While still in the planning stages, the SMART train rail system will allow residents of Hamilton Field, Novato the option of riding the train to the Larkspur Ferry Terminal for the commute to San Francisco. This is in addition to Golden Gate Transit busses. Preliminary designs and some artist's renderings of the commute rail stations have been posted on the Sonoma-Marin Area Rail Transit agency Internet site. The SMART website is www.sonomamarintrain.org. The Hamilton Station Concept  is presented on the site, in a PDF document, on slides 36 through 43.  Those slides include maps and artist's renderings for the Hamilton SMART station. For those familiar with Hamilton Field, you can orient yourself by identifying Hamilton Parkway, Marblehead, and Chapel Hill.Here is the text included in... 05/25/2010

The long-awaited reopening of Hamilton Pool is almost here! The city announced today that the fully renovated pool will open Saturday, May 29th. It will be open through Labor Day, and possibly beyond the typical summer season. Here is the schedule for Memorial Day weekend (May 29th-May 31st): Public Swim 11am - 7pm Activity Pool 10am - 7pm Lap Swim 8am - 11am Hamilton Pool is located on El Bonito Drive in Novato, at the former Hamilton Air Field. Today, Hamilton is largely a residential community. For further pool program and rental information please call the San Rafael Community Services Department at 485-3344. Earlier this month, the Novato City Council unanimously approved a partnership with the City of San Rafael for Aquatic Program Services for the Hamilton Pool. San Rafael will m... 05/20/2010

May 2010 -- Novato schools have something new to be proud of -- almost across the board improvements in their state test scores. California just released its annual spring report that shows how schools measure up against the state's Academic Performance Index, or API.  All Novato Elementary schools and high schools achieved higher API scores in 2009 compared to 2008. That's every single public elementary school and high school - 11 schools in all! The scores are based on tests students took in spring 2009. Every year, school administrators hope to improve both their base Academic Performance Index score - which is a composite of student test scores - and their ranking. Schools are ranked on a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 the highest. The rankings are meant to help educators determine which... 05/17/2010

The Novato, California real estate market continues to exhibit strength across nearly all price bands (not so for homes priced above $1.5 million). April 2010 saw 24 sales (same as February 2010). The average sales price of Novato homes in April 2010 rose over 3% to to $656,699. These homes averaged 93 days on market, were about 2,291 sq. ft., and averaged roughly $294 sq. ft. Novato's price per square foot has hovered between 3-5% of $300 for a year now - in my mind, we are seeing the gradual recomposition of the market in the era of the "New Normal." Prices are holding steady. This is good news for those waiting to buy. Below are the percentages of homes in escrow in each of Novato's major price bands: 56% of homes priced under $500,000; 46% of homes between $501,000 and $600,000; 54%... 05/16/2010

                                                                              ABOUT BEL MARIN KEYS NOVATO (See link below for all Bel Marin Keys homes for sale) Bel Marin Keys is a waterfront community located in southern Novato, on the east side of Highway 101. The planned development is in an unincorporated area of Marin County. There are about 700 homes in Bel Marin Keys, each oriented toward water, facing either Novato Creek or onto one of four man-made lagoons. Some homes even have their own sandy beach! The first Bel Marin Keys homes were built in the early 1960s and the most recent phase was completed in the 1980s. Water sports on the lagoon include fishing, canoeing, kayaking, waterskiiing and sailing (though no jet skiing). (Photo: 1136 Bel Marin Keys Blvd. Listed at $1,139,000... 05/12/2010

                                                                     ABOUT PLEASANT VALLEY NOVATO NEIGHBORHOODS Pleasant Valley is an established area, located in West Novato. It's one of the most desirable parts of Novato due in large part to its popular elementary school, Pleasant Valley, which has some of the highest test scores in Novato.  People also like the feel of Pleasant Valley, with its abundance of trees and many lovely homes. Pleasant Valley is a blanket term that refers to several small neighborhoods, such as Wild Horse Valley, Vineyard Road and Verrisimo Valle. Some streets have ranch homes built in the 1950s, other areas have 2-story homes built in the 1970s while still other areas have large, custom-built homes on large lots. (Photo: 740 Going Ln. $885,000. See link bel... 05/11/2010

Come see this fantastic home Sunday May 16, 2010.  This home is in one of Marin Counties finest horse communities.  There are really to many details to go into here. Click here on Marin County Horse Property for more information. If you cannot make the open house call me at 800-200-1305 for an exclusive showing. 05/11/2010

2 Creekview Ct. in Novato - $899,900 4 bd/4ba  *  3,551 sq ft There is a great deal that just came on the market in Pointe Marin in southern Novato (May 10, 2010). This home is a bank-owned foreclosure. It had been on the market briefly earlier this year as a short sale, but the bank ended up taking the house back. 2 Creekview Ct. was built in 2006, in the final phase of Pointe Marin construction. It's listed at about $253/sq ft, which is below the average for Pointe Marin (based on all sales in the first quarter of 2010. During that time, the average price per square foot was $267.) This beautiful Pointe Marin home has lots of upgrades, French doors, jacuzzi, loft area, security alarm system and professionally landscaped yard. Pointe Marin offers an excellent commute location since it ... 05/10/2010

As of May 9, 2010 an impressive 43% of available listings in Novato are in escrow. For the month of April 2010 40 homes sold in Novato for an average final selling price of $518,089. The average original asking price of these homes was $545,256. The range of final selling prices was from a low of $87,000 to a high of $1,100,000. Of the 40 homes that sold (17 of which were distress sales) 5 sold at the original asking price and 8 sold over the original asking price. It took these homes an average of 97 days to sell. To see everything that is currently for sale through our MLS click here. To learn more about this area visit my website, search more around this blog, or contact me directly. 05/09/2010

Marin County Horse Property open this weekend. If you are looking for a Marin County Horse Property one of the best buys will be available for viewing this weekend. This Marin County Horse Property is in Novato's Wild Horse Valley featuring a horse community and many riding trails. Although this Marin County Horse Property has not been used for horses in many years it still can be.  And at an amazing price of $780,000.00 you can easily put in your own stables or stable your horses up the street. You get so much more than a Horse Property with this home. There is a swimming pool, gourmet kitchen, five bedrooms, decks, hot tub, and large bonus rooms.   For more information go to www.2424Vineyard.com or come by 2424 Vineyard Road this Sunday (May 9th 2010) from 1 to 4 PM. If you cannot mak... 05/07/2010

Free Money The federal tax credit opportunity expired last week, but there is an even bigger buyer incentive still up for grabs: the $10,000 California tax credit (a dollar for dollar credit - way better than a deduction).    Who qualifies? First-time buyers (haven't owned in 3 years) and all buyers of new construction homes. It's first-come first-served until the fund runs out! No income restrictions! For all the details, visit: http://www.besthomesmarin.com/tax-credit.html   Novato Market There are 169 homes for sale in Novato today! Lots of great deals out there at every price point. Sign up for Kevin's Steals and Deals List - properties priced to sell. Includes distressed sales (foreclosures, short sales). Just send us an email with a brief description of what you are looking for.  ... 05/03/2010

The Novato, California real estate market continues to exhibit strength across nearly all price bands (not so for homes priced above $1.5 million). March 2010 saw 43 sales (a huge increase from February’s 24 sales and one higher than the very high December 2009 total). The average sales price of Novato homes in March 2010 rose (again) to $653,072. These homes averaged 91 days on market, were about 2,293 sq. ft., and averaged roughly $298 sq. ft. Novato’s price per square foot has hovered around $300 for a year now — in my mind, we are seeing the gradual recomposition of the market in the era of the “New Normal.” Prices have stabilized and are holding steady (at least at the entry level). I read that one bank has announced a 95% loan to value ratio for California last week — a product t... 04/24/2010

West Novato is not only a beautiful area, but certain neighborhoods are also in high demand because of their high-rated elementary school - Pleasant Valley Elementary. This is Novato's top-rated elementary school (based on test scores) for which you don't need to win a lottery draw to gain admission. It's a traditional 'neighborhood' school. Here is a snapshot of available homes for sale that feed into Pleasant Valley Elementary!  As of today, there are 18 Pleasant Valley homes on the market ranging in price from $425,000-$2,495,000. Click this link to learn more about the Pleasant Valley area of Novato. 18 Western Dr. Novato - $548,000 3bd/2ba  * 1,148 sq ft Dream backyard!  Updated Ranch-style home on a large, level lot. Newer kitchen with granite counters, two car garage, gated area ... 04/22/2010

I was excited last week to be the winning bidder on a short sale home that was "sold" at auction in Novato (Marin County). The home had been listed for $448K and I was told that the bank had previously approved an offer at $460K, but it fell through. When the bidding stopped the day of the auction at $310K, I thought I'd found a really good deal and was looking forward to making the renovation my summer project. The listing brokerage's auction rules, though, state that overbids can be accepted up until the lender approves the winning auction bid -- in $15,000 increments. A few days after the auction, I was told that someone overbid by $25K, requiring me to go to $350K to remain the winning bid. I did that, and they topped it with another $15K, so I went to $380K ($375K was the cut-off I... 04/20/2010

Novato California Homes for Sale! Right now Novato California Homes for Sale are in high demand.  There are 176 Novato California Homes for Sale priced from $159,900.00 to $5,695,000.00 with an average price of $802,878.00.  These homes have been on the market for an average of 89 days and are 2,364 SF on average. One of the Best Buys in Novato! There are 103 Novato California Homes for Sale priced under $750,000.00 with an average price of $491,066.00.  These homes have been on the market an average of 90 days and are on average 1,659 SF.  There are 73 Novato California Homes for Sale priced over $750,000.00 with an average price of $1,242,831.00.  These homes have been on the market an average of 112 days and are 3,373 SF on average. In March 60 Novato California Homes for Sale sold f... 04/20/2010

Novato Open House Sunday 4-25 1 - 4 PM Fire Sale (OK we won't really burn it down although if the price gets much lower we might as well). You need to see this Home to believe it! This Sunday 1 to 4 PM. This is the best buy on Novato Luxury Living! Price has been dropped dramatically - Owner says, "Get Offers!" The market is picking up in this area and Now is the Time to Buy. This beautiful home at 2424 Vineyard Road in Novato is Open Sunday from 1 to 4 PM. One of the finest homes in Novato at this price huge lot with a pool, flowing creek, room for horses and RV Parking. The kitchen is a Chef's dream. Classic Hardwood floors throughout the upper level. This Novato Open Home has three decks, one enclosed, one huge party/BBQ Deck. and one with a hot tub. Bonus room/Game Room. Enjoy the E... 04/20/2010

Three eye-catching properties have hit the market in Novato in the past two weeks. Each home has fabulous estate qualities: they sit on at least an acre and have a one-of-a-kind designs with architectural character. Buyers who are able to purchase high-end homes right now are in an enviable position: they have little competition since there aren't many buyers in the luxury market and (as a result) there are some amazing values out there - especially with some expert negotiation. These homes are shown by appointment only. For a private showing, please contact me: Kevin McGinnis, Frank Howard Allen Realtors (415) 725-1911 or kmcginnis@fhallen.com   4 Wild Horse Valley Dr.  $1,795,000 Prestigious Wild Horse Valley in west Novato. Coveted Pleasant Valley schools. Set back from the street, t... 04/20/2010

Here is an updated Market Update report summarizing current real estate activity in Novato. This data is based on current information from the regional Multiple Listing Service. If you need clarification on any of the figures or if you wish to receive a more detailed version which takes into account the particulars of your home, please contact me directly and I will be happy to provide a comprehensive Comparative Market Analysis (CMA). Report Prepared on 04/19/2010 Kevin McGinnisDirect 415.897.3000Mobile 415.725.1911Email MeView My Website   Trouble viewing report? Click Here   MARKET INFORMATION   Currently FOR SALE Avg. Days on Market: 56 Days Listings Currently for Sale:   19 Newest Listing:   04/14/2010 Shortest/Longest:   5 Days/211 Days Recently SOLD Avg. Days to Sell: 22 Days To... 04/19/2010

Novato Open House Sunday 4-11 1 - 4 PM Clearance Sale! Sunday Only! You will not find a better value in Novato! Located in high demand Wild Horse Valley! You need to see this Home to believe it! This Sunday 1 to 4 PM. This is the best buy on Novato Luxury Living! Price has been dropped dramatically - Owner says, "Get Offers!"  The market is picking up in this area and Now is the Time to Buy. This beautiful home at 2424 Vineyard Road in Novato is Open Sunday from 1 to 4 PM. One of the finest homes in Novato at this price huge lot with a pool, flowing creek, room for horses and RV Parking. The kitchen is a Chef's dream. Classic Hardwood floors throughout the upper level. This Novato Open Home has three decks, one enclosed, one huge party/BBQ Deck. and one with a hot tub. Bonus room/Game R... 04/07/2010

Novato's Wild Horse Valley On the North West Side of Novato is Wild Horse Valley.  Wild Horse Valley is just outside of the Novato city limits, providing a semi rural feel, yet you are still close to town and all the conveinyance it provides. Wild Horse Valley is a riding community with many people owning horses and live stock.  Because Wild Horse Valley is outside of the city limits so you may have a horse on less than 1 acre.    Generally speaking the homes are on city water and sewer. Homes in Wild Horse Valley are part of the excellent schoold district in Novato.  Wild Horse Valley is an excellent place to live. Ask me about homes in Wild Horse Valley!   One of Wild Horse Valley's finest homes and Best Buys.                           Contact me directly for information on this Wild ... 04/06/2010