Kirsten's Sonoma Real Estate Blog

Wondering about Sonoma Open Houses on Sunday February 28, 2010?  There are 19 open houses in Sonoma on Sunday this week. For quick reference I'm providing this list right out of our MLS open house directory.  If you want more information on any of these Sonoma open house listings let me know...I've got it.  All are open from 2-4PM.  I'll be holding one of these open....180 4th Street East on East Side Sonoma.   Come on by!

If you're looking for real estate in Sonoma Valley call, text, or email me.  I look forward to hearing from you! 

The Sonoma Valley Musem of Art is kicking off another year of fun social events with a great local blues band that's sure to be a crowd pleaser.   The Whiskey Thieves will be playing an acoustic set at the upcoming "MIX" event which focuses on art, music, and cocktails.

Everything else you need to know is laid out below: 

SVMA hasbecome a treasured institution in Sonoma and throughout Sonoma Valley.  When you become a member you enjoy quite an array of benefits.  It's a great place.  Hope to see you there!

P.S.  My office is just around the corner from the Sonoma Valley Museum of Art at 25 E. Napa St, facing Sonoma Plaza.

Kirsten's Sonoma Real Estate Report - February 25, 2010 Broker Tour

 The Sonoma Real Estate market's February 25, 2010 Broker Tour is showcasing 8 listings this week...and four are not so new:

1. 820 West Spain Street is a 2bed/1.5 bath condo in Sonoma Commons Affordable housing complex.
2. 184 Central Avenue is located in "The Springs" and is listed as a charming 1940's Sonoma Bungalow with a cozy living room and large sunny kitchen.
3. 3022 Warm Springs Road in Glen Ellen is a short sale featuring 3.58 acres is bordered by a year-round creek & beautiful vineyard with a 3-horse stable.
4. 18919 Riverside Road sold for $560,000 in 2008 and has 7 bedrooms, 4 baths, 3 kitchens. Possible uses: extended family situation, group care home, large home w/granny.
5. 273 Richards Blvd. is described as a newly built craftsman-style home with hand-crafted cabinetry, antiqued granite counters and Brazilian cherry wood floors, and chef's kitchen.
6. 255 Richards Blvd. is also new construction with views of western Sonoma Valley and hills.
7. 19651 7th St. E. is a listing that was temporarily taken off the market last winter and it's in a great location close to Sonoma Plaza on a 4+/- acre parcel with a 2+/- acre vineyard, olive grove, fruit trees & stunning historic stone barn. Two bedroom, two bath home and five bedroom and three Bedroom approved septic.  (The photo of the barn and vineyard is one I took last year.) 
8. Finally, 4565 Grove is the highest priced introduction to the market and is listed with the following description:  "Fabulous eclectic dramatically remodeled residence, with top quality finishes, offering the most spectacular sweeping views of the Sonoma Valley."

I'm heading up to take a look at 4565 Grove and will post pix of it later today.

If you have any questions about these Sonoma Valley properties....call, text, or email me.  Let's talk Sonoma real estate and I'll tell you why Sonoma County is the Happiest County in California!

Coming soon to the Sonoma Real Estate Market:  A Big Wave of REOs.   This was the news in our weekly Monday office meeting.   We got word that the Bank of America is planning to introduce about 300 Sonoma County REOs within the next 90 days.   We also heard that 30 of the REOs will be Sonoma Valley real estate listings and among them....will be a couple of $2 Million dollar properties.

We currently have 181 residential listings in our market and 14 of those are REOs.  You don't have to be a mathmatician to figure out that the anticipated new REOs would triple our inventory of bank-owned listings.   That's a significant increase by anyone's standards.

But wait...there's more!  And probably lots more.  The B-of-A's Sonoma County REOs are likely just a fraction of what's in the pipeline.  Other banks including Wells Fargo, Chase, Citibank, Countrywide, and local lenders have not revealed how many Sonoma County REOs they will be putting on the market in the coming months.  I wonder if a 2010 flood of Sonoma County foreclosures has begun?

East Side Sonoma CA - Open House Sunday February 21 - 2-4PM

180-4th Street East, Sonoma, 95476

This is a lovely home in the very desirable East Side area of Sonoma.  It's located just blocks from the Sonoma Plaza and center of town in a well-established neighborhood of lovely higer-end homes.  Great location for easy access to nearby wineries, including Sebastiani and Ravenswood.  Convenient to fantastic restaurants.  Please come by and visit....and let's talk about Sonoma real estate!

Sonoma is California's happiest county according to a new Galllup poll.  I can't say I'm surprised at this since people do seem happier here than elsewhere.  Folks smile at you on the street and they wave from their cars.  But, please, don't just take it from me.  Here's a link to a story about the survey.

I can't imagine being unhappy here.  I've spent alot of my life on Sonoma Mountain land once owned by author Jack London who famously said, "I have everything to make me glad I am alive.  I am filled with dreams and mysteries. I am all sun and air and sparkle. I am vitalized, organic."   That was written in the early 1900's.   How happy I am that some things remain the same even after 100 years.   Yes.  Happiness is living in Sonoma County.

Sonoma Bakeries Are Wine Country Treats --- Not Bottled, But Baked

Sonoma bakeries don't get the glory they deserve simply because they are less publicized wine country treats and not bottled, but baked.  I think it's time our bakeries in Sonoma get recognition, too.  Telling you about them is easy for me.  I've got a crazy-vicious sweet tooth so I know them all...far better than I should.

I'll start with Scandia, which most tourists miss but locals hold in high esteem.  The storefront in a strip mall on the west side of town is plain but Scandia's Princess Cake is anything but that.   It's an elegant dome of layered buttery cake, filled with whipped cream, and coated with an icing made with that almost intoxicating almond flavored stuff craved by my Danish step-dad:  Marzipan!  I love it, too.  Is this because I'm Swedish...or a closet princess?   I don't know but it's a birthday cake of choice for many and often selected as a wedding cake.

Artisan Bakery, on West Spain Street, is both a retail and wholesale operation which bakes specialty breads that are sold in Northern California grocery stores.  Their multi-grain whole wheat round usually winds up at home with me after I stop in there.  And, their scones follow me right out the door.

Fiorini, also on West Spain but closer to the plaza,  is the newest bakery in Sonoma and it's fast become a hot spot for those who love  Italian pastries and desserts.  The owners are natives of Italy and with Sonoma's Italian heritage they sell a lot of cannoli, pannetone,  and tiramisu.

And then there's the Basque Boulangerie on Sonoma Plaza, a hangout for locals and tourists who can't resist the fresh-baked cookies, muffins, and breads.  The Basque, as we call it, also serves breakfast and lunch and offers coffee, tea, and wine by the glass.  It gets pretty crowded and the service can be slow but if you're not in a hurry it's worth the wait.

My favorite, you ask?  It all depends on which of these Sonoma bakeries is nearest when my sweet tooth attacks.

Sonoma in Spring - It's Buttercup season.

Spring in Sonoma brings back childhood memories of family hikes in the meadows on Sonoma Mountain.  After the refreshing rains of winter, the wildflowers here are insanely beautiful.  One of the first to appear is the cheerful and brilliant Buttercup.

On our walks we would always stop to pick these happy harbingers of sunny days ahead and my Grandfather would say, "Now hold them under your chin."  Gramp would smile, and look surprised and delighted.  Then, he would ask, "You know what this means, don't you, kids?" 

Even though we'd done this many times before, my brother and sister and I would shake our heads and ask him to tell us (again.)

Gramp would say, "Well, by golly, that golden glow under your chins means you kids love butter!"  And we'd say, "Oh yeah, Grampa, we already knew that."  And proudly we'd walk home clutching our bunches of Buttercups for Gram who had a vase waiting in the kitchen.

Sonoma in spring is Buttercup season.  For me, it's also time for cherished memories of the many  Sonoma springs with which I've been blessed.

Update on Sonoma Real Estate Listings - February 11, 2010

Our active real estate listings inventory remains low here in Sonoma with just eight new listings introduced to the market this week.   I find it remarkable that only one of these is listed as a short sale.  It's a home in Sonoma Greens priced at $479,000.  There are no new listings that are bank-owned...nor are there any on Sonoma's popular East Side.

The red flag marks Sonoma Plaza and...yes...this is a hard map to read.  I think you can get the gist of it, though.  Here's the list of new listings which I hope is easier to see.  I'm working on this, folks!

Call me if you want to chat about what's happening in my market.  And there will be more info on Sonoma Valley real estate coming up....so Stay Tuned!

Here's a list of 10 "Must Have" Home Features cited in a recent survey of home builders and I think it's a big heads up for sellers.  Do these recession-weary tradespeople have an agenda in sharing this list?  Sure, they want you to hire them to do the remodeling.  That's obvious.  But if you read through this "short list" you'll see things that make sense from a buyer's perspective.     Many relate to today's more frugal, built-for-the-long-term,  and stay-at-home lifestyle. 

1. Large kitchen with an island
2. Energy efficient appliances, insulation, and windows
3. Home office / study
4. Main-floor master suite
5. Outdoor living room
6. Ceiling fans
7. Master suite soaker tubs
8. Stone and brick exteriors
9. Community landscaping, including walking paths & playgrounds
10. Two-car garages

If you want to read the entire article just click here:    http://finance.yahoo.com/family-home/article/108701/the-10-must-have-features-in-todays-new-homes.html

Spring is coming and if you're going to be selling this year my advice is make home improvements so your place is as attractive as possible.  Today's buyers are value-driven but they most likely will be living in their "investment" for a long time, too,  so make your home irresistible.