Kentfield CA Real Estate Data Q2 2011

July 3, 2011

Filed under: Central Marin,Kentfield — dwdupont @ 8:12 am

Please scoll down to see Q2 2011 Data. Also please consider that I compile all this data personally. Your choice to work with us will save you money as the incredible time commitment required to assemble and publish this data each quarter results in much stronger and more dynamic negotiations which ultimately benefit you whether you’re a buyer or a seller:

Big Picture:
A distinct surge in positive home buying sentiment appeared in the first few months of 2011 triggered primarily by people wanting the recession to be done with and reacting to each positive media announcement as proof that the “Great Recession” was FINALLY OVER!  Unfortunately, the earthquake and tsunami in Japan, and the revolutions in the Middle East combined with dismal US economic data domestically reversed this media consumer trend and scared the home buying turtles back in their shells.

The current statistics clearly indicated a double dip in prices in Marin County—the severity of which is town dependent: Tiburon is having its worst year on record while Ross, and Kentfield are having quite positive years. This broad based double dip in prices is more reflective of sellers finally accepting the new pricing structure that a general decline in the pricing structure itself.

This double dip in prices combined with rising (energy) prices hint to a potential rough economy for a year or two ahead. I anticipate 5 more years of  challenging real estate market conditions broken up by brief periods of buying activity.

Seller Tips:

  • Sellers need to be priced properly, on the MLS, and on lockbox available for buyers to see at a moment’s notice to capture these fleeting spikes of buyer activity.
  • The market has never been more price dependent and buyers never more informed and  price conscious. Homes must be priced within a “window of perceived value” in order to garner offers—otherwise the property won’t get many showings and is quite unlikely to sell.
  • The typical seasonal trends of strong Springs and slow Summers & New Years have changed and now any time of the year is an equally challenging time list your home for sale. We never know when these spikes of buyer activity will occur and during the Great Recession they have occured sporadically year yound.

Buyer Tips:

  • Success for home buyers is dependent on a quick trigger finger. Homes sit until prices fall into the window of perceived vale and then they sell very quickly. Don’t lose the deal because of a rounding error in highly charge negotiations.
  • Buyers need to price homes by lot value and structure cost in addition to “the comps”. I have recently seen some homes trade for too much and others not enough because of valuation uncertainty.

Kentfield CA Real Estate & Kentfield CA Homes

Kenfield real estate is having a great year capitalizing on the trend of buyers wanting better weather and bypassing Southern Marin to find it. Ross, Kentfield, Larkspur and to a lesser extent Corte Madera are all having decent years. Northern & Central Marin are suffering a much different result in 2011.

We launched and sold a home at 18 College Court on the border of Larkspur and Kentfield in 3 hours late this Spring.

As you scan the data below please

consider that we compile all this data personally. We don’t buy it and paste it here. Your choice to work with us will save you money as the incredible time commitment required to assemble and publish this data each quarter results in much stronger and more dynamic negotiations which ultimately benefit you whether you’re a buyer or a seller.

The DuPont Group is a dynamic real estate team active in Southern and Central Marin communities. Dave received his MBA from Pepperdine University and is a Certified Financial Planner (CFP). Please call or email us anytime for more information


Kentfield CA Real Estate Q1 2011 Update

April 13, 2011

Filed under: Central Marin,Kentfield — dwdupont @ 11:10 am

 Please read the “Marin Update” in right navigation column first.

Employment leads real estate which is why it is so important to measure regional economic data together with statistical trends to find opportunities or anomalies in our markets. The more recent the “comp” the less it tells us about these trends in real worth, and the more it tells us about buyer psyche and current market value. From this perspective at the top of the market homes were trading no closer to their inherent value than they were at the bottom of the recession. We use a full business cycle of data to determine “fair value” and trailing 12 month data to show where homes are trading in relation to fair value.

For most towns of Marin County including Kentfield, the outlook for real estate is fair—which is very good relative to most other places in the nation. The market for Commercial office space is picking up in San Francisco and this foreshadows new jobs and greater demand in 6-12 months. The current double dip we are seeing in prices in Marin is more reflective of the cost of construction, the dated nature of many homes and sellers of those dated homes becoming acclimated to the new pricing structure—i.e. dated homes are selling closer to lot value given the costs inherent in bringing them up to current trends in buyers tastes and wants.

As you scan the data below please consider that we compile all this data personally. We don’t buy it and paste it here. Your choice to work with us will save you money as the incredible time commitment required to assemble and publish this data each quarter results in much stronger and more dynamic negotiations which ultimately benefit you whether you’re a buyer or a seller.

The DuPont Group is a dynamic real estate team active in Southern and Central Marin communities. Dave received his MBA from Pepperdine University and is a Certified Financial Planner (CFP). Please call or email us anytime for more information


Q3 Kentfield CA Real Estate Review

October 5, 2010

Filed under: Kentfield — dwdupont @ 11:52 am

 


Kentfield CA Real Estate: Fall 2010 Update

August 21, 2010

Filed under: Kentfield — dwdupont @ 10:40 am

Kentfield is having a year very much like Tiburon.  Homes that are remodeled and well priced are selling particularly in the bottom half of the market. 16% of homes in contract is slow and indicative of a buyers’ market, but not abysmally so given the season. Notice the higher the property is priced the less chance it has of selling. Please call for more data or questions.

Please reference our main website www.thedupontgroup.net or call Dave 415-867-6611 for more information.


Kentfield CA Real Estate Q1 Market Update

April 2, 2010

Filed under: Kentfield — dwdupont @ 12:09 pm

The Spring 2010 market is off to a roaring start. The momentum started late in 2009 in the lower market segments (bottom 2 price quartiles of each town) and has continued in those market segments. The health of any real estate market originates in the lower market segments and slowly ripples up the price spectrum until at the end of the cycle the top of the market peaks when the lower end has already started contracting—as happened in the last cycle. While average, median & $/SQFT price trends are marginally improving, unit sales are seeing a greater bounce.

Please start by reading the Marin Update:  at right click “Marin Update”.

Additional information regarding Kentfield CA Real Estate can we found on www.TheDuPontGroup.net , our groups primary website.


Kentfield CA Real Estate 2009 Review

February 12, 2010

Filed under: Kentfield — dwdupont @ 8:24 am

Marin Real Estate
In the last 44 years, there have been only two years (excluding 2008 & 2009) when average home prices in Marin County have decreased from one year to the next: -1.2% in 1991 and -1.4% in 1992– after the S&L crisis.

Marin County average residential home prices fell -12.7% in 2008 and -21% in 2009.  

 A unit-sale weighted average of Southern, Central & Northern Marin show Southern Marin prices are down -17.4%, Central Marin down -13.1%, and Northern Marin down -18.4% from 2008 levels.

For much more more information from a mile high perspective please see right nav bar, click & read “Marin Update”.

Kentfield Real Estate

42% of the home on the market in Kentfield are in contract– any number over 20% indicates a healthy market and any number over 30% indicates a sellers market. The current number of 42% of the homes currently on the market in contract is improbably high given the fragile state of the economy, the state budget crisis. In the book “Extraordinary Popular Delsions & The Madness of Crowds” the author documents many historical instances such as the Tulip Mania where humans act in unison– the demand hitting various towns in Marin is another instance of this and the patient buyer is advised to sit tight for a few months unless they find the absolutely perfect house.

Kentfield CA Real Estate Current Market Data

Kentfield CA Real Estate chart 1

Kentfield CA Real Estate Current Mar ket 2

Kentfield CA Real Estate Current market chart 2


Kentfield average residential prices on the surface appear to have held up very well. Statistically average prices are down only about 12% from their peak. However, two montser $9m sales in Kentfield in 2009 skew average price data higher and the median is actually a better indication of whats really happening in the kentfield real estate market. For a discussion of Median  vs. average stas please see commentary in A Marin County Update.

See below: Average SFR prices are down -11 and median prices are down almost 20%. The demand in the market place sing fall of 2008 is mostly families buying school districts within close commuting proximity to the SF Bay Area job markets. As such, Kentfield has become relatively less desireable.. its got schools of course (Bacich), but the Kentfield weather premium and extra 10-15 minutes of commuting to the Southern job markets seems to be scaring some buyers away.

Kentfield CA Real Estate Annual SFR & Condo sale Data

Kentfield CA Real Estate Annual SFR & Condo sale Data

Kentfield sales like most Marin towns except Sausalito are benefitting from the surge that is hitting the marketplace right now. 33% of the homes on the market are in contract in Kentfield. This is a very positive number and is a great example of the surge in demand that hit the market in November and continued in January. In a typical year most sellers pull their unsold listings off the market around Thanksgiving and keep them off thru Super Bowl Sunday.  This is the most demand we seen in the market since Summer of 2008. Sellers are advised to list their homes as soon as possbile.

Next update I will segment the below chart by quartile:

The next 5 Graphs represent quarterly pricing relative to the same time period over a period of years. Kentfield prices show greater than average volatility relative to other towns in Marin. Please see year on year data several charts down for greater clarity. While Kentifeld has had a great 4th quarter, median prices are down nearly 20% from 2007 levels.

Kentfield CA Real Estate Quarterly SFR sale Data

Kentfield CA Real Estate Quarterly SFR sale Data

Kentfield CA Real Estate Quarterly SFR sale Data

Kentfield CA Real Estate Quarterly SFR sale Data Q4 Av $sqft

Kentfield CA Real Estate Quarterly SFR sale Data 3

Kentfield CA Real Estate Quarterly SFR sale Data Q4 Units

In the above and below graphs by quarter it is easy to see the seasonality of real estate in Marin. The spring is clearly our chance to get you the best prices of the year.

Kentfield CA Real Estate Quarterly SFR sale Data 4

Kentfield CA Real Estate Quarterly SFR sale Data 5

Kentfield CA Real Estate Quarterly SFR sale Data 6

Kentfield CA Real Estate Quarterly SFR sale Data Unit Sales by Quarter

The below graphs show you similar data as the above  5 graphs only by year instead of by quarter. By comparing similar graphs using different time periods we start to understand buyer behavior given the economic conditions and it helps us in our marketing and our negotiations. Please call Dave for more explanation 415-867-6611:

Kentfield CA Real Estate Annual SFR sale Data

Kentfield CA Real Estate Annual SFR sale Data Average SFR

The unit sales data clearly shows buyer reluctance right now…

Kentfield CA Real Estate Annual SFR sale Data 2

Kentfield CA Real Estate Annual SFR sale Data Unit SFR

Very few condo sales in Kentfield in an average year.

Kentfield CA Real Estate Annual Condo sale

Kentfield CA Real Estate Annual Condo sale Data

There aren’t many condo sales in Kentfield and prices tend to mimic those farther to the north and west than to Larkspur.

Kentfield CA Real Estate Annual Condo sale 2

Kentfield CA Real Estate Annual Condo sale

Kentfield CA Real Estate 35 Year pricing trends

Kentfield CA Real Estate 30 YEar Table

Notice the rates of return above and below when you add the effects of leverage (mortgage). Why would you invest your money in anything else? During the early Bubble years I worked at Merrill Lynch as CFP/Financial planner/advisor and everyone i spoke with in the Bay Area was investing in real estate. Young professionals were taking $50,000 bonus’ and leveraging up into $2mm investment properties. I tried to tell everyone we were approaching the end of the cycle and that prices were bound to correct. Unfortunately– there was no data to draw from that showed that real estate prices in the general Bay Area could actually go down… so everybody assumed it was a risk free investment; and by comparison stocks, bonds and mutual funds looked relatively boring with low returns.

Kentfield CA Real Estate Income Data

Kentfield CA Real Estate 7 YEar data

Kentfield CA Real Estate Income Data

Kentfield CA Real Estate incomes data

 Census data… the next census due out within the year will help clarify incomes in Kentfield.

Kentfield CA Real Estate Census data

Kentfield CA Real Estate Census

 

In 2008 and 2009, Dave and the DuPont Group are leading agents in Marin County Real Estate. Since the recession began in earnest in 2008, Dave personally closed over 36 sales and $47m in real estate sales, and his group has closed over $60m. For 2 years running Dave has sold more homes than any other agent at DB Sotheby’s Intl Realty. The data in these pages represents the extra mile we go for clients and is our competitive advantage over other agents in all parts of Marin. Now is not the time to select an agent to represent you because they are a friend or even because they may have represented you in the past. The work habits most realtors has evolved over the past 20 years are not translating well into selling homes in today’s real estate environment where home buyers make decisions because of financial considerations as opposed to emotional ones.

Dave is a Certified Financial Planner (CFP), Certified Financial Manager (CFM), received his MBA from Pepperdine University, a CA real estate broker and worked for approximately 10 years in the San Francisco financial district. This Blog works in conjunction with The DuPont Groups primary web site.

Please call me to discuss this information in more detail 415-867-6611 – Dave


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