Sylvia Barry, MARIN, S.F. North Bay Real Estate

Great input, Greg. I think coming from fellow home buyers will help Angela a lot more than I would be able to.

Bahia is in a unique location, very special area. As home buyers, you really want to go there a few times to appreciate how nice it could be!

Sylvia Barry
Marin Realtor - A few minutes ago

Hi Angela:

i agree with Mary Kay on the history of Bahia - There are several developments during the past year concerning Bahia, the dredging and the lawsuit surrounding the dredging of the lagoon. Officially, the last words I heard was that the lawsuits have been settled and the verdict of the lawsuits have been made, where the lagoon will not be dredged and there will be no future lawsuits, the best advise is for you to do in-depth and independent studies of the issues if you are interested.

Bahia's value did go down due to the long haul of the lawsuits and the uncertainty of the fate and monetary issues associated with those lawsuits. That was understandable and predictable. The expectation is now that the issues have been settled, property value should start to stabilize and go up again. Unfortunately for Bahia, the current real estate market downturn overshadowed the settlement of the lawsuits and hindered it;s upswing. .

I personally have a fondness of Bahia because I have several friends and past clients who live there;

Bahia is off main road, tucked behind rolling hills and faces Petaluma river. There is extensive hiking trails widening from Bahia through Rush Creek. Neighbors are extremely friendly. There are also playgrounds and tennis courts. Going down Olive Avenue or Atherton Avenue, you will quickly come upon Trader Joes and downtown Novato, a bit further down is Safeway. It is also in between of highway 37 and 101, which is rather convenient in that aspect.

Although a couple of clients who bought their houses (on lagoon side) when it was actually usable for boats and they do miss the water access; their current view of the seemingly endless marsh and Petaluma river presents a different attractiveness to their homes. The homes are cape cod style and quite a few On Lagoon homes have two yards, a courtyard and a side yard.

There are also homes that are not on lagoon but sits among the beautiful nature environment of Bahia, providing homeowners other attractive options.

The two REO (Bank Owned) Lagoon side homes have gorgeous views. One with a rather cute captains cove upstairs, both have hardwood floors, and are remodeled.

Since both homes have been on market for a while, I would strongly suggest professional inspections (this is true for all properties) for a thorough inspection of the homes and much research about the Bahia history if you decide to buy the homes. They sure are of great value though!

Do remember that purchasing a home is quite different from simply making an investment - there is great emotional value in buying a home since you will be living in there.

I guess what I am saying is, buying a home is not something you can look at as just black and white, go and take look at Bahia, view the properties and investigate the issues, and then decide if this is the best for you as a homeowner.

Here is a recent article about Bahia Wetland ..

http://www.marinij.com/novato/ci_10661771

Sylvia Barry
Marin Realtor - Fri Oct 31 2008, 19:30

I also use Visual Tour and feel it's better than some of the professional site where they create fishbowl effect which I really dislike - they distort the image (or the house).

I do wish they will give a few more templates though - it'd make it look so much better as a package.

Best,
Sylvia Barry
Marin Realtor - Yesterday, 21:51

Don't know, but I suppose (from watching movie, tv, reading) you will feel the presence if that's the case.

I have heard stories where the agents said their clients said the houses were haunted. I don't think any actually saw or felt anything. I guess it depends on the presence of the mind. - Yesterday, 21:44

Hello Ruthless:

Nice seeing you back.... Hope all ls well with you! We need to catch up

If a person suspect mold in the house they are buying, then they probably should do a mold inspection. We just went through the process with a house which has potential mold problem. By talking to my buyer, I know that my buyer will never buy the house unless she does a mold inspection to get peace of mind, so she ordered a mold inspection.

So, we did. This can be very costly. For Marin - and I researched many mold inspection companies - the price is $300 to come out and do visual inspection. If mold is suspected, they will recommend air sample or swap sample. Each test costs close to $100 each; so it adds up quickly.

Then there is mold medication company that will come in and remove the mold for an arm and leg..

So, yep, recommend a mold inspection, both for health issue and peace of mind.

Let me know how you are doing, Ruth!

Sylvia - Yesterday, 21:33

I am not in Utah, so I can't answer specific Utah question. However, since I have been on Trulia for quite some time, I think the process is the same - if you have not passed your contingency removal time and have not removed any contingency, you should be able to get out of the deal fine.

The important thing is to read your contract carefully so you know what you are responsible for at what time frame

Best,
Sylvia Barry
Marin Realtor - Yesterday, 21:25