Artisan Sotheby’s International Realty in Santa Rosa, Healdsburg and Sebastopol are now ranked #33 out of approximately 135 affiliates nationwide. Vice President of Affiliate Services, Jon Meschke stopped by our sales meeting in Healdsburg on Wednesday to share the good news. Contributing to the success of our 3 wine country offices is steady growth and an increase in production over the past year. The number of Realtors has gone from 57 to 71 and sales have doubled since this time last year. Congratulations to our hard working team of dedicated professionals. These impressive statistics represent their tremendous effort and continued diligence in a changing real estate market. We look forward to another great year with new opportunities and further success.
Healdsburg Large Country Property Listings
Big parcels of country land near Healdsburg don’t change hands very often. We are fortunate to have several large properties on the market that offer potential buyers a chance to acquire vineyard or estate land in Healdsburg’s wine country.
View of neighboring vineyards and hills
Charlene Schnall has listed 11450 Los Amigos Road, a 200 acre family-owned ranch that is surrounded by vineyards on the south and east. There are beautiful meadows with easy terrain that are very well suited to planting new vines. There are also five residential entitlements which would make this an excellent family compound or a luxury residential development. The current owners have a horse boarding and training facility adjacent to this property that they are planning to continue to operate, so equestrian buyers could easily take advantage of long term horse boarding while they are traveling or working elsewhere.
Mill Creek Rd. Vineyard and Estate Property
Jim Brush has a superb vineyard and estate property listed at 8679 Mill Creek Rd. This 207 acre property features 17 acres of high quality Cabernet Sauvignon and 18 acres of Merlot. There are spectacular views from almost everywhere on this property.
Add in the potential of several home sites, unbeatable privacy, and the headwaters of Mill Creek and you have a very special Healdsburg country property.
Update – Graham Sarasy from our Healdsburg office has just added a big vineyard on Rio Lindo, just outside of town. 45 acres planted on a 63 acre site.
To find out about these listings or other Sonoma County lots and land, contact any of the agents mentioned or any of our three offices.
Polo in the Wine Country
Charm
, elegance and the galloping rush of athletic equines charging across an open field! Polo, the sport of kings and at one time available only to royalty, will be on display right here in the middle of the Sonoma County Wine Country. On September 18 the Polo in the Wine Country benefit event for Junior Achievement of the Redwood Empire will take place. In addition to the polo matches there will be premium beer, wine and food tasting as well the usual raffles and drawings, a ladies hat contest (simply charming and elegant) and a display of classic automobiles. Junior Acheivement is a 100 year old non profit organization providing financial literacy courses, free of charge, to K-12 students throughout the world. To date this year JA of Northern California has served over 5,000 Redwood Empire students and through donations and fund raising events like this the organization strives to reach 6,000 students by the end of 2012. As a governing board member with Junior Achievement and one of the sponsors of this event I encourage your participation. It’s just another reason why home ownership in the Wine Country makes sense for families looking for beauty, luxury and interesting entertainment choices. For advanced tickets visit: http://2011japolo.eventbrite.com. For more information and sponsorship opportunities contact Lisa Cannon at lcannon@janorcal.org or call 707-888-5765.
Wings Over the Wine Country
We are so lucky to have the luxury of living in the Sonoma County Wine country. Aside from the beautiful landscapes of green valleys, rolling hills and of course the acres and acres of vineyards, we also have a rich and diverse selection of entertainment opportunities. Last weekend there was a cattle drive through the downtown area of Santa Rosa to help promote the Sonoma County Fair. And in just two weeks our local airport will be crowded with a variety of airplanes on display as well as aerobatic shows, military fly-bys, food, fun and hundreds of classic aircraft to view up close and personal. The Wings Over the Wine County Air Show is one of the largest of it’s kind on the west coast and will be happening on Saturday, August 20 through Sunday, August 21 at the Charles M. Schulz, Sonoma County Airport. It’s fun for the whole family and well worth the price of the ticket. Tickets are available at a discount online at https://tix.extremetix.com/Online/?siteID=1500&cartID=2b3129c8-18ac-439f-9cdd-148dbbef4b6f.
Country Property Sales in Sebastopol
The hottest Sonoma County market for residential properties with a couple of acres continues to be Sebastopol. Santa Rosa has more sales numerically and Petaluma sales of country property are strong, but Sebastopol is the leader when you take population into consideration. Historically, there are more small parcels near Sebastopol, so that city is a great starting points for buyers looking for the classic “couple of acres in the wine country” property.
(click on chart for larger view)
This chart shows a snapshot of listings and 2011 sales of Sebastopol country property in the two to five acre range. A couple of points that I highlighted on the chart are worth repeating. The first is that the market is very active. There are more sales and contingent sales than available listings. I’ll go into more detail on that in a second chart. The other important fact to note is that the short sale and REO market are a small part of what’s going on in Sebastopol. There are only two active listings in those categories since everything else has been sold or is contingent. If you’re bargain hunting for an REO property in Sebastopol, you better not dawdle.
(click on chart for larger view)
This second chart shows how long properties have been on the market. The left column represents properties that have just been listed through the first 30 days. The second set of columns (from 30 to 60 Days on Market) features a tall light blue “Sold” column that clearly indicates the fast moving pace of Sebastopol sales. Country properties often take 45 days to close to allow for a fair “due diligence” period. In order to be sold in the second month of being listed, the property probably went into contract in the first two weeks of becoming available. The smart buyers grabbing these properties already have their financing lined up. They are already working with a broker (hopefully an Artisan Sotheby’s agent) who is helping them with showings and preparation of offering paperwork.
If you’re serious about finding a wine country property near Sebastopol, you should talk to one of our agents who can make sure you end up in the “sold” column as a happy new owner.
Dry Creek Valley Estate Winery
An elegant Spanish Mission style winery and vineyard in the heart of Dry Creek Valley. This estate winery is located in Wine Creek Canyon, a unique geographical enclave situated in an unrivaled local with a picturesque setting. Two parcels with 60 acres of vines on over 100 acres of wine country bliss.
For further information contact Mark Stevens at 707-322-2000
Dry Creek Valley Estate
Located within minutes of world class wineries, restaurants & the historic Healdsburg Plaza, this glorious hillside property sits on approximately 11 acres with incredible views of the Dry Creek Valley. A gated entry & private drive lead to the custom 3,700+/- sq.ft. residence with expansive decking, a tennis court & separate studio. A true fusion of elegance and comfort, this is the ideal wine country haven.
Stunning Bennett Valley Estate
This custom estate designed by Farrell and Faber features soaring ceilings, an oversized chef’s kitchen, a sumptuous master suite on the main level, and banks of windows in every room to frame the delightful views. Situated on nearly 3/4 of an acre in the desirable Fable Country Estates, this Mediterranean style residence offers the best of all worlds.
For further information visit http://www.4530BennettViewDrive.com
Sonoma/Marin Coast Market Update
Activity continues to improve on the Sonoma/Marin coast as we approach mid-Summer and investors search for second-home deals. Five Bodega Bay homes closed escrow in June; all were in Bodega Harbour priced from $307,000 to $1,150,000. These sales, and the improved activity at upper levels in recent months, resulted in an 2.8% uptick in the median price for Bodega Bay homes sold – the first increase in a very long time.For the past 12 months ending June 30th, the median price stands at $617,000 compared to $600,000 for the 12 months ending June 30th, 2010. This is further evidence that we may be at the bottom of the market. The median has been hovering around the $600,000 level since the end of 2010 and we seem to be on an upward swing.
Transparency
It is an honor to represent sellers in the sale of their most valuable asset. It has been my pleasure to provide that service for many sellers over the years. In the early 2000’s, when real estate values were on the rise, it seemed that nothing bothered a buyer, not even defects discovered during due diligence. Times have changed and “transparency” coupled with knowing what you are selling is critical to a successful real estate sale in the current market. Transparency seems like an obvious necessity in real estate, but I’m amazed at how little many professionals know about the properties they are selling. Part of my discussion with sellers is to have all the pertinent inspections performed prior to setting the price and presenting the property to the open market for the first time. This is an investment in a seller’s peace of mind during a transaction. If you know up front what the issues are, you and the seller can make important decisions about pricing and doing corrective work without the pressure of contracts or demanding buyers. Stepping through this process is even more important when dealing with rural property. Not only are the inspections critical, but an understanding of easements, water and water rights, septic systems, local government regulations and other issues that ultimately effect value are critical to making clear and specific representations about the real estate being offered for sale. If these things are available to a potential buyer up front, the decision to make an offer and at what price, is hopefully made easier. The time to have this information available is at the first showing. You may only get one chance to provide this knowledge about the property and secure the continued interest of a buyer. An investment up front will hopefully bring a better dividend in the end, resulting in a higher price for the property and a smooth transaction for everyone involved.
Kaaren Atkin
Broker, DRE 01039385
707.481.7043
kaaren.atkin@sothebysrealty.com