As you will see in the chart below the wine country town of Sonoma saw a little rally in the month of May.  Not only did we see some of the higher end homes bring the average sales price for the month up, but the volume held steady (even up slightly) from April.     To see everything that is currently available for sale on our MLS, click here. To learn more about this area and how you can benefit from this Buyer's Market contact me directly. 06/10/2009

As of June 3, 2009 38% of listings in the beautiful wine country town of Sonoma are in escrow. For the month of May 2009 38 homes sold in Sonoma for an average final selling price of $714,327. The average original asking price of these homes was $765,926. The range of final selling prices was from a low of $104,900 to a high of $3,260,000. Of the 38 homes that sold, 3 sold at their original asking price and 8 sold over their original asking price.  All others sold for less. It took these homes an average of 147 days to sell. To see everything that is currently available for sale through our MLS click here. To learn more about the area visit my website or contact me directly. To see some of the fun things to do around here, click here. 06/03/2009

Normally I do a detailed market report each month, but this month I just don't have the time.  However, I am able to share the updated sales chart. As you will see in the chart below the average sales price and the number of homes sold is up slightly in the wine country town of Sonoma.  As President Obama has said, there are some glimmers of hope.  For more information about this area visit my website or feel free to contact me directly. 05/13/2009

One of my very favorite restaurants, ever, will be serving their last meals on May 13th.  Deuce has long been a regular favorite of ours for food, beverage, atmosphere and service. If you have never been, treat yourself while you still can.  If you have been, you should treat yourself again while you still can. The location will remain, but the people that bought the business are putting in some kind of spaghetti factory with live music and dancing.  At least that's what I've heard.  I'm sure that will make the local residents happy -- to move to a new neighborhood. In case you need directions, the address is 691 Broadway in Sonoma. Their phone number is 707-933-3823. Pete and Kirsten have done an outstanding job in every aspect and will be greatly missed. 04/28/2009

Please come by if you're in the area.  I am hosting a Buyers Seminar on the Plaza in Sonoma from 6:30 - 8:00 p.m. at the Coldwell Banker office (9 E Napa).  Refreshments will be served.  The seminar is free and for informational purposes only.  There will be a lender on hand to conduct the seminar and provide useful information about tax credits, available mortgages, interest rates etc.  I would love to meet you! Jane 04/27/2009

The chart below tells the story for the beautiful wine country town of Sonoma...  It's slow.  But slow can be good, especially if you want to relax, soak up some sun, eat some fabulous meals and sip some extraorindary wines.  In fact, there are only two or three stop lights in town -- and no parking meters.  So, yes, slow can be a very good thing. If you have thinking about buying a home in Sonoma contact me today!  04/12/2009

As of April 6, 2009 26% of available listings in the beautiful wine country town of Sonoma are in escrow. For the month of March 2009 23 homes sold in Sonoma for an average final selling price of $396,210. The average original asking price of these homes was $460,722. The range of final selling prices was from a low of $115,000 to a high of $990,000. Of the 23 homes that sold 1 sold at the original asking price, 3 sold over the original asking price and the remaining 19 sold for less than the original asking price. It took these homes an average of 136 days to sell. To see everything that is currently available for sale through our MLS, click here. To learn more about the area visit my website or contact me directly. The photos below were taken of the "Wooly Weeders" at Cline Cellars.  ... 04/07/2009

Reason #10 The terrific coffee shops on the Plaza.  Enjoy coffee and a pastry or award winning breads at the Basque Boulangerie or go to the Sunflower Cafe and sit in their awesome garden for breakfast or lunch (bring your dog if you want or your laptop because they have free high speed wireless internet).  I have enjoyed many a morning at these 2 spots.  You can spend hours chatting with friends in the back garden at the Sunflower Cafe and forget about the world outside or sit outside the Basque and watch the world go by.  Sunflower Cafe  Basque Boulangerie Next time you come to Sonoma, forgo your Starbucks and try one of these local spots.  You'll be glad you did.  See you in Sonoma sometime. :) 03/28/2009

As you will see in the chart below the low-priced homes and distress sales are what's moving these days.  In part, because when buying everyone wants a screamin' deal.  Plus, loans for more expensive homes just aren't as available as they used to be. If you have been thinking about buying a weekender or second home in Sonoma, now would be a great time to do just that. 03/07/2009

As of March 6, 2009 33% of available listings in the beautiful wine country town of Sonoma are in escrow. For the month of February 2009 21 homes sold for an average final selling price of $318,995. The average original asking price of these homes was $350,862. The range of final selling prices was from a low of $116,000 to a high of $511,000. Of the 21 homes that sold 2 sold at their original asking price and 5 sold for more than their original asking price.  Of these 21 homes, 12 were distress sales. It took these homes an average of 112 days to sell. To see previous months of Sonoma home sales activity, click here. To see everything that is currently for sale in Sonoma, click here. To learn more about this area visit my website or contact me directly. 03/06/2009

As of February 7, 2009 29% of available listings in the beautiful wine country town of Sonoma are in escrow. For the month of January 2009 32 homes sold for an average final selling price of $439,219. The average original asking price of these homes was $514,475. The range of final selling prices was from a low of $116,000 to a high of $1,840,000.  (Only 2 homes sold for over $1M.) Of the 32 homes that sold 19 were distress sales. 3 of these 32 homes sold for their original asking price and 4 sold over their original asking price.  All others sold for less. It took these 32 homes an average of 101 days to sell. To see all homes that are currently available for sale, click here. For more information about this area visit my website or contact me directly. 02/07/2009

The chart below shows the average sales price and number of homes sold for the past twelve years in the beautiful wine country town of Sonoma.  As you see, both the average selling price and number of homes selling are down from recent years--with the just the slightest increase in volume in 2008, over 2007 and 2006.  The distress sales are moving! If you have been thinking about buying a home in Sonoma, now might be the opportunity you have been waiting for.  While it's true that many of the foreclosed homes are rough and in need of work, some of them are quite nice. For more information about this area visit my website or contact me directly. 02/04/2009

Clothes dryers are among the top 5 energy consumers in your home; there are ways to save on utility bill with new practices in the laundry room   San Francisco, CA - Like everything else, energy costs are going up.  People are becoming more and more aware of how every day activities are using more energy than necessary.  As they find ways to conserve, they may find that they are also prolonging the life of their appliances and preventing fires too.   Rhonda Nole is the owner of Dryer Vent Wizard, serving the Greater North Bay area of California.  She shares the following tips with all her customers, in addition to providing dryer vent cleaning, repair, installation and inspections, as she explains, "Proper dryer vent cleaning ensures adequate air-flow required to allow your dryer to run... 02/01/2009

The chart below shows the month-by-month average sales price and number of homes sold in the beautiful wine country town of Sonoma, from 2001 - 2008. For more information about this area visit my website or feel free to contact me directly. 01/14/2009

As of January 13, 2009 an encouraging 22% of available listings in the beautiful wine country town of Sonoma are in escrow. For the month of December 2008 28 homes sold in Sonoma for an average final selling price of $503,599. The average original asking price of these homes was $603,547. The range of final selling prices was from a low of $170,000 to a high of $1,745,000. Of the 28 homes that sold 3 sold at their original asking price and 4 sold over their original asking price. 11 of the 28 homes were distress sales. It took these homes an average of 112 days to sell. To see all homes that are currently available for sale, click here. To learn more about this area visit my website or contact me directly. 01/14/2009

As you will see in the chart below the average sales price in the beautiful wine country town of Sonoma has varied widely from month to month depending on what homes sold that month.  Lately, the average price has leveled off as the majority of homes that are selling are the distress sales. Thankfully the distressed properties are finally selling as that is what is propping up sales at the moment.  There are many good deals to be had right now.  If you are interested in learning more don't hesitate to contact me.   12/07/2008

For the month of November 2008 only 24 homes sold for an average final selling price of $523,091. The average original asking price of these homes was $584,148. The range of final selling prices of these homes was from a low of $100,000 to a  high of $2,650,000. It took these homes an average of 87 days to sell. Of the 24 homes that sold 3 sold at their original asking price and 5 sold over.  14 of these 24 homes were distress sales. For more information about this area visit my website or contact me directly.   12/06/2008

As of November 6, 2008 only 14% of available listings in the beautiful wine country town of Sonoma are in escrow. For the month of October 2008 28 homes sold in Sonoma for an average final selling price of $556,305. The average original asking price of these homes was $675,569. The range of final selling prices was from a low of $215,726 to a high of $1,710,000. Of the 28 homes that sold 4 sold at their original asking price and 4 sold over their original asking price-12 of them were distress sales. It took these 28 homes an average of 160 days to sell. For more information about this area visit my website or contact me directly. To see everything that is currently available for sale click here. 11/06/2008

As of October 6, 2008 only 15% of available listings in the beautiful wine country town of Sonoma are in escrow. For the month of September 2008 31 homes sold in Sonoma for an average final selling price of $528,413. The average original asking price of these homes was $573,713. The range of final selling prices was from a low of $144,500 to a high of $1,700,000. It took these homes an average of 100 days to sell. Of the 31 homes that sold 1 sold at the original asking price and 3 sold over the original asking price.  All others sold for less. Of those same 31 homes that sold, 17 were distress sales. For more information about this area visit my website or contact me directly. To see all homes that are currently for sale, search our MLS. 10/08/2008

I received an email day before yesterday from one of my favorite lenders, Gary Umholtz.  Gary says, "The majority of short sales and foreclosures in Sonoma Valley are with Countrywide.   If you or any of your past clients are in trouble with their Countrywide loan, now is the time to act.  Let me know if I can assist in any way." Here is the article: SPRINGFIELD, Ill. - Facing a lawsuit over deceptive mortgage practices, Bank of America Corp. is agreeing to pay more than $8 billion to modify hundreds of thousands of loans to keep people from losing their homes. Charlotte, N.C.-based Bank of America said Monday it will modify troubled mortgages with up to $8.4 billion in interest rate and principal reductions for nearly 400,000 customers of Countrywide Financial Corp., the troubled mortg... 10/08/2008