Buying a home in Marin County can be a challenging prospect. Very few new homes are being built in Marin, and competition for Marin’s existing home inventory is intense. To add to the complexity, Marin County is comprised of many different towns, each with its own unique character, micro-climate and strengths.
I would be honored to be your guide exploring the homes for sale in Marin County and helping you through the entire process, from initial exploration through financing, making an offer, negotiation, inspection, moving in and even post-move support. I love helping people make their home dreams come true!
Finding the Right Home
The first step is for you to get pre-qualified for a loan so you know what you can afford. I have mortgage professionals I work with every day who can pre-qualify you for purchasing a home here in Marin. They are among the best and the most customer-focused in Marin County. Once you have a number in mind, the next step is a review of your home-buying “wishlist.”
You may want to use my mortgage calculator to get an idea of what your payments might look like:
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Questions I might ask you during our initial discussion include:
- Are schools important to you?
- What about proximity to San Francisco?
- Do you work from home or commute?
- Size of house and type of neighborhood?
- Do you want views?
- Would you like to be able to walk to restaurants and stores?
- What about weather – do you prefer Southern Marin’s generally cooler summer temperatures or Northern Marin’s sunnier climate and warmer temperatures?
Once I get a general “feel” for what you like, I can help set up a home search for you so we can review the latest homes on the market together. I designed this website to be much more than a “web presence” for me — there are robust tools you can use to search homes for sale, save them to your property organizer, set up email alerts, search open houses and quickly see listings by town (e.g. here’s the Greenbrae homes for sale page). There are many websites offering advice on buying a home so I will not attempt to re-create that information here.
What About Off-Market and “Pocket” Listings?
You may find that you prefer to tell me what you’re looking for and let me do the searching for you. As a member of Marin’s elite Top Agent Network I often know about homes before they appear on search engines, and can help locate pocket listings for homes that never go on the market. I am in constant contact with the other top agents in Marin County and often know about listings they are preparing for launch.
In our competitive market, the more avenues for finding a home the better.
Member of Marin’s Elite Top Agent Network
Top Agent Network Marin County
A Proud Member of Top Agent Network Marin County
Golden Gate Sotheby’s
Access to Golden Gate Sotheby’s Off-Market and Coming Soon Listings
Social Media
I Network Constantly With Other Agents on Social Media
Making An Offer / Negotiating The Purchase Agreement
Once you have found a home that you wish to purchase, I work to structure an offer that puts you in the strongest position and represents your best financial interests. As a buyer’s agent my responsibility is to you — to make sure your interests are well-represented throughout the transaction. Ultimately the decision around price and terms is yours — but it is my job to explain the different options to you and help you weigh pros and cons of various scenarios. I will maintain close contact with the seller’s agent to determine if there are multiple offers involved and get some insight into what’s important to the seller. This can be a stressful part of the process. I work to minimize the stress and help all parties focus on the facts at hand.
I will manage the negotiation process, keeping you informed day and night as soon as the sellers respond. If we move into a counteroffer situation, I will guide you through that as well, working hard to help you purchase your dream home with the most favorable price and terms.
Managing The Escrow Period
Once you and the seller have agreed on terms, we will ratify the contract and open escrow. This is the period where we work through contingencies, which may include financing, property inspection, selling your current home if necessary, and more. I will work with my trusted resources in the industry to clear each hurdle, keeping you informed along the way. I will attend all inspections and make sure your best interests are represented along the way.
Removal of Contingencies and Closing
Once the contingencies are satisfied (we usually call this “removing the contingencies”), I will continue to monitor the transaction, ensuring that financing partners are hitting their deadlines and that we are clear to close on the property on-time. I will calmly walk you through any last-minute hurdles if you need my help. Banks are notorious for needing “just one more thing” prior to close!
We will conduct a final walk-through together so you can make sure everything in the home is the same as when you placed the offer, and that the home is being delivered in the condition you expect. In the rare event of issues, I will work with the seller’s agent to resolve them to your satisfaction.
Helping my clients find their dream homes is one of my favorite things I do — and I would love to work with you to do just that. Please call or text me at 415-847-5584 so we can discuss your real estate goals — or fill out the contact form at the bottom of this page.
The Marin Real Estate Market has Historically Been a Great Long-Term Investment
Resources / Articles:
Check Out My Marin Real Estate | Marin Lifestyle Blog Here
Buying A Home In A Sellers Market
6 Must-Dos Before Buying a Home
Buying a Home – US Department of Housing and Urban Development
Looking for the Best Mortgage
Marin County Supplemental Property Tax Information
State of California – Things to Know Before Purchasing Your Home
Realtor.com Advice on Buying a Home
Quicken Loans: Homebuying 101 (not an endorsement of Quicken Loans)
Thomas Henthorne
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+1.415.847.5584
thomas@thomashenthorne.com
Top Marin Real Estate Agent
DRE# 01892608
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