About Greenbrae
Greenbrae is an unincorporated town of Marin County and can be thought of as the middle sibling of Kentfield and Larkspur, and all of Greenbrae's civic services are located and provided by either Larkspur or by the Marin Civic Center in San Rafael. The bulk of homes are located on the hill to the north of the Bon Air shopping center.
Greenbrae is a small residential community with great views sandwiched between Larkspur, Kentfield and San Rafael. Among Greenbrae's many attributes are nice homes, wooded neighborhoods and good schools. Many of the homes have views of Mt. Tamalpais, the San Francisco Bay, Corte Madera Creek and the surrounding lowlands. Hiking trails, parks and recreation are in neighboring Larkspur and Kentfield, or over the hill in San Rafael. Being so close to both 101 and the Larkspur Ferry makes Greenbrae a easy driving commute or swift ferry ride to San Francisco.
Greenbrae has one main park and several nearby hiking and biking trails, and is within 10 minutes or so from all Marin County has to offer including shops and restaurants in the surrounding towns.
The Bon Air Mall is a great shopping resource for Kentfield, Ross, Greenbrae and beyond. The mall has a Molly Stones market and Longs Drugs, and restaurants and cafes such as Peet's Coffee, Noah's Bagels, Jamba Juice, Roadrunner Burrito and the like (http://www.bonair.com).
The Corte Madera Malls (The "Village at Corte Madera" and "The Town Center") are both very close to Greenbrae as is the Larkspur Landing-Greenbrae is very close to a great selection of restaurants and movie Theatres.
Greenbrae Schools
The Kentfield School District rivals Reed Union School District and Ross School District as the Best in Marin County. Anthony G. Bacich Elementary (K-4) and A.E. Kent Middle School (5-8) are ranked in the 99th percentile and both are supported by private Kentfield Schools Foundation as well as a tight-knit PTA. Both schools have been noted as California Distinguished schools for outstanding academic performance. Graduating students are part of Tamalpais Union High School and most attend Redwood High.
Kentfield Schools
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| | Anthony Bacich (k-4) | 415-925-2220 | 25 McAllister Ave |
| Kent Middle School (5-8) | 415-458-5970 | 250 Stadium Way, Kentfield |
| Redwood High School (9-12) | 415-924-6200 | 395 Doherty Drive Larkspur |
Marin Public Schools (PDF 538k)
Marin Private Schools (PDF 161k)
Childcare and Nursery School (PDF 244k)
Greenbrae Historical Price Trends
Investing in Greenbrae Real Estate, like most Marin towns, has been a rewarding experience-not only did you live in one of the greatest suburbs in the world, but you also made a small fortune doing so. In 1970 the average house in Greenbrae sold for $51,000; by 2006 that number had risen to about $1,000,000 for a 36 year compounded rate of return of 8.6%%. The dollar rate of return interestingly tells more: the total dollar rate of return since 1970 is about $945,000 but about half of has come since 1998.
Greenbrae real estate rate of return (without a mortgage) is about 8.4% and is significantly behind the Marin County average of 9.8%. The State of California average rate of return for the same period was 9.0% and the national average rate of return was only 6.5%.
| Year | Greenbrae | Marin County | California | USA Average |
| 2007 | 1,081,541 | 1,201,931 | 556,640 | 221,900 |
| 2006 | 996,939 | 1,090,916 | 556,640 | 221,900 |
| 2005 | 1,033,618 | 1,078,819 | 522,670 | 219,000 |
| 2004 | 855,929 | 929,103 | 450,770 | 195,200 |
| 2003 | 755,866 | 817,961 | 371,520 | 180,200 |
| 2002 | 716,699 | 782,829 | 316,130 | 167,600 |
| 2001 | 537,714 | 757,523 | 262,350 | 156,600 |
| 2000 | 592,237 | 722,780 | 241,350 | 147,300 |
| 1999 | 482,749 | 590,821 | 217,510 | 141,200 |
| 1998 | 448,741 | 495,093 | 200,100 | 136,000 |
| 1997 | 398,074 | 443,135 | 186,490 | 129,000 |
| 1996 | 367,580 | 417,324 | 177,270 | 122,600 |
| 1995 | 375,087 | 397,069 | 178,160 | 117,000 |
| 1990 | 345,160 | 379,581 | 197,770 | 97,300 |
| 1985 | 202,445 | 200,557 | 119,860 | 75,500 |
| 1980 | 165,104 | 168,508 | 99,550 | 62,200 |
| 1975 | 75,435 | 64,215 | 41,600 | 35,300 |
| 1970 | 50,995 | 37,845 | 24,640 | 23,000 |
| 36 Year Return | 8.6% | 9.8% | 9.0% | 6.5% |
| 2006 % of | 100% | 91% | 179% | 449% |
| 11 Year Average | 100% | 89% | 205% | 391% |
Greenbrae Compounded 36 Year Rate of Return
| Mortgage Type: | No Mortgage | 50% Mortgage | 80% Mortgage | Dollar Return |
| Greenbrae | 8.6% | 10.6% | 13.4% | $945,944 |
| Marin County Average | 9.8% | 11.9% | 14.7% | 1,053,071 |
| California | 9.0% | 11% | 13.9% | $532,000 |
| USA | 6.5% | 8.4% | 11% | $198,900 |
Please visit "Investing in Marin Real Estate for town to town comparisons, price trends and rates of return.
