Explore Greenbrae Real Estate and Homes for Sale

Kyle Frazier, JD, CRS, CLHMS · Broker Associate, Compass · DRE #01405738 · Marin County broker for 20+ years · Updated July 12, 2026

What Counts as Greenbrae — an Address More Than a Jurisdiction

Greenbrae is best understood as three bands stacked against the creek. The hillside — the Schultz-built slope of mid-century homes climbing north from Bon Air — is unincorporated Marin County. The creek level holds the Bon Air corridor, the South Eliseo condo strip, and the historic Greenbrae Boardwalk, where the community's edges interlock with Larkspur's city limits; jurisdiction there is parcel-specific and worth confirming on day one, since it decides which planning code and which fire service apply. And the water itself — Corte Madera Creek — is both the community's southern boundary and its recreation spine, with the levee path and the Marin Rowing Association's dawn shells.

The 94904 ZIP is shared with Kentfield next door, and the two halves trade differently: Kentfield pairs the Kent Woodlands estate market with school-radius flats, while Greenbrae is the ZIP's attainable half — I cover the other side in my separate Kentfield guide. What Greenbrae holds over nearly every Marin address is position: the Sir Francis Drake interchange is literally the community's front door, with the Larkspur ferry terminal and SMART station immediately across it.

How Does the Greenbrae Housing Market Actually Behave?

Greenbrae is a convenience-and-condition market. In my quarter-by-quarter BAREIS MLS analysis, the hillside behaves as central Marin's most requested mid-century inventory: the buyer pool spans young households targeting the school pathway and downsizers targeting single-level living, and both compete for the same product — which is why updated, true single-story view homes here clear as fast as anything between the bridge and Novato. The spread between untouched Schultz-era originals and full rebuilds, often on the same street, is where the market's value judgments happen, and buyers who can see through dated finishes to the footprint, the lot, and the view routinely buy well.

The creek level trades on different logic: South Eliseo's condos supply the 94904's entry tier and its downsizer pipeline, where building-level diligence — HOA reserves, flood status, master-policy coverage — decides outcomes, and the Boardwalk's arks trade as a genuine micro-market of their own. Across all three bands, the Marin bifurcation applies: accurately priced, well-prepared homes compete immediately; mispriced ones sit in a community small enough that everyone notices.

This guide is deliberately evergreen, so the perishable numbers live where I update them constantly: my Marin Market Intelligence briefings and video library carry the current quarter's BAREIS MLS data for Greenbrae, and you can browse current listings at any time.

Which Part of Greenbrae Fits?

• The Schultz hillside: The community's core — view-oriented mid-century homes on the sunny slope, from the loops above Bon Air (Via Casitas and its neighbors) to the upper streets at the open-space edge. Single-level layouts and bay or Mount Tam views set the premiums; slope drainage and era systems set the diligence.
• The Bon Air corridor: The daily-life anchor — Mollie Stone's and the center's shops, with MarinHealth Medical Center adjacent. Homes and townhomes here trade partly on pure convenience, with the jurisdiction seam worth confirming parcel by parcel.
• South Eliseo Drive: The creekside condo and townhome strip — the 94904's most attainable entries, the levee path at the front door, and building-level diligence as the whole game: reserves, minutes, flood status, insurance structure.
• The Greenbrae Boardwalk: The historic ark colony on pilings along the creek near the interchange — one of Marin's most distinctive addresses, descended from the Bay's turn-of-the-century ark era, with piling condition, flood insurance, and boardwalk access as its own diligence stack.

The Greenbrae Driving Tour: A Written Turn-by-Turn Companion

Greenbrae is a ten-minute loop that explains itself — do it twice: once at 8:00 AM on a weekday, when the interchange-to-ferry timing is the community's whole argument, and once in the afternoon, when the south-facing slope shows you why microclimate is priced here.

Stop 1 — The Sir Francis Drake interchange. Start at Greenbrae's front door. Note the time, exit toward the community, and understand what you're looking at: US-101, the Larkspur ferry terminal, and the SMART station within one node. If you're serious about a home here, run this exact interchange-to-ferry-lot sequence at your real departure hour — for most buyers it's under ten minutes door to boat, and verifying that number is the cheapest due diligence you'll ever do.

Stop 2 — The Bon Air corridor. Drive Bon Air Road past the center — Mollie Stone's, the shops — and MarinHealth Medical Center beside it. This is the errand-and-emergency map most of Marin drives fifteen minutes for, sitting inside the community. Note, too, that this band is where Greenbrae's edges interlock with Larkspur's limits: the jurisdiction question lives on these blocks.

Stop 3 — South Eliseo Drive. Turn along the creek and roll the condo corridor slowly. Watch the levee path traffic — walkers, runners, and at dawn the Marin Rowing Association's shells on the water — and note ground elevation relative to the creek as you go: that observation is the flood conversation in physical form, and it's why this band's diligence starts with the FEMA map.

Stop 4 — The Greenbrae Boardwalk. Near the interchange end of the creek, view the historic ark colony — respectfully, from the public vantage; the boardwalk is residents' front porch. These former floating homes on pilings are cousins to Sausalito's docks and one of the county's most distinctive housing types, trading as their own micro-market.

Stop 5 — The Schultz hillside climb. Head up the slope via the loops above Bon Air and climb until the views open. Three things to watch: the share of true single-level homes (the layout the whole county is hunting), the spread between untouched originals and rebuilds on the same street, and the sun — this south-facing brae banks afternoon light that canyon towns never see. Note the open, grass-and-oak character of the upper slope: a different wildfire profile than Marin's forested canyons, and worth observing firsthand.

Stop 6 — The top-of-slope view. Finish at the upper streets for the panorama — the creek below, Mount Tamalpais west, the bay east — and the practical read it gives you: everything you toured sits within five minutes of everything else. That compression is Greenbrae's entire proposition.

Optional extensions. Cross the interchange to Marin Country Mart at Larkspur Landing for the ferry-side errand preview; continue five minutes west into Kentfield for the 94904's other half; or walk the levee path from South Eliseo toward College of Marin for the creek's full recreational read. Prefer the guided version? My Greenbrae video is embedded below, and every Marin tour lives on my channel @KyleFrazier and in the Imagine Marin video library.

What Kind of Homes Will You Find in Greenbrae?

Greenbrae's stock is unusually coherent, because most of it descends from one plan: the Schultz build-out that began in 1946 and rolled up the hillside through the postwar decades. That legacy is ranch and mid-century construction oriented to the view and the sun — including one of central Marin's best supplies of true single-level homes — now spanning the full spectrum from original-condition time capsules to complete modern rebuilds. Below the slope, South Eliseo's condos and townhomes add the attainable tier, and the Boardwalk's arks add the county's most characterful outlier.

The diligence follows the era and the ground. Hillside: 1940s-60s systems, sewer laterals in the Ross Valley Sanitary District network, and slope drainage. Creek level: FEMA status, flood insurance where mapped, and — for condos — the association's reserves, minutes, and master-policy structure. Boardwalk: pilings, access, and specialty insurance. None of it is exotic; all of it belongs in the offer math.

What Is Daily Life in Greenbrae Like?

Daily life here is the shortest-errand-loop in central Marin: Mollie Stone's and Bon Air's shops and restaurants five minutes from every home, MarinHealth Medical Center beside them, Marin Country Mart's restaurants and weekend market just across the interchange at Larkspur Landing, and downtown Larkspur's Magnolia Avenue a few minutes beyond. The community itself stays purely residential and quiet — no tourist traffic, no through-route — which is precisely its appeal.

The outdoor ledger centers on the water and the hill: the Corte Madera Creek levee path for daily walks and runs, rowing shells and paddleboards on the creek, open-space trails off the upper streets, and the Mount Tamalpais watershed — Phoenix Lake, Baltimore Canyon, the mountain beyond — minutes west via Kentfield and Ross.

What Schools Serve Greenbrae?

Greenbrae is zoned to the Kentfield School District — Bacich Elementary (K-4) and Kent Middle School (5-8) on the Sir Francis Drake corridor — and, for grades 9-12, the Tamalpais Union High School District, with most students attending Redwood High School just across the creek in Larkspur. School district boundaries don't follow city limits, so verify the assignment for any specific address, and consult GreatSchools and the California School Dashboard directly for performance data.

How Do You Commute from Greenbrae?

This is Greenbrae's headline. The Sir Francis Drake interchange is the community's front door: downtown San Francisco runs roughly 25 to 35 minutes by car at peak, the Larkspur ferry crosses in about half an hour, and the SMART station beside the terminal runs north through San Rafael to Sonoma County. From most of the hillside you can be in the ferry lot in under ten minutes — a claim you can verify yourself in one morning, and should. Golden Gate Transit serves the corridor, and the levee path makes bike-to-ferry trivially easy.

What Does It Really Cost to Own in Greenbrae? (HOA, Parcel Taxes, Insurance)

The structural stack is clean: no Mello-Roos Community Facilities Districts anywhere in Greenbrae, and no HOA on the hillside's single-family streets — dues live in the South Eliseo and Bon Air-area associations. Beyond the roughly one percent base property tax, expect school parcel taxes, the Marin Wildfire Prevention Authority (Measure C) tax, and the Ross Valley flood fee on many parcels. I pull the actual tax bill for any property a client is serious about.

What the hillside adds

Era and slope: mid-century systems review, sewer-lateral status, drainage and retaining attention on the steeper lots, and — on the upper streets near open space — wildfire-zone insurance verified with a written quote early. Confirm jurisdiction (county versus Larkspur) before planning any renovation, since it sets the permit path.

What the creek level adds

Water first: FEMA zone verification, flood insurance where mapped, and 2005-storm history in disclosures. For South Eliseo condos, the association's reserves, recent minutes, pending assessments, and master-policy structure are the whole ballgame; for the Boardwalk, add piling condition and specialty insurance. Different bands, same principle — answer the water question before contingencies come off.

Wildfire, WUI Status, and Insurance in Greenbrae

Greenbrae's wildfire profile is generally lighter than Marin's canyon towns — the slope runs to open grass and oak rather than dense forest — but upper streets bordering open space can carry elevated Fire Hazard Severity Zone designations, and underwriting asks the same questions county-wide. Fire service follows the jurisdiction seam: the unincorporated hillside falls under the Kentfield Fire Protection District, Larkspur-side parcels under Central Marin Fire — confirm which applies to the specific parcel. The Marin Wildfire Prevention Authority funds county-wide prevention, and California's AB 38 defensible-space documentation applies at sale in designated zones. Verify any address in the CAL FIRE viewer and price insurance early.

Greenbrae vs. Kentfield vs. Larkspur: How Do They Compare?

The 94904's two halves plus the neighbor across the creek form a natural short list. I maintain full guides to Kentfield and Larkspur as well.

Frequently Asked Questions About Greenbrae Real Estate

Is Greenbrae a city?

No — Greenbrae is primarily an unincorporated community under Marin County jurisdiction, sharing the 94904 ZIP with Kentfield next door. The nuance worth knowing: Greenbrae is more an address than a jurisdiction, and its edges interlock with Larkspur's city limits along the Bon Air corridor, so city-versus-county status is parcel-specific. That determines which planning code and services apply — I confirm it on day one of any Greenbrae transaction.

Where does the name Greenbrae come from?

From the land itself — 'brae' is Scots for hillside, and Greenbrae is literally the green hillside rising north of Corte Madera Creek. The modern community dates to 1946, when Niels Schultz's building company began developing the slope as one of Marin's early planned postwar neighborhoods, laying out the view-oriented mid-century homes that still define the market here almost eighty years later.

What is the Greenbrae Boardwalk?

One of Marin's most distinctive addresses: a historic colony of arks — former floating homes now resting on pilings — reached by a wooden boardwalk along Corte Madera Creek near the freeway interchange. It descends from the Bay Area's turn-of-the-century ark era, cousins to Sausalito's floating homes, and it trades as its own micro-market with its own diligence: piling and foundation condition, flood insurance, access, and the realities of boardwalk living. Visit respectfully — the boardwalk is residents' front porch.

What schools serve Greenbrae?

Greenbrae is zoned to the Kentfield School District — Bacich Elementary (K-4) and Kent Middle School (5-8) — and, for grades 9-12, the Tamalpais Union High School District, with most students attending Redwood High School just across the creek in Larkspur. School district boundaries don't follow city limits, so verify the assignment for any specific address, and consult GreatSchools and the California School Dashboard directly for performance data.

Why do buyers target the Greenbrae hillside?

Three reasons compound: the Schultz-era housing stock is one of Marin's best concentrations of view-oriented mid-century homes, including a meaningful share of true single-level layouts; the south-facing slope banks sun in a county where microclimate is priced; and the hillside sits above the flood map entirely while remaining five minutes from the ferry, freeway, and hospital. Updated single-level view homes here clear as fast as anything in central Marin.

Does Greenbrae flood?

The creek level can; the hillside doesn't. Corte Madera Creek's flood history — the New Year's Eve 2005 storm is the Ross Valley benchmark — concerns the low-lying creekside areas: the South Eliseo corridor, the Boardwalk, and flats near the interchange, where parcels can sit in mapped FEMA zones requiring flood insurance, and where the Ross Valley flood-control fee appears on many tax bills. The Schultz hillside sits above that entire conversation, which is quietly part of its price.

Is Greenbrae in a wildfire zone?

The exposure here is generally lighter than Marin's canyon towns — the Greenbrae slope is more open, grass-and-oak hillside than dense forest — but upper streets bordering open space can carry elevated designations, and insurance underwriting asks the same questions county-wide. Fire service follows jurisdiction: the unincorporated hillside falls under the Kentfield Fire Protection District, Larkspur-side parcels under Central Marin Fire. Verify the specific address in the CAL FIRE viewer and confirm insurability early.

What is the Bon Air corridor?

Greenbrae's daily-life spine: Bon Air Center with Mollie Stone's Market and its shops and restaurants, plus MarinHealth Medical Center — the county's hospital — directly adjacent. Living minutes from the hospital is a quiet, durable amenity at every life stage, and the corridor is why Greenbrae's 'no downtown' reputation undersells it: the errand map here is one of the most complete in central Marin, without a tourist in sight.

What is the South Eliseo corridor?

The creekside strip along South Eliseo Drive — Greenbrae's condo and townhome tier, facing Corte Madera Creek with the levee path at the front door. It supplies 94904's most attainable entry points, popular with downsizers who want single-level living near the hospital and ferry. Diligence is building-level: HOA reserves and minutes, flood-zone status and insurance, and what the association's master policy covers versus your own. The dawn view of rowing shells on the creek is the corridor's signature.

How long is the commute from Greenbrae to San Francisco?

Greenbrae is arguably Marin's single best-positioned commute address: the Sir Francis Drake interchange is the community's front door, the Larkspur ferry terminal and SMART station sit immediately across it, and downtown San Francisco runs roughly 25 to 35 minutes by car at peak — or about half an hour on the water. You can leave the hillside and be on a ferry in well under ten minutes. Test your actual route at your actual hour, but this one usually passes.

Does Greenbrae have Mello-Roos taxes or HOAs?

No Mello-Roos — there are no Community Facilities Districts in Greenbrae. The Schultz hillside's single-family streets carry no HOA; dues live in the South Eliseo condo and townhome associations and a few smaller communities near Bon Air. Beyond the roughly one percent base property tax, expect school parcel taxes, the Marin Wildfire Prevention Authority (Measure C) tax, and the Ross Valley flood fee on many parcels. I pull the actual tax bill for any property a client is serious about.

Are Greenbrae's mid-century homes original or updated?

Both, and the difference is the market. The Schultz-era stock spans untouched time capsules to full modern rebuilds, often on the same street, and the spread between them is where Greenbrae's value judgments happen. Original homes reward buyers who can see past dated finishes to the view, the single-level footprint, and the lot; updated examples command the premium and clear fastest. Either way, budget the era's diligence: systems, sewer laterals, and drainage on the slope.

What outdoor recreation does Greenbrae have?

The creek and the path network. The Corte Madera Creek levee path runs along South Eliseo toward College of Marin and connects to the county's multiuse network, the Marin Rowing Association's shells work the creek at dawn, and kayaks and paddleboards launch on the same water. The hillside's upper streets reach open-space trails, and the Mount Tamalpais watershed, Phoenix Lake, and Baltimore Canyon are all minutes west via Kentfield and Ross.

How does Greenbrae compare to Kentfield and Larkspur?

Greenbrae is the 94904's attainable half: generally below Kentfield on a like-for-like basis, overlapping at the view line, with mid-century hillside stock instead of Kent Woodlands estates. Against Larkspur, the trade is downtown character versus commute position — Larkspur brings the Magnolia Avenue downtown; Greenbrae brings the interchange, the hospital, and the sunny slope. All three share the creek, the flood program, and Redwood High. Tour all three; the daily rhythms differ.

Who is the best local expert on Greenbrae real estate?

The answer is the agent who pairs county-wide data with parcel-level knowledge of the 94904 — the jurisdiction seams, the flood map's edges, the single-level premium on the slope. I am Kyle Frazier, JD, CRS, CLHMS, a Broker Associate with Compass (DRE #01405738) and a Marin County broker for more than 20 years, with an office on Sir Francis Drake minutes away. I analyze BAREIS MLS data quarter by quarter across every Marin sub-market and have been quoted by the Wall Street Journal, Financial Times, and San Francisco Chronicle.

Greenbrae on YouTube

My Greenbrae profile video covers the hillside, the creek, and the corridor on camera:

You can also watch it on YouTube, subscribe to my channel @KyleFrazier — over 20,000 local subscribers and one million views — or browse every Marin tour in the Imagine Marin video library.