Wine Tasting Opens Up This Spring! 🍇 What you need to know before visiting…
[embed]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VqE74ZcTAJE[/embed] As things begin to open up in Sonoma County, now that we've moved to the red tier and may be approaching the orange tier soon, you may be wondering...
Just Listed! Healdsburg Hideaway / $1,350,000
With the Healdsburg Plaza only 2 1/2 blocks away, 114 Fitch Street is an imaginatively re-conceived and polished gem, tucked away on Alley 1. Designer touches and high end finishes inspire. The setting lends the air of calm you seek when you visit (or stay) in Wine Country. Why not uncomplicate your life? Your largest decision – do we dine indoors or out, or in town? Do we entertain by the fireplace in the family room or the outdoor living room and firepit? Architecturally designed and largely rebuilt and expanded in approximately 2014, the home has an open floor plan that seamlessly integrates with the outdoor spaces. An open concept chef's kitchen with stainless appliances and sleek surfaces has ample storage and an island that surveys the living spaces. A primary suite and bath allow you to pamper yourself indoors or in the hot tub outside your window. Intimate and interesting plantings, citrus trees, a retractable awning, well thought out decking and patios expand your living and your life for the best Healdsburg has to offer. Property Website ...
The Magic of Mustard in the Vineyards
The Magic of Mustard in the Vineyards: Every year, towards the end of winter, many Sonoma County vineyards come alive with a brilliant carpet of mustard beneath the bare grapevine trunks. The first time someone sees the landscape, it's mesmerizing. Mustard is more than just a feast for the eyes, it's a feast for the vines. It thrives just until bud break, when it is turned under to mulch and provides valuable nutrients to the emerging grape plants. To view the mustard, simply pick an area that's deeply populated with wineries and vineyards, and look out your car window. [embed]https://youtu.be/5r5Foh6uga4[/embed]...
Sonoma County Housing Market Breaks Records in 2020!
After the coronavirus pandemic sent Sonoma County homebuying into a tailspin last spring, the local housing market rebounded to have a banner year, posting a record annual median home price and the most houses and condos sold in seven years! As we embark on a new year (we can’t believe it’s already February), let’s take a look at some of the important real estate highlights from 2020 and what experts are forecasting for the spring season. [caption id="attachment_21108" align="aligncenter" width="408"] *Note: The median price for single family homes in Sonoma County is $700,000, slightly higher than $675,000 mentioned in this report which includes condominiums.[/caption] What This Means For Buyers & Sellers: Low inventory, high buyer demand and increasing home prices have resulted in a seller’s market as we enter 2021. Historic low interest rates are drawing more buyers, especially millennials, into the marketplace. Buyers are flocking to Sonoma County from the Bay Area due to changing household needs and work-from-home flexibility. Despite home prices increasing, Sonoma County is still considered an affordable option compared to the Bay Area with a median single family home price of $700,000 vs $1.06 million. What To Expect As We Look Ahead to Spring 2021...
Pardon Our Dust! Meanwhile Sonoma County Country Property Values up 37% since 2015
This website came into existence in summer of 2007 and we saw the end of a market runup and a catastrophic nationwide recession beginning in late 2007.The Sonoma County real estate market hit a low in February 2009 and bounced along the bottom for a few years. Since 2012 we have seen steady appreciation in prices and sometime in the last year the median value of Sonoma County homes exceeded the previous high. Currently the median price is just under $700,000. Country properties never saw the frothy runup that single family homes did in the previous decade but they have been making up for lost time every since. Over the last three years homes sitting on over an acre have increased in value by 37%. The home you used to be able to buy for $935,000 now will cost you a bit under $1,300,000. Why? At only an hour north of the Golden Gate Bridge, our beautiful country properties represent a tremendous value compared to the skyrocketing costs of an SF Bay Area home. And the stress and congestion of Bay Area freeways and urban living make our homes on acreage very appealing. As one of my clients recently told me when we celebrated her two year anniversary of buying her Healdsburg home, "This property helps me maintain my sanity and I am enjoying the peace i find up here even more than I hoped I would!" NOTE: We are in the process of designing a completely new website so pardon our dust while we work on that in the background! [caption id="attachment_2303" align="alignleft" width="300"] Here is a look at the median price of listed and sold properties over 1 acre in Sonoma County since 2015[/caption]...
West Sonoma County is Home to Outstanding Plant Nurseries
[caption id="attachment_1859" align="alignleft" width="300"] Go Ahead Stop and Smell Them![/caption] Last night I had an impromptu dinner with clients (now friends!) at the lovely estate property we found for them a couple ofyears ago near the Laguna de Santa Rosa, in the heart of the Russian River Appellation. I remarked how fabulous the landscaping looked, particularly the new raised beds they added. The perennial garden. lavendars and olive trees were looking really lush and healthy. And of course the four acres of vines are happily heading towards the harvest a few months from now. With ten acres total and a green thumb or two, one is always open to collecting new plant treasures. But where to find them? My client bemoaned the plant choices she saw at the big box and hardware stores. You mean you don't know about Emerisa Gardens Retail Nursery I cried? I have made several good friends by frequenting them, and learned enough about a lot of plants to be dangerous! Every once in a while I go by for a good plant fix! Emerisa's retail nursery in NW Santa Rosa is only open from March through October, but it is a great place to learn about and see interesting perennials, grasses and interesting plants for both sun and shade. Their demonstration garden shows you what the plants look like when full grown and the STAFF are incredibly knowledgeable and very helpful. Chances are, if you hire a landscaper, they buy a good portion of their plants on the wholesale side. They have whimsical pots and garden "objet" plus very good gardening gloves too! And what about Harmony Farm Supply nursery? Besides a really nice and thorough nursery near Graton in West Sonoma County, including a great selection of bare root trees and berries in winter, Harmony is where you might find me picking up the spare irrigation parts that always seem to be needed, even though my collection in the garden shed is growing! Also very helpful staff and a good selection of veggie starts and various soil amendments and garden tools. Plus they install solar systems! I have learned more than i ever thought I would about drip irrigation in the aisles of Harmony Farm Supply. And little Fulton, California is home to two of the best nurseries you will ever find. Cal Flora and Urban Tree...
Attention Home Sellers: It is Still a Seller's Market in Sonoma County
In the last two years the median home price in Sonoma County has increased a combined 36-38%. Each individual home has not appreciated at the same rate but home are selling more quickly and for more money than they did two years ago. Inventory continues to be low. At the current rate of sales through December, 2014, all the existing homes on the market would be gone in less than TWO MONTHS. Historically the market would be considered balanced if there were 4 to 6 months of inventory. A market favoring buyers would have more than six months of inventory--we have not seen that condition since 2009 to 2011. Here is a look at the Month's Supply of Inventory for the last year. This graph looks at the inventory supply for "Pended" homes--that is, newly opened escrows. That is a more current view of activity than "Closed" sales which looks at sales that were new escrows a month or so ago. If I look at Months Supply of Inventory for Closed Sales then supply would be 1.2 months. So if you are a buyer the more current view might be slightly more encouraging. What does this mean for me if I am a seller? It is safe to say that now may be a very good time for you to put your home on the market at a strategic, enticing price and have it showing in top condition. You may attract multiple offers, sell quickly and for more than your asking price. Great news for sellers, right? What does it mean if you are a buyer? Should you fold your tent and go hide somewhere? NO! My buyers who won out in multiple offer situations last year set a limit as to how high to go over asking and stuck to it. This year those houses are worth on average 12 percent more. Prices are rising. List prices are not an indication of value but if chosen wisely will get the seller maximum exposure and the best true indication of market value--that is determined by the actual number a willing buyer and a willing seller will meet on. More buyer advice in my next post...
Explore Sonoma County Through Google Glass
If someone has never been to Sonoma County they might be surprised at how incredibly huge it is, how diversely beautiful it is and even as a local this quick video reminds me how I can even go on vacation here without really leaving home. Enjoy! ...
Sonoma County Country Property Home Prices on the Rise
Today the median Sonoma County country home price with two acres or more is $1,095,000. While you will find country homes listed in the 6oo-800,000 range there is a good bet that there will be multiple buyers lined up for each one and sales prices are exceeding list prices in many cases, some times dramatically....
A Country Property Course for Realtors in Sonoma County
[caption id="attachment_2147" align="alignleft" width="300"] A view across a private horse arena in Blucher Valley Sebastopol[/caption] I have been away from posting for far too long. One of the things that has kept me occupied (besides the day-to-day of working with home buyers and sellers!) is my work this year as Chairperson of the North Bay Association of Realtors (NORBAR) Education and Technology Committee. I have volunteerd on this committee for over five years and find it rewarding to work with my peers to create and promote training for realtors throughout Sonoma, Napa and Mendocino Counties. We have developed new agent training (the practical kind) and many other courses on technology for realtors, etc. One of our most successful series has been the Country Property Series for Realtors. We have been working away on the latest round which will take place over five weeks in June and July. If you are planning to buy or sell country real estate in Sonoma County, you want to make sure you work with a realtor who is very qualified to help guide you through the complexities of a country property transaction. Here are the classes we are teaching. Our faculty consists of experienced realtors and subject area experts. These courses are only available to realtors but I just wanted to give you and idea of the scope of things to consider when buying or selling a country property! This is a list of topics! Week 1: Market Study--sales trends in country property. I will be teaching this with Mike Kelly of Keller Williams. Septic Systems Mike Treinen is teaching this class. He is a licensed septic consultant and used to work for the county of Sonoma in that capacity. He is the guy my clients hire to analyze and inspect their systems, current and proposed. Wells, Springs and Water Quality County Resources (an overview of the Sonoma County Permit Resources and Management Division (aka PRMD) Week 2: Zoning and Permits These two topics alone will take up a whole afternoon of our time and we will only scratch the surface. If you are buying a property you want to be as sure as possible that the zoning matches your planned purposes for residential use, vacation rentals, agriculture, livestock, etc. Week 3: Survey, Grading and Drainage Issues Environmental Issues (toxic waste and endangered species anyone?) Legal Issues (easements, encroachments, boundary disputes, ask me about my current...