Category

Buyers

Feb 23
0

Love where you live

By | Buyers, Sonoma County info, Visit WineCountry | No Comments

When searching for that perfect home, so many things are to be taken into consideration. The perfect location has everything to do with lifestyle. An example that always comes to mind when thinking about this is my brother. He purchased a small house in Zwartsluis, a historic town surrounded by water. He loves water sports, the boat launch is across the street from where he lives. Although the home is small he loves living there, the house is walking distance to downtown. When visiting my brother I love walking trough the small street to the lively and touristy downtown area.

When it comes to living in the wine country, there are so many options to choose from. Petaluma has a totally different climate and ‘vibe’ than Healdsburg, Santa Rosa, Windsor or Sebastopol. For those who like the outdoors, proximity to parks and recreation areas count. For families with children the proximity to schools and after school activities are a priority. And this is only a start.

So when it comes to searching for the perfect property for your lifestyle and needs, it’s a great idea to team up with a local realtor. This is even a good idea when you have lived in the area a long time. Quite often I hear from my clients when I mention an area or neighborhood that they didn’t know it existed and it has happened more than once that my clients ended up in that location/neighborhood.

So don’t be surprised when your realtor is asking you a lot of questions about your lifestyle, needs and wants or has a questionnaire for you to fill out when you start the process of finding that perfect home. You might find out that there might be an even better match than what you initially had in mind.

Enjoy the spring like weather in our beautiful county!

Mar 18
0

Rebuilding Sonoma County

By | Buyers, Firestorm 2017, Natural disasters, Sonoma County info, Visit WineCountry | No Comments

Trucks and trucks with debris are slowing the traffic down. And result are showing, after 4 months almost all lots are cleared and ready to rebuilt. It will be interesting to see how many people will rebuilt their homes and how many will sell the cleared parcel.

The fact that different volcanic geologic formations sit side means that many toxic substances – arsenic, mercury, thallium to name a few- are naturally occurring. Ancient volcanic soils in the rocky Fountaingrove area, known as tertiary volcanics, are different than those in the more recent but related sedimentary soils in the surrounding valleys, referred to as quaternary Pleistocene volcanic. A great place to learn more about the ancient and not so ancient history about or area is the petrified forest exhibit on Petrified Forest road. It’s currently closed because of the fires and is expected to open soon.

The county and Army Corps of engineers have been talking for weeks on revising standards. Our first initial response might be that this is not in our best interest, but they are working on standards that according to their findings closer to the average natural background levels in an area.

When buying a home, one of the mandatory reports a seller has to provide is the Natural Hazard report. This report is put together by a third party and touches on many of the natural hazards in an area, including the soils. This report is limited as to all the toxic substances in an area but gives great insight as to the area. It mentions naturally occurring asbestos. I suspect that we will see the effects of the wild fires reflected in future reports.

Over the years I have come to the conclusion that very few buyers read this report from cover to cover. I highly recommend buyers take the time to read this report thoroughly and contact the company that provided the report with any questions.

Right now as realtor I am focused on this, however it’s spring time, the fires affected apr 2.5% of all the homes in Sonoma County, 97.5% of the homes were unaffected by the area. Sonoma County is a beautiful place to live!

Mirjam

Dec 17
0

Home Improvement Projects are booming

By | Around the house, Buyers, Sellers | No Comments

The Return on Home Improvement Projects

NAR’s 2015 Remodeling Impact Report shows both buyers and sellers  benefit of a completed home improvement project. The report documents the reasons why a particular project is chosen and measures the happiness a project can bring the owner once the project is complete. Sixty-four percent of respondents experienced increased enjoyment in their home after completing a project,  75 percent of respondents said they felt a major sense of accomplishment. Although home improvements can be time consuming and sometimes costly, these positive responses seem to indicate that the end result is worth the investment.

When it comes to interior projects:  kitchen upgrades, complete kitchen renovations, bathroom renovations and new wood flooring are among the best investments. These projects also appear to have the highest expected value at resale. Exterior projects that bring the best return on investment and attract potential buyers are: new roofing; new vinyl windows; new garage doors. The majority of these exterior projects are projected to nearly cover their cost at resale.

Remodeling projects can greatly improve both the value of and satisfaction with your home. This makes a remodel project worth your while, no matter the reason for a project,

This report highlights the best projects to consider in either situation and showcases just how much of a difference a good and professional remodel can make in real numbers.

Mirjam

Nov 27
0

A new Purchase Agreement for California

By | Buyers, Disclosures, Sellers | No Comments

When we bought our first property in CA we had to educate ourselves. Real Estate in the Netherlands is totally different, it has more resemblance to what is customary on the east coast. The purchase agreement is different in every state and they change from time to time.  Last week we had an official training in our office to go over all the changes in the new purchase agreement we use in California. The last time this agreement changed so much was 17 years ago.

The new agreement is 10 pages long, the changes reflect recent changes in law as well as feedback from the industry. The program used by Realtors to fill this out, automatically adds forms as needed. Here is a sample draft : new RPA draft

I see quit often that a purchase agreement is filled out in a rush: at the end of a day of looking at properties. Everyone is tired, there is no time to go over the offer at length. Much better for any buyer is to go over the standard agreement beforehand and discuss questions and details that reflect specific needs before making an offer. Personally I give every buyer a Buyer’s Guide for our area the moment we discuss the plans to purchase property. Besides other good information, there is a copy of a current purchase agreement and other forms that are normally used as well as the local general disclosures. This copy can be studied/highlighted so I can answer any questions. Just sold

There are many important details that need to be decided upon when buying a home. It is important to address these before making an offer, not in a rush while preparing the offer.

Mirjam

Oct 26
0

Purchase Real Estate with Bitcoin

By | Buyers, Economy, Sellers, Sonoma County info | No Comments
Bitcoin

Image source https://www.flickr.com/photos/100239928@N08/

An article on August 8 in WSJ online caught my eye: Lake Tahoe Property Sells for $1.6 Million in Bitcoins. Bitcoin is a software-based online payment system, a digital currency. Here is other article about this transaction in Martis Camp’s Lodge Estates. The transaction was paid using the bitpay service. 

At first it looks unusual but from a transaction perspective it is  more like a cash transaction. Instead of dollars, euros or yens, bitcoins are used. Similar to when paying with ‘foreign’ currency, an exchange rate is used. The property in Lake Tahoe sold for 2,739 BTC which was at the time appr $1,6 million.Dutch Euro

What currency or method is used to pay for property is something to agree upon between the buyer and the seller. Whether a buyer uses a mortgage, pays cash, uses a digital currency, or even an exchange -for instance an other property of equal value- doesn’t matter as long as the  parties involved agree and the method of payment is legally acceptable. Of utmost importance is to check with a CPA/financial advisor for tax consequences and an attorney as to possible legal consequences.

Bottom line: whether or not paying in bitcoin does not make a whole lot of difference to a transition as a whole. Buyers do their due diligence – the standard time for inspections etc in our local contracts is 17 days-, sellers do their due diligence -in this case whether the method of payment is acceptable – and upon agreement the deal closes.

Mirjam