Martinez · Trading Up

Trading Up in Martinez

Getting out of your starter home without owning two houses or none.

Trading Up in Martinez

Martinez is the county seat and reads as a real town, with craftsman housing downtown rather than tract product. If you are moving up into it, the house is the fun part and the sequencing is the part that decides whether this goes well.

Talk to us about Martinez

Prefer to talk? Call (925) 325-4663 Book a call with Jaynlin See how we do it, step by step

How Martinez actually prices

Pre-1980 construction predominates, so condition and updates drive price here more than square footage does.

This city has enough inventory turning over that timing a purchase against a sale is realistic rather than hopeful.

Buyers looking here almost always look at Concord, Walnut Creek and Pittsburg as well. Martinez gets weighed against Concord and Pleasant Hill, usually by buyers who want the character and are weighing the upkeep.

What matters when you are trading up

The decision that matters is the order. Sell first and you know exactly what you have, and your offer is clean, but you may be between houses for a stretch. Buy first and you never move twice, but you carry two payments until the first sells and you absorb any market movement in that window.

There is no general answer. There is your answer, and it comes out of your equity, your loan and how much risk you can actually stomach. We run both before you list anything.

The mistake to avoid in Martinez

The one we see most often here is underestimating what deferred maintenance does to an offer on pre-1980 construction.

Everyone opens this conversation talking about the next house. Bigger yard, another bedroom, a garage that fits actual cars.

Talk to us about Martinez

The Mashore Group works across the Bay Area from an office at 44 Sycamore Ave in Brentwood. Krista Mashore has sold more than 2,300 homes here over more than two decades. Across the team there are 201 published reviews averaging 4.9 stars.

If you want to talk about trading up in Martinez call (925) 325-4663. A first conversation costs nothing and carries no pitch, and if the honest answer is that you should wait, we will say so.

Frequently Asked Questions

Should I sell first or buy first?

It depends on your equity, your tolerance for two payments and how thin inventory is in the range you are moving into. We model both with your real numbers. Anyone answering this without seeing your finances is guessing.

How quickly do homes move in Martinez?

Pre-1980 construction predominates, so condition and updates drive price here more than square footage does. The first seven to ten days do most of the work, which is where we concentrate the effort.

Can I make an offer contingent on my house selling?

You can, and how well it lands depends on the market and how the rest of the offer is built. In a competitive situation it is a disadvantage, which is why we prefer to solve the sequencing first.

What goes wrong most often in Martinez?

The most common mistake is underestimating what deferred maintenance does to an offer on pre-1980 construction. Older stock needs an agent who knows what a 1940s bungalow costs to bring current, and what buyers will pay for one that already is.

Martinez

What trading up looks like in Martinez

Craftsman housing, a working marina, and Amtrak to four cities.

Martinez is the county seat and it feels like a real town rather than a subdivision. There is a farmers market, a marina, independent restaurants and a courthouse, and the housing downtown is bungalows and craftsman homes rather than tract product.

That older stock is the trade. It has character you cannot build new, and it comes with the maintenance that pre-1980 construction brings.

The homes: Bungalows and craftsman-style houses from the mid-20th century downtown, with larger homes and lots moving south toward the hills. Alhambra Valley has custom homes, larger parcels and some horse properties. Pre-1980 construction predominates. Named areas include downtown and the waterfront, Upper Martinez and the Estates, and the Alhambra Valley corridor.
Why people choose it: Chosen for older character housing at a different price point than Concord or Walnut Creek, and for a town with a farmers market, a marina and independent restaurants rather than a master-planned feel.
Schools people ask about: Martinez Unified School District covers the majority of the city, including Alhambra Valley, Mountain View and most of Vine Hill. Mount Diablo Unified serves portions of Martinez, so assignment follows the parcel rather than the city name. Confirm any specific address with the district.
Getting around: Amtrak Capitol Corridor stops here with direct rail to Oakland, Berkeley, Sacramento and San Jose with no transfer. Highway 4 and Interstate 680 by car. Downtown is walkable; Upper Martinez is 10 to 15 minutes from downtown and about 20 to 25 minutes from Walnut Creek.
Nearby: Benicia directly across the Carquinez Strait, Concord to the south, Pleasant Hill to the southeast, and the Alhambra Valley to the west.
The trade-off: None of the newer-subdivision feel found in Brentwood or San Ramon, and the older stock asks for comfort with maintenance.

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