (A reference to my famous brokers’ open houses where I serve sushi).

“Soon.”

“You’re so involved and full of energy. How do you stay up and energized all the time?”

“I make like an energizer bunny with an on/off switch … right now the level of energy that it takes to get things done is quite high … but I’m not sizzling all the time. Wednesday evening, in the midst of the closing of Willow, I was so embarrassingly flat on a referral that was completely in my niche – a couple wanting to sell a beautifully crafted, water view home blocks from my office in order to purchase a smaller home in west Marin.”

“I may have somebody for that property. How many bedrooms and what’s the price?”

“There’s no price set. They asked for a price and since it was a pre-planning meeting I used the network formula – I took the price that ‘seems right’ based on experience, then knocked off 15% for market conditions.”

“What is the most important factor in today’s market?”

“Buyers are in no great rush unless they perceive a bargain so the missing factor is energy. It is imperative that the agent and the sellers ‘energize’ the property.”

Posted By: Tom Verkozen

HOME in CORTE MADERA

624 Manzanita Ave, Corte Madera

Listed at $735,000

Located in one of the most desirable neighborhoods in Corte Madera, this home has not been on the market in over 40 years. From the formal eat-in kitchen; to the massive backyard bearing fruit and vegetables, this property is sunny, flat and has tremendous potential. Live in the home as is or make this house your home.

Two bedrooms and one half bath upstairs. Hardwood floors throughout. Living room, dining room, fireplace and views of Mt Tam and the Richmond Bridge are upstairs. Downstairs is the family room with fireplace. The full basement could store those treasure wines!

Award winning schools. Flat lot. Close to transportation. This home has it all. It just needs your touch!

COMING SOON in CORTE MADERA:

Paradise in Marin.

Stately and Strong. This home will embrace you. The setting will envelop you! The fruit trees and blossoms will tease your senses. Ready for a Marin experience? This is it! Private yet minutes to Corte Madera and Larkspur. Just imagine those warm summer nights. Close to freeway and public transportation. You deserve this lifestyle.

LAND in MARIN CAN BE YOURS:

Your chance to own land in Marin! Lot easily accessible on county maintained street in area with substantial, upscale homes. Zoned as a single family residential, most of the area is either residential or open space. Boundary survey completed. Down slope that is buildable, however, buyers to check with Marin County Development regarding building requirements. Electrical available. Fire Hydrant close by. Phone available. No reports at this time. Engineering report performed for perc assessment.

Directions: West of Sir Francis Drake. Left Montezuma. Right Guadelupe. Left Resaca to Rosario & Aztec intersection. You will see the sign!!

Resaca Ave at Aztec

Offered at : $85,000. Call For Details!!

COMMERCIAL SPACE FOR LEASE:

DeLong Industrial Park. Enclosed office space upstairs with full bathroom including shower. Roll up door. Shelving Included. HOA paid by lessor and includes: water; garbage; maintenance of grounds. 2 year lease. $2200’deposit. Extremely nice space. Close to the freeway, public transportation, restaurants and shopping. Light industrial; Light manufacturing; office; Warehouse. Carpeted upstairs. Lessee pays electricity; Interior maintenance; Liability Insurance required by tenant.

Offered at $1425/mo.

MORE….COMING SOON…

Home in Greenbrae on the flats with large, spacious backyard. Over ¼ acre!

Lease in desirable Corte Madera.

And much more…

Posted By: Carol Case