Please come by if you're in the area.  I am hosting a Buyers Seminar on the Plaza in Sonoma from 6:30 - 8:00 p.m. at the Coldwell Banker office (9 E Napa).  Refreshments will be served.  The seminar is free and for informational purposes only.  There will be a lender on hand to conduct the seminar and provide useful information about tax credits, available mortgages, interest rates etc.  I would love to meet you!

Jane

Reason #10

The terrific coffee shops on the Plaza.  Enjoy coffee and a pastry or award winning breads at the Basque Boulangerie or go to the Sunflower Cafe and sit in their awesome garden for breakfast or lunch (bring your dog if you want or your laptop because they have free high speed wireless internet).  I have enjoyed many a morning at these 2 spots.  You can spend hours chatting with friends in the back garden at the Sunflower Cafe and forget about the world outside or sit outside the Basque and watch the world go by.

 Sunflower Cafe

 Basque Boulangerie

Next time you come to Sonoma, forgo your Starbucks and try one of these local spots.  You'll be glad you did.  See you in Sonoma sometime. :)

Isn't it amazing what the sunshine can do to lift the spirits?  A couple of sunny days in the 60s and I'm feeling good in Sonoma, CA.  What's the weather where you are now?

 

When I first heard about Active Rain and blogging I thought I would blog right away and on a regular basis.  I hit the blocks running and ...then...phew....that was it.  So, here is my attempt to get through the blog clog and flow once again.  I am sitting in our office on the Plaza in Sonoma, CA watching the cars and people go by.  Even though it is somewhat chilly the door is ajar to invite all the home buyers into the office.  Any second now they will all come pouring in and I'll have to abruptly end this blog.  There are actually some great deals to be had on Sonoma homes, but the buyers have gone underground.  I don't blame them for being cautious, but they have so much power right now.  

I was on the other side of the equation when I was a buyer in 1998 here in Sonoma.  My husband and I started looking for a home in April of 1998.  Each time we found something relatively in our price range and acceptable we had to put an offer on it the same day.  We lost 3 homes to overbidders and finally ended up getting our house in December of 1998.  We were lucky because it had just had a price reduction and fallen out of escrow that day.  Wouldn't it be nice to have been a Realtor back then.  ...Pause for daydreaming...

So anyway. buyers who would like to live in Sonoma, come have a look now.  Once things start rolling again you won't have the power that you do now.

   

If heard that this is a good time for anyone who might be in Sonoma October 14th.  A great place to get ideas,  enjoy the wine country and have a delicious lunch.

Wine Country Kitchen Tour
Sunday, October 14, 2007   9:30-3:30pm

Tour six Sonoma Valley kitchens, selected for their architectural significance, decor, style, creative use of space and innovation, as well as their uniqueness.

This year's selection includes a 'green' home built using sustainable materials, a newly remodeled Craftsman-style kitchen that maintains its vintage charm, a showcase Italian beauty and more!

Chat with the homeowners, designers or docents, many who are local real estate agents with extensive knowledge, to learn details about the kitchens, their history and interesting remodeling processes, including information about architects, designers and contractors.

An al fresco luncheon will be hosted at one of the homes on the tour in a spectacular setting amongst vineyards, a pond and a beautiful flagstone patio shaded by oak trees. The menu will be prepared by two chefs from Whole Foods, Ben Mohan, the Whole Foods Regional Chef and Matt Murray who is based in Sonoma.

Sonoma Kitchen Tour tickets:
$35 if purchased by September 30th,
$40 after September 30th, and on the day of the tour.
Luncheon buffet tickets are $20. Please reserve by September 30th. 

Tickets are available at the Sonoma Community Center office,
276 East Napa Street, Sonoma.
Please contact the SCC office at 707-938-4626 x1

A benefit for the Center's own planned kitchen makeover.
Sponsored in part by Whole Foods, Dacor and Standards of Excellence.
 

Yesterday the ribbon was cut on a new, barrier free playground in Sonoma, CA at the Sonoma Charter School.  The school needed a new playground and began talking about ideas.  A parent expressed an idea to replace the existing structure with a playground for children of all abilities.  Principal, Nora Flood, ran with this idea and the result is the Harmony Playground for children of all ages and abilities.  School parents and volunteer community members spent countless hours organizing and erecting the playground. The playground is used by the school during normal school hours and is open to the entire community at all other times.  Come play in Sonoma!

I would love some feedback from the seasoned pros on Active Rain as to which is the smartest way they've used their money to promote themselves.  Was it ads in the local paper, Internet, shopping carts, giveaways?  I am at a place right now where I want to use some money for promoting myself, but being new means I don't have tons to throw around.  I know that I have to spend money to make money.  Any help would be greatly appreciated.   

Well, today I was suppose to close escrow on a property.  All the paperwork had been completed when I got a call this morning from the other agent saying we need an addendum taking one of the buyers off of the contract!  What?!  Apparantly the lender didn't want one of the 2 buyers listed on the contract because he was not essential to the loan.  And they waited until today because...?  So instead of enjoying a nice glass of wine and putting up my feet, I am in limbo hoping that this sale actually does go through tomorrow and not fall victim to the list of failures that seem to be taking over the lending world.  Cross your fingers for me.

Jane

I have friends who bought a house that just closed last week.  It was an "as is" sale that was a foreclosure.  This week when they ripped up the carpet to replace it, they found that the subfloors were mostly ruined by urine saturation and need to be replaced.  Do they have any recourse or do they just have to deal with it? 

Two days to go until the close of escrow on a property I listed.  Crossing my fingers that all the hard work will come to fruition.  With the way the banks are reining in loans and tightening policies, I won't breath a sigh of relief until it records.  Anyone else feel the crunch?

Jane