Sunrise over the Mayacamas as seen from Sonoma Mountain.  A quick trip to the Sonoma Valley Visitor's Bureau will set you up with a list of places to go for views like this and things to do to make the most of your trip to our beautiful paradise.  The Visitor's Bureau is housed in what used to be Sonoma's Library and it sits on the historic Sonoma Plaza.  The Visitor's Bureau is run by Wendy Peterson whose broad smile greets everyone walking in the door.               Start here and you will find information on Sonoma's wineries and tasting rooms, lodging, dining, and shopping.  And when you're ready to start your self-guided tour of Sonoma Valley you'll probably leave with a sticker somewhere on your person.  You'll be amazed at how many of these you're going to see around the valley... 12/13/2009

The wording of this monument in the historic Sonoma Plaza. This monument was erected by the native sons of the golden west and th State of California to commemorate the raising of the Bear Flag on this spot June 14, 1846 by the Bear Flag Party and their declaration of the freedom of California from Mexican rule on July 9, 1846. The Bear Flag was hauled down and the American flag here raised in its place by Lieutenant Joseph W Revere, U.S.A. who was sent to Sonoma from San Francisco by Commander John B Montgomery of the U.S. Sloop of War "Portsmouth" following the raising of the American flag at Monterey July 7, 1846 by Commodore John Drake Sloat.   12/13/2009

As of December 9, 2009 an encouraging 40% of available listings in the beautiful wine country town of Sonoma are in escrow. For the month of November 2009 22 homes (5 of which were distress sales) sold in Sonoma for an average final selling price of $482,155. The average original asking price of these homes was $531,768. The range of final selling prices was from a low of $120,000 to a high of $1,275,000. Of the 22 homes that sold, 1 sold at the original asking price 7 sold over and and the other 14 sold for less. It took these homes an average of 87 days to sell. To see everything that is currently available for sale on our MLS, click here. To learn more about the area visit my website or feel free to contact me directly. 12/09/2009

Tis the Season in Sonoma Valley.  Our wineries are gearing up for another fun holiday event featuring Gingerbread in their tasting rooms.  Read about it in the Sonoma Index Tribune and think about Sonoma wines as gifts for your clients...both buyers and sellers: http://www.sonomanews.com/articles/2009/11/30/entertainment/doc4b14803eb261c365536320.txt More about Sonoma coming soon! 12/02/2009

Tis the season in Sonoma Valley and our local wineries are geting in the spirit.   Gingerbread and Chardonnay?  Pinot?  Zin?  Read all about it in the Sonoma Index Tribune:  http://www.sonomanews.com/articles/2009/11/30/entertainment/doc4b14803eb261c365536320.txt As I've said before, I'm not working for the Sonoma Valley Visitor's Bureau (or the Sonoma Valley Vinters Association) but ....a bottle of Sonoma wine makes a great holiday gift for clients, and prospective buyers and sellers.   Helps get 'em in the mood!     12/02/2009

  Speechless Sunday by Anthony Ebright - Sonoma County Wine Country - Fall Vines 11/22/2009

The Sonoma City Council has taken a stand against parents and other adults who provide teenagers with alcohol at parties.  The Council passed a new ordinance that mimics others in neighboring counties, including Marin, where a fine of up to $750 may be imposed on those who violate the rule.  For the story, click on this link: http://www.sonomanews.com/articles/2009/11/20/news/doc4b05fe8ccd780526410984.txt I think this is a great move on the part of Sonoma's elected officials.  Does anyone want to weigh in? 11/20/2009

As you will see in the charts below the average sales price in the beautiful wine country town of Sonoma continues to be driven by the distress sales. Volume is picking up a little bit, but nothing to be overly optimistic about. To learn more about this area visit my website or contact me directly. If you have questions, just ask! 11/17/2009

As of November 6, 2009 an encouraging 40% of available listings in the beautiful wine country town of Sonoma are in escrow. For the month of October 2009 33 homes sold for an average final selling price of $465,276. The average original asking price of these homes was $523,709. The range of final selling prices was from a low of $176,000 to a high of $1,200,000. Of the 33 homes that sold 1 sold at the original asking price and 10 sold over their original asking price.  All other sold for less.  14 of the 33 homes were distress sales. It took these homes an average of 134 days to sell. To see everything that is currently available for sale through our MLS, click here. To learn more about this area, visit my website or feel free to contact me directly. 11/06/2009

I believe we can and I hope other Realtors agree, given the pressures we face from clients, developers, and our own financial needs and goals.  Don't get me wrong:  I also believe in property owner's rights.  However, I think we need to balance those rights with enforceable guidelines for building.  Who wants to see this hillside covered with homes?   I felt like I stuck my neck out today when I sent an email to an architect who will be working with new clients that are planning an addition/remodel of a home here in Sonoma Valley.  I'm concealing his name and theirs but am posting the message below: "Hi (Mr. Architect):   Thanks for updating me on your discussions with (my clients.)  I'm so glad you agree they are extraordinary folks.   Thanks, too, for the invitation to lunch.   As to ... 10/27/2009

I don't work for the Sonoma Valley Visitor's Bureau but I could.  My family bought property in Sonoma Valley in 1943.  There are four generations of us who call it "home" so I figure I'm a pretty good authority on what's to love about living here.  How about a visual?  Here's my mom, a retired real estate broker riding yesterday through our gorgeous Jack London State Park:   Nice pic, right?  So with this image setting the scene,  I'll share my list.  I'm borrowing shamelessly from a late night talk show guy, when I say these are my "Top Ten" reasons to consider buying property in the Valley of the Moon: 1)  Relaxed Lifestyle 2)  Extraordinary Weather 3)  Scenic Beauty 4)  Recreational Activities 5)  Great Food 6)  Friendly Neighbors 7)  Volunteer Opportunities 8)  Active Local Art Scen... 10/26/2009

The chart below helps illustrate what has been going on in the market in the beautiful wine country town of Sonoma.  You can see in second chart (number of homes sold) when the banks stopped lending money freely-September 2007.  The average sales price, as shown in the first chart, reflects the high number of distress sales.  That's right...  the market is taking a beating BUT it's not dead.  I heard on KGO yesterday that about 80% of economists say that the recession is over.  They are also quick to caution that the recovery will be painful. Now that we've all more or less adjusted to the current market I am hoping that people will be creative in their efforts to find new ways to generate revenues for themselves as they find that what they used to do no longer works in this market. Cha... 10/13/2009

As of October 9, 2009 an encouraging 39% of available listings in the beautiful wine country town of Sonoma are in escrow. For the month of September 2009 33 homes sold (12 of which were distress sales) for an average final selling price of $480,030. The average original asking price of these homes was $547,628. The range of final selling prices was from a low of $83,000 to a high of $1,550,000. Of the 33 homes that sold 3 sold at their original asking price and 10 sold for more than their original asking price.  All others sold for less. It took these homes an average of 99 days to sell. To see everything that is currently for available for sale on our MLS, click here. For more information about this area visit my website or feel free to contact me directly. 10/09/2009

Do folks need another reason to buy real estate in Sonoma County with all our great wines, fabulous food, beautiful landscapes, and lovely weather?  The answer is no and the Green Music Center is not being built with real estate buyers in mind but I'm pretty sure it's going entice some people to buy homes, land, or investment property here.  The Green Center is being touted as something that will help the local economy because with it's acoustical qualities and architectural features, it will be a "world-class" venue for music of many genres.  It's adjacent to the campus of Sonoma State University so it will surely be a focal point for student entertainment but people are expected to come from afar, too.  Think Carnegie Hall, Tanglewood, and Wolf Trap...this place is being compared to ... 09/20/2009

As you will see in the charts below the lower priced distress sales are driving the market in the beautiful wine country town of Sonoma.  A picture is worth a thousand words, eh?    I'm not sure why the image is not filling the space or what has happened to the quality of the image, but I do apologize. If you have any questions, just ask. 09/12/2009

As of September 11, 2009 an encouraging 39% of available listings in the beautiful wine country town of Sonoma are in escrow. For the month of August 2009 29 homes sold in Sonoma for an average final selling price of $451,324. The average original asking price of these homes was $537,242. The range of final selling prices was from a low of $120,000 to a high of $1,525,000. Of the 29 homes that sold, 9 of which were distress sales, 3 sold at their original asking price and 4 sold for more than their original asking price. It took these homes an average of 136 days to sell. To see everything that is currently available on our MLS click here. To learn more about this area visit my website or contact me directly. 09/11/2009

As of August 13, 2009 an encouraging 37% of available listings are in escrow in the beautiful wine county town of Sonoma. For the month of July 2009 34 homes sold in Sonoma for an average final selling price of $668,078. The average original asking price of these homes was $799,803. The range of final selling prices was from a low of $128,000 to a high of $2,000,000. Of the 34 homes that sold 1 sold at the original asking price and 6 sold over the original asking price.  All others sold for less. It took these homes an average of 165 days to sell. To search our MLS and see everything that is currently available for sale, click here. For more information about this area visit my website or feel free to contact me directly. 08/14/2009

As you will see in the charts below the real estate market in the beautiful wine country town of Sonoma is much like the rest of bay area.  To see the charts larger and more clearly, click on the image twice. If you have any questions just ask. 08/10/2009

As of July 8, 2009 an encouraging 37% of available listings in the beautiful wine country town of Sonoma are in escrow. For the month of June 2009 35 homes sold in Sonoma for an average final selling price of $686,777. The average original asking price of these homes was $782,731. The range of final selling prices was from a low of $111,000 to a high of $6,476,205. Of the 35 homes that sold 15 were distress sales. Of those same 35 homes, 2 sold at their original asking price and 6 sold over their original asking price. It took these homes an average of 157 days to sell. To see everything that is currently available for sale, click here. To learn more about this area, including all the fun things to do around here,  visit my website or contact me directly. 07/09/2009

Holy smokes, folks!  Another great race.  Lots of spinning, lots of rubbin' and lots of smoke.  After a couple of last minute caution flags and shoot-out style restarts, Washington State's very own Kasey Kahne ended a year long winless streak to edge out Tony Stewart for the checkered flag at Sonoma's Infineon Raceway this afternoon.  The Tasmanian Devil himself, Marcos Ambrose, ran a fantastic race and ended up 3rd.  This is why I love the road race format.  You never know what you're going to end up with.  A spinout on a road race doesn't necessarily bring out the caution flag.  And we had lots of spinouts without yellow flags, believe me.  Even after a penalty through pit row for speeding, Jimmie Johnson ended up 4th.  Jeff Gordon was guilty of speeding on pit road as well and, afte... 06/21/2009