Dave's Sonoma County Real Estate Blog

Vintage Petaluma D Street

Dave Roberts (Healdsburg Sotheby's International Realty) — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 11:45:39 -0500

Petaluma's D Street is heaven for fans of grand old homes. I was searching in Petaluma for a country property that was close to town, but had a rural feel. This 1915 classic at 1310 D Street is close enough to walk to town, but you can ride your horse right out the back gate and access miles of trails without touching a street.

One of the architectural details you rarely find on new homes is a porte-cochere. A visually interesting and dry place to park your carriage while you go into the house has somehow turned into a facade of garage doors in today's homes. The porte-cochere pictured here is both attractive in its own right and a wonderful addition to the porch area where it extends shade and comfort to the lawn.

This is a substanatial property. It's approximately 1.2 acres overall, so there is room for the house, a party building, a 2 car garage, and an original barn that houses three cars, a workshop and office, and a second story. There's room for a couple mules and goats in the current menagerie. You can't have the mules, but the goats are negotiable.

The view to the left is of the long driveway and the long side of the house facing Petaluma. The house is primarily single story for the main living areas and master bedroom, but includes a shed dormer with two bedrooms and a bathroom upstairs. I didn't include a photo, but on the other side of the driveway is a large in-ground swimming pool and a garden area. D street is in the background of this picture. The entry of the driveway is marked with two huge palm trees.

The interior of the house is beautifully detailed. This picture of the windows and ceiling in the dining room gives you a hint with the graceful curves of the ceiling and classic trim around the windows. This home was originally build on a 30 acre property and it's clear from even a casual inspection that it was one of the nicest farmhouses of the time.

One of the details I like about this house is the mud room. It's a classic farm house detail and quite common in other parts of the country, but it's unusual to find an entry area that is so clearly functional and attractive.

The barn is another testament to the quality of building on this property. It was built as a milking barn around 1915. It has changed uses over time from milk to today's workshop uses. In nearly 100 years of existence the barn has maintained a plumb and square condition that is remarkable. You would expect leaning walls and crooked corners, but this is still sound and strong. The roof needs some work, but overall this is a classic California barn. There is room for three cars at the driveway level, a workshop, office and bathroom at the main level, and storage in the attic/mezzanine of the barn.

The view from the rear of the barn and the paddock behind it goes westerly towards the hills and trail that lead to the Helen Putnam Regional Park.

The house is in generally good condition with a clean pest report. The three generations of original owners who lived here until ten years ago kept the house in original condition, for the most part, and the current owners have been careful not to detract from the details that make this home special. There is work to do, both routine maintenance, and some roof repair to the barn and party structure, but this country property inside the Petaluma city limits is a wonderful opportunity for a family that wants animals in their lives and charm and warmth in their house.

The home is listed by Gael Grove of Frank Howard Allen. 707-775-2230

Sonoma County REO sale update and agent report

Dave Roberts (Healdsburg Sotheby's International Realty) — Sun, 13 Jul 2008 14:57:47 -0500

175 Sonoma County REO homes were sold in June. That represents 37% of Sonoma County residentail real estate for the month. 77 of those homes had been on the market for 45 days or less. The clear lesson for buyers is that you have to be ready to move as soon as new properties are listed.

Overbids made up almost half of these fast transactions, but I was surpised to see that almost as many of these transactions were for less than the listing price. I go into more detail on my Sonoma.net blog.

On a related note, I am hearing a lot of comments about agents who underprice their properties in order to generate many overbids and a lot of bidding activity. This has become conventional wisdom, but I didn't know if it was true or not. When in doubt, check the facts is my motto...not really, but it sounds good...so I did an analysis of every agent with two or more REO sold listings during the time frame of this report.

I was surprised at how balanced the vast majority of agents were in terms of underbids and overbids for their properties. Almost all of the well known REO agents in Sonoma County have managed to get almost equal numbers of sold properties at higher than listing and lower than listing values. It reassures me that for the most part, agents are trying to establish fair prices for the properties.

There were a few exceptions to the fair market value pricing of the majority of agents. One agent (who I won't name here) had two listings that sold for an average of $74,000 over listing price. One of his properties was priced at $256,500, less than half its 2005 selling price. It sold for $350,000. Another one of his listings was priced at $329,000 when it sold in 2006 for $560,000. It ended up selling for a $55,000 overbid in 44 days. He's getting offers and ending up at fair market values for his sellers, but he is creating a huge amount of extra work for all the agents and buyers who are submitting list price and above offers that have no realistic chance of being accepted.

Sustainable Village in the North Bay (north of San Francisco)

Dave Roberts (Healdsburg Sotheby's International Realty) — Sun, 13 Jul 2008 13:55:32 -0500

Sustainable Village - Help dream it into being

I don't want to be mysterious, but my broker is waiting for a signed listing agreement and I don't want to spill the beans prematurely. That's why my special July challenge is probably going to be an August challenge. Still, it should be a lot of fun and I know that I'm going to learn a lot from this great community. Without going into details, I can lay out some of the information and hope for green and building feedback.

Imagine a rural setting on the edge of a hamlet within a couple of hours easy driving to San Francisco. You are surrounded by vineyards and oak-studded grasslands with a year round river nearby. The summers are hot and dry, but the winters are mild and the soil and weather are conducive to wonderful gardens and farming.

There is an opportunity to build something very special on 50 acres within a larger agricultural property. I visualize a community in the true sense of the word. A new village where neighbors share a vision of a green, sustainable world and want to do their part. The dwellings will be smart, green, and accessible. There will be work to share in the gardens and kitchens for those who enjoy those chores, but for everyone it will be a place where it is easy to eat healthily. People can participate in the activities of the community, work from home, or just relax and enjoy California living.

The skeleton of this dream is the land, but the heart and mind are the people who will help shape it. I welcome pragmatists and dreamers to share their ideas about what a sustainable community of several hundred homes would include. This has the potential to be a real project, so investors, designers, and potential residents are invited to participate.

I'll have full details about this project soon, but there's no reason that we can't begin talking about our virtual town before it gets listed.

My Pet Rancho

Dave Roberts (Healdsburg Sotheby's International Realty) — Sun, 29 Jun 2008 13:08:25 -0500

janeAnne of Green-O-Lina fame ran an interesting competion for her June Challenge. She proposed designing a new community on a beautiful 2000 acre property. The winner, Loretta Buckner, focused on the need to create community efforts including gardens, energy, and housing clusters. However, even Loretta isn't immune to the seduction of suburban sprawl.

What struck me as I read through all of the entries, including Loretta's, was how deeply embedded the concept of an individual cottage/castle/home is in our culture. Almost all the entries talked about creating one or two acre parcels for individual owners. I'm not immune to the pull of the private rancho. Most of us, me included, see a big open piece of beautiful land, and the first thing we think of is how to chop it up and own a portion of it. It must be a deeply embedded human longing for it to occur in almost all the entries. As a society and real estate professionals we need to think hard and figure out ways to satisfy that urge to own our own little place while we figure out how to solve climate change and manage the end of cheap oil.

I have another community development project that's a real world project that can be purchased, planned and developed for several hundred people. I'd like to re-run janeAnne's challenge for smart, sustainable design soon, but with a requirement that housing be multi-family and building footprints be reduced and clustered. Stay tuned for the specifics and get your design hats ready for the real world or sustainability.

Agents Get Green

Dave Roberts (Healdsburg Sotheby's International Realty) — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 14:58:59 -0500

I am proud to announce that three of my fellow Sotheby's International Realty agents have recently earned their Eco-Broker certification^®.


Cindy Brandon Certified Eco-Broker^®	Kaaren Atkin Certified Eco-Broker^®	Margaret Razon Certified Eco-Broker^®

The Eco-Broker certification^® is an important professional milestone. It indicates the agents have been through a comprehensive training program to understand green building, energy efficiency, sustainable design, and other issues important to home buyers who care about climate change and protecting the environment. Kaaren Atkin and Margaret Razon serve our Healdsburg Sotheby's International Realty clients and Cindy Brandon is a key part of our new Santa Rosa office, Artisan Sotheby's International Realty. The Sonoma County real estate community benefits when local agents increase their professional skills and knowledge. I wanted to acknowledge their achievement and let them know I am proud to work with them.

Sonoma County REO Update

Dave Roberts (Healdsburg Sotheby's International Realty) — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 03:16:03 -0500

REO sales in Sonoma County are rising fast. Last month (May, 2008) saw almost $50 million in REO activity representing 134 transactions. Sonoma County has recorded 460 REO sales so far this year.

The average and median prices for these Sonoma County REO properties have remained consistent throughout the year. The average and median prices have ranged from $320,000 to about $350,000. We have had a couple million dollar estates go through the foreclosure process, but most of the Santa Rosa, Windsor, and Rohnert Park REO properties being purchased today are normal single family homes and condos. There is a mix of buyers that includes investors and renters who are jumping to their first home,

I am often asked about the overbid situation. Whenever there is a heated market like today, a few rumors will start and pretty soon everyone has heard about the problems caused by too many buyers chasing too few homes. I thought the rumors were exaggerated, but my analysis of this year's sales is pretty conclusive. January had 26 sales, but only one significant overbid at 103% of the listing price. There were a few $100 overbids and a few list price sales, but most successful purchasers were buying at a discount from the listing price. By contrast, the first 46 sales in June of this year featured more than half the successful buyers paying at least list price with 10% of them paying more than $20,000 over the listing price. Another half dozen buyers paid at least $10,000 more than the listing agent had expected. Of course, almost half the buyres paid less than the listing price, so not every home is getting multiple bids.

I have put together a scatter graph that plots each home this year based on the price relative to the listing price. Dots over the line represent overbids. Dots under the line represent offers below the listing price. The black trend line shows a gradual increase in selling price that is approaching the "zero line" that represents listing price. If you look carefully at the right hand of the chart you can see that all the dots at the end are above the line. That's part of the June overbid surge I mentioned in the preceding paragraph.

As part of my service with Healdsburg Sotheby's International Realty I can provide notification services to help buyers stay on top of the current REO market. If you would like me to create an automated Sonoma County REO search tool, just email me with contact details for yourself and a few comments about your preferred search area and budget.The best way to stay on top of the fast changing trends in this field is to work with an agent who can provide you with both relevant information and timely advice about the market.

Making space around your pictures -- nice text buffer

Dave Roberts (Healdsburg Sotheby's International Realty) — Thu, 29 May 2008 01:09:22 -0500

We've all seen it. The text crowding right up against the picture. It works okay and people can read it, but it's not nearly as elegant as a white buffer space between the image and text would be. There are two simple solutions for this, one that requires advanced planning, and one that you can do on the fly to your new posts and old ones as well.

Let's start with the on the fly solution.

The Insert/edit Image Tool (the tree image on your post menu bar) should be familiar to everyone who uses images in their posts. For a quick reference, I created a tutorial for adding images to blog posts that should still work well as an introduction.

The tool works the same way whether the image is being brought in for the first time or you are going back over an old post. The two fields you will use are called horizontal spacing and vertical spacing. In either or both fields you can enter numbers from 1 to 15 (or more) to create space between the image and anything around it.

The one element about this feature that I don't like is that it moves the image in from the edge or down from the top frame as well as creating a buffer for the text. It's especially noticeable on big number values, so I tend to stay around 5 or less for text buffer when I use this tool. Still, a small separation from text is graphically very useful and it's a tool I will use when I have neglected to plan my post in advance.

The other technique I mentioned earlier is for careful planners who visualize the images in their post ahead of time. It involves the creation of a white border on two sides of an image. Here's how I do it.

1. Create your regular image in whatever program you like.

2. Size it for your blog. On this site I have used everything from 30 pixels (for the icon image above) to almost 500 pixels. It's a matter of your design choice.

3. Go to your Modify-->Canvas Size in Photoshop or Fireworks (or other graphic program). Add five to ten pixels to the width and height. Choose which corner of the image will be the anchor point. For a typical image that I would put in the upper left of a blog post, I would use the upper left corner as an anchor. If you have been successful, you'll see your image exactly like you started with, but it will have a border on two sides..

3a. If you don't have a Modify-->Canvas Size tool, you can still create the border feature.

After step 2 you would do a Select All and then a Copy.
After those steps, go to your file menu and create a new image.
The dialog box will come up prefilled with the size automatically created from your copied image.
Change the number values by adding five to ten pixels to each dimension
Click OK and the blank new image appears
Click Paste and you should have your image on a slightly too big background
Move your image to one side or the other and up or down to create the border where you want.

4. Save the new image as a GIF or JPEG and you're ready to use the ActiveRain Insert/edit Image tool to bring in your pre-bordered image. You don't have to use either the horizontal or vertical space buttons and the image will line up perfectly at the top and sides.

Photo resizing made easy...free tool.

Dave Roberts (Healdsburg Sotheby's International Realty) — Tue, 27 May 2008 23:42:38 -0500

Do yourself a favor today. Download one piece of software that will make your photo life simpler. With FastStone's free Photo Resizer, you can convert all your camera images into the right size for the MLS, for ActiveRain, for your brochure company, or for any other use. You can crop, add watermarks and borders, and it's all free, fast, and fun. It takes a few minutes to download and get organized, but you can do it.

It all starts with the main window

On the left side is a standard navigation window that lets you choose the folder or thumb drive or other storage device with your pictures.

The highlighted button in the middle says Add All. I'm getting ready to click that to move my pictures of the Healdsburg FFA parade to a new directory. In this case I have created a new directory called resized. That takes place in the bottom half of the right side of the screen where it says Output Folder.

That's also where the button called Advanced Options provides you with a wide array of tools to do more than simply resizing.

This menu bar demonstrates the options available to users. The most common one that people will use is Resize, and for the vast majority of users, that will be all you need. Border, however, is very useful for getting a consistent edge treatment in pictures.

Great photographers will want to pay attention to the watermark feature which lets you mark your images in subtle (and not so subtle, ways).

I have chosen an image of me wearing my famous tin hat to be my watermark. The settings are set to create a watermark in the middle of the image with 53% opacity.

It's a silly setting since it will create too strong and large of a watermark, but it serves to show the ability to choose where the watermark appears and how visible it is. You can choose your logo or any other image to be the watermark. Normally you would want it to be invisible to casual viewers but detectable to you or anyone else who knows what they are looking for.

As I mentioned before, the image on the right is a pretty silly use of a watermark, but it demonstrates how this simple and powerful tool, FastStone's Photo Resizer, can do many things.

The true test, though, is in mass production. That's where you will thank me for introducing you to this program. I'm going to take the watermark option back to something simple and orderly and process a big batch of photos from the parade.

Okay, I'm done. 141 images that started at about 1.3 megabytes each were reduced to around 40K. They were resized to a standard 320 pixels wide, and a real watermark was added to the lower right hand corner. Total time: 2 minutes and 8 seconds.

Below is a better example of a resize and a watermark:

If you look carefully you can see my web site and logo as a watermark.

Petaluma, CA market update

Dave Roberts (Healdsburg Sotheby's International Realty) — Tue, 27 May 2008 01:23:56 -0500

Petaluma is the southern gateway into Sonoma County from Marin and San Francisco. The proximity to the big city makes Petaluma a great commute center. Thousands of people commute south every morning along Highway 101. Before the advent of commuting, however, Petaluma was (and still is) a real town in its own right. From the early days as an agricultural center to today's broadband and networking strengths, Petaluma has been an important contributor to the economic vitality of Sonoma County.

You can see in the chart below (live chart with continual updates) that the downturn in real estate prices is still in force near the end of May 2008. One of the factors to note is that the four quartiles don't share the same trajectory. The lower two lines representing the more affordable half of the market are still trending downward. On the other hand, the third and fourth quartiles are showing either a leveling off or slight increase in median price within their ranges. These are small moves, but are a sign that some buyers are back in the market.

REO Inspection Advice - Meet a Sonoma County Home Inspector

Dave Roberts (Healdsburg Sotheby's International Realty) — Thu, 22 May 2008 00:32:48 -0500

REO inspections matter more than most

A home is a big expenditure for everyone. In an REO transaction there is enough uncertainty around finance, appraisals, bank communications and other issues to make the escrow period nerve wracking. If you have to add uncetainty about inspections into the mix you can end up with chaos that benefits nobody.

I receieved a great set of tips about REO inspections from one of my local inspectors who has just joined ActiveRain. I want to welcome Peter Crawford to the site by reprinting his REO Advice.

Banks are infamous for dragging out the negotiation process at their own tedious pace and then demanding that your buyers get all of their inspections done within seven days. This puts a great deal of pressure not only on the buyer, but on you the agent. Here are a few tips to help you make your REO inspection go more smoothly:

REO Inspection Tips:

1. Make sure the utilities are all on. The last ting you want is to arrive to your inspection only to discover that the inspection cannot be performed because there is no electricity, water or gas service. This happens regularly with REO properties due to the fact that more often than not, utilities have been shut off due to non-payment of bills by the previous (foreclosed) owners. Don't wait until your offer is accepted to ask whether the utilities are on or not. Let the listing agent know that all utilities must be on by day one of your inspection contingency period.

2. Don't forget the pilot lights. Usually, there is at least one or two pilot lights that must be lit if gas service has been interrupted. Make sure that any pilot lights (water heater and furnace are the most common) are lit before the inspection.

3. Book your inspection right away. With the market heating back up, my schedule (and those of other good inspectors) have started to fill early.

For those in Sonoma County who are local enough to use Peter, here's some extra advice. With me you have the added advantage of booking online. This means that the moment you enter escrow you can go online, fill in the property specifics (address, age, square footage) and then choose a date for your inspection. Of course, you can always call me, but the online scheduler is available all the time - even nights and weekends! If the scheduler says there are no appointments in the time frame you specified that means that all my regular slots are full. In that case, just call. I can usually fit you in late in the day, outside regular hours if the standard appointment slots are full.

Peter Crawford, CCI

A1 Inspection

Phone: (707) 874-9557
Email: peter@a1homeinspector.com
Web: www.a1homeinspector.com

Historic Horse Property in Sonoma's Wine Country

Dave Roberts (Healdsburg Sotheby's International Realty) — Tue, 20 May 2008 21:53:28 -0500

Exquisite gated 42+ acre estate

This historically significant estate is just over an hour's drive to San Francisco and only 15 minutes to Sonoma County Airport with service to Las Vegas, Los Angeles and Seattle This is a rare opportunity to own a priceless landmark property that combines beautiful and historic architecture with a fully functional horse property and two residences.

Amazing Barn

This spectacular, Russian designed Octagon Victorian Barn was built in 1891 of virgin clear heart redwood. It's in pristine condition with an magnificenet indoor arena. There is a cozy 2 room office with separate entrance and ½ bath. This barn consists of almost 12,000± square feet and in addition to the arena it contains 24 box stalls-lined in European Cedar. The barn is ringed with a mezzanine level viewing platform and includes a 105 foot long stairway leading to the cupola and widow's walk which has spectacular views of the surrounding countryside. Of course, the barn is fully equipped with water and power.

The detailing and construction on the barn is magnificent with skylights, circular windows, Victorian trim, and massive construction throughout that give it in air of permanence even today. Other amenities in the vicinity of the barn include an outdoor arena of approximately 152 feet by 72 feet, three covered paddocks that are approximately 16 feet x 22 feet, and a hot walker. There are three fenced pasture that are cross fenced and automatically watered.

What makes this such a special horse property is not just the barn and associated structrers but the wonderful trails on the property itself. There are sweeping views of Sonoma County's rolling hills, oaks, and redwoods. In addition to the trails on the property itself, the land abuts Foothill Regional Park and Chalkhill Winery. Foothill Regional Park has 200+ acres of riding trails and can be entered directly from Mt Weske. You have access to miles of trails without ever having to cross a road or load a trailer.

An estate wouldn't be complete without a home, and on this property you get two quality custom built homes constructed of redwood and cedar which provide gracious accommodations for owners and guests.

Main House

The main house is a custom split level home built with great attention to detail. As a former contractor myself I can appreciate all the little touches that indicate the builder was a top-notch professional. From the perfect nailing patterns on the wood siding to the non-staining nails and roof mounted fire sprinkler system, this house is extremely well constructed.

The home consists of three generous bedrooms, 2 ½ custom tiled baths, formal dining room with garden views, living room with large stone fireplace and vaulted beam ceilings, and a kitchen with laundry and other utility spaces nearby. There are decks from many of the rooms and the entire house is surrounded with beautiful gardens and lawns. Each of the rooms has wonderful views. Overall, the house totals approximately 3,200 sq ft

Pool Area

The main house is also the location for the pool and pool house. These are definitely estate grade features and although they require some maintenance, the ingredients are in place for spectacular outdoor living in Sonoma County style.

The pool is an inground concrete freeform large black bottom pool with hot tub, fountain and waterfalls. The whole area is fully fenced and decked as well as beautifully landscaped. The adjacent pool house includes a covered BBQ area, a gazebo, a greenhouse, a bar, a canning Kitchen, an outdoor Kitchen, and a dressing room with shower and ½ bath. That description doesn't even go into the thorough irrigaton systems or the extensive drainage network that serves the pool area.

Gate House

The gate house at the entrance to the property is a Victorian cottage with 2 bedrooms, one large sky lit bath, living room, and a large country kitchen with vaulted ceilings. The cottage is approximately 1,000 square feet. There is a covered deck off rear and a covered front porch. The cottage is charming and filled with interesting architectural touches.

Outbuildings

Shop/office: 30'± x 40'± with skylights, concrete floors; 220V- 8'± x 40'± rear covered storage area. Office with custom built in storage

Garage: 22' ± x 20'± concrete floors. Parking for 7 cars. Paved drive and parking area.

Tractor Barn: 1,200± square feet.

Stone Bridge

Constructed around the same time as the Barn in late 1800's with San Francisco Cobblestone pavers.

Well

Water is always an issue in California. This property has an abundance of water from a well that can produce 300 gallon per minute.

more photos

There is almost too much to tell you about for a blog post. The best suggestion I have is for you to come have a look at this wonderful property that is available for a remarkably reasonable price of $2,900,000. You aren't going to get an opportunity like this very often.

Healdsburg Jazz Festival

Dave Roberts (Healdsburg Sotheby's International Realty) — Tue, 13 May 2008 19:37:25 -0500

Healdsburg is a fun place. One week it might be barrel tasting along the Russian River Wine Road. Another time it might be the famous FFA parade. We manage to get through these small town treats and the start of our Farmers' Market with a fair measure of pride and joy in our small town.

Coming up at the end of the month is an event to prove that our life doesn't completely revolve around wine or growing grapes and specialty vegetables. This year is the tenth anniversary of the Healdsburg Jazz Festival, and there's a great lineup of music. Acts include Charles Lloyd, Zakir Hussein, Cedar Walton, Charlie Haden, Billy Hart, Joshua Redmond, George Cables, Julian Lage, Pete Escovedo, Eddie Palmieri ... and so many more! Ten great days of jazz to celebrate ten great years of jazz in Healdsburg.

REO List and update for Sonoma County

Dave Roberts (Healdsburg Sotheby's International Realty) — Sat, 10 May 2008 12:10:24 -0500

Bargain hunting buyers are back in the hunt for homes in Sonoma County. In the last thirty days there have been 226 new residential REO properties added to the market, primarily in Santa Rosa, but with homes in Petalua, condos in Rohnert Park, and even a wine country property near Healdsburg. 68 of these new REO listings have already been bagged by people who appreciate bargain prices. Anecdotally we are hearing stories of multiple offers and overbids that are firming up prices at the low end of the market.

My crystal ball is not clear enough to tell me we are at the bottom of the market. However, what is demonstrated by the renewed activity by buyers is that many investors and wanna-be home owners have decided that the time is right to begin to buy again. We have sales of REO properties from $107.000 to nearly $1,000,000, so there are bargains to be had at all price points.

I'll extend to all my ActiveRain readers the same offer I made to readers of my sonoma.net blog. I will do a custom search of REO properties in Sonoma County for you if you tell me what areas of Sonoma County you are interested in and/or what price range you want. I can set this up either as a one time search or an ongoing automatic search to look for new REO listings.

Healdsburg Historic Home Tour

Dave Roberts (Healdsburg Sotheby's International Realty) — Thu, 01 May 2008 00:38:35 -0500

Healdsburg has some beautiful old homes. Sunday, May 4, 2008 is the date for the 18th Annual Healdsburg Historic Home Tour. This great event is sponsored by the Healdsburg chapter of the American Association of University Women as a benefit for Healdsburg schools. The weather almost always cooperates and the tour is a wonderful opportunity to see homes that are almost never open to the public. You can follow the links above to purchase your tickets in advance, but you can also pick up tickets on Sunday at the Healdsburg Museum on Matheson St. As you'll see later in the post, you can also stop by to see me at an open house in an 1895 Victorian that isn't on the tour.

In addition to the six historic Healdsburg homes that will be open to the public on the self guided tour, there are two historically significant homes in Healdsburg that are currently being marketed by Healdsburg Sotheby's International Realty. One is an 1871 Greek Revival home at 227 North St. in Healdsburg. This classic is on a very deep lot and has living spaces on three levels. It's available to see, but on an appointment only basis. If you're in town for the home tour, it's worth walking by this very significant home. It's one of my favorite buildings in town, even as a hard core fixer. You can click on the image of the house to get more details about the property.

The second historic property we are listing will be open to the public during the same hours as the historic home tour, from 1:00 to 4:30 pm. This Victorian, built around 1895, is located at 401 Matheson just a few blocks from the plaza. In addition to the main Victorian, there are two duplexes and an additional studio in back of the property. I'll be hosting the open house and would love to meet any ActiveRain readers who stop by.

State Energy Conservation Rebates

Dave Roberts (Healdsburg Sotheby's International Realty) — Sat, 19 Apr 2008 12:39:34 -0500

Free Money! Hey, you can't say the government never did anything for you if you don't look around. This database contains great information about all the various ways you can get help, refunds, rebates, and information about renewables and energy efficiency. Most states have programs to encourage people to invest in energy saving technologies, but it's often hard to find the programs that are suited for you. This site contains everything you need to know. It includes information from the federal government, state government, local government, and utilities. Information includes rebates, but also information about construction, weatherization, and other topics that vary by state.

Sebastopol California bucks the market trends

Dave Roberts (Healdsburg Sotheby's International Realty) — Sat, 19 Apr 2008 12:01:50 -0500

Sometimes a graph is the best way to demonstrate a trend. I have been working with Altos Research to develop charts for Sonoma County. I love country property and small towns, so I generated some charts for Sonoma, Sebastopol, Healdsburg, and some of the other agriculture-surrounded towns in Sonoma County's wine country. One of the surprises that jumped out at me was that Sebastopol, alone among the Sonoma County towns, has continued strong median prices in the top quartile of the market.

This is a live chart, so the data will change over time, but as of the middle of April, 2008, the upper quartile of homes in Sebastopol is about 5% above a year ago. For Sonoma County, that increase in value during the past year isn't replicated anywhere else. The data set for charts like this is small. Not a lot of properties are changing hands, so one or two large sales can skew the market. Still, this is a good demonstration that real estate in Sebastopol is still strong.

Here's some more Sebastopol market data:

Once again, the data is live so these comments are for mid-April, 2008. The blue line represents median days on market for the top 25% of homes. There was the typical mid-winter doldrums period where the time increased, but the chart clearly shows that homes at the high end of the market are selling faster than any other market segment.

This final chart shows both the early spring uptick in people listing their homes for sale in Sebastopol, but also a healthy reduction in overall inventory back to levels from a year ago (as of mid-April, 2008) before the August meltdown in the sub-prime market.

If you are interested in the Sebastopol market, you can subscribe to a weekly report on many Sonoma County cities from my sonoma.net site.

Alexander Valley Estate Sites

Dave Roberts (Healdsburg Sotheby's International Realty) — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 19:27:55 -0500

Sonoma County has a well deserved reputation for scenic beauty. We're hilly enough to get above the valley floors so we can look out over both near and distant views. The farmers have planted the plains and hillsides with some beautiful vineyards to look at, and the areas too steep or too dry for vineyards have nice combinations of meadows, oaks, and redwoods to keep the eye enchanted.

The Alexander Valley is one of the premier appellations for Sonoma County wines. It's famed for Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay, and famed wineries like Silver Oak, Geyser Peak, Jordan, and Clos Du Bois are located here. At the north end of the valley on the eastern slopes just a stones throw from the Russian River are two parcels that I am lucky enough to be putting on the market.

These estate grade parcels are suited for either small vineyards or horses, and the views would justify a sprawling, open floor plan with windows and outdoor living spaces to encourage appreciation of the surroundings. I've put together a Real Estate Show for the lower 20.5 acre parcel that fronts on River Road outside of Cloverdale. You can get more details about this and the adjacent site at the Alexander Valley Land web site

Gail Ryan Gets her Due

Dave Roberts (Healdsburg Sotheby's International Realty) — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 16:10:06 -0500

We all have friends and coworkers that work hard and may never hear a word of praise or recognition. I wanted to take a minute out of my day, and yours, to send a shout of recognition to Gail Ryan of Healdsburg, California. Gail is a realtor at Healdsburg Sotheby's International Realty with superbly comprehensive knowledge of our town. She's the first to know of new listings and her brain contains histories of all the families who helped build the wine industry in Sonoma County.

That's all great and by itself would make Gail a wonderful addition to any office. What sets her apart is her fierce dedication to her rental clients, both the owners and tenants. She juggles thousands of details of repairs, vacancies, and showings with an impressive combination of telephone expertise, knowledge of available subcontractors and their foibles, and the occasional trio of girl renters who may have had just a little too much tequila.

She was just awarded the North Bay Bohemian's Best of the Year for 2008, an honor she richly deserves. Congratulations, Gail.

If you're looking for someone to manage your rental property in Healdsburg:

Gail Ryan
Healdsburg Sotheby's International Realty
709 Healdsburg Ave
Healdsburg, CA 85448
707-431-9757

gailryan@healdsburgrealty.com

Greener than thou.

Dave Roberts (Healdsburg Sotheby's International Realty) — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 01:25:48 -0500

Tossing an old refrigerator is greener than installing solar panels? You're got to be kidding, right? Solar is green. Solar is cool. Solar is NOW! Refrigerators are like, boring, boring, boring. How can tossing something as retro as my garage beer refrigerator be greener than solar.

Well, if you will bear with me while I haul out some dusty old ideas from economics...<cough, cough, blowing dust away> , I'll try to explain it to you. It's somewhere around here with the slide rules and punch cards...Ah, Here we are, Life Cycle Costing.

It's the magic bullet the California Energy Commission uses to explain why they make builders use better insulation levels or use insulated glass in new construction. The principle is that it's unfair to efficient technologies to only look at the initial cost. For example, R-30 insulation costs more than R-13. Likewise, well-sealed windows with low-e glass cost more than single pane, leaky windows. If builders only considered initial cost, they wouldn't build energy efficient homes. However, when you look at a reasonable time frame and add in the cost of energy, the higher insulation levels and better windows make economic sense.

It made enough sense for the California Energy Commission to mandate that builders take life cycle costs into consideration when they built starting back in the mid 1970's. Today California uses less residential energy per capita than any other state. It's mainly because of life cycle costing. (see chart at the bottom of this post)

So let's take a quick look at the old refrigerator vs solar panels is the same type of argument. If we assume that a new refrigerator uses about 450 kilowatt hours per year and our old garage-based beer cooler uses 1,000 kilowatt hours per year, we see that investing in a new refrigerator for $1,000 bucks saves about 550 kilowatt hours every year for the ten year productive life of the refrigerator. That's a cost of about 20 cents a kilowatt hour or $1,100 over that time span. Not great, but not too shabby. The cost savings basically paid the entire cost of the refrigerator

I'm not going to take you through the whole calculation about sizing photovoltaic systems including modules, batteries and inverters, but as a rule of thumb, a 1 kilowatt peak solar system will generate around 1,600 kilowatt hours per year in a sunny climate and about 750 kilowatt hours per year in a cloudy climate. That means that for a system that would generate the extra 550 kilowatt hours over a year to run the less efficient refrigerator you would be spending between $4,000 and $6,000 (rough approximation). Over the 20 year payback of the solar installation you would definitely get your investment back in avoided electricity costs and tax credits.

I thought I knew the answer to this question before I started, but I'm going to declare this a green tie. Tossing the old reefer into the recylcing pile and buying a new one is a better use for $1,000, but mainly because you can't get a fully functioning solar installation for that price. If you had $20,000 to invest for the long term, installing a PV system for your home or business could eliminate your electricity bill...forever. That's pretty green.

Thanks to Paul from Las Vegas for triggering this post.

Where does your state stand?

Ranking Highest	State	Population (thousands)	kWh (millions)	kWh per capita
1	Wyoming	509	14,138	27,787
2	Kentucky	4,173	89,351	21,414
3	District of Columbia	582	11,816	20,301
4	Alabama	4,548	89,202	19,612
5	South Carolina	4,247	81,254	19,132
6	Tennessee	5,956	103,905	17,446
7	Louisiana	4,507	77,389	17,170
8	North Dakota	635	10,840	17,081
9	Indiana	6,266	106,549	17,004
10	Arkansas	2,776	46,165	16,632
11	West Virginia	1,814	30,152	16,621
12	Mississippi	2,908	45,901	15,782
13	Nebraska	1,758	26,976	15,343
14	Idaho	1,429	21,853	15,288
15	Oklahoma	3,543	53,707	15,157
16	North Carolina	8,672	128,335	14,798
17	Texas	22,929	334,258	14,578
18	Georgia	9,133	132,265	14,483
19	Montana	935	13,479	14,420
20	Delaware	842	12,137	14,419
21	Iowa	2,966	42,757	14,418
22	Virginia	7,564	108,850	14,390
23	Kansas	2,748	39,024	14,200
24	Ohio	11,471	160,176	13,964
25	Missouri	5,798	80,940	13,961
26	Nevada	2,412	32,501	13,473
27	Washington	6,292	83,425	13,259
28	Minnesota	5,127	66,019	12,877
29	Oregon	3,639	46,419	12,756
30	Wisconsin	5,528	70,336	12,724
31	Florida	17,768	224,977	12,662
32	South Dakota	775	9,811	12,661
United States	296,507	3,660,969	12,347
33	Maryland	5,590	68,365	12,231
34	Pennsylvania	12,405	148,273	11,952
35	Arizona	5,953	69,391	11,656
36	Illinois	12,765	144,986	11,358
37	Michigan	10,101	110,445	10,934
38	New Mexico	1,926	20,639	10,716
39	Colorado	4,663	48,353	10,369
40	Utah	2,490	25,000	10,039
41	Connecticut	3,501	33,095	9,454
42	Vermont	622	5,883	9,452
43	New Jersey	8,703	81,897	9,410
44	Maine	1,318	12,363	9,378
45	Alaska	663	5,913	8,915
46	Massachusetts	6,433	57,228	8,895
47	New Hampshire	1,307	11,245	8,605
48	Hawaii	1,273	10,539	8,277
49	New York	19,316	150,148	7,773
50	Rhode Island	1,074	8,049	7,497
51	California	36,154	254,250	7,032

Going Green for $1,000 or Less

Dave Roberts (Healdsburg Sotheby's International Realty) — Mon, 17 Mar 2008 15:32:12 -0500

Dumping the Old Fridge is Greener than Installing Solar Panels

Let's face it. The greenest things you can do for your house and the planet fall a little short in the WOW Factor. Old refrigerators and freezers, and by that I mean almost any model from before 2000, are energy wasters compared to today's most efficient models. Dollar for dollar the best thing you can do for your house is to buy new refrigerators and freezers that use substantially less energy. Payback on a new machine can be as little as two years and most local utilities offer some sort of rebate or upgrade program to encourage their consumers to get a newer model. The government has some useful information about the Energy Star program

The second half of the green refrigeration solution is to make sure your old model gets recycled...and I don't mean the garage to keep your sodas cold, either. If you absolutely, positively want your sodas cold, buy a new refrigerator for the garage or rec room. Your old one, whether it's in the kitchen or the garage, is an energy pig. Modern recycling will safely remove the Freon or other refrigerant and send the steel off to to be made into something new and shiny. You can send it away knowing it will have a rich and worthwhile second life. Don't forget to keep your magnets.

The Joy of Attic Crawling

If the boring wisdom of getting a new refrigerator can't get your green gene fired up, how about a nice crawl through the attic or subfloor? It's very likely that as much as 20% of your heating and air conditioning dollar is being spent to heat and cool parts of your house you don't live in. Improperly sealed ducts, bad connections, and lack of insulation are major sources of wasted energy.

The good news is that I'm not going to ask you to crawl through scratchy fiberglass in your own attic. No, you get to hire a duct cleaning and repair specialist who can bring specialized equipment to clean and pressure test your system. Sadly, there's nothing glamorous left on your roof to show your neighbors you are Greener Than They Are. Maybe later.

Finally, the big bucks to show up the neighbors

Sorry. I feel like the Green Scrooge. You came for hot and sexy green-ness, and all I have for you is warm lime sherbet. I've already walked you through a new refrigerator and some duct repairs. Next on the cost efficiency list wouldn't normally be shiny new photovoltaics or a roof top wind turbine, but attic insulation, dual glazed windows, and weatherstripping instead. Still, it's my post and I'm going to skip that smart stuff and give you a chance to beat the neighbors to have the first photovoltaic installation on the block.

For around $600 installed, you can have a simple, cost-effective, energy saving, building-preserving, roof-extending, moisture reducing solar attic fan. It's a great way to introduce yourself to solar energy, do your house a favor, and have a small touch of one-upmanship in your neighborhood. They work from morning until night all year around helping to keep your attic air circulating. It will help keep your house cooler in the summer and help prevent moisture accumulation in the winter.

Three Green Cool Suggestions

These three green ideas aren't as HOT as some newer comprehensive strategies for sustainability. What they have in common is modest price tags that the average home owner can fit into their long term green budget. Each of them can be accomplished for under $1,000 and typically in one day. Going green can be fast, affordable, and create great long term savings. In my book, that's sexy enough.

Glory Stories - How Fast Can YOU Sell?

Dave Roberts (Healdsburg Sotheby's International Realty) — Tue, 11 Mar 2008 13:21:05 -0500

I was schmoozing with a friendly agent during a preview yesterday. We got to talking about how many properties you have to show a buyer to get a sale. The answers are obviously all over the map, but we were in about the same ballpark of ten to fifteen properties for a routine transaction. We got into a quickest sale story and we each had a one-showing sale to share. However, she told me a tale that had us both beat.

She's mentoring a new agent who is working hard to learn the business, but is still a little green. She is visiting open houses to see how they're done. Last week she was standing in front of an open house and a couple came out the door after visiting the house and stopped near her. She chatted with them for a few minutes and gave them her card.

They called the next day to have her write an offer, so if the deal goes through for her she'll have the distinction of selling a home without ever showing it. I hope she doesn't think it will always be that easy.

I'd love to hear your stories of quick victories or drawn out sales in the comments.

1871 Greek Revival near Healdsburg Plaza

Dave Roberts (Healdsburg Sotheby's International Realty) — Tue, 26 Feb 2008 19:27:31 -0600

California's historical architecture has been buffeted by earthquakes, floods, and fires. There just aren't a lot of residences that date back into the 1800's. That's why I am absolutely thrilled that Eric Drew, the owner and broker for our Healdsburg Sotheby's International Realty office, has obtained the listing for this historic Greek Revival home in Healdsburg.

One of the most visible and well preserved examples of a two-story Greek Revival residence in Healdsburg, this home has been a visual landmark for over 130 years. Built by and for John Marshall in 1871, this residence was considered outstanding at the time of its construction. The construction of this home also coincided with the arrival of the railroad, so this was an eventful period in Healdsburg.

The detailing on this house is superb with quoins in still excellent condition on the corners and lovely detailing at the bay windows and portico. The grace of the lines and design is complemented by the almost half acre lot the house sits on.

It's likely the lot could be divided and a buildable second lot of approximately 10,000 square feet could be created.

The interior detailing of this Greek Revival home is fundamentally intact. The stairs and bannister here show the wear and tear of more than a century of use, but are sound. The baseboard, window and door casings, and other trim elements are present and in decent condition.

In recent years the home has suffered from deferred maintenance. The original brick foundation is failing in places although the house remains remarkably plumb and level. A new foundation could be built that would create additional high quality space in the current basement area.

The list of other repairs needed is extensive and makes this a residentail project suited for owners with experience in restoriation and remodeling and with a keen interest in historical restoration. At the same time that new owners would be undertaking a major project, they would also be gaining instant recognition and appreciation from the community for restoring an important landmark. This is a perfect fit for an old house enthusiast who wants a public relations coup when they relocate to the wine country.

Please contact me if you would like more details about this property.

UPDATE- MARCH 19 - This house is now in escrow.

Foreclosure Prevention Act of 2008 - Bankruptcy Reform

Dave Roberts (Healdsburg Sotheby's International Realty) — Tue, 26 Feb 2008 12:19:45 -0600

The Senate is set to vote on ending debate on the Foreclosure Relief Act. This bill's most controversial provision would allow bankruptcy judges to reset the value of a homeowner's mortgage to the actual value of the home. In a typical example, a home that had sold for $300,000 in 2005 might be worth only $240,000 today, and the bankruptcy judge could set the value of the loan to $240,000.

Proponents claim the bill would help keep hundreds of thousands of homeowners in their homes and preserve the character of neighborhoods that could otherwise be filled with abandoned homes. In addition, this proposal is at basically no cost to the government which is appealing to most taxpayers.

Leading the opposition are mortage bankers who would bear the brunt of the bill's provisions. In addition to the immediate write downs they would have to absorb, they suggest that new loans would be made at higher rates to reflect their losses on old loans.

If you feel that something needs to be done to stem the tide of foreclosures, you might want to contact your Senators to let then know how you feel on this issue.

Healdsburg fixer - lowest price SFR in town

Dave Roberts (Healdsburg Sotheby's International Realty) — Thu, 07 Feb 2008 12:54:47 -0600

Fixer Hero Wanted

This forlorn home is in dire need of a rescuer. The stairs and decks are a wreck, water damage to walls and floors is evident in some areas, the paint is almost pre-stripped on the south side, and the foundation has allowed floors to wave and sink. In spite of all this, the house's strong bones and good basic materials indicate the potential to make this a great home again. If this house was anywhere else, it would be a tear down. As it is, the choice to fix the existing property has to be balanced against the extra trouble caused by working within existing walls and conditions.

This $285,000 home would require a ground up effort including a new septic system, foundations, a lot of framing, and extensive ripping out of walls, windows, doors, plumbing, electrical, etc. Of course, the work you have to do would convert this from the eyesore of the mountain to a new gem in a great neighborhood.

The wonderful views and great southern exposure qualify this location as one of the best on Healdsburg's Fitch Mountain. There is great sunshine all year and the westerly views to the river and vineyards are spectacular. The current home was build with one major deck for outdoor living. It's possible in a re-design to have three levels of outdoor space including an expansive roof top deck.

This isn't a project for the faint of heart or construction novices. There will be large investments of money and extensive negotiatons with Sonoma County to repair violations and get permission to install an upgraded septic system. Battles are possible, but not inevitable. At the end of the day, this is an opportunity to acquire the lowest priced single family home in Healdsburg (as of Feb 7, 2008). The fact that it has the potential to be a wonderful, sunny home in a great neighborhood is a bonus.

Energy Efficient Stimulus Package in the Senate

Dave Roberts (Healdsburg Sotheby's International Realty) — Sat, 02 Feb 2008 23:08:16 -0600

As real estate professionals and conumers alike, we have a strong interest in helping the housing industry become more energy efficient. Every dollar saved on energy costs can be applied towards higher mortgage payments or other costs homeowners are faced with. The tax incentives in the Senate Finance Committee stimulus package put money back into the economy by encouraging the purchase of energy-efficient products and services, and put money back in the hands of American consumers by lowering their monthly energy bills, which are estimated to average roughly $2,200 this year. The incentives include:

A homeowners tax credit (up to $500) provide incentives for consumers for installing energy efficient furnaces, windows, exterior doors, metal roofs and insulation to make their homes more efficient; the credit is also available for then installation of energy efficient furnaces, boilers, central air conditioners, heat pumps or water heaters.
A new residential homes tax deduction for builders that erect new homes that exceed the national model energy code by 50% (subject to certification) and to producers of manufactured homes that exceed a national model building code by 30% or that meet Energy Star standards.
A commercial buildings tax deduction for owners or tenants that make energy efficient improvements to new or renovated commercial buildings that cut by at least half the annual heating, air conditioning, ventilation, water heating, and interior lighting costs that meet the national ASHRAE standard 90.1-2001.
A set of appliance manufacturer tax credits to encourage production of very high-efficiency appliances such as clothes washers, dishwashers, and refrigerators (so-called "white goods").
The American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy has estimated that enactment of these provisions could result in a reduction of 97 MMT of carbon and $22 billion in net savings on energy costs cumulatively thru the year 2030.

Write your senators today