Category

Winery with picnic place

Apr 15
0

Location, Location, Location…

By | Buyers, Sonoma County info, Visit WineCountry, Wine Tasting, Winery with picnic place | No Comments

Number one rule in Real Estate: location, location, location. Recently I have been working with buyers relocating to Sonoma County. It’s fun, I get to ‘brag’ about Sonoma County, the ‘bragging’ is easy, Sonoma County is a great place to live. And yet within Sonoma County, there are many nuances as to neighborhoods, micro climates, schools, personal preferences.

I remember moving to California, I was brand new in USA, everything was different. Luckily, when we moved into our first rental there was a handyman who gave many great tips as to shopping etc. I had a map on the table and every time he mentioned something I asked him where is was and marked it on the map. This was a while ago, now I would search it with Google maps and write it down as a list. However, maps are great to get started thus I have maps for those who want to get introduced to Sonoma County and when we go house hunting. And besides a map, a list of great professionals who are local who are part of the team that makes for a smooth relocation experience… there will be some frustrations anyway…

Even though everything is new and exciting, it is good to make a list of things that are important, if possible even in order of priority… Is it the outdoors, the restaurants, the schools, what popular locally…

Recently I re discovered a great winery in Hopland. It’s about 40 minutes from Santa Rosa to Hopland, a beautiful drive, worth the trip. The winery is Campovida. The property used to belong to Fetzer Vineyards. Next to great wines, there are beautiful gardens to stroll through and you can also stay at the property. Gary and Anna will warmly welcome you as well as the friendly staff in the tasting room, tell them I said hi;)

Mirjam

May 29
0

Get Rich Quick Scheme

By | Buyers, Economy, Investing in Real Estate, Retirement, Sonoma County info, Wine Tasting, Winery with picnic place | No Comments

“Ora et Labora”, historically the mantra of the Northern provinces of the Netherlands. Totally opposite of this are the “Get Rich Quick Schemes” -> if it is too goo to be true… What does this have to do with Real Estate? Well, Real Estate is a great way to built wealth, to built a nest egg HOWEVER, it is not a quick rich scheme. It is consistent and stable, despite the ‘hick-up’ we had. The quick rich schemes in Real Estate in the roaring 2003/2006 didn’t work, initially the majority of all the foreclosures were non owner occupied, victims of these schemes. Not built on cash flow but solely on appreciation, hence the problem. Did you know we still has an increase of 30.14% since 2000 despite the negative economic factors?

What does this have to do with you? Real Estate is still a good way to built money for retirement, just as part of a good financial strategy. AND there is a need for rental housing: on average about 33% of all adult Americans need housing and are not in a position to buy. In the USA this is not provided by the government (as it is in Netherlands ->the local department of housing provides rentals) but provided by private investors. The reason for all the tax benefits for owning investment property.

Myth:you need to be rich to invest in real estate. Fact: median income for an investor in 2010 was $87,600. Myth: you need cash to buy properties for investment. Fact: there are great mortgage products available. And Self Directed IRA’s that allow you to invest in Real Estate.

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This overview of historic values in Real Estate speaks for yourself. We all know what happened in the 3 years we had negative appreciation. But do you also see it’s a tad bit above the 0% again. Just a but and that is GOOD, that is what we like to see. Do you know what this also means? That now is a great time to invest in real estate, the numbers haven’t been this good in a long time, in Sonoma County the last time we had this was about 27 years ago.

And although Real Estate is fun, don’t forget to enjoy the good things in life, next week Windsor Oaks Winery has a ‘Chillin’ by the Pinot Pond party. Julie and Doug are passionate about wine and are happy to share their passion and knowledge about wines with you.

Enjoy,

Mirjam

Nov 07
0

Reverse Mortgage – a way to foreclosure proof your house.

By | Aging in Place, Foreclosure, Mortgage, Retirement, Reversed Mortgage, Sonoma County info, Visit WineCountry, Wine Tasting, Winery with picnic place | 10 Comments

A few days ago I had coffee with David Carter, he is a reverse mortgage specialist at BofA. When I initially heard about reverse mortgage I thought is was some sort of a scam… I was wrong. As with any loan product, a reliable specialist is key and David is a specialist.

Recent legislation and changes in the marketplace are increasing the use of reverse mortgages. Here are three factors that make reverse mortgages an improved retirement-planning tool.

1. Fees are lower. The government, with support from lenders, has revised how reverse mortgages are structured.

2. Loans are more flexible. New loans let borrowers take money as they need it instead of all at once.

3. Selling isn’t always wanted, someone likes to stay in his/her house but need some extra income.

You can make payments on your mortgage but you don’t have to. This basically means that you cannot be foreclosed on when you don’t pay the mortgage.

You have to be 62 or older. For more information, contact David Carter: 707.235.8786.

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Fall is beautiful in the wine country, visiting wineries, taste and discover new wines… Found a great winery with a deck where you can enjoy a picnic as well as the views: Everett Ridge  Winery in Healdsburg

Have a great day!

Mirjam

Sep 11
0

Open House!

By | Buyers, Sellers, Visit WineCountry, Windsor, Wine Tasting, Winery with picnic place | 10 Comments

It used to be that doing an open house wasn’t that effective for selling a home. A few years ago the numbers showed that less than 0.5% of the houses was sold as result of an open house.

But the market is constantly changing and recently I have been noticing a shift. Buyers go to open houses to look at them without their agents and homes do get sold that way. I am wondering what the current percentage is, I haven’t seen any research from the NAR yet, if it comes out, I will keep you posted.

And this weekend I will do an open house at 7922 Fox Hollow Place in Windsor CA. Great property, it burned down in 1992 and was rebuilt and the owner put about $80,000 in upgrades in the house. This is for sure not a distressed property, if you know someone looking for a home that is ready to go, no worries about maintenance, here it is.

Also this weekend, lot’s of fun at the Francis Coppola winery in Geyserville . Harvest has begun, and they are celebrating with a weekend of winery events. The festivities kick off today  with Festival Vendemmia, our annual Wine Family Harvest Party, and continue on Sunday with an Italian Street Fair (11am-2pm), Kid’s Grape Stomp (12-2pm), and a live performance by BROTHERCAT (4-7pm).

Have a great weekend,

Mirjam

May 18
0

Green living in Sonoma County

By | Buyers, RE Investing, Sonoma County info, Visit WineCountry, Wine, Winery with picnic place | No Comments

picture-5.png Did you see the new homes at Bridge Trail at the North Village ? It’s developed by Hugh Futrell, a great developer who does unusual projects. He also build The Burbank on seventh street in Santa Rosa. Both developments have something special. All the homes at Bridge Trail come with solar panels a great way to lower your PG&E bill, actually there are tax rebates that can be claimed too!

The homes in the newer subdivisions are built on small lots (post stamp lots), the beauty of the Bridge Trail projects that it comes with open space/trails, kids will be able to walk to the Jack London Elementary and Piner Olivet Charter Middle school. And don’t forget the North Village club community center with pool gym etc.

The homes are priced in the low $400K range, should you be looking for a new home: there is lots of value that come with these homes. Tell them Mirjam de Rijk sent you and say hi to Stan and Juan.

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Yesterday’s Wine club party at Seghesio Winery in Healdsburg was great, 400 pounds of crawfish was flown in from New Orleans (Peter’s wife comes from New Orleans) and that was served cajun style with red potatoes, corn and sausage. It came with Gumbo, that was absolutely the best I had.Last time I mentioned the 2004 Venom, a Sangiovese from Rattle snake hill (sold to members only), this time I need to tell you about Defiant, a new wine that will come out next year. Peter shared some of it to sample: it is still very young but already delicious and my expectations are extremely high for when it come out next year. It’s a mix from some Italian vines, will have to ask again what’s in it since I did not write it down.

Oh, Seghesio is also a great place for a picnic: enjoy you picnic with a great glass of wine while enjoying a nice game of Bocce. It doesn’t come better than that: Sonoma County living at it’s best!

Have a great day!

Mirjam (707-486-2638)