Sonoma Valley View. My Sunday morning view looking down Sonoma Valley toward San Pablo Bay.   With Mount Diablo in the distance, those wispy clouds in the brightening sky, and a light mist floating over the water, it's a view of Sonoma Valley that seems to say, "Look closer...look closer...and never look away!" 01/23/2011

Slim Pickin's for Sonoma Homes. Our Sonoma broker tour for Thursday, January 20th, is puny---just three new listings in all of Sonoma Valley!   We've got one Sonoma REO listed at under 300K, another single family home priced in the mid-500's, and a new Sonoma home at $1.5 Million that I wrote a post about last week.    Depending on your point of view, the listing shortage is either dismal or delightful. It is dismal if you are a buyer or a buyer's agent looking for new Sonoma listings---some fresh inventory to get excited about.  I'd like to see some new offerings.  We've got less than 160 homes on the market here right now in all price categories....about 25% of these are distressed properties. The shortage of non-distressed properties is delightful news if you are a Sonoma seller.  He... 01/19/2011

Bones in your Sonoma Backyard? Old Sonoma homes are much more common than new Sonoma homes.  When you live in Sonoma or buy a home in Sonoma Valley you are living with the ghosts...or as my mother says...the "Tinkerbells" of others.   Whenever I visit an old home in Sonoma, a turn-of-the century farm house in Kenwood, or a Glen Ellen home built many years ago, it's fun to wonder about the skeltons that were once stashed away in closets --- what we'd hear if the proverbial "walls could talk."  Thanks to Sonoma sleuth Arthur Dawson we can now find out about the history of Sonoma real estate.  Arthur has a business called Baseline Consulting and, while his passion is historical hydrology, he's also got a niche business investigating old homes.  It's created a lot of buzz. For as little as ... 01/16/2011

Better Than Girl Scout Cookies?  I hope this post doesn't hurt sales of Girl Scout Cookies.  That would be downright un-American.  In some parts of the country I think it might even be criminal.   I'm simply suggesting another way to support the Girl Scouts of Sonoma Valley.   If you've got a Chirstmas tree you need to dispose of in Glen Ellen or Sonoma, the Girl Scouts will do it for a small donation.  Details and photographs of these hard-working young women can be found in the Sonoma Sun and Sonoma Index Tribune. The last day for pick-up is tomorrow---Sunday the 9th.  The local Girl Scouts have been at this for two weekends and this weekend is the last for Christmas tree pick-up. This might be a great way to support the Girl Scouts if you've decided your Girl Scout Cookie buying days... 01/12/2011

Feathers are the Focus in Sonoma The annual Sonoma Bird Count is scheduled for Thursday December 30th and the weather is looking better than many thought it might.  Rainy days have been the norm lately in these parts but our weather forecast shows the chance of rain for the count is now about 30%.    The day's activities are spelled out at SonomaBirding.org.  I've volunteered for the count in previous years but can't this time because I have a family commitment.  It's a terrific opportunity to learn about the many species of birds we have here in Sonoma Valley.  The last time I participated it was pouring rain...but even soaking wet I enjoyed the hours spent focused on our fine feathered friends.  They so out-number us and yet we rarely notice their presence.   I hope a lot of people tu... 12/29/2010