The house:
41 Frustruck Ave in Fairfax
What makes it unique:
Just a few blocks away from the heart of Fairfax’s quaint downtown, this three-bedroom property exemplifies the type of home many Marin County buyers have been looking for — with a rural feel, yet close enough to the city’s center to feel connected to its community. Still, the home’s unique features — such as a large wine cave and separate greenhouse — meant it wasn’t going to work for everyone, said Alisa Knobbe Wynd, the property’s listing agent with Golden Gate Sotheby’s International Realty. “But the people whom it did work for loved it intensely,” said Wynd. Many people were drawn to the home’s vintage charm, said Wynd, particularly its array of unusual nooks and crannies, high ceilings, skylights, and exposed beams. The spacious garage area, which in the past had been used as an art studio, car workshop and recreation room, was also a major draw. The 1920s-era home was renovated in 2000 with a new foundation, metal roof and solar panelling. Most of the people who expressed interest in the home were already Marin County residents. That’s a trend Wynd said she has been observing for awhile now, after the rush of last year when Bay Area residents from all over, especially San Francisco, were angling to buy up properties in Marin. Compared even to the spring, the market now is far less frantic, she said, adding that the increase in interest rates has had an overall tempering effect. But still, she said it is cities like Fairfax, San Anselmo, Larkspur and Corte Madera that are hottest right now in Marin County because of what they offer in terms of relative affordability and school districts.
