36 Plata Court, Novato: A Fully Remodeled Four-Bedroom on a Cul-de-Sac for $1,295,000

This much house for under $1.3 million

I am going to start with the price, because the price is the story. 36 Plata Court in Novato is listed at $1,295,000. This is my listing with Compass, so I know the house well.

For that number you get four bedrooms, two and a half baths and 2,208 square feet, on a lot of 10,276 square feet at the end of a cul-de-sac.

To put that in context: when I pulled every closed house sale in San Francisco for September 2026 from Compass on October 4, the median price was $2,005,000. This home is listed about $710,000 below that.

The basics

Here are the facts from the listing. The home was built in 1972. It has two stories, four bedrooms, two full baths and a half bath. The living space is 2,208 square feet. The lot is 10,276 square feet, which is just under a quarter of an acre. There is an attached garage. It was listed on September 24, 2026.

What was done to the house

The home has been extensively renovated. The kitchen was remodeled with quartz countertops. The bathrooms were remodeled. There is luxury vinyl plank flooring, recessed lighting, and fresh paint inside and out.

It also has air conditioning. In San Francisco that is a nice extra. In Novato, where summer afternoons are much warmer than in the city, it is something buyers ask about in the first five minutes.

The home has high ceilings, which makes it feel larger than the square footage on paper.

The lot and the street

A cul-de-sac matters more than people expect until they live on one. There is no through traffic, and the only cars that come down the street are the ones that belong there.

The backyard is fenced and has a deck. With more than 10,000 square feet of lot, there is room for a garden, outdoor dining and open lawn, with space left over.

Why this house stands out at this price

Three things set it apart from what else is available around this number.

The first is space. Four bedrooms and more than 2,200 square feet is hard to find in San Francisco or southern Marin without spending far more.

The second is that the work is done. Everything that usually goes on the to-do list after closing, the kitchen, the baths, the floors, the paint, is already finished.

The third is the setting: a cul-de-sac and a lot of nearly a quarter acre. The home is within the Novato Unified School District. School assignments can change, so always confirm with the district.

What the payment looks like at today's rates

Mortgage rates are part of every conversation right now. Freddie Mac reported the average 30-year fixed rate at 7.40% on October 8, 2026.

Here is my own arithmetic, for illustration only. With 20% down on $1,295,000, the loan would be $1,036,000. At 7.40%, principal and interest come to about $7,173 a month. That does not include property tax, insurance or any other costs, and your rate will depend on your credit and loan type. Ask a lender for a written quote.

The point is not that the payment is small. It is that the same payment buys a great deal more house in Novato than it does thirty minutes south.

Why Novato

Novato is the northernmost city in Marin, and it is where a budget tends to stretch furthest in the county. You are still in Marin County, with open space close by, and you have Highway 101 for the drive south and the SMART train for a commute without the car.

How to see it

Because this is my own listing, I can show it on short notice, any day of the week. Send me a message or call, and I will meet you there and walk you through everything that was done.

Listing by Daniel Flores, Compass, DRE #02032133. Information is from the listing and is deemed reliable but not guaranteed. Buyers should verify square footage, lot size and school information on their own.

Sources: MLS listing #326079228 for 36 Plata Court, Novato, as published on public listing sites and read October 12, 2026; Compass, San Francisco single-family sales closed September 1 to 30, 2026, pulled October 4, 2026; Freddie Mac, Primary Mortgage Market Survey, October 8, 2026. Payment figure is my own calculation.