Daily Smile Source Great Updates on the Market           Happy Valentine's Day! I’m not sure where everyone else receives their daily smile from, but mine is usually associated with the Upbeat Times in Sonoma County. They always have good news and interesting facts and jokes… Always a good read. For instance today I learned that Inca’s, the ancient society in Peru, were considered officially wed only when “they took off their sandals and handed them to each other.” Awesome Valentine’s Day quote, huh?            However what Really caught my eye was the article right next door to this fun and endearing little factoid titled “THE Mortgage Coach ~ Home Buying: Getting Pre-approved”. As a business owner and loan officer I always like to keep my eyes open for what other loan officers or othe... 02/14/2012

Happy Valentine’s Day everyone! I hope you all have something enjoyable planned for this holiday evening. I’m so excited because the virtual tour for our new listing at 438 Bosley Avenue is up! This quaint and homely little bungalow is perfect for a couple searching for a home. Click this YouTube link to see the inside of the home, or for pictures and more information check out the home on Postlets.     02/14/2012

“One thing that I know with certainty from all these years of being in the business, is that when someone came to me to help them buy a home, they wanted to buy a home – NOW”. So who can you trust to get you into your dream house smoothly if not your Real Estate Agent? From an Agent to a possible Buyer I encourage you to find that Real Estate Agent that will competently represent you on your home purchase. For more on this subject check out my blog all about a Real Estate Agent’s responsibility to You as a buyer.   02/10/2012

Who hasn’t told me about Facebook advertising, marketing and networking – and a lotof it virtually FREE?!?!?  Procter & Gamble, the world’s largest marketer, apparently hasn’t been utilizing one of the most well known social mediums today.. Facebook. At my company we take full advantage of as much free advertising as we can possibly muster. That being said, I find it astounding that these larger companies haven’t utilized sites such as Craigslist or Facebook. CEO Robert McDonald “seems to have woken up to the fact that he cannot keep increasing P&G’s ad budget forever.”  In the past two years P&G’s increased their ad spending by 24% (as of October 2011) but within this same time frame sales only increased 6%.   This really shows you how social networking/advertising/free or virtually fr... 02/07/2012

Mission Lake Condominiums is a quiet development located in the heart of Rincon Valley. Mission Lakes consists of approximately 100 units, built in 1989, tucked away under a canopy of trees near the intersection of Mission Blvd, and Sonoma Hwy (Hwy 12). The homes range in size between 700+ sq. ft. to over 1000 sq. ft. They are either one bedroom, or two bedrooms, with 2 baths. All the homes have a fireplace, and a covered unattached garage.    The complex is nicely landscaped, and in great condition. Tall mature trees provide shade in the summer time and add extra privacy along with splendid views. The complex has a large pool and plenty of parking. In 2017 nine of these units sold in a price range between $225,000 and $267,000. The average sales price for the year was $236,600. There i... 02/07/2012

At the close of 2011 completed sales were 1.7% higher in comparison to 2010. “The pattern of home sales in recent months demonstrates a market in recovery,” asserted Lawrence Yun, chief economist for NAR. It’s encouraging to hear these statistics.  Take a look at this article and see the good news for yourself.      01/27/2012

Streamside Place is a beautiful community of 56 homes, custom built by Cobblestone Homes in 2006. It  is located in Rincon Valley on Highway 12, gateway to Sonoma Valley and the wine country, built alongside Santa Rosa Creek.  The homes are affordable because they are so close together, the exterior walls almost touch each other.  They occupy very little land, so many homes occupy a minimal amount of land.  Streets associated with this development are Calloway and Streamside Drive.   The homes average 1500 sq ft +/- and have 3 bedrooms and at least 2 baths.  They are either 2 stories or 3.  The first story is always the garage. These homes are very affordable when compared to the price of other housing in Rincon Valley.  No homes sold in 2013, however in 2012, four homes sold in a price... 01/21/2012

  Supply Is Down — Prices Should Go Up!   As of January 1, 2012, there were only 26 homes listed for sale in Oakmont.  Combined with the fact that 52 homes were sold in Oakmont during the fourth quarter of 2011, this means that we start the New Year with only 1.5 months of inventory.  In any normal market, this would be considered an extreme seller’s market.  In any normal market, this severe shortage of inventory would result in a dramatic increase in prices.  Yet prices remain stagnant and some homes sit on the market unsold even after several months.  What’s going on?   It’s a combination of issues.  First of all, the spike in foreclosures and short sales (in the outside world, not so much in Oakmont) is artificially holding down prices.  The second problem is that buyers think the c... 01/16/2012

Take a deep breath and just look at the prices on the housing market. Now is the perfect time to buy and become a home Owner instead of a Renter.  Take a look at these 5 sweet reasons being a homeowner is great!       01/13/2012

 As a Real Estate Agent who represents Investors “flipping” homes, my eye caught on this article with good tips on simple, cost-effective ways to upgrade a key aspect of the home - helpful if you want to resell the home or just increase your own home value!    01/12/2012

Buckthorn Court is a wonderful townhouse development located in Rincon Valley.  It consists of 28 single story units that are all the same floor plan and size.  The homes are 1246 sq ft, and the lots are 1700 sq ft. All are only 2 bedrooms and 2 baths.  They were built in 1984, and have a cottage look.  The exterior siding is shake shingle.   All units have an unattached garage a short distance from the home. The development is very peaceful.  There is no pool, play structures, or tennis court.  The landscape is thick, mature, and well maintained.  Walking paths meander through the neighborhood, passing under giant eucalyptus, and past sprawling lawns. The development is partially on Indian Creek Drive, and partially on Buckthorn Court.  It is off Hwy 12 (Sonoma Highway) in between Midd... 01/06/2012

Hi All! In several weeks I’ll have a new Flipper Chick listing. I’m mentioning it now, before the house is ready, as I’ve had many requests to do so: This one is a cute 1920 vintage bungalow of 871 sq. ft. on a large lot w/big detached garage.  It’s 2 bedroom 1 bathroom and everything will be new!  This home is at 438 Bosley Street which is popular area with lovely neighborhoods & walking distance to downtown/Railroad Square.  Zoned “high density”, a second unit could be added on this lot.  The expected listing price is $209-219,000. 01/05/2012

Another reason it’s time to buy a home now;  Many banks are jumping into the lending environment in order to make any spread at all & are driving low prices even lower, as well as again lowering credit underwriting standards.  Read more about our economic signs of recovery.   01/03/2012

Real Estate is starting to explode – not only with my listings & sales but also with numerous Agents I’ve spoken to this past week - they have Buyers coming out their ears; “Sonoma Countiers” want to buy homes in this great market!  Working together as a tight-knit team of Agents, we CAN get the right message across to Homebuyers: Market is right now and homes are only increasing in their value so don’t miss out! 12/30/2011

  Do you Have Smart Goals? As we say goodbye to the old year and hello to the new year that’s just around the corner, it’s traditional to take a look at what’s going on in our lives and to set some new goals. Setting a goal is not the same as simply making a wish.  If you make a wish, you just hope that what you want to happen will happen somehow.  If you remember the acronym “SMART” when you set your goals, you’ve got a much better chance of making your goals a reality.  “SMART” stands for “Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, Time-based”.  If your goals have all these attributes, you’re well on your way to success.    Wishing you all the best for the New Year, Mike and Paula   12/29/2011

  Why So Many For-Sale Signs?   We’ve been asked why there seem to be so many for-sale signs out there in Oakmont these days.  Is there something wrong with the market? At the beginning of the month, our Multiple Listing System (MLS) showed a total of only 47 homes for sale in Oakmont.  If you thought you were seeing more for-sale signs around than that, you’re absolutely correct.  In addition to the 47 homes that were for sale in Oakmont, there were another 31 homes in escrow.  Some of these are waiting for loan approval or buyers’ approval of inspection reports.  Some of them have cleared all the obstacles and are just waiting to close escrow.  But it’s very interesting that of the 78 total homes that appear to be on the market, 40% of them are, as we like to say in the biz, “under co... 12/29/2011

  Diamond Certified® We are delighted to announce that Century 21 Valley of the Moon, along with its parent company, Century 21 North Bay Alliance, has received the prestigious Diamond Certified® rating.  The Century 21 North Bay Alliance family of local offices is currently the only real estate company in Sonoma County to receive this certification. To become Diamond Certified®, a company must submit a random sample of at least 400 past customers.  The Diamond Certified® organization then performs a telephone survey to determine the candidate company’s customer satisfaction score based on quality of service.  To qualify as Diamond Certified®, the candidate company must score “Highest in Quality,” earning at least 90 points on a scale of 100. In addition, the Diamond Certified® organiza... 12/29/2011

Despite the real estate  market having it’s ups & downs in 2011, it’s up to us Agents to pass along the truth of the upcoming 2012 year: Home values are improving and selling prices WILL increase - so stop pushing those low-ball offers.  Here is an interesting fact sheet I came upon that gives a good view of the 2012 market prediction. 12/28/2011

We are all very excited of the Christmas holiday here at Sun Pacific Mortgage & RE.  We hope you have a wonderful time with family and friends this weekend…make it joyful! 12/23/2011

Some other really good reasons why buying and/or selling a home during the wintery Holiday seasons IS beneficial: http://www.marycraneproperties.com/index.asp 12/21/2011