A Country Property Course for Realtors in Sonoma County
A view across a private horse arena in Blucher Valley Sebastopol
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 escrow with an easement to nowhere.)
- Week 4: These are subjects close to my heart and I will be teaching moderating on both with some of my esteemed colleagues.
Equestrian Property–how many horses and what can I do with them? Vineyard property and wineries –valuation, improvements and the tiger salamander, what does it mean?
- Week 5: Money, Taxes and Insurance--they are different for country property.
Loans and Appraisals (when is acreage too much?) Property tax issues 1031/121 Exchanges Fire codes and insurance issues Many of us who have attended in the past will be attending again as the issues change and evolve and we can always sharpent our skills. There is always something new to learn and that is what makes buying and selling Sonoma County Country property so interesting!
