Your Real Estate Expert for Berkeley and Beyond
“Marilyn is exceptional. Her knowledge base, enthusiasm for her job, professional ethics, organization, sensitivity to our aesthetic requirements, loyalty and gentle perseverance set her apart.”
-- Bill and Carol Seidel
Marilyn Garcia, PhD
Broker Associate, Realtor®
DRE# 02014153
District Homes
1758 Solano Ave.
Berkeley, CA 94707
Direct:
(510) 390-5406
THE OUTLOOK: North Berkeley, Spring 2019 wrap-up
The local real estate market looked like it was slowing towards the end of last year, but it sure has bounced back this spring! I talked in the last newsletter about the common perception that big IPOs were going to create wealth and boost the market, and that perception may have had some effect. The other significant factor has been interest rates. Rates on home loans have lately been among the lowest we’ve seen since around election time in 2016, after peaking at close to 5% in November of last year. (If you've been thinking about re-financing your home loan, [...]
THE OUTLOOK: Berkeley Hills, Spring 2019 wrap-up
In the Berkeley hills this past quarter, there were 73 active listings, which is pretty typical for the spring season. Between March and the end of May, 45 properties sold, on average after 18 days on the market. The median sale price was $1,475,000, which is up 15% from the slow winter season, but down 3% from last spring. Only one of the sold properties had a price reduction, and 84% of the sales were for more than list price. Among the properties that went over, the sold price was on average 25% above list price. Where reported in the [...]
REAL ESTATE ANSWERS: How have the massive fires in recent years affected homeowner’s insurance locally?
How have the massive fires in recent years affected homeowner’s insurance locally? I spoke with Ruth Stroup with Farmers Insurance, who is always a great source of information about the insurance world, and asked her what changes she’s seen as a result of the tragic fires we’ve had in California over the last few years. Ruth said that the huge claims in back-to-back years from the fires have affected insurance companies’ ability to get reinsurance. (Reinsurance pays a share of the claims in the case of massive losses like with the fires, and is a critical component of the insurance [...]
I’VE MOVED!
I’VE MOVED! After 16 years with the same brokerage, I decided it was time to make a change, and I’m delighted to share that I’ve joined The Grubb Company! I chose The Grubb Company after lots of information gathering, and discussions with various brokerages. The Grubb Company was the clear choice, because of their longstanding commitment to our area (they have been in business for over 50 years), their excellent market share, their commitment to quality, the fantastic support staff, and most importantly, the caliber of the agents. The average agent at The Grubb Company does more business (measured by [...]