Beautiful, spacious 2/1, with views of Homestead Valley. Only minutes from town, with trails out your back door.     09/04/2011

Rented at $4500 off-market this July 2011 by agent Michael Kass and broker Christopher Barrow, a charming 4bd in Strawberry of Mill Valley. Congrats to the tenants - our Relocation clients - for acting quickly to secure this great rental before it hit the market, and a big thank you to the owner for deciding to list with us! Here's to a great year, everyone! 09/04/2011

As of August 6, 2011 23% of available listings in Mill Valley are in escrow. For the month of July 201128 homes sold in Mill Valley for an average final selling price of $1,221,854. The average original asking price of these homes was $1,268,411. The range of final selling prices was from a low of $355,000 to a high of $4,850,000. Of the 28 homes that sold (4 of which were distress sales) 1 sold at the original asking price and 7 sold over their original asking prices. It took these homes an average of 74 days to sell. To see everything that is currently available for sale through our MLS click here. To see some of the many fun things to do in our neck of the woods click here. To learn more about this area in general search more around this blog, visit my website or contact me directly.... 08/08/2011

As of July 6, 2011 25% of available listings in Mill Valley are in escrow. For the month of June 2011 36 homes (7 of which were distress sales) sold in Mill Valley for an average final selling price of $1,203,619. The average original asking price of these homes was $1,259,271. The range of final selling prices was from a low of $289,000 to a high of $2,795,000. Of the 36 homes that sold 6 sold over their original asking prices and 3 sold over their original asking prices. It took these homes an average of 88 days to sell. To see everything that is currently for sale through our MLS click here. To see some of the many fun things to do in the area click here. To learn more about the area in general search more around this blog, visit my website or contact me directly. Mill Valley Home by... 07/08/2011

As of June 7, 2011 22% of available listings in Mill Valley are in escrow. For the month of May 2011 33 homes sold in Mill Valley for an average final selling price of $958,696. The average original asking price of these homes was $1,038,330. The range of final selling prices for these homes was from a low of $240,000 to a high of $2,500,000. Of the 33 homes that sold (4 of which were distress sales) 4 sold at their original asking prices and 2 sold over their original asking prices. It took these homes an average of 86 days to sell. To see everything that is currently available for sale through our MLS click here. To see some of the many fun things to do around in our neck of the woods click here. To learn more about this area in general search more around this blog, visit my website, ... 06/07/2011

RENTED ~ $8,000 Traditional Home w/mini Beach & grassy lawn!! Quick Info Rent: $8,000 Bed / Bath : 5/3.5 Lease term: 1 Year Pets: Y  Waterfront Access     » Click image to enlarge «   » see jwavro.com for more photos « James Wavro  ~  415-509-3456  ~  jw@jwavro.com ~ View currently available rentals ~ More photos on our website: www. jwavro.com This private and approx. 3,900 sq ft (per owner records--not verified), 4+bedroom, 3.5 bathroom Strawberry home near the Tiburon border sits directly on the bay with its own little private "beach" on an elegant, quiet & prestigious street. Entertainers will love the open kitchen and formal dining room with views.  A roaring fireplace (one of the largest we've seen!) and floor-to-ceiling bay views compliment the living room, while a large elevated... 06/07/2011

The Dipsea Race, A Marin Institution "...your Dipsea begins in 5, 4, 3, 2, 1..." Anyone who has found himself/herself in the start corral in Lytton Square, Mill Valley, on the second Sunday in June can tell you about the feelings that phrase evokes.  For me, having completed five Dipsea races, I can just sense my heart (and stomach) rising into my throat.  I know I'm soon in for an hour of adrenaline, pain, dread and finally, Stinson Beach in sight, relief. One can read about the Dipsea course itself in a ton of places on the web.  The lore and history of its vicious 7.5 miles of stairs and trails, and its byzantine handicapped start sequence are well-documented.  I'm not going to try to knock Barry Spitz off the Dipsea historian mantle here. But what makes the race a Marin County insti... 06/05/2011

As of May 6, 2011 27% of available listings in Mill Valley are in escrow. For the month of April 2011 20 homes (3 of which were distress sales) sold in Mill Valley for an average final selling price of $1,260,830. The average original asking price of these homes was $1,378,193. The range of final selling prices was from a low of $335,000 to a high of $4,000,000. Of the 20 homes that sold, 2 sold at their original asking prices and 6 sold over their original asking prices.  All others sold for less. It took these homes an average of 70 days to sell. To see everything that is currently available for sale through our MLS click here. To see some of the many fun things to do around in our neck of the woods click here. To learn more about this area in general search more around this blog, vis... 05/09/2011

March and April 2011 home sales in Mill Valley increased dramatically over the prior three months — we had 27 trades in March and 19 in April (up from 13 in January!). These properties sold for an average price of $1.265 million and averaged 2,369 sq. ft. (or about $542 per sq. ft.).  Pricing remains the key ingredient determining buyer interest. Buyers insist on apparent and undeniable value. If they don’t see it in a property, they are willing to wait it out. Now, more than ever, is the time for sellers to be very careful about who they have negotiating for them — poor negotiating by “say anything” agents can result in losses of tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars. The number of listings actively on the market in the MLS has increased as we enter the primary selling season to 11... 05/05/2011

As of April 8, 2011 25% of available listings in Mill Valley are in escrow. For the month of March 2011 32 homes (8 of which were distress sales) sold in Mill Valley for an average final selling price of $1,160,740. The average original asking price of these homes was $1,281,644. The range of final selling prices was from a low of $299,000 to a high of $2,195,000. Of the 32 homes that sold 4 sold at their original asking prices and 1 sold over its original asking price. It took these homes an average of 91 days to sell. To see everything that is currently available for sale through our MLS, click here. To see some of the many fun things to do in our neck of the woods, click here. To learn more about this area in general search more around this blog, visit my website or contact me direct... 04/08/2011

As of March 7, 2011 25% of available listings in Mill Valley are in escrow. For the month of February 2011 17 homes sold in Mill Valley for an average final selling price of $868,171. The average original asking price of these homes was $1,037,832. The range of final selling prices was from a low of $375,500 to a high of $2,100,000. Of the 17 homes that sold (4 of which were distress sales) 1 sold at the original asking price, 1 sold over the original asking price and the remaining 15 for less than their original asking price. It took these homes an average of 130 days to sell. To see everything that is available for sale through our MLS click here. To see some of the many fun things to do around in our neck of the woods click here. To learn more about this area in general search more a... 03/08/2011

Avatar's Punjabi Burritos, Mill Valley, CA Who says burritos must be Mexican? Not Avatar's Punjabi Burritos most definitely. This is a wonderful find for hikers, mountain bikers, and everyone who loves tasty, filling food at a low price. Hiking is a favorite past-time of mine, and the Marin Headlands and Mt. Tamalpais are wonderful hiking areas. Hiking up and down hills and staircases for hours sure whets ones appetite, and Avatar's Punjabi Burritos was just the ticket for us last Sunday. Inside Avator's Punjabi Burrito in Mill Valley you'll find three tiny tables; the outdoor sidewalk has a couple more. Or--one can always get a lunch or dinner to go and head down to Old Mill Park about a block away, and enjoy the beauty of the redwood forest while eating your tasty fare. My "naked" (sa... 03/02/2011

  I've been going over photos from my recent staging projects, and this secluded Mill Valley oasis was a particularly fun home to stage (once you finally made it down the 49 stairs to get to the front door of this 3-story house!). A gentle waterfall from a seasonal spring added to the tranquil atmosphere. To this day I still covet the spa-like master bath!     While the homeowners' art collection was more avant-garde than some potential home-buyers might prefer, after they moved out I was still able to infuse the house with original art and fresh colors to appeal to a younger buyer. As an Interior Designer it was great to have a contemporary staging project again -- one of my favorite styles to work with. Enjoy!      Fireplace Before, with homeowners' sculpture    Fireplace, After Stag... 02/24/2011

As I transition my business focus from Real Estate Staging to return to Interior Design (there is a difference in the two professions!), I've been going through photos from my recent staging projects here in Marin County, California. I'll be posting some of my favorite before and after photos for you in the coming days.     Of all the houses I've staged the past five years, this charming shingle-style cottage was my daughter's favorite, and I half-think she was trying to persuade me to buy the house! (She still sighs audibly when looking at the pictures.) Alas, this character-filled home was snatched up quickly after staging, and sold right away. While the property and Mill Valley neighborhood had lots going for it...let's just say that the house needed a bit of staging help transform ... 02/18/2011

January 2011 home sales in Mill Valley slipped to a mere 13. These trades sold for an average price of $1.125 million and averaged 2,356 sq. ft. (or about $504 per sq. ft.).  The end of 2010 and first month of 2011 reflected a heightened sense of security from buyers of homes in the bread-and-butter Mill Valley price range of $1 million to $1.5 million. We had 7 such sales. The number of listings actively on the market in the MLS a very low 67 — most sellers took their homes off the market as Winter set in and many will return to market after President’s Day, increasing steadily through May or June. It will be interesting to see how sales play out in Q1 as it appears that bonuses for employees working in the San Francisco financial sector may spur bread-and-butter and luxury sales in o... 02/16/2011

As of February 12, 2011 30% of available listings in Mill Valley are in escrow. For the month of January 2011 only 15 homes sold in Mill Valley for an average final selling price of $1,037,367. The average original asking price of these homes was $1,195,153. The range of final selling prices was from a low of $425,000 to a high of $2,350,000. Of the 15 homes that sold (5 of which were distress sales) all sold for less than their original asking prices. It took these homes an average of 103 days to sell. To see everything that is currently available for sale through our MLS click here. To learn more about this area, including some of the many fun things to do around here, search more around this blog, visit my website or contact me directly. Mill Valley Home by Kelley Eling, Marin County... 02/13/2011

Hosted by Arianna Huffington of the Huffington Post and Biz Stone of Twitter (also, along with his wife, a recent addition to Marin's residents), this year's 2011 Widlcare Gala was - according to the company website - a "wild" success!  We like to support Wildcare whenever we can - they are the group who you call when you find a baby bird in your backyard or see an injured deer on the side of the road.  (I have them on speed dial!)  You can donate or learn more at www.wildcarebayarea.com This year's gala was held at the Mill Valley Community Center, and Christopher and I attended along with Joscelyne and her date as the Foundation Rentals and Relocation reps.   Below see Christopher and me "posing" with one of the hawks and Christopher participating in the auction portion of the evening... 02/08/2011

As one of the Bay Area's top resources for rentals in Marin, my team and I were contacted by the San Francisco Chronicle this month to see if we had any "interesting" homes for rent in Marin.  The answer is always "Yes!".  We submit two or three of our current favorites.  Below see the link to the home they selected to feature: our new 3bd+bd listing on Sunnyside, a fresh Craftsman remodel just a stone's throw from downtown Mill Valley, available for lease at $7,995 per month.  See the article here: What You Can Rent in the Bay Area for $8,000 If you read the comments from around the country below the article they are pretty funny: no one can seem to believe anyone actually rents a home for $8,000/month (even though the mortgage on a $2.5 million to $3 million home would easily cost a b... 01/30/2011

As of January 5, 2011 26% of available listings in Mill Valley are in escrow. For the month of December 2010 26 home sold (4 of which were distress sales) in Mill Valley for an average final selling price of $999,780. The average original asking price of these homes was $1,128,342. The range of final selling prices was from a low of $410,000 to a high of $1,825,000. Of the 26 homes that sold, 1 sold at the original asking price, 3 sold over the original asking price and the remaining 22 homes sold for less than the original asking price. It took these homes an average of 112 days to sell. To see all the homes that are available for sale through our MLS click here. To see some of the fun things to do in our neck of the woods click here. To learn more about this area in general search mor... 01/06/2011

December 2010 home sales in Mill Valley totaled 20. These trades sold for an average price of $1,149,219 and averaged 2,364 sq. ft. (or about $491 per sq. ft.).  The end of 2010 saw a heightened sense of security from buyers of homes in the bread-and-butter Mill Valley price range of $1.5 million to $2 million. We had 6 such sales and another 5 between $1 million and $1.5 million. The number of listings actively on the market in the MLS a very low 64 - most sellers took their homes off the market as Winter set in. Inventory will increase again beginning in February and peak in May or June. It will be interesting to see how sales play out in Q1 as it appears that bonuses for employees working in the San Francisco financial sector may spur luxury sales in our highly desirable city. The pe... 01/03/2011