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...
Holiday Greetings from the Sonoma County Wine Country
Happy Holidays everyone! 2013 has been a great year--a return to "normal" (whatever that is) in the real estate market for 2013. If December's activity is any judge, I suspect that early 2014 is going to be a very strong market. My gut tells me we will see more appreciation again this year, with many moveup buyers within the county and many continuing to relocate or buy second homes here in 2014. We will see more "chains" of linked transactions as a seller sells and becomes a buyer on the next transaction and so on along the tree of real estate life. I hope you take advantage of the holidays to be with your loved ones and to have a respite from our busy world. We will be taking a short break and will be back in the office on Monday January 6, 2014! See you then! [caption id="attachment_2139" align="alignleft" width="300"] Cold weather makes for a dramatic sunset at the old Saitone Vineyard, Russian River Valley.[/caption]...
Happy Thanksgiving from Sonoma County's Wine Country
Thanksgiving greetings from Pam Buda, Realtor in Sonoma County to her friends, colleagues and clients. Besides loving life and work in the wine country, the improved real estate market inspires additional gratitude....
Median Sonoma County Home Price Rises 25% in the Last Year
Here are the latest charts for residential real estate market statistics in Sonoma County. They represent market data from the BAREIS Multiple Listing Service as displayed by Clarus MarketMetrics. The continuing big story is the 25% rise in the median home price versus October of 2012. This is a direct result of actual appreciation in home values as well as an increase in the number of higher priced homes being sold. It does not mean that every home has appreciated 25% in value--just that the overall mix of homes sold lands at that higher value. At the lower (sub $500,000 ) price ranges, in some cases appreciation might have been as high at 28%, whereas at the upper end the appreciation is more modest, but the rate of sales has increased greatly. I have attended a few economic forecast meetings this fall and the "experts" think we will see more modest appreciation in 2014, more in the neighborhood of 6%. This probably makes some sense as the overall mix of types of homes may have stabilized so there will be less of a bump from that change. Although last year I believe the same experts predicted 5-8% appreciation for 2013 so who knows? Bottom line if you have questions about your specific situation, whether buying, or selling, or just sitting pat but curiuos, give me a call or pop me an email and I will be happy to research it for you! Sonoma County Home Salest Report October 2012 through October 2013 by Pam Buda...
Dressage in the Wine Country Celebrates the Sport Horse in Sonoma County
Wine Country and Horses is celebrating its seventh year tonight at Dressage in the Wine Country at the Santa Rosa Fairgrounds! I am so appreciative to those of my clients and friends who are gathering tonight to celebrate the sport horse in Sonoma County. Whether your discipline is dressage, hunters, eventing, barrel racing, trail riding or jousing (JOUSTING?), you can find kindred spirits in the horse community throughout Sonoma County. If you want to know more about country and horse properties here, contact me and I will send you the latest Country Property Market Repot for Sonoma County. See you there! ...
Median Home Price in Sonoma County Up $100,000 in last year
[caption id="attachment_1925" align="alignleft" width="300"] The Sonoma County market for homes appears headed in the right direction if you are selling.[/caption] I figured that headline might grab your attention whether you are a Sonoma County home buyer (feeling panic!) or a Sonoma County home seller (feeling excitement!) You can click through the link below to access the full Sonoma County Home Sales Report as of June 1, 2013. We look at sales statistics for Sonoma County as a whole because the sample sizes for the smaller towns such as Sebastopol, Healdsburg, Sonoma and Petaluma are so small as to be somewhat misleading. The broad brush numbers are interesting and helpful in terms of assessing overall trends, but each location and property type is unique, so your particular results may vary. So what does this mean to you if you are a buyer? Home Sellers in Sonoma County are firmly in the driver's seat--if you are a buyer you are looking at visibly rising sales prices for almost everything priced under $600,000 or $700,000. At the higher price ranges, over $900K or a million, homes are selling extremely rapidly in many cases, often with multiple offers. You really need to team up with a good agent to succeed in this market, be fully pre-approved with a good lender, or have proof of funds if you are a cash buyer. You have to be realistic about what you are willing to spend and perhaps narrow your search criteria to something $50,000 or more under what you ultimately want to spend. It is not uncommon for homes to sell $50 to $100 thousand OVER asking, so adjust your search criteria accordingly. At the million plus price ranges the overbid can be more. A $1.2 million dollar property on West Dry Creek in Healdsburg came on the market and received 4 offers within the offer period and sold well over asking. The home was in a pretty setting with a pool but dated with lovely gardens. What does this mean to you if you are a Sonoma County Home Seller? It is possible your home may be worth more than you think. Hurray! Maybe you have more equity than you think. Maybe you have a reason to move--job change, downsizing, new baby on the way. This could be a great time for you to sell. It DOESN"T mean you can overprice your home. It will sell eventually and possibly for less,...