DRY and COLD in Sonoma County - 12/29/11 08:43 PM
 

 
This has been one of the driest Decembers that I can remember. This is the time of year when our hills should be transitioning from gold to emerald green. Instead, they are turning brown. The media has been uttering the dreaded "D" word (drought), leave it to them to instill fear in every water user in the County.
My rose bushes are certainly confused. They seem to be loving the frost and are blooming again. And my orchids (photo) are having a field day with the abundance of sunshine.
But enough is enough, Sonoma County. Let it rain.
… (10 comments)

A Random Act of Kindness - 12/24/11 12:52 PM
Last night, I decided I didn't want to cook so we went out for dinner. The restaurant I chose in downtown Cotati was packed and all tables were taken except one. The empty table near the front door was too big for the two of us, but we really didn't have a choice if we wanted a place to sit.
Soon after, a women who appeared to be in her early 30's arrived with two young children in tow. The woman had a discouraged look on her face when a waitress told her there would be at least a 15 minute … (24 comments)

Can I borrow your lockbox key? - 12/23/11 01:07 PM
 
"San Franciso broker needs to borrow your lock box key - Monday the 26th. Will pick up and return to your home or office. Thanks."  
Well here is a new one on me. A broker from out of my area has publicaly asked, via Trulia, all Sonoma County agents if he can borrow a lockbox key. It seems his key doesn't work on our lockboxes.
ARE YOU KIDDING ME? There are so many reasons why this is so wrong.
My first thought? NO, NO and NO. My second thought? If your lockbox key doesn't work, then why don't you … (21 comments)

Only FOUR more business days until 2012 - 12/23/11 12:12 PM
When I joined the Real Estate community in 2004, business days took on a whole new meaning to me.
Before, I never had to look at a calendar to figure out if a bank, title company or the County clerks office would be open on a particular date.
Next week, we only have Tuesday through Friday to close any last minute deals. I am waiting for a short sale approval letter from a second lien holder. Once I have that we are ready to rock and roll. The scheduled close date is Friday, December 30th, the last business day of 2011.
… (9 comments)

Forget about weighing my bag ... weigh that passenger in 21-B - 12/22/11 05:12 PM
I have to admit there is something about airline baggage rules that I don't understand. While the airline is carefully checking the weight that goes into the cargo area, why aren't they checking the weight of the passengers?
A pound is a pound, is it not? If my bag weighs more than 50 pounds, I have to pay extra. But what about the passenger that weighs 100 pounds more than I do, why don't they have to pay more as well?
And while I'm at it, did you know the airlines started charging to check your bags curbside?
I had $2.00 … (14 comments)

Lockbox Switch-A-Roo Certain To Cause Some Havoc - 12/21/11 07:03 PM
 
When our MLS decided to convert to Supra iBoxes in 2006, we were told the internal battery would last 6 years. Nobody had an answer to "what do we do after 6 years"? But now the answer has arrived ... they are being replaced with a newer, slimmer version. (Kind of like what some men do when their current wife gets too "old"). Doh!
During the week of January 9th-12th, every Supra iBox in Sonoma County has to be exchanged for a new iBox. This isn't an option, it's mandatory. Wow ... every listing will at some point have no … (18 comments)

Good Customer Service ... It Never Gets Old - 12/08/11 03:41 PM
I had a great customer experience yesterday. What surprised me the most was that I was surprised. I was hoping, but not expecting, that the company involved would step up to the plate and make things right. Well, they did.
Late last week, I had decided it was time to order some additional memory for my laptop. When I selected an online retailer, I was elated to find they had a free system analyzer to determine what and how much memory I already had. They then displayed products that are compatible with my system.
Great, I thought. I can order the … (17 comments)

Terraced Outbuildings: A solution for less than level landscape - 12/04/11 09:14 PM



Where I live in Sonoma County, the landscape is anything but level. If you are used to living in an area where everything is flat for as far as you can see, you might appreciate the scenery here. Personally, I've been to "flat" and I didn't care for it. I guess it just depends on what you are used to.
The problem with sloped land in rural areas, though, is how can you build outbuildings with significant enough space to be functional for their purpose? One answer is to terrace them.
It is quite evident this outbuilding has … (13 comments)

Foreclosures: An opportunity for Neighborhood dispute resolution - 12/03/11 04:35 PM


Right or wrong, I'm seeing more and more folks using the "opportunity" of a foreclosure to solve long running disputes with their neighbors. Have you ever had a neighbor who wouldn't prune the tree that was leaning on your fence? How about the neighbor who decided to do some landscaping and captured part of your property in the process of doing it?
When a home goes into foreclosure, and that pesky neighbor is gone, is it OK to take care of these issues while the home is owned by an entity instead of a face that you have to … (37 comments)

FOUR DAYS OF FESTIVE FUN in COTATI, CA - Elegant Evening - 12/01/11 03:48 PM
 
Elegant Evening - December 10th, 2011 - 5:00PM to 8:00PM, Downtown Cotati



I'll be the first to admit, I'm not crazy about the name of this event. To me, elegant evening means I would have to dress up in high heels and pearls (and a bit more, of course, due to the time of year), but I'm more of a jeans and cowboy boots sort of person. Cotati is casual, VERY casual ... but the downtown merchants like to get all gussied up for this event.
So here is what to look forward to:
- Free horse … (6 comments)

FOUR DAYS OF FESTIVE FUN in COTATI, CA - Candlelight Concert - 12/01/11 03:47 PM
 
Candlelight Concert (FREE) - December 9th, 2011 from 7:00 to 9:00PMChurch of the Oaks, Corner of West Sierra Ave and Page Street



Church of the Oaks is once again sponsoring a free concert featuring vocal performances and beautiful holiday music. You need not stay for the whole concert, come and go at your leisure. The Church is small, the acoustics will amaze you.
Church of the Oaks has served the community of Cotati since 1901. One of the coziest weddings I have ever attended was in this venue. If you haven't been already, the Church alone is … (0 comments)

FOUR DAYS OF FESTIVE FUN in COTATI, CA - The Cotati Crawl - 12/01/11 03:47 PM
 
The Cotati Crawl - December 8th, 2011


 
"The Cotati Crawl" is a social gathering that happens every Thursday night in downtown Cotati. Usually, the "crawl" is where you can find young Sonoma State University students. But this one week during the year, the local adults begin the crawl during the earlier hours in a festive fashion.
Every venue is within a block or less from one another, hence the ability to "crawl". Here is this years (loose) crawl schedule:
 
--  5:30PM - The 8 Ball, 8 Charles Street--  6:15PM - Spancky's Bar, 8201 Old Redwood Hwy--  … (2 comments)

FOUR DAYS OF FESTIVE FUN in COTATI, CA - Let's Light The Tree! - 12/01/11 03:46 PM

Cotati Holiday Tree Lighting - December 7th, 2011 at 6:00PM - La Plaza Park

 
GATHER 'ROUND La Plaza Park in downtown Cotati for the annual Holiday Tree Lighting. Our wonderful Cotati Public Works Department makes sure the lights are up, ready and working for this annual event. Carols will be sung and a countdown ensues before the switch is pulled to activate the lights.
After the oohs and ahhs, everyone heads on over to the Fire Station across the street to meet Santa. There will be cookies, cocoa, cider and holiday music. This is a great opportunity to … (2 comments)

 
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Cynthia Larsen - Sonoma County Real Estate Broker

Cotati, CA

More about me…

707-332-2560 www.safehavenrealty.com

Address: 8745 Fehler Ln, Cotati, CA, 94931

Cell Phone: (707) 332-2560

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