35 Los Pinos
Introduction
I own 33 Los Pinos (and have for over 20 years), the uphill neighbor of 35 Los Pinos. Since 35 is on the market (and has been for over a year), I thought I’d provide some information that realtors and potential buyers might find helpful. I’m using a blog because I’ve had a number of visitors asking questions, and while I’m happy to answer questions, it would be more convenient to me if you read this first.
35 – The History
35 was built by a local Marin artist over 20 years ago. It has been used as his studio on and off for that period. For at least twenty years it has not been used as a residence. The workmanship is quite nice.
35 – The Site
The property is about 10 acres, with much of it to the north east of the house, across the seasonal stream. It is a nice site, especially in the morning. Since it is low relative to the trees and hills, it gets dark earlier than is desirable in the winter. There are no unobstructed views of the valley, which is a negative. That said, it is a nice site, and there is some relatively level land.
35 – The Utilities
The property (as do all in the development) use propane which is delivered, usually by McPhails. There is electricity (PG&E) and phone, but there is no cable or DSL. If the property has an unobstructed view of the cell tower at Big Rock (I don’t know if it does or not), it might be possible to get radio internet (using Web Perception in Novato), which is good and reliable. If it isn’t possible to connect you, there are no really good solutions.
Sewage is via septic system. I don’t believe it has ever been pumped (you should have it inspected), but it also has not been heavily used, so it shouldn’t be a big problem.
Water is a problem. There is no well. There might be the possibility of using a “community water system”, but I don’t know if that right still exists and how the water system functions. I used it for a few years (many years ago) and dropped out because it was costly and unreliable and had some e-coli problems. There was also a lot of bickering among the users. Some were filling pools and using up all the water. I don’t know the status of the system at this time, but you should check this out carefully. It is also possible that the former owner dropped out of the system and if so, you need to find out how hard it would be to rejoin. I know that when I dropped out, the managers basically told me I would have to sue them to rejoin and that they would resist such a lawsuit. Again, I don’t know the current position of the managers or the system. Check it out.
For the last couple years or so 35’s tanks have been filled by water truck, (Pardini Water Trucking) with access from my driveway, (I have informally given permission). I have a well which used to be productive, but it has been dwindling probably due to a falling water table and over use by neighbors who have pools, lavish landscaping etc.
Garbage is collected on Friday early in the morning. You need to bring the cans down to the road, so a pickup truck is pretty much a necessity, and it is handy for other reasons as well.
35 – The Home Owners Association
There is a good home owners association (Rancho Santa Margarita Property Owners Association) which primarily handles road maintenance. There have been numerous issues with the road in the past, including litigation, but that is over and the current association is very responsible and diligent. The dues are approximately $2000 - $3000 per year, but could be more if there is significant road damage due to floods or earthquakes.
The Schools
Nicasio School is a good local school through junior high and Drake is the local high school. Driving the kids back and forth is a pretty major time commitment and should be carefully considered.
The Ambiance
There is a lot of wildlife. You will see woodpeckers, deer, raccoons, possums, foxes, coyotes (you’ll hear them every night), owls, lizards, snakes and many more. There is the occasional rattle snake, one of which I regretted having to kill last year. It was just too dangerous to have living so close. It is a very quiet (in the sense of not hearing man made noises too often) and peaceful. It is these latter two attributes that make the challenges of living here more than worthwhile.
The Commute
It takes about an hour, maybe a bit more, to get to San Francisco. Getting back can often take longer for some reason. There is bus service at the intersection of Lucas Valley Road and 101. There is also the Ferry at Larkspur Landing. If you work from home and need a good internet connection, you should double check to see if it is possible. I have a good connection, but it depends on your position.
35 – Adding On
If you intend to add to the building, be advised that this will be a big challenge. The County has become more and more stringent and regulations have toughened. The two biggest challenges will be septic (the septic rules have become very strict) and water. This property may or may not pass the current septic standards. It is quite likely it will not. You need to do a test to determine this before getting your heart set on adding to the structure. There may also be an issue with the water situation, mentioned above. There are other challenges as, including tougher soils engineering standards etc. Bottom line, it is a big project with a lot of pitfalls to even add modestly to the existing house.
35 – Other Factors
Here are some things to think about carefully – If you are used to living in a city or suburban area, there will be a lot of things that you have taken for granted that you won’t be able to do out here. This doesn’t mean it is terrible, but even getting vendors such as plumbers, roofers and electricians to come out and not over charge you is a challenge.
If you have a cat that you let out to wander, that will be a problem. It is likely that the local wildlife will injure or kill it. Dogs are also a potential problem for the same reason and both cats and dogs have the tendency to brush against poison oak and get ticks, both of which are easily transmitted to you and your family. So, if you have a cat, you should keep it indoors, and a dog should be kept on your property. I, for example would not want to have your pets on my property because they will interfere with the local animals which I enjoy.
If you entertain a lot, you should also consider that the road is pretty challenging late at night, in the fog and/or after a couple drinks. Guests not very familiar with the road will potentially have problems, depending on the weather, their car, etc.
Conclusion:
I hope the above is useful. If after reading it, you have more questions, feel free to send me an email and I’ll do my best to answer your questions or even walk the property with you.
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