Guide Me Home 2 Marin County - Home

The 2010 Vancouver Olympics – Just a Hop, Skip and a Ski-Jump from Marin

2010-03-02T19:10:00Z

For the last two weeks, people all around the world were glued to their television sets watching the 2010 Olympic Games and rooting for their country to bring home the gold. Of course, this all made for a popular topic of conversation amongst many of my friends and associates. While watching the closing of the ceremonies on Sunday, I reflected on my recent trip to Vancouver where I was fortunate enough to experience the Olympics first-hand.

Vancouver ... Continued on the blog.

Ten Questions to Ask a REALTOR®

2010-02-23T21:32:00Z

Once you’ve made the important decision to sell your home, it’s a smart idea to interview at least three potential REALTORS^® before deciding on whom to hire. Without any obligation, you can invite local agents to preview your home and prepare a listing presentation. (Referrals, word of mouth, sales presence in your neighborhood, local brokerage websites – are all ways to find a potential REALTOR^®.) When agents arrive for the presentation, they will likely have prepared a Comparative Market Analysis (CMA) with data on nearby similar homes that have recently sold. They will also provide you with informatio ... Continued on the blog.

Books, books and more books in Marin County!

2010-02-16T21:10:00Z

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 ... Continued on the blog.

CREPEVINE – Fresh, Delicious and Reasonably Priced Dining in San Rafael

2010-02-12T15:08:00Z

These days, most families need to watch their budget when it comes to eating out. My family is certainly one of those. We don’t eat out often, maybe once a week, and generally we will go to a restaurant that has great value and great food. One of our favorites is CREPEVINE, located at 908 Fourth Street, in downtown San Rafael.

CREPEVINE is a casual restaurant where one orders at the counter and the wait person delivers the food to your table. Yes, they specialize in crepes, savory and sweet, but they do many other dishes and they do them well. The menu has a Mediterranean flair with healthy and flavorful choices.

http: ... Continued on the blog.

Reason #476 Why I Love Marin: Fort Cronkhite

2010-02-05T19:55:00Z

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 t ... Continued on the blog.

Update on the recent earthquake in Humboldt County

2010-01-14T17:54:00Z

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.

... Continued on the blog.

Are you ready? Recent small quakes remind us that there’s no time like the present for disaster preparedness

2010-01-09T00:03:00Z

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: ... Continued on the blog.

Ski Lake Tahoe

2010-01-06T20:49:00Z

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.< ... Continued on the blog.

San Rafael High School Christmas

2009-12-22T22:17:00Z

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 th ... Continued on the blog.

Real Estate Rumbles

2009-11-19T22:06:00Z

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 town ... Continued on the blog.

Staying up to date on news and trends with Twitter Lists

2009-11-16T22:20:00Z

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 Pr ... Continued on the blog.

Signs of Stabilization in San Rafael and Novato

2009-11-12T22:40:00Z

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 confiden ... Continued on the blog.

San Rafael City Schools – Marin’s Best Kept Secret

2009-11-11T21:11:00Z

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. D ... Continued on the blog.

Help Share the Warmth in Marin County, CA, November 6-13

2009-10-29T22:36:00Z

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 ... Continued on the blog.

Open Letter to Marianne Rogoff

2009-10-23T22:19:00Z

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 ... Continued on the blog.