Thorne Home Blog | Marin County, CA

We are seeing a vital Spring market with lots of new inventory and an increasing median sales price. On average, homes are selling for over the asking price, a 102.1% sales price/list price ratio in May, indicating buyer competition in the market.  At Thorne Home Team, we have experienced some multiple offer situations in the past couple of months, but also some price reductions as well. Interest rates continue to limit purchasing power for buyers and creates a "pickier" environment with higher monthly mortgage payments. And the usual message applies for sellers - make sure to do the up-front market prep and staging for your home and you'll have your best shot at receiving multiple offers. Vacant and staged homes will get the most foot traffic. Reach out with questions! We are happy to help! Search properties here: thornehometeam.com naomi@thornehometeam.com katherine@thornehometeam.com

  In Q1 in Marin County, the number of sales is up 22% compared to 2024. 314 properties were sold and the average days on market was 50. Average sale price ranged from $1.278 million in Fairfax all the way up to $6.817 million in Belvedere. In the highest and lowest price points in Belvedere and Fairfax, properties stayed on the market longest at an average of 71 and 66 days. Lowest average days on market were 9 days in Kentfield and 10 days in Larkspur.  If you're searching for a home in Marin or if you want to know what your home is worth, reach out directly. We would love to help! 415.559.5280 naomi@thornehometeam.com katherine@thornehometeam.com thornehometeam.com

This is proof you can sell your first home and buy your dream home at the same time, even in a tough market like Marin County in the Bay Area. Here's a 2024 case study: Family of 4 (two young children) Living in a 2100 sq ft townhome, hoping to sell for around $950,000 Desire a single family home in a kid-friendly neighborhood, max budget of $1,300,000 Using the proceeds from the sale for the down payment on their new home This is their story from their POV... Our First Home - Prepped and Staged! Our New Forever Home! Search  thornehometeam.com Last year, our family of four decided to take the leap and move from our first home to our forever home. We lived in a townhome in southern Novato and honestly, we did love it! The complex was located in a gorgeous natural setting amidst mature trees and hiking trails. The unit itself was actually large with three bedrooms and two living rooms, but we have two young kids and we were feeling the need to enjoy some more yard space and...

When do new homes hit the market? This is a question we get all the time. We also get a whole lot of speculation about holidays and special events and their relationship to people's readiness to list their homes for sale. So we wanted to share some stats to really get to the bottom of this equation. Search thornehometeam.com In Marin County, the general rule of thumb is that the most new homes are listed for sale during the Spring and Summer months and this is because of weather patterns and  kids being out of school, making it easier to make family moving transitions during this time. So let's take a look at the numbers. The graph below shows the number of homes for sale and new listings per month from the past 5 years in Marin County. Pay particular attention to the blue line for number of new listings. You'll notice since 2015 the new listings hit a low each December, hovering a bit below the 100 mark. Then they ramp up around March and April, with a peak above 350, then...

As members of the LGBTQ community, we have come a long way! Housing discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity is prohibited in many states, including our state of California. And while this is wonderful progress, it doesn't necessarily mean all members of the LGBTQ community feel safe and comfortable doing things like pre-qualifying for a mortgage and previewing homes with real estate agents. Naomi and I are a married lesbian real estate team. But we began house-hunting as an unmarried couple in 2011 Los Angeles. I remember the feelings of awkardness and discomfort. There was a lot of "Are you sisters?" and "Which one of you is buying?" forcing us to come out of the closet over and over again, watching the reaction of stunned individuals. At this time, gay marriage was not yet legal, so we filed a domestic partnership to receive the benefits of purchasing property together. And in general, it just felt like real estate professionals d...

There's plenty to do in Marin, from spending the day at the beach to hiking on Mt. Tam to hanging out in the downtown shops in one of Marin's many quaint towns. And with any of these activities, you'll need to eat at some point while you're out and about. Our favorite thing to do in Marin is work up an appetite with a long walk in Larkspur and grab lunch at our favorite walkable burrito spot, Burritoville. Here are a few of our favorite tried and true taquerias in Marin County. 1. Burritoville Cafe : This has been a family favorite of ours for over 20 years! As a Redwood high school student, I spent plenty of my time here. And Naomi and I hope our son will have plenty of childhood memories here as well. The menu has plenty to choose from, but my personal favorite is the kids pinto beans, cheese, and rice burrito with a side of their mild salsa. It's the perfect size and perfect proportions. Their seating area is cute and authentic with an awesome train track...

You're wondering if it's time to break up with your house and get back out there. You still love your house, but it might be time to assess whether you're still IN love with your house. You have a couple major compatibility issues, and if you've been considering a break-up, there may be something to it in your heart. Consider the qualities of your home. What are its best qualities? What are its worst qualities? Make a simple pros and cons list and be thorough. The best way to see the big picture is to write it all down in plain sight. Are the negative qualities fixable? Are they fixable, but too expensive? Maybe you love your home enough to invest the money. Let's look at an example:   In this case, there is a lot to love about this home! That said, the cons involve location, and feelings of being isolated. So while these homeowners may love their house, it may be worth breaking up for a home in a more community-friendly location with better schools for th...

SF Chronicle Article - Thorne Home Team Photo by Ramin Rahimian [ This post was written before the Shelter in Place order was imposed on March 16, 2020 ] We’re certainly living through a scary time. All of our normal daily lives have screeched to a halt, from working remotely to not attending get-togethers to not shaking a new friend’s hand. We’re all on high alert and for those of you who are in the middle of house-hunting, you’re probably wondering exactly how to proceed with your search. Should you still go to open houses? Should you attend showings with your agent? Should you just look online? In real estate, we should apply the general guidelines set forth by the experts - social distancing, washing hands, and staying home when we are displaying any symptoms of the illness. According to the World Health Organization’s website, symptoms of the Coronavirus include “respiratory symptoms, fever, cough, shortness of breath and breathing difficulties.” If you are feelin...

When you’re selling your house, it can feel like a monumental task to prepare it for market. To get top dollar, you have to declutter, make repairs, clean, stage, and emotionally prepare for a huge life change.  So finding a few workarounds can be super helpful in wrapping your head around the whole project. Kitchen Cabinet Hardware - If your house isn’t new and on-trend, chances are you have old cabinet hardware or even no hardware at all. One easy fix is to choose some modern pulls and handles for the cabinets and drawers. Check out our Pinterest page to get ideas on attractive and modern hardware. Thorne Home Team Pinterest - Kitchen Cabinets Mulch - If you’ve got some patchy spots in your front or backyards, throw down some fresh mulch. You’ll be shocked at how much better it looks and you’ll probably even be annoyed that you didn’t do it sooner! A nicely mulched flower bed near the front door can bring your curb appeal to the next level. Thorne Home...

You’ve heard all the hysteria - your friend’s neighbor made 7 offers before they finally got one accepted. Whoa! That’s a roller coaster of waiting and despair on repeat. But honestly, that doesn’t have to be you! Never go into a multiple-offer situation with this mindset: “But what if I overpay??” I’m sorry to say... but this is about WINNING! Well not exactly, but it is about getting your offer accepted on your dream house. First, you should truly take a moment to consider how much you love this house. If you love it and you can’t imagine living in any other house, then you have to go all in. You’ll regret it later if you don’t. So what is the offer price that will beat out all of the other offers? First consider the big picture. If your agent says buyers are typically offering $100-$200k over asking in this price range, you know other agents are telling their buyers the same thing. So that sets the scene. If your agent tells you there are 25 disclosure packages o...

You’ve been house-hunting for a couple months, browsing photos from all of your listing alerts, and open-house-hopping on the weekends. Nothing has really given you that Marie Kondo spark of joy. Maybe you’re being too picky or maybe you’re emotionally closed off to the idea of packing all those boxes and then unpacking all those same boxes on the other side? Probably not! Trust your gut. If you haven’t felt that spark, then you probably haven’t found the one yet. This is your HOME we’re talking about. It’s a huge decision and it should be made not only by logically checking all the boxes, but by feeling the joy and contentment in your heart. When Naomi and I bought our first condo in Los Angeles and we found out our offer was accepted, we were absolutely over the moon. We couldn’t believe we could own something so beautiful and out of reach. The brick exterior with charming balconies, the open concept layout, the updated granite counters, large bedrooms, and walk-in master closet....

This is probably the most common first-time homebuyer question and it’s probably the question no one really wants to ask out loud. Google search! The term escrow describes the period of time between offer acceptance and when you actually get your keys. This period of time is usually somewhere around 30 days, but it could be faster or shorter depending on the specifics of your situation. This is where the escrow company holds your initial deposit - usually 3% of the purchase price in Marin County, and this is when the appraiser provides the appraisal report, and your lender analyzes your paperwork and gives final approval of your mortgage loan. If you have an inspection period written into your offer, you’ll also use this time to perform all your investigations of the property. This often includes a general home inspection, and a pest inspection (or wood-destroying organisms inspection). Sometimes the seller provides these reports up front so you can review them before placing the...

You may know the most obvious reasons to choose the right mortgage broker. These include getting the lowest interest rate, working with someone who is professional, creative and someone who keeps up with the available mortgage options. These are important factors for your financial future and for your overall escrow experience, which is not to be undervalued. The escrow experience can be highly stressful and overwhelming, so working with an organized broker who is ahead of the potential processing hiccups will be your saving grace. All that said, you will also need a mortgage broker who fits the criteria for getting your offer accepted. In competitive multiple-offer situations, every term in your offer matters. This may be a surprise to you, but sellers and listing agents look for offers with pre-approval letters from certain lenders. Consider being a seller and what you would want from an offer. You would want a sure thing! And that translates into the following: A Quick Close of ...