Many young couples who work in the city consider moving to Mill Valley because of its public schools as well as its relatively easy commute to San Francisco. However, once they start looking at open houses in the various neighborhoods, they’re not really sure why there is so much variation in price per square foot in one town.

There are many factors that influence this. These include:

• Distance to the freeway
• Distance from the downtown center restaurants and shops
• Distance to schools
• Flats vs. hills
• Age and condition of home
• Recent remodeling

There are other factors that may be less obvious such as

• Immediate neighborhood
• Traffic noise
• Number of stories
• Proximity to a park, tennis club or golf course
• Amount of fog

Each neighborhood is unique and has its benefits and drawbacks. It is helpful for buyers to consider what is most important to them when they start looking:

• Do they want to be able to have their kids walk or bike to a particular school or playground safely on their own?
• Do they want to be able to regularly walk to downtown for coffee or their favorite restaurant or grocery store?
• Do they want an easy commute to San Francisco?
• Do they want to play golf or tennis with their neighbors?
• Do they want a bigger house for the money? Or a newer house?

You may also want to explore many of these neighborhoods using McGuire’s interactive data tool. But when thinking about moving, make sure you speak with an agent who really understands the differences between Mill Valley neighborhoods. It can save a buyer time and help them sort out these different priorities.