Archive for the 'Personal Notes' Category
Now Is A Great Time For Home Improvements
November 25th, 2009 categories: Personal Notes, Seller Resource
Now it is a great time for home improvements. You may ask…Home Improvements…isn’t that a summertime thing? Typically, it may be, but I have a few reasons why now is a great time to undertake such tasks.
MATERIALS COSTS: It seems that every time I walk through Lowe’s or The Home Depot, prices keep coming down. Everything seems to be discounted; from energy efficient compact fluorescent lights, to big ticket items such as washers and dryers, and even necessary items like roofing materials. If you want to replace a front door, or some windows, this could be a great time to buy materials. We find that high end products, such as travertine tile, granite countertops, and high end appliances are seeing larger discounts than more necessary items.
CONTRACTORS MAY HAVE “WINTER RATES”: This is a slow time of year for many contractors. With that said, we know some that offer “winter rates” because they have fewer jobs, and more competition. The contractors know the value of each job, and they also know that time spent making money is better than time spent giving bids on jobs that are not competitive. They also know that a job well done will likely lead to referrals.
UNEMPLOYMENT RATE: With the unemployment rate, there are fewer contractors, and they are usually eager for new customers and new work. Also, with a higher level of unemployment, demand for goods and services is down, so the contractors have fewer opportunities for jobs. This could work in your favor, and help the local Sonoma County economy as well.
TIME: If you plan to undertake some of these tasks yourself, it may make a lot of sense. Since the night comes earlier and earlier now that we have moved our clocks back, I find myself to be in earlier than in the summer. All of this inside time may be a perfect time to undertake some interior home improvements. I stress interior home improvements, as I think it is a bad idea to do outdoor tasks in low light, especially if you are using power tools or working with electrical items. It is better than sitting on the couch watching TV right? If you are looking for something as simple as repainting a room, or replacing a bathroom cabinet, these could easily be done by the average do it yourselfer.
We think these suggestions are great for the typical homeowner who wants to add value, and also for the seller who wants to put a premium product on the market. In this current market of multiple offers, we think this could really pay off when it comest o higher offers.
If you have any questions about Sonoma County Real Estate or if you need a referral to a quality Sonoma County contractor, please feel free to contact us here or visit the Wine County Business website.
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Sonoma County GrapeVine Wants To Hear From YOU!
November 24th, 2009 categories: Personal Notes
Each time we post an article similar to this one, we get great ideas from readers.
Sonoma County Grapevine Wants To Hear From YOU!
We are calling our to our loyal readers once again. The Sonoma County Grapevine wants to hear from you.
Let us know what you are thinking about.
Let us know what you want to read about.
Let us know what you are interested in.
Let us know if you want us to check anything out and write our opinion of the place, or the situation, whether it is about Sonoma County or not.
We welcome readers feedback, and are actually very happy when we do hear from you.
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Wine Review – Martin Ray 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon Santa Cruz Mountains
November 23rd, 2009 categories: Personal Notes, Santa Rosa
We recently sampled a wine that we really liked and wanted to share a recommendation with you; a Martin Ray Cabernet Sauvignon 2005 Vintage from the Santa Cruz Mountains.
We generally write articles about Sonoma County, and even though these grapes were grown in the Santa Cruz Mountains, this wine comes from a favorite Sonoma County winery…Martin Ray Winery which is located in Santa Rosa California. We thought we would take a chance with our first wine review posted on this website…now…on to the wine review.
The wine label states that the Cabernet Sauvignon Grapes that are grown in the Santa Cruz Mountains are intense, flavorful, and distinctive. We would agree that the wine is intense, and very flavorful, however distinctive is not a word that came to mind when we drank it. This is not a bad thing however, as this wine was easily mistakable with a Sonoma or even Napa Cabernet.
I am not one of those wine drinkers that has a great palate and can tell you a wine has great depth, multiple layers, or hints of the California Sunshine…but I do know what I like, and I really liked this wine. When I say I liked this wine, I mean that WE really liked this wine…everyone that had a glass or two commented on how great it was. The wine went very well with some filets grilled medium rare with a little black pepper and olive oil. The wine also paired well with some grilled asparagus and tomatoes. Lastly, we also grilled a nice big piece of wild salmon, and the wine did not over power the fish at all…again, pairing well with and even complimenting the salmon which was grilled with a little olive oil and paprika…I was actually surprised that the wine did not take center stage with the fish as the wine is very full bodied.
We paid $27 per bottle ($30 with a 10% discount) and thought it was a great buy. I just did a quick Google search and found the same wine for as much as $45.99 and not including shipping. Even though we like to sample new wines all the time, we may just go back and buy a few bottles for future meals, since we now know it is such a versatile wine.
If anyone has any comments a great wine we should try, whether it is Sonoma County Wine or not, by all means, please let us know. We would be happy to find a bottle, have it with a meal, and then write our opinion of the selection. If you try the Martin Ray 2005 Santa Cruz Cabernet Sauvignon, we would also like to know what you thought. Remember to drink responsibly!
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Sonoma County Seinfeld
November 19th, 2009 categories: Personal Notes
I read a lot of different articles each day, and when it comes to Blogs in general, many of the articles seem to be about absolutely nothing. And I wonder why I read some of these, then I had a thought…one of my favorite TV shows was admittedly about nothing; Seinfeld.
I normally write about subjects that are closely related to Sonoma County, and usually more specifically, Sonoma County Real Estate.
Seinfeld Cast - Jerry Seinfeld, Elaine Benes, George Costanza, Cosmo Kramer
I do not really watch a lot of TV anymore, and have not in quite some time. I suppose when they make a new Dukes of Hazard, or Seinfeld I will start watching again.
I was cruising around the Internet the other day and I was just looking at new laptops, not that I need one as mine works fine. So I was on the Dell website, and one of the color choices was a wood grain finish. I like wood grain finish in general, but this is really the first time I have seen it used on something that you would not want to be wood. I mean a wood dash in the car was luxury at one time, now, outside of some high end cars, it is a faux wood grain plastic extrusion. Anyway, why would anyone want a computer to appear to be made out of wood? Talk about high low tech.
I recently read that the National Christmas Tree was cut down in Arizona, and then will be trucked to Washington, D.C. after a tour of Arizona. The tree is a 75 Foot Blue Spruce. Does this seem crazy to anyone else? I understand it is a tradition, but there are a lot of trees between Arizona and Washington, D.C., and it seems kind of environmentally UNfriendly, with a 2,000 + mile carbon trail, especially being towed by a semi that probably gets no better than 7 miles per gallon.
I get emails for all sorts of offers. Last week I got an email from Joseph A. Banks (they sell mens clothing) and they were offering buy one suit, get another suit free, and also get 2 shirts and 2 ties for free as well. I have heard of buy 1 get 1 free…but not buy 1 get 5 free. Lowe’s has had fake Christmas Trees on sale for 2 weeks…even before Halloween. Prices seem to be falling everywhere, and it is obvious that retailers are fighting hard for your retail dollars. This is good for consumers…especially consumers with money.
With all of this stimulus, such as the First Time Home Buyer Tax Credits,what is going to happen to taxes? I can only assume they will increase. What happened to all of the flat tax rate promises and tax code simplification promises that were made by George Bush? I suppose it is just politics in general. I suppose we will never know if the politicians believe their promises, or if once they get in office they learn information that prohibits them from fulfilling their promises.
I am not so excited that it is getting dark so early now that we set our clocks back. I like the sunshine and time spent outside in nice weather rather than it getting dark at 6:00 PM.
I am out of random thoughts…for now!
Anyway…if you have any ideas for future articles, whether they are about Sonoma County California or even just random musings about nothing, please let us know.
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Sonoma County Weather
November 14th, 2009 categories: Personal Notes
Sonoma County Weather is one of the reasons people come to this lovely region of California. Another reason, the wine, is a direct product of the weather. Without our unique brand of weather, the grapes would not grow the way they do, and the region would not be known as such a great wine region.
Many of our clients who come from out of town often ask about the Sonoma County weather. Since it is a recurring question (one of the reasons we write some blogs is because we do get recurring questions) I decided to write an article explaining a little more about the weather here in Sonoma County.
Sonoma County really does have a lot of different weather patterns. For the purpose of this article, I decided to use the averages (for the graphs below) from Santa Rosa, the county seat of Sonoma County. We also decided to use Santa Rosa as representative because Santa Rosa is near the geographic center of Sonoma County, and is the most populated area.
Below is a graph of Average Sonoma County Temperatures…showing all time highs, all time lows, average highs and average low temperatures, all by month. As you can see, the low temperatures are very stable, rarely going below 40 degrees, and rarely getting above the low 50’s. The weather here is usually dry, and even though the lows are in the mid 50s in the summer, the lack of humidity makes it feel warmer, and great for a morning workout.
Sonoma County Weather - Temperature Graph
Sonoma County Average Precipitation
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Latitude Island Grill Rohnert Park Revisited
November 10th, 2009 categories: Personal Notes, Restaurants
Latitude Island Grill has long been one of our favorite Sonoma County Restaurants. Not just one of our favorites in Rohnert Park, but one of our favorites in Sonoma County.
We like to think that we are positive people. This article may seem negative, however, look at it as we are being realistic, so please read on.
On a recent trip to Latitude Island Grill in Rohnert Park, we were thoroughly disappointed in the food. It seemed like all of their recipes had changed. The portions were smaller, the food tasted different (not in a good way), and it was just a big letdown as we were excited to go.
The meal started with a disappointing appetizer of calamari. The calamari was substandard, small pieces, and not many of them. Even though the plate was not even full, it seemed like half of the “pieces” were fried batter and not even actual calamari. They should consider changing the name to “fried things with some calamari mixed in.”
The main courses were not much better. Small portions, the taste left a lot to be desired, and the vegetables were overcooked, and appeared to be boiled as opposed to steamed, and the presentation of the food was, well…”dinerish”. We always find you can tell the quality of a restaurant by their appetizers…this is not good news for Latitude. If we had skipped the appetizers we would have come to the same conclusion about the recent changes at Latitude.
The ambience of Latitude is still great. The lakeside setting, outside dining if you so choose, the tiki torches, the cabanas, dining room, the tall ceilings, etc. Unfortunately, the ambience does not outweigh the recent shortcomings of the food however. I am not sure if we will be back until they are under new management, new ownership, or if someone we know says they had a better dining experience there. I would have attached a picture to this article, but there was nothing at Latitude worth taking a picture of.
I really think that Latitude should change back to the way it was. A few months ago I wrote about the change in the Seafood Salad at Latitude, and now it seems like they have made changes across the menu. Was this a few bad trips in a row for us, or is this a trend? I doubt we will be back to find out, again, unless we hear otherwise from friends and acquaintances.
If anyone has a suggestion of a great Sonoma County Restaurant, we would love to hear it.
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Supply And Demand…Which Is More Important In Real Estate?
October 28th, 2009 categories: Buyer Resource, Personal Notes, Seller Resource
In the current time of seemingly limited supply, we often get questions about Supply and Demand. People seem to be a little confused about the importance of each, and which is more important.
Supply And Demand is key to Real Estate…and also the backbone of a Free Market Economy. Let’s discuss, at a high level, this basic economic concept that is so important to free trade and capitalism.
The Law Of Demand states that the quantity demanded will increase as prices goes down, and decrease and prices go up, ALL ELSE EQUAL.
The Law Of Supply states that the quantity supplied will increase as prices go up, and decrease as prices go down, ALL ELSE EQUAL.
The point at which Supply and Demand intersect is called Equilibrium. I am going to keep this fairly basic and not go into substitute goods, opportunity costs, supply shifts, demands shifts, game theory, and of course the ever important idea of the rational consumer.
In Real Estate terms, equilibrium is widely believed to be about 6 months of inventory on the market. So what does this actually look like? Let’s take a look.
It is not as easy to discuss Real Estate equilibrium as it appears. In every different price range, the activity levels can be vastly different, as is the current case here in Sonoma County.
In the Entry Level Market (Homes under $300,000) things are moving extremely quickly. We cannot seem to find enough inventory for all of the buyers we currently have. This is leading some buyers to become frustrated, and look at homes in areas that are not necessarily their first choice. (Ex: Santa Rosa entry levels homes)
In the Mid Range Market (Homes From $300,000 – $700,000) things are moving well. The inventory is roughly at equilibrium in Sonoma County. (Ex: Rohnert Park and the different “sections”)
In the High End Market (Homes Above $700,000) things are moving fairly slowly. The inventory is measured in greater than 12 months, and as the economy tightens, and white collar jobs are cut, we see no short term relief. (Ex: Fountaingrove in Santa Rosa)
There is also the Ultra Lux market (Homes well into the millions of dollars) however this market is so fragmented, by area, price range, square footage, land amount, land use, etc. that we have not considered in this article. (Ex: Mayacama Country Club, and many custom homes through Sonoma County).
Given that high level look at Sonoma County Real Estate Supply and Demand, it is fair to note that some other people may sub categorize even further, perhaps even looking at a single city with any number of price ranges. Ex: many people seperate Petaluma into East and West, West into Walkable to downtown, and not walkable, and new constructiona and old construction, all broken down further into price ranges.
So which is most important…Supply or Demand? Neither is more important than the other, they work hand in hand with each other. Depending on where you are looking, and in what price range, you may feel the effects of one over the other, but this can change at any time.
If you have any questions about Supply and Demand in your area, please feel free to ask us.
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My Morning Coffee…A Soy Latte
October 25th, 2009 categories: Personal Notes
This morning I started things off right…with a workout and a Soy Latte. I usually hit the 24 Hour Fitness in Petaluma early, spend 60 – 90 minutes there and then head over to Peets Coffee on the Boulevard and get something to help wake me up.
Each time I go in and sit down at Peets, I think back to graduate school. We did so many Business Case Studies it was crazy. The Harvard Business Case that I think of when I am sitting in Peets is the ”Starbucks Case.” The premise of the case is trying to answer the questions: “How does Starbucks sell a $4.00 cup of coffee.” Bottom line, to save you some reading, some time, and some money (Harvard charges you to download their Business Cases) it comes down to the “Third Place.”
What is the third place you ask? Well, in the lives of many, there are usually 3 places…work, home, and “the third place.” The third place can be different for all people..maybe the gym, maybe a certain store, a certain restaurant, a friends house, or maybe a coffee shop…really just any favorite hangout other than work or home. There can be a fourth and fifth place, but research shows the third place gets the third most attention in someone’s life, and presumably a larger portion of their wallet than the forth or fifth places.
Starbucks, Peets Coffee, and other coffee houses are more about the place than the coffee. I happen to prefer how strong Peets coffee is relative to other brewers. I would rather have a Peets in Cotati than have to travel to Petaluma or Santa Rosa, but if I am near there, I will stop in.
McDonalds is now on this McCafe push. I do not picture people sitting at the plastic molded booths in the local Micky D’s for designer coffee, currently. UNLESS McDonalds does some sort of retrofitting to a more hip “third place” and not about cheap food, I really do not see this as a successful venture. Perhaps people will buy a more expensive coffee at McDonald’s instead of a soft drink, but I think the margins on the coffees are a lot lower. McDonald’s may also capture some of the drive through market due to the many locations, but I do not see McCafe being synonomous with designer coffee.
Out of convenience, I have met clients at Peets and Starbucks, and never anticipate telling someone to meet me at the McCafe, even if the coffee is half the price of competitors. I am digressing…anyway, I had a soy latte this morning…not sure where I got on that rant.
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Decisions Decisions Decisions
October 22nd, 2009 categories: Personal Notes, Petaluma, Rohnert Park
I am travelling later today and I have been thinking this morning; thinking about decisions. I am not second guessing any past decisions, but looking forward to new decisions that are likely to need some thorough analysis. How will X impact Y and how will Y impact Z? Definitely a lot of thinking to do…good thing the hamster in the wheel in my head likes to run and run fast.
With all of my thoughts, I could not help but think of some of our most recent clients. Decisions they have been faced with, decisions they have made, decisions they will be faced with, and predicting what they will decide.
Sometimes things seem so clear to me…I suppose that type of thing comes with experience. I have been faced with virtually every Real Estate decision over the past 5+ years. I have seen the hottest markets in the country, and also some of the worst. We realize that many of our clients have never been faced with some decisions and need some help and guidance when making decisions. We will always be there for our clients to help with the most basic and most complex decisions. We really do like to help our clients make the best decisions for them, and help them look at the big picture and how each decision factors in.
We receive all sorts of questions from buyers; from the usual “Where should we buy?”, and “Should we buy a house or a condo?” to the complex, “How would this property work with a 1031 Exchange?”
Some questions we get really have no single answer. We often get questions about comparing one area to another, such as “Which city is better…Rohnert Park, or Petaluma?” We will help people compare the two locations…the relative affordability of Rohnert Park, versus the lively Petaluma Downtown. Both cities have great schools, great neighbors, and great housing options. Petaluma surely has more character with all of the Petaluma Victorians, and waterfront district, while Rohnert Park has more parks for recreation. This is an example, and there are certainly more pros and cons of each city, and in the end, it really comes down to who is asking, their situations, financially, employment-wise, and how they want to live.
Whatever the decisions our clients are faced with, we will help them through whatever Real Estate decisions they need help with.
Feel free to contact us if you have any Sonoma County Real Estate questions or questions about Sonoma County in general. We will talk with you soon.
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Where Were You 20 Years Ago Today…
October 17th, 2009 categories: Personal Notes
October 17, 1989. A beautiful day in the bay area, cloudless, crisp northern California weather, and the Bay Area series was the most talked about World Series in years. I was a huge Oakland A’s fan as a kid…who would not be? They had a great lineup, Jose Canseco, Mark McGwire, Dennis Eckersley, Dave Stewart, etc. Power and pitching, a rare combination. I was watching the Game 3 pregame of the World Series when IT happened…
At 5:04 PM the earth shook…the magnitude 6.9 Loma Prieta earthquake caused tv signals to go black, most phone lines to die, and the phone lines that were active were busy. Roads collapsed, sirens rang out, fires roared, children cried, and people hugged.
There were more important things than missing a baseball game, even a game of this magnitude. The tragedy caused many to reevaluate life, family, and things not yet done. It is sad that sometimes it takes a tragedy to remind us of what is important.
The earthquake was felt far past Sonoma County; reportedly as far as parts of Oregon and Nevada. The picture I chose is one of the worst I could find…I did not take it personally. Our friends at World Of Stereo were in the quake in downtown San Francisco right on Market Street. The devastation and aftermath of the quake was far reaching.
If you have an interesting story about the Loma Prieta earthquake and where you were, we would love to hear it. It is hard to believe that it has been 20 years.
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