Marin County Luxury Home Prices Jump in December, Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage Reports

Mill Valley, CA, February 01, 2012 --(PR.com)-- Luxury home prices in Marin County moved higher once again last month as the region’s high-end market continued to improve, according to Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage, the Bay Area’s leading provider of luxury real estate services.

The median sale price for a million-dollar-plus home in Marin County reached $1,595,000, up 1 percent from a year ago and a whopping 16 percent from November, when it was $1,375,000.

While prices moved higher, luxury sales did taper off as the year came to a close. Some 37 homes sold for more than $1 million, down from 43 in December 2010 and 55 the previous month. But the number of multi-million-dollar sales edged higher to 11, up from just seven a year ago and 10 in November.

Other market indicators also showed positive trends. Homes sold at a faster pace last month, averaging 106 days for those that closed in December, down sharply from 140 days last year and 111 days in November. And sellers received 95 percent of their list price on average, up from 93.7 percent last year.

The figures were derived from Multiple Listing Service data of all homes sold for more than $1 million last month in Marin County.

“There continues to be solid demand for homes priced above $1 million in the Marin County market and throughout the Bay Area, for that matter,” said Rick Turley, president of Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage. "We've seen really good activity in the upper end of the market for the better part of the past year. That’s a healthy sign for the overall market because history has shown that sustainable recoveries in the housing market typically begin with the luxury segment."

Turley said the challenge for the Marin County market continues to be a shortage of homes for sale, not lack of buyers.

“I think it’s important for sellers to get the message that the market is getting better in many areas and there are buyers willing to pay competitive prices for homes,” he said. “If you’ve been thinking about putting your home on the market, you shouldn’t wait any longer. It’s time to jump in.”

Some key findings from this month’s Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage luxury report:

* The most expensive sale in Marin County last month was a four-bedroom, three-bath 1,793-square-foot home in Stinson Beach that sold for $5.7 million;

* Tiburon boasted the most million-dollar sales with seven, followed by Mill Valley with six, San Anselmo with five, and Corte Madera with four;

* Homes sold in 106 days on average, down from 111 days the previous month and 140 days a year ago;

* Sellers on average received 95 percent of their asking price compared to 96.1 percent the previous month and 93.7 percent a year ago.

The Marin County Luxury Home Report is a monthly report by Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage, a specialist in high-end real estate sales. Through its internationally renowned Coldwell Banker Previews® program, the company is recognized around the world for its expertise in the luxury housing market.

Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage serves Marin County with six offices: 83 Beach Road in Belvedere; 350 Bon Air Ct., Suite 100, in Greenbrae; 500 Sir Francis Drake Blvd. in Greenbrae; 36 Tiburon Blvd. in Mill Valley; 1737 Grant Avenue, Novato; and 1 Harbor Drive, Suite 110, in Sausalito. For more information, please call 925-275-3085.

About Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage

Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage is the largest residential real estate brokerage in Northern California and serves the markets from Monterey to Tahoe and nearly every market in between. The company has 62 office locations and more than 3,600 sales associates throughout Northern California. Last year the company handled 13.5% of all dollar volume sold in Northern California, more than double its nearest competitor. Through its internationally renowned Coldwell Banker Previews® program, the company leads the luxury home market in Northern California, representing more than 22% of all dollar volume sold of properties over $1 million. Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage is part of NRT LLC, the nation’s largest residential real estate brokerage company. NRT has 750 offices and 45,000 sales associates operating in more than 35 major metropolitan areas. A subsidiary of Realogy Corporation, NRT operates Realogy’s company-owned real estate brokerage offices. For more information please visit www.CaliforniaMoves.com or call 925.275.3085. DRE # 00313415.

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