From torrential rain and chilly temperatures to clear skies and hot days, Marin just jumped directly from winter to summer and seems to have by-passed the spring. There also has been an encouraging jump in home sales.

While only 169 homes sold in May, which was a drop of 12% from the same time last year, we are half way through June and 125 homes have sold and there are another 464 in escrow. The inventory has jumped from our last report in March from 1000 homes to currently over 1500 homes on the market. Yes, the weather had something to do with it but now schools are out and families are making the transition and buyers are realizing that the time is right to buy while prices and interest rates are down.   The increase in new contracts is a sign that…

Here we are in mid-May and despite the great weather we've had, we are  now having some very un-seasonal rainfall. It's snowing in the mountains in May! Nevertheless, what is seasonal is the real estate activity so far this Spring. There are currently 1360 homes on the market and 34% of those are in escrow and 800 homes have sold  this year. Savvy sellers are seeing what's ahead , pricing their homes right and selling them quickly, often with multiple offers. The buyers are definitely out there  looking for inventory.

 There is a very strong reason for buyers and sellers to take action now and not wait because we see a bump in the road ahead with the limits changing on government backed loans - Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. On October 1, 2011 the limit on…