Did you know that as a lender, investor, or insurer, there is a FAST way to get property records? Mining for information on county websites costs you and your business more money than anticipated because time is money. Most of us assume county websites have online portals for property record searches. The unfortunate thing is after spending all of that time digging through a website; we hit a brick wall to discover either they don’t have an online portal to property records or the portal is a third-party platform that requires us to know details about a property to be able to access it. So, where can you find Marin County real estate records? We are going to show you just how easy it is to get the information you need.Try a Marin County property records lookup HERE!
A Synopsis of Marin County
Located just over the Golden Gate Bridge is Marin County, a peninsula just north of San Francisco. The ocean waters hug the sides of this county, providing beautiful shorelines, beaches, and attractive properties for prospective homebuyers.San Quentin Prison is perhaps one of the most well-known prisons in the U.S. It’s located in the county on 432 acres of shoreline along the San Francisco Bay. The beautiful Muir Woods National Monument is something that many tourists flock to when in California. The giant Redwoods are larger than life within the park and waterfalls, and endless hiking trails are well enjoyed. Point Reyes National Seashore is home to the famous “Cypress Tree Tunnel” and the Reyes Lighthouse. Celebrities and prominent people reside in Marin County. The luxurious Skywalker Ranch is owned by George Lucas (film director, writer, producer.) The late Robin Williams and Julia Childs also called this area home.Marin County has a lot to offer for residents and visitors. Being just a bridge away from San Francisco makes this county highly attractive.Are you an investor, lender, or insurer interested in Marin County? Try a FAST Marin County property records by name search HERE!
The Scope of Marin County
Marin County has 26 cities and towns (with additional areas that are unincorporated.) The county sprawls out over 828 square miles. Almost one-third of the county is water (308 square miles), leaving the remaining two-thirds land (520 square miles.) San Rafael is the county seat, which in 2010, had the 5th highest income per capita in the U.S.
Cities/Towns
- Belvedere
- Bolinas
- Corte Madera
- Dillon Beach
- Fairfax
- Forest Knolls
- Greenbrae
- Inverness
- Kenfield
- Lagunitas
- Larkspur
- Marin City
- Marshall
- Mill Valley
- Nicasio
- Novato
- Olema
- Point Reyes
- Ross
- San Anselmo
- San Geronimo
- San Rafael (county seat)
- Stinson Beach
- Tiburon
- Tomales
- Woodacre
Owning or Renting Property in Marin County
Most of Marin County has upscale, luxurious homes in affluent areas. The median sale price of a home is $1.2 million. Seasonal properties are widespread throughout the county, which leads to investment opportunities. Don’t expect to find cheap homes here because the average price per square foot for a home comes in at a whopping $683/square foot! In the Belvedere area, the median price of a home is $5.5 million ($1,600 per square foot.)
Quick Facts About Marin County
- Covers 828 square miles
- Established in 1850
- Population 259,943 (an increase 3% over the past 9 years)
- 499 people per square mile
- Hospitals: 5
- School Districts: 17
- 33,516 students
- Elementary schools: 45
- Middle schools: 9
- High schools: 9
- Charter schools: 4
- Public Safety
- Police Departments: 6
- Sheriff’s Department: 1
- Fire Districts: 6
- City Fire Departments: 4
- Colleges/Universities: 3
Property Climate in Marin County
There are 113,084 housing units in the county (217.3 homes per square mile.) 36.3% of these units are rental homes, whereas 63.7% are owned homes.The median listing price for a home: $1.3 millionThe median sale price for a home: $1.2 million (a 7% increase over the past year)The median property tax is $8,102
Home Valuation for Marin County
The median value of a home is $995,800.
- $750,000 – $1 million: 25%
- $1 million – $1.5 million: 24%
- $1.5 million – $2 million: 24%
- >$2 million: 24%
- $400,000 – $500,000: 4%
- $300,000 – $400,000: 3%
- $200,000 – $300,000: 2%
- $100,000 – $200,000: 1%
- $50,000-$100,000: 1%
- <$50,000: 1%
Owner Occupancy Rate for Marin County
93% of the housing units in the county are owner-occupied. Vacant/seasonal properties account for the remaining 7%.
Rental Property Data for Marin County
36.3% of homes in the county are rentals.
The median monthly rent is $2,069.
- $1,500 – $2,500: 43%
- $2,500 – $3,500: 22%
- 1,000 – $1,500: 12%
- >$3,500: 9%
- $300 – $500: 3%
- $500 – $750: 3%
- <$300: 2%
- $750 – $1,000: 3%
Economy in Marin County
The main employers for the county include information technology companies, research labs, county and state government, and hospitals.
GDP for Marin County
- 2015: 16,337,703
- 2014: $16,329,197
- 2013: $15,308,701
Second Mortgages/HELOCs in Marin County
In comparison to other counties, Marin County has fewer mortgage-free homeowners. 71% of homeowners in the county have a mortgage.
- 2nd mortgage only: 2%
- HELOC: 16%
Property Insurance and Risks in Marin County
Marin County has a history of natural disasters that have accounted for an unfathomable amount of money for damages incurred. Flooding in the county has caused over $1 billion in damages. Earthquakes are an ever-present possibility because of the nearby fault lines. Landslides from heavy rain or wildfire runoff have generated $45.9 million in damages. Wildfires are at the forefront of natural disasters for the county. Insurance rates are exorbitant for Marin County residents and businesses due to 80% of the land area being rated moderate to very high fire risk. Over 216 repetitive wildfire losses have contributed to the increase in fire insurance.
Public Record Access in Marin County
If you have tried getting property records through county websites, you know the frustration that lies within pages after pages of links that lead nowhere. We performed a search on Marin County’s website to find that it is just as arduous as most other county websites. Most of us would assume that the County Clerk or Marin County Property Appraiser is a place to start our search. However, we know from experience that oftentimes, they aren’t.We began our search on Marin County’s landing page. Clicking on “Government” and then “Departments,” we are taken to the Administrators Office. There are no links or information on public/property records, so we return to the landing page. Going back into “Government” and then “Departments,” we click on “Assessor-Recorder.” A page opens, and off to the left side are links. We click on “Assessor Recorder County Clerk.” Next, we select “Property.” A page opens to “Real Property,” and that’s as far as we can go.
Once again, we hit the back button and go to “Real Estate Sales Data.” A search window opens with options that you must have the information to put in. You must check the disclaimer box first and then enter the year, month, and dwelling type. Once you do that, hit search. Well, we didn’t have any of this information; we hit the back button. Next, we select “Recorder Services” and then “Search Recorders Indexes.” A new page appears, requiring us to “accept” a disclaimer, which we do. Another new page opens to “Search Recorder’s Official Records.” To perform a search at this point, it requires us to know a name, document, book/page, document title. We hit the back button again.We now go into “Assessor Records and Map.” To do a search, we must know the parcel ID, map book, and map page. We abandon ship and return to the website’s landing page. We type in a general search in the search bar for “property records.” After doing this, a new page opens with 768 different article links to pages we have already visited. Hitting the back button, we are on the landing page. Going to the “Residents” link and then “Community,” we then click on “Marin Communities. A new page opens with a listing of Marin County’s towns/cities. Some of these towns/cities have a link to their own smaller websites. We click on one of them to find a new page where we can request public records! However, we must do this either via email, online request form or in person.It’s relatively clear that there’s no online portal to public/property records to do a Marin County property lookup. We throw in the towel and give up after 2 hours of digging and searching!Don’t waste hours of your valuable time! Try a Marin County property tax search HERE!
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Source for county statistics: www.towncharts.com