Our Far-Flung Correspondents: A Report From Sycamore Park

You might think that we could pull ourselves away from Scrabulous long enough to walk a few blocks to see Mill Valley's newest "green house," a mid-century modern redo (asking price $2.2 million, previously sold for $973,500 in 2006) that recently went on the market in a trendy walk-to-town neighborhood. Especially after we made such a fuss about Marin's growing obsession with sustainable living, bamboo flooring, tankless water heaters, etc. But our friends at the ultra-hip design blog Remodelista.com beat us there. Their verdict:

"One of the greener homes we’ve seen in a while"

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Here's What Marin's $116,626 Median Income Will Buy

Median incomes in Marin are among the highest in the state—OK, in any state. Among married couples who file joint tax returns, the median adjusted gross household income is $116,626. If they're first-time homebuyers, how much house can they afford these days? One that costs $462,126.15, but only if they have saved up a 20 percent down payment:

Here's how the numbers would work out with a 30-year fixed rate mortgage at 5.82 percent, according to Money Magazine:
House price: $462,126.15
Loan amount: $385,105.15
Down payment: $77,021
Monthly mortgage payment: $2,264.52
Monthly taxes/homeowner insurance: $456.75
Total monthly payment: $ 2,721.27

So what's on the market in that price range?
746 Diablo, Novato: 3BR, 1 B, $450,000. Amenities include a rope swing in the front yard and a skylight in the dining room.

Other possibilities include a 1BR, 1B condo in Mill Valley for $455,000, a 2BR, 1 B condo in Greenbrae for $469,000 and a 2 BR, 1 B condo in Corte Madera for $459,000.

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Got $1.1 million? Buy a Starter House in Mill Valley

You can get get "vintage charm" and "character" and 1,094 square feet of living space if you buy this brand-new $1.099 million Mill Valley listing. No, that's not a typo and yes, it does work out to $1,004.57 per square foot. Nice-looking kitchen, no?

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In Escrow: A Flurry Of Pending Sales In Marin

Conventional wisdom is that April and May are the best months to put a house up for sale. Based on what's been going on in southern and central Marin in the past couple of weeks, it looks like conventional wisdom is right, for once. Here's a look at nine recent listings—including one $5.995 million San Anselmo house—that have gone into escrow after being on the market for fewer than 14 days:

BELVEDERE:
322 Beach Rd.: This seller had a deal before listing this "vintage" waterfront house for $2.69 million (3,781 sq ft, 5BR, 4 BA, no interior photos available).

GREENBRAE:
35 Corte Alegre: This four-bedroom house within walking distance to Bacich School, asking price $1.395 million (2,152 sq ft and it's on a cul de sac).

KENTFIELD:
17 Acacia Ave: Level lot, has a pool, asking price was $1.55 million (2,079 sq ft, 4BR, 3 BA).

MILL VALLEY:
123 Ricardo Rd.: Strawberry Point 3BR, 3BA, described as "executive home," asking price $1.595 million (1978 sq ft).

SAN ANSELMO:
100 Holstein Rd.: 5BR, 3.5BA on an oversized lot (28,265 sq ft), asking price was $1.05 million (2,477 sq ft).

11 Idalia Ct.: Remodeled 3BR, 2.5 BA descrived as "the epitome of San Anselmo Seminary lifestyle, asking price $1.485 million (1,962 sq ft).

109 Fawn Dr.: Tennis, anyone? Dip in the pool? This 5 BR, 6.5BA house (7,363 sq ft), asking price $5.995 million, also has a spa and yoga room.

SAN RAFAEL:
6 Dogwood Ct.: Almost new 4BR, 3BA w/cherry cabinets and granite countertops in the kitchen, asking price $1.195 million (2,856 sq ft).

11 I St.: Vintage brown shingle with 4 BR, 3BA, asking price was $1.45 million (2,194 sq ft).

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Breaking: Houses Selling Above Asking

Remember that house at 111 Locust Street, Mill Valley (see here)? The asking price was $3.395 million. Our sources say it closed yesterday after getting three offers. Price: $3.75 million.

Meanwhile, 55 Buena Vista Avenue, a remolded three-BR stucco house in a flat, sunny walk-to-town location, got at least two offers in under a week. The house, which was listed for $1.749 million (1,800 square feet), is already in escrow. Let us know if it also sold above asking.

Mill Valley: Bizarro World.

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Same House, Lower Price

Back on the market in Mill Valley is a recently renovated house at 45 Laverne ($2.35 million for 2,753 sq ft, 4BR plus office, 3.5BA). Last fall, when we first heard this modern house located behind Whole Foods in Homestead Valley was for sale, the owner was asking $2.5 million. More of the scoop:

According to Zillow, where the owners posted more details about the 1951 house, a major remodel was completed three years ago. Improvements include: a new roof, new siding, four newly renovated bathrooms, a kitchen remodel and a two-story addition. Oh, and also a sauna and steam room.

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New Listings: $1.7 Million In Southern Marin

Somebody took a finger out of the dike. More than 60 new southern Marin listings have come on the market in the past week, and here's a sampling of the kind of kitchen you can get for $1.7-$1.75 million:


279 Riviera Dr., San Rafael: $1.749 m, 4 BR, 3BA, 3,347 sq ft ($523 per sq ft)

314 Kent Ave., Kentfield: $1.7 m, 5BR, 4BA, 2,200 sq ft ($773 per sq ft)

2 Overhill Rd., Mill Valley: $1.749 m, 4BR, 3.5B, 2,515 sq ft ($695 per sq ft)

55 Buena Vista Ave., Mill Valley: $1.7495 m, 3BR, 2B, 1,800 sq ft ($972 per sq ft)

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Back On The Market

Among this week's "new" southern Marin listings are two houses that were on the market last fall. Trying again (one at a reduced asking price, one not) are:

18 MIRABEL: This $3.85 million house, perched on a ridge above downtown Mill Valley, is exquisitely sited. Not only does it have dead-on Mt. Tam views, it also offers a good-enough-for-a-spy perch to keep track of what's happening below you in town. Why didn't it sell last fall? Well, with only three bedrooms, the dramatic '70s modern style of the house may not appeal to everyone (although we'd move into it in a heartbeat). Also, upkeep. All those miles and miles and miles (it seemed) of boxwood hedges won't clip themselves twice a year.

77 MARGUERITE: This vintage Klyce house (COMING NEXT WEEK: What Exactly Is A Klyce House?) situated in Mill Valley's Middle Ridge neighborhood is back on the market with a price chop, reduced from $2.195 million to $2.075 million. Nice floorplan, sweet yard (we were particularly fond of the well-established rose garden and the blowsy lilac at the bottom of the hill), but no master bath. Laundry is in the garage.

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How To Get Multiple Offers: Anatomy Of A Successful Sale

When we published a list yesterday of all the sellers in Marin who sold their houses above the asking prices last month, it raised a lot of questions. Well, one question, mainly: How did they manage that?

Easy. They did everything right. Of course, you can too. Here's a blueprint to follow, a case study of how the owners of one Mill Valley house flawlessly played their hand and got $1.835 million for a house they listed at $1.795 million:

1. LOCATION, OF COURSE. The 1,021 sq ft bungalow (built in 1946) that the owners bought in 2005 at 74 Nelson (for $850,000) may have been situated on one of the more modest blocks in Mill Valley's family-trendy Sycamore Park neighborhood, but it had one exceptional plus: the lot is adjacent to a popular vest-pocket neighborhood park. It's also an easy walk to Park Elementary School, Mill Valley Middle School and Tamalpais High School.

2. GET THE RIGHT ARCHITECT. Barbara Chambers, one of Marin's most versatile architects, designed a new, slightly bigger two-story house (1,200 sq ft) that somehow managed to incorporate an open first-floor floorplan, three bedrooms, 2.5 baths and a second-floor family room into that relatively small amount of space. The result was a house sited ingeniously on the lot, facing the street but with a "front" entry on the side of the building.

The exterior, in fact, greatly resembles Chambers' own, larger house a few blocks away, with a two-car garage topped by window boxes facing the street. (See photo, right)

3. KNOW YOUR MARKET. The new floorplan, with three second-floor bedrooms that opened off a central family room, was ideal for a young family. So was the gate in the backyard fence that leads directly to the park and playground behind the property. The Sunday open house a few days after 74 Nelson went on the market attracted a steady stream of young couples, prospective buyers in SUVs outfitted with infant seats.

3. THE PRICE IS RIGHT. The sellers priced 74 Nelson, in mint condition, at $1.795 million, significantly lower than the recent sale prices of two other slightly larger, and lived in, houses a few blocks away—81 Sycamore (sold for $2.185 million in November 2007) and 95 Sycamore (sold for $2.3 million, also in November 2007). Within days of the Sunday open house, they entertained multiple offers. In the end, the house sold for $40,000 above asking, after a mere 31 days on the market at a time when 74 days on the market is the average in Marin.

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You don't get many murders in Mill Valley. And at these prices—no wonder.

Case closed: A body found in an unused part of a Mill Valley cemetery in February turns out to be that of a local resident missing since 1964. Her husband, Bruce Jones, an erstwhile San Fransisco longshoreman, appears to be the suspect, but he died nearly 20 years ago.

The killing may have been—what else?—real-estate related. According to the San Francisco Chronicle:

Bruce Jones told authorities that he had an argument with his wife because she refused his request to have his name placed on real estate that she owned separately. He said that she became angry, walked away down the road - and never returned.

[Picture credit: Tam Valley Improvement Club]

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Welcome To The Neighborhood

After barely a week on the market, a $3.395 million Mill Valley house at 111 Locust Ave.—yes, the one with the new two-story garage that some neighbors would have preferred not to see built—is in contract. Will the sale price will set a new record for Sycamore Park? Last year, 50 Walnut (3,850 sq ft) went for $2.936m; an oldie at 35 Sycamore Ave. (3,876 sq ft) went for $3.1 million.

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Robin Williams Does Mill Valley. A lot.

One of the great unkept secrets of living in Mill Valley is Tuesday Night Comedy Night—"Mark Pitta and Friends"—at the 142 Throckmorton Theater. Local comedian Mark Pitta, who looks a lot like a young Charlie Rose, and has a Jon Stewart-like delivery, does a great job hosting the event.

But the main reason Comedy Night tends to be standing room only (like, buy tickets at least a day in advance) is that San Francisco resident Robin Williams and Mill Valley resident Dana Carvey tend to show up, unannounced. Our neighbor, who goes pretty often, says Williams has been performing there about once a month, and bet that Williams would be there last night. He was.

Williams is so prolific, it's easy to take his genius for granted and forget how unusually gifted he is. You can tell that performing for a room this small is what (we bet) he loves most. (Does he even get paid for this? Doubtful. We wouldn't be surprised if he paid to do it.) Supposedly, he and Carvey use the Throckmorton to work out new bits.

Williams tends to look as if he's channeling something—something very funny and chaotic. We assume he's basically taking dictation from himself, noting the good bits and saving them for later.

One thing we especially loved last night was his riff on Mill Valley, which he says closes down at 8 p.m. He launched into the character of an old town crier, swinging a bell: "It's 8 o'clock! It's 8 o'clock! Everyone inside!" So funny! But you probably had to be there.

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Price Choppers: More Tales of Marin's Most Motivated Sellers

With one of last week's price choppers already in contract (we're referring to 171 Stanford in Mill Valley, where the seller cut the price from $849,000 to $795,000), we figured it was time to toss some fresh meat into the water. Here are some sellers who've reduced their asking prices:


Stinson Beach: There are only 325 lots in the Seadrift neighborhood, an exclusive enclave we've always thought exhibited great optimism, built on that spit of land that juts so trustingly out into the ocean at the end of Stinson Beach. The price of one older oceanfront property on the market since October, at 234 Seadrift Rd., has been cut from $3.6 million to $3.3 million. Depending on whom you ask, it either has ocean views or partial ocean views. Either way, they're better than our views. To give you some perspective, the seller of the house down the road at 296 Seadrift Rd., listed at $6.2 million last July, is sitting firm.

Mill Valley: A block or so over from the Stanford listing we discussed earlier, on another of those streets named after colleges, 222 Princeton has Bay views, 3BR, 2BA and a price cut, from $1.275m to $1.175m.

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Two, Two, Two Houses In One

The neighbors find more reasons than there are trees to hate the house you're building in Mill Valley—any house. In the case of this pricey new Sycamore Park listing (a just-completed $3.395 million Dutch Colonial-style home at 111 Locust Ave.), the offending feature was a detached, two-story building with a rental unit in the backyard.

A one-story garage would have been fine. But a two-story rental cottage would "tower over our rental cottage," one neighbor wrote in an email message to the city planning department. That was just the beginning.



The owners went to city hall to make an impassioned speech about the house. And about how their family was looking forward to living in the neighborhood. As for that two-story garage/apartment? A perfect place to house grandparents.

With the wisdom of Solomon, the planning commission ruled that a slightly shorter version of the garage could be built. It also asked the owners to investigate whether "prehistoric resources" were buried on the property. (They weren't, according to an archaeological survey.) And finally, it asked the owners to paint the trim a tasteful color. (The city approved linen white.)

We don't know which of these requirements, if any, put the owners over the edge. But they decided to leave the neighborhood after all. Which is why this lovely house is on the market.

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Historic Schwingers' Pad for Sale

We were surprised and a little excited—in a good way—to see that the old Swiss Club recently went on the market. (Asking price is $4.995 million.)

Anyone who's hiked Mt. Tam and put in around the Mountain Home Inn in Mill Valley has surely seen it: a sprawling, wooden chalet that, until a few years ago, had the words "Swiss Club" on its door. We figured it for some kind of Alpine hiking club (was excellent European beer on tap inside?) but we didn't know anyone who was a member, or even anyone who knew a member. Since the "For Sale" sign has stimulated recent discussions about the place, we figured it was a good time to head over to the library to investigate.

All we can say is: Who knew Swiss immigrants were such schwingers?


It turns out that there were many Swiss saloons in San Francisco in the early 1900s. Homesick for the Alps, many expats enjoyed taking the ferry to Sausalito and hiking to Mill Valley. Armed with pickaxes and shovels, they began clearing a path on the hillside—so they could haul a sled full of construction materials up the grade, and build a clubhouse. (The path would later become Edgewood Avenue.)

They raised a house in 1920 and dubbed it Schweizer Verein Tell—or Swiss Club Tell—after the apple-shooting, 15th century Swiss hero, William Tell. After the building slid downhill in a big storm, they rebuilt and that house is the one you see today.

For the first few decades of its existence, the Swiss Club Tell hosted parties and picnics and housed "a certain piece of equipment which was able to produce some kind of a liquid which looked to the uninitiated like holy water," according to reminiscences from early members. "But it was of much greater proof. It is said that those mountain waters supplied the necessary spirit in various Swiss saloons in the city."

During the Great Depression, "the club decided to open its doors for those few unfortunate enough to have lost their job and with it their place to live."

By the 1950s, the place was swinging. Or more accurately, schwinging: "There was a major gathering every month, including a Fastnacht dance, a March festival, a Hobo ball in April, a Mayfest and a Summer dance....They held several Schwingfests."

More Unusual Houses: The Flying Saucer of Chattanooga

Fast forward to the 50th anniversary gala in 1970, when both San Francisco's Swiss Gymnastic Club and Swiss Singing Club (practices were every Thursday at 8 p.m., all welcome) sent their congratulations. These were the days of raucous yodeling contests and dancing to Al Fassler's Swiss Orchestra.

Eventually, however, the club fell on hard times; the property was sold and, in the 1990s, the neighbors strenuously opposed the new owner's plan to connect the property to the city's sewers. He won on sanitary grounds. When the place sold in 2004, it fetched $2.75 million.


According to the current listing, $4.995 million buys you a "main lodge and three charming guest cottages...dramatically restored with character and attention to detail. The grounds are breathtakingly beautiful, with approximately 65,000 sq ft. of sun-drenched redwoods, lawns and private stone patios."

This time around, we're taking up a collection to buy it. We'll revive the yodeling contests.

[See related 2002 San Francisco Chronicle post]

[Photo credit: Swiss Club Tell file]

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BREAKING: That Little House On Park Sold

Less than a week after it went on the market, the "contemporary, urban chic, oh-so-close to town" $1.129 million house at 19 Park Ave. in Mill Valley is under contract. Now you see why we urged you to go see it fast. More on this breaking story as it develops.

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Price Choppers: Marin's Most Motivated Sellers

A friend asked what we were going to write about today and we answered, "Sellers in southern Marin who have dropped their asking prices," and then the friend said, "Is that a joke? Or do people actually do that here?" Short answer is yes, they do. All the time. Long answer is:

GOLF COURSE VIEW: After being on the market less than three weeks, the owners of 10 Country Club Drive in Mill Valley cut the asking price from $3.495 million to $3.195 million, for 3,200 square feet in a sunny location. Best feature: the wraparound deck and outdoor fireplace. Why the price cut? Somebody must have noticed that 72 Cypress, another view house that came on the market the same day, has a much lower asking price -- $2.3 million -- for a slightly bigger house. Granted, Cypress is in shade for much of the day.

ONE YEAR LATER: An "utterly charming, remodeled Sleepy Hollow home on a 27,000 sq ft lot" that went on the market more than a year ago asking $1.25 million is now for sale for $1.239 million. Does this mean the seller might actually be willing to settle for $1.238 million? Would $1.237 million be an insult?

WORTH A LOOK: After nearly two months on the market, 171 Stanford Ave.'s asking price is down from $849k to $795k. Zillow estimates the Mill Valley house is worth $820k and that all its nearest neighbors on the view side of the street are worth more.

[Photo credit: Dreammoods)

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Our Picks: New Listings You Should See This Weekend

We sorted through this week's four dozen new southern Marin listings—priced from $875,000 for three bedrooms on the outskirts of Mill Valley, to $4.85 million for panoramic views in Belvedere—to come up with a list of the ones you should see this weekend:

BEST $1.46M TEAR DOWN: You wouldn't guess it from the street, but this unassuming corner lot at 5 Hillcrest in Mill Valley boasts terrific southwestern views of everything you want to see from here to the Headlands. The other thing you'll get for your $1.46 million is a walk-to-town location.

BEST LITTLE HOUSE: Somebody was smart enough to figure out how to take advantage of every single one of the 1,249 square feet at 19 Park in Mill Valley. This teensy $1.129m house on the edge of the family-fueled Sycamore Park neighborhood feels ship-shape; but be warned, the third bedroom is so small that it was necessary to put up a sign that says "Twin bed will fit along this wall." (Open from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday)

HOW THEY USED TO BUILD HOUSES: We're a sucker for a gracious, curved stairway, and 1715 Lincoln Ave. in San Rafael ($1.395 million) has one that managed to survive against the odds and the remodelers. 3BR, 2B and we can't help but wonder what happened to the original clawfoot tub.

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BREAKING: That House On Throckmorton Sold

Barely a week after the brokers' open house—you remember how we were so excited about the live piano player and the shrimp platter— the Mill Valley house with the perfect Mayberry location at 445 Throckmorton (5+BR, asking price $3.489 million) is in contract. More on this developing story as details unfold.

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BREAKING: That house in Strawberry Point sold

We were in Produce this morning, considering the virtues of the local organic strawberries that the teachers at Park School told the fifth graders to tell their parents to buy. (Supposedly, they prevent global warming.) That's when we ran into one of the 4,000 real estate brokers who live in our little town of 13,000 people.

To divert her from the baby arugula, we said casually, "So, how are things?"

"Busy," she said. She looked more excited than you would expect of someone who was examining carrots, even if they were tiny purple-colored carrots that save polar ice caps.

"Really?" we asked skeptically, having read in the paper how there's this big real estate crisis that is going to plunge us into bankruptcy and out on the street, where we'll be living off the muddy stems of other people's arugula that we scrounged from the garbage.

She leaned closer. "Did you hear about the house out on Strawberry Point?" she asked. "The one that was listed for almost $4 million?"

"You mean the one that's been sitting there for a while now?" we asked.

"It's not sitting anymore," she said. "It sold!"

True story? Eager to confirm it as quickly as possible, we bypassed our favorite checker Barbara (she chats) for the fast bagger on Three.

It turned out that not only is the house—5 BR, 4581 square feet, with "take-your-breath-away views"—in contract, it also got multiple offers. At least two. We'll let you know the sale price when it posts.

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