The President’s Column: The Importance of Local Expertise

Hello Marin REALTORS® –

I hope that the spring selling season finds you busy and productive! Even in the face of uncertainty, REALTORS® are always going to step up to serve their clients, and I am proud of the resiliency I see every time I meet with members.

One of my goals for 2024 has been to stress the importance of local expertise and market knowledge that no algorithm or app can ever replace. In addition to our usual selection of attorneys and economists, we have also been inviting local experts and the folks who run important programs in Marin County and the Bay Area to share the latest updates on local organizations and programs that can benefit your clients. Last week, we welcomed Max Korten from Marin County Parks to our Speaker Series webinar to share how Measure A funding has been put to work in the county’s park system, and how these investments have been paying dividends for all residents of Marin County. You can watch a full replay of the webinar here. Max’s presentation continues the local theme which we began with Dr Jonathan Eldridge from the College of Marin, who spoke about all of the benefits the college brings the community at our March General Membership Meeting.

I would encourage all members to register for our May 14th General Membership Meeting at the Marin Country Club in Novato to hear from Kate Hartley from the Bay Area Housing Finance Authority, who will do a deep dive into what is being done to address the region’s housing affordability and inventory crises. We’ll have a Marin County focus in the presentation, so you will be able to share this information with your clients. These events are also a great opportunity to network with your colleagues. Click here to purchase your ticket – which includes a hot breakfast!

Continuing the theme of local information, I would like to share some important information that I learned at a recent Government Affairs Committee meeting regarding septic systems.

The Government Affairs Committee received a presentation by Becky Gondola from Marin County Environmental Health on the importance of septic system disclosures. Marin County has some 6000 systems, some that are not recorded or permitted with the County, others that don’t match their approved permitting. The cost of repair or replacement for a septic system could be as much at 10x more than the sewer lateral system of which we are used to.  Permitted bedroom count for septic system do not always match the bedroom count on the assessor roll. There are four classifications of systems in Marin and understanding where your client’s system ranks could be the difference in 10’s of thousands of dollars.   It pays to check with Marin County at MarinEHS@marincounty.gov, 415-473-6907 with any potential considerations of properties on septic. Thank you to Government Affairs Chair Michele Westoff and Co Vice Chair Tobias Green for arranging the presentation! Click here for a list of septic service providers in Marin, click here for a list of qualified septic contractors in Marin, and click here for a list of qualified septic professionals such as engineers in Marin.

It’s knowledge like this that can make you an indispensable advisor to your clients! If there’s something you’d like to know more about locally, please reach out to the association to let us know.

I will close by asking you to please consider attending the Fair Housing Advocates of Northern California’s Fair Housing Conference on Wednesday, April 24th. This virtual event brings together experts from across the housing, racial justice, law, and economic disciplines to address strategies for addressing fair housing and equity in our region. The Marin REALTORS® are a proud sponsor of this event, and have been for several years. Click here to register.

That’s all for now. I hope to see you out on tour!