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Marin Real Estate News

Feb 25

Agent Safety, SB-407 & Short Sale Auctions – Blaine Morris’ 2014 President of Marin Association of Realtors 02/24/14 Monday Memo

By Marin Association of Realtors, Marin Real Estate News

Good morning MAR members!

Auctions and Faucets and Prowlers, Oh My!

With ski week behind us, I anticipate a big week ahead.  From the looks of my email inbox, everyone is desperate and looking for properties to sell buyers.  I’m hopeful that this week is the week that sellers start to cooperate!

As for SB-407, well, we got it on the front page of the Marin IJ this week:

www.marinij.com/marinnews/ci_25173774/marin-homeowners-compelled-combine-water-conservation-renovation

So I’ll call my efforts to get the word out a success.  Notwithstanding the IJ’s error in calling it “SB-470”, the article was largely accurate.  Janis Mara of the IJ called me a few weeks back, after having a realtor tell her about the new law.  Janis was looking for answers, and I had to break it to her that so was I…

Anyway, the local building officials group DID have its monthly meeting last week, and my understanding was that pretty much the entire meeting was devoted to this subject.  They have formed a committee to address this, and the goal is to come back with a template either next month or the month after.  The spirit of the CALBO direction seems to be the direction our local officials are headed:  http://www.calbo.org/uploads/NoCal%20Policy%20Memo%20SB%20407%20%28Dec%202013%29.pdf

Net-net, most permitted repairs shouldn’t trigger a retrofit.

Interestingly, the building official I spoke with said that “typically, the legislature legislates intent, and leaves it up to the building officials to provide the details of the code.  This time, the legislature legislated a very vague code with all sorts of grey area, and the building officials are left picking up the pieces.”  I could not agree more.  For example, please define a low-flow bathtub faucet…

AUCTIONS

Moving on, everyone was commenting to me on the subject of auctions that I raised last week, but no one was offering specifics on how they were harmed or held liable as the result of an auction process…anyone?  CAR has asked for our help.  Most of the comments centered on the one aspect of this auction world that I can’t comment on, compensation.  MAR, CAR and NAR cannot get involved in that area, sorry.

AGENT SAFETY:  RECENT MARIN AGENT STORIES AND CRIME

Now, on to my Big Subject of the week:  agent safety.  I want to thank our friends at Alain Pinel for bringing some unsettling stories to my attention from this past week relating to brokers’ open and open house security.  Super-important stuff, and these real-world stories offer a useful safety refresher for all of us.

First of all, I was reminded about how we live in a different world…or that the world is getting smaller and some problems we’ve not typically worried about here in Marin are starting to come to our doorstep.  Home invasions, anyone?  I read this article in the IJ last month, and was reminded about it by a couple of agents this past week:   http://www.marinij.com/marinnews/ci_24987169/greenbrae-robbers-lock-resident-closet-ransack-home?source=pkg

In that one, robbers pushed their way into a Greenbrae home, last month, bound him and locked him in a closet and ransacked the home.

Earlier this month, the IJ discussed this growing trend of burglaries and robberies where our residents come face-to-face with these criminals:  http://www.marinij.com/crimebeat/ci_25087123/lately-marin-residents-and-burglars-find-themselves-meeting?source=pkg

I don’t know if we’re in the midst of a new trend here in Marin, but I’m certainly hearing about this sort of thing much more lately.

Which brings me back to agent safety.  Many of these stories seem to be coming out of Novato, where several years ago we had a very brazen prescription drug bandit.  This past week, one agent had prescription drugs stolen at the house during the Sunday open.  She has filed a police report, and the cops were ADAMENT that we need to report these things, it’s an increasing problem.

Another agent’s story was relayed from last week:  “one of our agents last week had just opened up an open house when a fairly large man entered the home.  Agent felt that he was a bit nervous.  The first thing he asked her was where the master bedroom was; she answered that it was upstairs.  He then asked her to please show it to him.  She said that she was busy opening up the home, etc, but he could go ahead up; he did so, and then called down to her to please come up and show it to her.  She just kept telling him that she was still setting up the home, etc.  When she asked him questions about what he was looking for and where he currently lived, he fumbled his answers and appeared to be making answers up on the spot.  It was a very uncomfortable situation; while he was there, agent made sure that she stood by the front door of the home in case she needed to get out quickly or get help.”

And another from last Wednesday’s broker’s tour in Novato:  “A man came in.  Not an agent. Claimed no one sent him there to see the condo.  He went upstairs.  She clearly heard him opening drawers.  She was alone so she didn’t say a word and stayed near the front door. He came down a bit later.  When she quizzed him again on what he was looking for and/or where he currently lived he was very aloof.  She got a strange feeling from him.  She informed the homeowner. ”

Are these all related?  Who knows, these sorts of stories come up every year.  PLEASE pass them along to your broker and to MAR.

Another safety item we should all take to heart and was shared this week by Carol Munson:  There is a local Marin emergency dispatch number,  415-472-0911.  Who knew?  You save critical and valuable time rather than being routed through some regional 911 call center.  Minutes count, please put this number in your cell phone!

I’m up front with sellers when I take a listing, and emphasize again when we are going on the market:   secure your valuables, particularly jewelry and things that can get up and walk away.  AND secure your prescription medication…particularly any sort of pain or anxiety medication.

Several years ago, in my extended family one of my family members developed a very bad problem with prescription medication that led to all sorts of bad things, bad behavior and ultimately very bad outcomes.  It’s everywhere.  I read last week that heroin overdoses have more than doubled in the last five years.  Doubled!  Heroin?  Really?  Why?  Because it’s easier and cheaper to get than increasingly regulated prescription meds.  So if you’re someone with a problem, perhaps it’s a little easier to go tour pretty homes on Wednesday, Thursday and Sunday to support your habit than it is to resort to pursuing the even harder stuff…

As a man, I don’t spend a lot of time worrying about my own safety beyond common sense and keeping an eye out.  But I’m also sensitive to the fact that our women colleagues view the issue of personal safety through a different lens.  I drove to a broker event last Thursday night in a big Suburban with seven of my women colleagues.  This issue was fresh in my mind, and I asked the women how many of them had felt uncomfortable in the past with someone in an open house.  All seven hands went up.  Then I asked how many had been fearful of her own safety to the point where she took active measures to secure her own safety.  Four of the seven hands went up.  “It’s a scary feeling and difficult to describe to a man” one of them said.

So let’s all be safe out there!  I’m not an expert on safety by any means, but don’t let unfamiliar visitors get between you and the front door or other safe exit.

NAR has a great agent safety website here:  http://www.realtor.org/topics/realtor-safety.  I’m also looking into an agent safety class at MAR.  Several years ago we had one of our members, who is a black belt, teach a well-attended safety class at MAR.  We’re going to look into something similar.  Another agent told me that they had the San Anselmo chief of police come in and give a safety and self-defense class at her gym that was well-attended.

MAR takes this matter very seriously.

I wish you all a safe and prosperous week ahead!

Blaine

 

 

Feb 22

Short Sale Auctions, SB-407 Water Conserving Fixtures Update – Blaine Morris’ 2014 President of Marin Association of Realtors 02/17/14 Monday Memo

By Legislation, Marin Association of Realtors, Marin Real Estate News, Regulations

Good morning MAR members!

Happy President’s Day…which in Marin means Happy Ski Week!  Everybody sure seemed to be going somewhere last Thursday night, as I was trying to get to a dinner meeting in downtown San Rafael (well after rush hour) and it was absolute gridlock with people trying to get on 101 North…so I hope those of you on your way to a family ski vacation are having a fantastic time!

For those of us still here this week, another week in Marin, another week of low inventory.  Buyers are out there, as we all know.  Increased inventory will be good for everyone, so let’s get our sellers off the fence!

My weekly SB-407 water conserving retrofit update is below, lots of new info, and some qualified good news.  This week, I’ve put it down at the end of the memo so people don’t think that’s all I talk about every week…

AUCTIONS

Oh my goodness, lots of feedback on auctions.  Several weeks ago, I shared that CAR is going to “SPONSOR” legislation to require an auction company to indemnify or “hold harmless” the listing broker in a transaction against liability that results from the auction company’s actions in a short sale transaction.

As I said, this was the big story that everyone at last month’s CAR meeting was talking about.

Here is the genesis of this issue:  it is becoming an increasing practice that as part of a short sale approval, some banks/servicers are requiring that before an approval is granted, the property needs to be put out on an auction site to “verify” the price.  There is one servicer in particular who is doing this a lot.  As part of this process, the original listing broker is asked (required?) to abrogate the listing agreement to the auction company…then the auction company runs with the auction and essentially the listing.

But the original listing broker still has agency with the seller, and also has an agency disclosure with the buyer.  What happens if, as part of all of this, mistakes are made by the auction company during the transaction?  I know of one of these auction companies that is legitimately licensed with the State of California as a licensed broker, and I’m sure there are more.  If something goes wrong, who is then liable?  Whose E&O pays?  This is the root of the above “SPONSOR” position on legislation to get indemnification of the original listing broker by the auction company.

But wait, there’s more.  What does all of this say about a broker’s legitimate listing contract with a seller?  Does the bank have the authority to demand that a listing broker abrogate its legitimate contract with a seller to proceed with this deal?  It becomes a larger question about the overall legitimacy of our listing contract.  CAR is looking into this as well, and I must say it’s a hot potato issue.

CAR is looking for specific anecdotes…war stories.  Here is what they are looking for:

“We are looking for any anecdotes where a licensee may have been sued due to the negligence of an auction company. We are also looking for stories, where to avoid legal action, a licensee has taken financial responsibility for the error of an auction company. And finally, we are looking for any instances where licensees have been informed by their E & O carrier that if an auction company were to make an error and the REALTOR® was held responsible for it, that the event wouldn’t be covered under the policy. It would also be helpful to know which E & O carrier was involved.”

Can any of you help with this?  If you have any of these stories personally, or if you know of someone else who does, please contact me here [mailto link].  It’s important that we communicate what is happening on the ground here in Marin to our statewide association.

SB-407 WATER CONSERVING FIXTURES UPDATE

I recently directed MAR staff to survey the various Marin municipalities about each town’s plan for implementation of SB-407.  The question is whether our building departments are planning to follow the California Building Officials (“CALBO”) recommendation that permits for repairs and maintenance of homes are EXEMPT from the retrofit requirements.  After surveying most of our towns, it does seem that they are going to follow that recommendation.  Here is a link to CALBO’s position (see second page):  http://www.calbo.org/uploads/NoCal%20Policy%20Memo%20SB%20407%20%28Dec%202013%29.pdf

In addition, another concern is whether unclosed permits from prior years will require a retrofit when they are closed after the fact…sometimes years later…often as part of a real estate transaction.  To my great relief, those that we have spoken with have said “no”, old unclosed permits should not trigger a retrofit requirement since the permit was pulled prior to the new code.

Each town kept pointing to a meeting this week among the building officials, the Code Advisory Board meeting.  Their plan is to coordinate a uniform policy county-wide.  There are some minor differences around the edges, but let’s await the results of this group’s meeting to confirm that those differences are smoothed out

The current RETDS does have some brief language mentioning this new code, but I’ve received a number of comments that this language is inadequate.  CAR is working on it, and MAR is monitoring the situation closely with our General Council to make sure that we can advise our clients correctly.

As I keep saying, stay tuned.

I wish you a safe and prosperous week ahead!

Blaine

 

Feb 19

More on SB-407, Housing Density AB-1537 Legislation and More – Blaine Morris’ 2014 President of Marin Association of Realtors 02/10/14 Monday Memo

By Legislation, Marin Association of Realtors, Marin Real Estate News

Good morning MAR members!

With the Super Bowl behind us, it was great to get out on tour this week to see the beginnings of our inventory for the spring home buying season.  Even though our winter rains finally seem to have rolled in, the daffodils  blooming (early) in my front yard point to spring right around the corner!  Buyers were out too, with agents reporting lots of activity.  Let’s all hope for more inventory to go along with more rain!

More on SB-407

My weekly updates on SB-407 will continue until we have clarity on the rollout.  This is the new water conserving fixtures legislation.  MAR is contacting the various municipalities to confirm local rollout plans.  I also spoke this week with one of the leaders of the local building official group, and he said that a consistent policy will be available after their next meeting a week from Wednesday on February 19th.  Stay tuned.

Speaking of SB-407, I received an email this week from MAR’s attorney, who reminded me about the “bill that no one is talking about, SB-407.”  After ensuring him that we are indeed talking about it, at least in Marin, he shared a couple of groups’ interesting interpretations of the law.  First is the California Contractors State License Board, which operates under the same Dept. of Consumer Affairs as our Bureau of Real Estate.  A bulletin from this group states, in part, that “Although not a legal opinion, the California Building Officials (CALBO) group has interpreted ‘alterations’ or ‘improvements’ to mean any construction to an existing structure that enhances or improves the structure. Construction that is related to repairs or maintenance of the structure is not considered to be an alteration or improvement.”

The bulletin goes on to say that items such as electrical service change out, HVAC change out, re-roofing, sewer line replacement, siding or stucco, retaining walls, fences, water heaters, windows should not trigger the retrofit requirement.  Near the end, the bulletin says “It is feared that property owners and licensed contractors who misunderstand the law may end up paying for new fixtures that are not required, or may avoid pulling building permits altogether to avoid the possible triggers to SB 407.”

You can read the full bulletin here:  http://www.cslb.ca.gov/GeneralInformation/Newsroom/IndustryBulletins/IndustryBulletins2014/IndustryBulletin20140117.asp

Again, this is not legal opinion, but since contractors look to be among the beneficiaries of this program, it’s refreshing to see their state board pull things back a bit.

The very comprehensive California Building Official’s group’s bulletin referenced above is here:  http://www.calbo.org/uploads/NoCal%20Policy%20Memo%20SB%20407%20%28Dec%202013%29.pdf

MAR will continue to advocate to our local building officials for clarity on this rollout.

A couple of odds and ends:

While scrambling up the mountain to see a new listing off of Panoramic Highway in Mill Valley on Wednesday’s broker tour, I was reminded of several emails I received from aggravated members last year.  This first broker’s open house was closing at 1:00, so in order to see it I needed to carve out a half-hour plus in the middle of tour to see this one property.  The members who contacted me last year identified a growing trend in our MAR community:  the shortened brokers’ open.  I wasn’t part of the “which hours on which days in which towns” discussion many years ago, but the convention that everyone agreed to was the following:  Wednesdays from 9:30-12:30 in Novato; Wednesdays from 10:30-2:00 in Southern Marin, and Thursdays from 10:30-2:00 in Central Marin.

Yes, it’s pretty simple, and yes I know we all know this.  I can understand the occasional 11:00 start times, I’m personally guilty of this sometimes, given that many of us have sales meetings on Thursday morning.  But why all the 1:00 close times…particularly on the first brokers’ open house?  I’m sure each of us can think of circumstances where you have to make some hard decisions about which houses you’re going to miss because you have to scramble across the county to see that ONE place you must see that closes at 1:00.  People grumble about this all the time.  Yes, I know sometimes we’re not worried about it, in this brisk market…yes, I know your listing is going to get multiple offers and you’re not worried.  But let’s be courteous to our fellow Realtors, and keep the house open until at least 2:00…at least the first week.

Correction

Thank you Colleen Frasco for identifying an error in last week’s Monday Memo.  I mentioned that on the recommendation of CAR’s Taxation and Government Finance Committee meeting, the CAR Board of Directors voted to “SUPPORT” legislation to study the impact of allowing homeowners to transfer their property tax basis to a home anywhere in the state.  This relates to Propositions 60 and 90, and I incorrectly stated the provision that over-age-50 homeowners can transfer their tax basis once per lifetime.  Colleen reminded me that it’s over-age-55, not 50.  That’s how rumors get started, and I wanted to clear that up.  Thank you Colleen!

Housing Density

On the legislative front, the MAR Board of Directors voted unanimously at our last meeting to support our Assemblyman Marc Levine’s AB-1537, which seeks to lower the state-mandated housing density from 30-units per acre to 20-units per acre.  Local officials have come to meetings at MAR since I got there bemoaning this Sacramento-sourced mandate, where Marin is classified as “urban” and lumped in with San Francisco and Oakland, rather than “suburban” like our neighbors to the north in Sonoma and Napa counties.  This is unfolding, but MAR will doing what we can to support this legislation.

I wish you a safe and prosperous week!

Blaine

 

 

Feb 13

Blaine Morris’ 2014 President of Marin Association of Realtors 01/27/14 Monday Memo – New Residential and Commercial Water Conservation Retrofit Rules–SB 407

By Marin Association of Realtors, Marin Real Estate News

The rest of the CAR Director team and I have been in San Diego this week at the winter meetings.  As usual, lots of stuff to report, discuss and learn across all spectrums of our business.

I was out last night after the meetings with a non-Realtor friend, and he wanted to know what in the world we do that requires us to come to these meetings three times per year.  I explained that the business and the regulatory environment are constantly changing. We need to be ahead of trends to respond to the needs of our members, clients and property owners.  We need to be ahead of the game with our government officials.  We need to coordinate the ever-changing transactional environment.  And most of all, we need to make sure that you, our members, have your voice heard at the highest levels of our profession.

I will have a more complete report from CAR next week.

New Residential and Commercial Water Conservation Retrofit Rules–SB 407

I want to make sure all of you are aware of an emerging new government regulation that became law on January 1, 2014.  Last fall, our friend and colleague Jim Fraser alerted me about the pending implementation of Senate Bill 407, which was passed by the California legislature in 2009 and signed by Governor Schwarzengger in October 2009..and promptly forgotten by just about everyone.  Net-net, there are some very substantial water conservation retrofit requirements on existing single family homes which are to be enforced when our clients and property owners go to get a permit…for just about anything they want to do to homes built before 1994.

This was news to all of us at MAR.  The law passed with little fanfare in 2009, probably because the implementation date was five years away.  When Assemblyman Levine was speaking to the Women’s Council of Realtors last fall, 2013 MAR Secretary Judy LeMarr asked him about it but he was not familiar with the law.  Later, 2013 MAR President Jack Wilkinson called the San Rafael Building Department, and his contact said he had just learned of the law the day before and they had no plan at the time for its required implementation.  Earlier this month, I was at a city inspection and asked the building official what the plan was and he told me that he and his colleagues were only now starting to formulate an implementation plan.

In a nutshell, SB407 requires that “On or after January 1, 2014, for all building alterations or improvements to single family residential real property, as a condition for issuance of a certificate of final completion and occupancy or final permit approval by the local building department, the permit applicant shall replace all noncompliant plumbing fixtures with water-conserving plumbing fixtures.”

Low-flow toilets, faucets, and showerheads.  It’s déjà vu all over again!

You can read the text of the whole bill here:  http://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=200920100SB407

Given our current extreme drought and MMWD’s request this week for a 25% reduction in water use, it’s hard to argue with the spirit of these regulations.

What does this mean for us?  Well, this is not a point-of-sale requirement, so it shouldn’t come into effect for our transactions closing.  But it is absolutely something we need to alert our clients about, because as the law is written, ANY permit will require these retrofit requirements.  And what about the very common case where a homeowner got a proper permit for work to be done, but didn’t close out the permit when work was complete?  Does that mean that to close some 5-year-old permit our clients will need to replace all the toilets, faucets, and showerheads?  Really?  That’s certainly something that might come into play in the last days and loose ends of a transaction.  This area of the law is unclear.

We need some clarification, and it’s a work in progress.  Our cities are just now working through the implementation process.  The building official I spoke with this month said that the enforcement overhead requirements to fully retrofit a house for ANY permit are just about impossible from a time and budget standpoint.  He said that it’s possible that for “minor” permits (roofs, water heaters, etc) there will just be a handout informing the homeowner of these requirements.  For a remodel or “major work” it will absolutely be required.  Where is the line drawn?  No for water heaters, yes for kitchen remodels?  What about a window or siding project?

So let’s all feel our collective pain together.

We are on it at MAR.  We will continue to press our local building officials for clarity about these new requirements.   And to bring it back to CAR, yesterday we received a report from the Land Use and Environmental Policy Committee suggesting that, given the current drought and recently enacted legislation, the CAR 2014 Budget be modified to include funds for education of the public and our members on these developments.  This should be brought for a vote before we leave San Diego.

Be aware, tell your clients that this is a developing issue, and I assure you that we will have more info for you shortly.

Have a great week!

Blaine

 

 

 

 

Feb 11

Blaine Morris’ 2014 President of MAR 01/20/14 Monday Memo

By Marin Association of Realtors, Marin Real Estate News

Good morning Marin Realtors!

Those of you that attended our General Membership meeting last Tuesday were informed and entertained by two excellent presentations, one by Steve Dickason on the Marin marketplace and Carole Rodoni’s keynote presentation on the Bay Area and national outlook.  We had a record turnout!  A few of you were not able to get in, as the event sold out.  The best way ensure your spot in the future is to get these events on your calendar early and register online.

My key takeaways from Steve were that December was great, last year was obviously great, but we are short on inventory going into the new year, a situation we found ourselves in for most of last year.  If the market had continued along its long-term trend line, minus the ups, downs and ups of the last decade, Marin’s prices are approaching where they historically should be.

Carole was quite bullish on the next 3-5 years.  If we think the residential market was hot last year in Marin, Carole informed us that Palo Alto was up 40% in the last year!  Amazing.  Carole described the newly affluent class of late 20s and early 30s buyers driving the market in the City and on the peninsula.  Carole describes these “Young Affluent Buyers, 25-35 years old” as 28% of the market Bay Area-wide.

As I mentioned last week, these “Millennial” buyers are a huge and emerging demographic.  At the CAR meetings in October, I attended a panel discussion called “Understanding Today’s Consumer:  The Impact of Demographic Trends.”

The discussion kicked off with Riva Froymovich, a business writer from New York, self-described Millennial and aspiring home buyer who currently happens to live at home with her parents as she saves for her first house.

She was asked “What do Millennials want, and do they want to own real estate?”

  • Millennials want to own real estate
  • Millennials want density
  • Millennials want quality of construction and design over size of house
  • Millennials like to work
  • Millennials want to communicate “their way” (text, etc)

The two professors (Dr. Dowell Meyers, a professor of policy, planning and demography at USC and Dr. Susan Brown, associate professor at the Sociology School at UC Irvine) then chimed in on the Millennials.  They are coming of age in the most volatile home-buying environment for young people since World War II.  Meyers described it as “the Big Pause” for this generation.  They are waiting to see what happens on the other side of the Great Recession.  What will be the “new normal?”

This is a great question.  Generally at this point in a recovery from a recession, 50% of the home buying market is first time homebuyers.  Right now in California, it’s 33%.

Dr. Meyers said the low first-time-buyer proportion makes perfect sense.  In California, people don’t get married and buy houses until their 30s.  Millennials mostly aren’t 30 yet.  This huge generation of first time buyers just isn’t old enough yet.

Dr. Meyers said that “coming out of the recession, demography is on our side” as it relates to the real estate industry in California.

The panel generally agreed that these new Millennial buyers need and want more housing units geared toward non-traditional living arrangements.  Flexible units.  Mother-in-law suite.  Places that people can afford.  As for this type of housing, “Builders are ready to build, but neighbors are not supporting them at the planning and zoning offices.”

That sounds a lot like the housing discussions we are having right now in Marin County.

The panel concluded with the overall statement that “there is a lot of rebound ready to happen” as this new generation comes of age. For me, this was all very refreshing.  I’ve heard many times in the past few years that the next generation of Americans just doesn’t view home ownership at the same priority level that previous generations do.  These scholars didn’t see it that way at all.

Later in the conference, CAR Chief Economist Leslie Appleton-Young told us that the biggest market opportunity in 2014 is with the Millennials and first-time buyers.

The rest of the CAR Director team and I are off to the CAR Winter Meetings next week, and we will report back on the important info and data that we gather.

Blaine

Jan 06

Blaine Morris’ 2014 President of Marin Association of Realtors 1/6/14 Monday Memo

By Marin Association of Realtors, Marin Real Estate News

Blaine Morris, President, Marin Association of RealtorsAs the 2014 President of the Marin Association of Realtors, one of my responsibilities is to write a weekly column for distribution to our 1400 members.  It’s commonly called the “Monday Memo”.  Since I have quite a few friends, clients and business associates who are not members of MAR, I thought it would be useful to post those columns here as well.  As such, here is my first column of the year, which was originally published on 1/6/2014.  We will post the others that were already published this year over the next couple of weeks until we get caught up.

Happy New Year Marin Realtors!  It’s an honor and a privilege to have the opportunity to serve as your President in 2014.

I hope to see you at the next MAR General Membership meeting on January 14th, where the always-delightful and informative Carole Rodoni will help us make some sense of the market and opportunities for the coming year.

I want to take a moment to thank three people for their contributions in 2013.  First of all, thanks to Jack Wilkinson for stepping in to serve as our Association’s President in 2013.  Thank you to Edward Segal, our recently-departed CEO, who was a wealth of information and vision as I navigated my year as President-Elect.  Finally, I want to thank Mary Anne Heffernan for stepping in and seamlessly taking the reigns as our Interim Association Executive while we have been conducting our search for a permanent executive.

It’s been a good year for the business…it’s been a great year for the business!  Sales are up.  Prices are up.  Membership is up at MAR.  A growing membership is a healthy membership.  A healthy industry.

Looking forward to my term as 2014 MAR President, we have many opportunities as an association.  First and foremost, MAR will continue with our advocacy efforts on behalf or our members.  The association will also be focused on service and giving back to our members, our colleagues and our community.  We are launching the Young Professionals Network (YPN) for our newer members.  We are also looking into re-launching an MAR-sponsored volunteer effort, to give back to the community that has given so much to us.

As I said in my remarks at the MAR installation last month, our efforts as an association can be simply focused and measured on three criteria:  Are we promoting the Productivity, the Profitability and the Professionalism of our members?

Regarding Productivity, are we giving our members the tools to be as productive as possible, with as few distractions as possible?  Are we?  Is the municipal resale inspection process a help or a hindrance to our member’s productivity?  Do our members have the very best and most responsive MLS?   As an association, we must promote the productivity of our members.

Regarding Profitability, are we doing what we can to ensure that our members are as profitable as possible?  We must look out for and advocate for the best interests of our members and property owners with our local government and regulatory agencies.  We don’t want legislation that impedes our ability to conduct business.  Whether we are advocating for local control of planning and building decisions, advocating against additional fees for building and transacting Real Estate, or taking a position on pending legislation, advocating for our members is at the heart of promoting our Profitability.

Regarding Professionalism, we must provide for the education, professional development, and professional standards of our members.  We must promote the highest level of professionalism through our shared code of ethics.

So it’s pretty simple:  everything we do at MAR must be focused on the Productivity, Profitability and Professionalism of our members.

One last thing:  get involved in 2014!  Whether it’s with your neighborhood, local community, helping your colleagues, or helping those less fortunate, make it a point to get involved and give back!  And don’t get too caught up with the time commitment…however small your contribution, you will make our community and our industry a better place with your involvement.

I wish you a wonderful and prosperous 2014!

 

 

Sep 21

20 Cypress Drive, Fairfax CA – Just Listed – Marin Real Estate

By Fairfax Community News, Fairfax Real Estate News, Marin Real Estate News

Offered at $525,000

3 Bedrooms, 1 bathroom

First time on the market in 32 years! Relax on your big front porch at this rarely-available premium location across from Kenneth “Doc” Edgar Park in the lower Cascades on quiet lower Cypress Drive.

Sweet vintage bungalow offers 2BR/1BA PLUS a bonus office/nursery (tax records call it a 3BR). Sunny level spot with many period details. Detached 1-car garage, wood floors, solid construction.

2 flat blocks to town, yet also close to Cascade and Deer Park Open Space Preserves. Really a special location, excellent for hikers, bikers, neighborhood lovers-the perfect home base for your active Marin lifestyle!

Visithttps://www.yourmarinhome.com/Properties/20_cypress_fairfax/20_cypress_fairfax.htmlor http://www.20cypress.com/ for more information or call Blaine Morris at 415-925-3279 to schedule a showing.

Mar 21

20 Woodland Road, Fairfax CA Real Estate – Just Listed

By Fairfax Real Estate News, Marin Real Estate News

20 Woodland Road, Fairfax

2 Bedrooms, 1 Bathroom

Offered at $449,000

Spectacular views of Mt. Tamalpais and Cascade Canyon await at this sunny, south-facing bungalow in the desirable Upper Cascades. The 2BR/1BA home sits on one of the more usable large lots in the neighborhood, with gently sloping grounds and lots of possibilities. Sit by the crackling fire in the extra-large living room while taking in the outdoors through the many large windows. With refinished vintage floors, the house enjoys numerous period details. There is a 1-car detached garage, laundry room and 300 +/- sq ft workshop/bonus room under the house. With a large entertaining deck, this home allows for easy indoor/outdoor living. Close to trails and the Cascade Canyon open space preserve, this property will appeal to hikers, bikers and outdoor lovers!

Visit https://www.yourmarinhome.com/Properties/20_woodland_fairfax/20_woodland_fairfax.html or http://www.20woodland.com/ for more information or call Blaine Morris at 415-925-3279 to schedule a showing.

Sep 15

6 Hillside Drive- Fairfax CA Real Estate – Just Listed

By Fairfax Real Estate News, Marin Real Estate News, Uncategorized

Situated on a premium half-acre lot on the edge of popular Deer Park, this Fairfax

6 Hillside Avenue, Fairfax CA

6 Hillside Avenue, Fairfax CA

gem is waiting to become your dream home! On the market for the first time in 41 years, this spacious southwest-facing property is bathed in sun and offers many options for indoor/outdoor living.

The main living area has 3 bedrooms and 1 bathroom, and the lower level has a big rec room, tons of storage and an additional bathroom. Expansive level areas and ready for your landscaping ideas and gardens. Lots of possibilities!

Minutes to town, even closer to hiking and biking trails. Great for nature lovers and neighborhood lovers. Enjoy your Indian summer in Deer Park!

Visit https://www.yourmarinhome.com/Properties/6_hillside_fairfax/6_hillside_fairfax.html or http://www.6hillside.com/ for more information.

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