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Sonoma County info

Your home and the Corona virus – silver lining

By | Sonoma County info | No Comments

As we see the pandemic unfold, we see it more and more affecting our every day life. Creating new habits and adjusting to a new reality. Oddly enough the basic advise from the CDC is to wash your hands frequently… Which is not a bad habit to have, washing hands seems ‘out of fashion’ in favor of using hand sanitizer. While this has for sure a place, the basic washing hands is what we ‘hopefully’ all learned when we were kids: It never goes out of style.

The recommendation to keep a save distance from others and for a lot of people the advise to ‘self-quarantine’ means to stay at home. One quote I saw popping by this week was when considering buying a new home: ‘can you see yourself being quarantined here’.  

Being home bound, working from home, now is a good opportunity to do things that we never get around to do: spring cleaning, organizing closets, working in the yard to prepare for summer, name it.  This is an opportunity to start new habits that last a life time.

There is always a silver lining. The pandemic caused by the Corona virus has cause mortgage interest rates to new historic level. A great time to refinance, being homebound will mean we have more time to get the needed paperwork in order. Contact me in case you are looking for a great lender to work with.

And last but not least, a great time to finally make that move to your dream home. The spring selling season has already started in the wine county, the forecast is a healthy real estate market in out area. And new technology makes it easier than ever to virtually tour a home as well as other out of the box solutions.

And in the mean time, enjoy our beautiful surroundings !

 

Mirjam

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!

Rebuilding Sonoma County – sustainable living

By | Sonoma County info | No Comments

It’s been more than 2 years since the firestorms in 2017, we lost apx. 5000 homes just like that… While Sonoma County had and still has an aging housing inventory, we are seeing now the results of the rebuilding efforts. While I love historic properties, it’s great to see all the new construction projects coming on the market. At this moment the construction of apx 25% of the properties is completed – Data from the record of Santa Rosa city and the County -.

This week’s winner was a fantastic home at 3969 Hansford ct in Santa Rosa: a home built by a local builder for resale. The floor plan layout was well done, perfect to host a nice party, surrounded by a drought resistant garden. Walking through the home,  all the LED light fixtures from the Minka Light fixture Collection truly an inspiration.

We see more and more homes being built with a focus lowering the carbon footprint in mind. Starting in 2020, California is the first state in the nation to require all newly built homes to be solar-powered.  This comes with tax benefits, especially for the homes that are electric powered only. The two main incentives for property owners to install solar in California are the 30% federal solar tax credit and the net metering law.

 

 

 

 

 

Mirjam

Selling Historic properties – The Francis House in Calistoga

By | Sonoma County info, Visit WineCountry | No Comments

Thomas Edison once said: Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work.

Quite a few years ago, on my way to an appointment to sell a historic property, I drove by a property that was old and in disrepair, intrigued by the setting and the roof. I even took a picture thinking that it would be quite special to ever sell a property like that.

A few years later a received a phone call from a friend asking whether I’d be interested in selling an old building in Calistoga that had been foreclosed upon by a local investment company… Yes you guessed right, it was the old building I was intrigued with years before.

It was a long journey to sell this once so gorgeous grand dame called the Francis House, it was initially built in 1886 by a local merchant James Francis. It is unique since it’s the only stone building with authentic French Second Empire architecture in Napa County, the signature architecture of France popularized by Napoleon III in the mid-19th century and characterized by a mansard roof.. It was put on the national list of historic places in 1979.

Selling unique properties is all about finding the right buyer. A lot of people were intrigued by the property and wanted to restore it. Yet this was a unique property and hence a unique opportunity not for the faint of heart. All but one had to realize that it was too much to take on. In of June in 2o15 Richard Dwyer called to see the property. After showing the property and talking to Richard and Dina I realized I had found the right buyer, they LOVED historic properties, had the knowledge and the resourced to take on this to unique property. At once point during the escrow process, Richard said: there are a lot of unknowns but we love the property and will somehow make it work… After a last negotiation because of the immense permit fees that would be required by the city of Calistoga we ended up closing escrow in September of 20

 

It took more than 3 years to find the right buyer, partially due to the fact that we were still coming out of a recession and partially due to the fact that it takes time to find the right buyer for unique properties. Then it took about 3 years for Richard and Dina Dwyer to restore this unique grand dame to its original grandeur and the some extra.
I highly recommend considering this small inn for your next stay in the Wine Country. Sonoma Magazine is featuring this incredible property : A Piece of Calistoga Becomes Luxury Five-Room Inn

I will forever be grateful to this special couple to take on this project so dear to my heart.

Mirjam

 

A little more than 6 months later

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

Rebuilding goes fast! When my dad first came to visit us in the United States and noticed homes being made of wood instead of brick, his first response was: If I would live here I would built my own house. In the Netherlands, all homes are made of brick and concrete, a much longer process. Remodeling is also a lot more complicated. 

I had to think of dad when seeing some of the homes that are rebuilt after the fires, already ready to move into! The Coffey park area has quite a few that are ready to move back in, as a matter of fact the first home owner moved in a few weeks ago. Dan Bradford was the first to move back into his rebuilt home in the Coffee Park area. Per June 22 there were 222 homes under construction in the Coffey area. In the Mark West area as well as in the Fountaingrove area, we are seeing the same happens. It shows the resilience and determination to rebuilt and restore our local community #sonomastrong

In the mean time we all have become more aware of fire hazards, planting more fire resistant vegetation around the house, and creating a fire barrier were possible. 

The local parks are an explosion of wild flowers, it’s an incredible time to go outdoors and see the rebirth of our parks, Sonoma County is a beautiful place to live. Check out the website of the regional parks to pick your favorite park. And while you visit the website, either join or donate, extra funds are needed to support the rebuilt of the trails.

It’s a great time to visit enjoy everything our beautiful area has to offer!

Mirjam