Insider's Deal Guide

Farmhouse Inn

Wed, 07 Jul 2010 18:46:48 GMT

John Ash and Co. Restaurant

Wed, 07 Jul 2010 18:37:58 GMT

Cyrus

Wed, 07 Jul 2010 17:54:56 GMT

Sonoma County Fair

Mon, 05 Jul 2010 21:55:44 GMT

July 27 - August 8

This year's theme is Grape Escape. The fair includes flower slow, racing, live music, rodea, livestock and attractions for kids. Lasts two weeks and only gets better each week. Look for wonderful light shows at night. Visit their website for more info.

Grape to Glass

Sun, 04 Jul 2010 19:36:41 GMT

August 20-22, 2010

Held throughout the Russian River Valley, this annual event is a favorite among locals. It features winery tours where you meet the growers, live concerts, local food, auctions, a brunch and seminars. Throw in kayaking and cycling and you have the perfect weekend.

Summer Sunset Concert at Hanna Winery

Sun, 04 Jul 2010 19:27:16 GMT

Friday, July 16th, 2010

06:00 PM - 09:00 PM

Hanna Winery is celebrating its 25th Anniversary! A great place for a free evening of music, fun and estate grown wines. Music by The Sorrentinos. Free

Laguna Foundation Garden Art Gala

Fri, 02 Jul 2010 20:53:57 GMT

Sunday, September 12, 3 - 6pm

The Laguna Foundation’s annual Garden Art Gala, held at Vine Hill House in Sebastopol, offers delicious artisan foods, as well as a silent auction of Original Works of Garden Art, rare and special wine lots, and live auction of getaways and luxury adventures.

Tickets ($75) are available on the Gala website now.

Welcome

Fri, 02 Jul 2010 20:48:51 GMT

Healdsburg Bike Tour

Fri, 02 Jul 2010 17:14:00 GMT

Bicycling Magazine lists Sonoma County as one of “The 7 Greatest Rides on Earth”--- alongside the likes of Tuscany, Crested Butte, and Moab. Join the two day (17th and 24th) bike tours, great for road or mountain bike riders. Be in shape!

Wings Over Wine Country Air Show

Thu, 01 Jul 2010 20:43:11 GMT

Wings Over Wine Country Airshow is a must for families with kids, and people with a kids heart. The Pacific Coast Air Museum next to the Santa Rosa Airport is the site for the event. It includes Navy and Airforce jet fliers in breathtaking displays of skills. For more info, go to their website.

South of France in West Petaluma

Fri, 25 Jun 2010 16:31:49 GMT

Why yearn for France ? This spacious & light filled home has hardwood floors, tile, porcelain, brass & redwood trim. Custom wood dual paned windows, wood stove, as well as central heating. 4.8 acres includes Lush garden (deer fenced), creek along 2 sides of property + a pond w/ views of the hills and a landmark rock. Spacious family/kitchen area, + laundry & attached garage, outbuildings & more. Only 2.5 miles from schools & downtown, but totally pastoral.

Single Level on a Quarter Acre; Kings Mill Petaluma

Fri, 25 Jun 2010 16:25:33 GMT

Kings Mill single level. Hardwood floors, granite counters, high ceilings. Master Bedroom with sitting area. Jetted tub. Plantation shutters. Professionally landscaped large cul de sac lot, 3 car garage. Quarter acre lot.

RedAwning Vacation Rentals

Wed, 23 Jun 2010 20:45:42 GMT

RedAwning.com offers the fastest, easiest, safest way to book a vacation rental. They also add free wine tastings and other benefits to every rental.

Clean Single Level Home in a Nice Neighborhood

Fri, 11 Jun 2010 00:36:15 GMT

Perfectly Clean, Well Maintained, Single Level Home. Three Bedrooms and Two Baths with an Expanded Master bedroom suite that opens onto a Patio Deck. Updated Granite Tile Kitchen with Gas Range. Crown moldings and laminate flooring throughout. Large 8500 sq. ft. Lot! This Property is not a Foreclosure or a "Short Sale".

Sebastopol City Home Value

Sat, 29 May 2010 17:08:43 GMT

What makes this Sebastopol home a good value? Location, Condition and PRICE. Great neighborhood with sidewalks and community on one side, views of country life on the other. Patio, hot tub, decks, cedar shed, lawn, gardens, redwoods. 10 ft ceilings, Great Room with cooking island, craft / rec room. Lot's of decks, beautiful yard and patios.

The Best Part of Hidden Valley

Sat, 29 May 2010 16:42:13 GMT

Being Green is Good!

Solar powered single level home in a great neighborhood with no through traffic. Too many upgrades to list here. Other "green" features; Rainwater conservation system saves on water bill, Passive solar to heat the inground pool and drought resistant landscaping. One third of an Acre.

Gravenstein Apple Fair - the sweetest fair in Sonoma County, CA

Wed, 26 May 2010 03:30:35 GMT

A not-to-be missed event, especially if you have kids. Besides all the apple-based foods you can eat, there is a wonderful train ride around the fair, horse-drawn buggy rides, 4-H animals to pet, and more. A delightful time under the old oaks of Ragle Ranch.

Desirable Florence Avenue in Sebastopol

Wed, 19 May 2010 22:48:30 GMT

Florence Avenue Sebastopol is a slice of perfect "small town" Americana. Most of the homes were built between 1900 and 1930. Some have been remodeled to today’s standards and tastes while others have been restored to their previous, original glory. This home was built to the higher standards of 1996 building codes. It has dual paned windows, floor, wall and ceiling insulation, bamboo floors and a "modern" floor plan. Buy it "as it is" or watch us renovate it with a new Master bath, tile flooring, carpet and paint inside and out. It will soon have a clear pest report and be in "Tip Top" condition. Artist, Patrick Amiot's unique sculptures are found in many yards up and down this quaint street. Residents love this neighborhood for its "close in" location. Walkable to all of Sebastopol's best restaurants and schools. This is truly an insider's deal, not even offered on the open market yet!

Artist's Inspiration in Bennett Valley, Santa Rosa

Wed, 19 May 2010 22:19:50 GMT

Amazing home on 5.52 Acres in Bennett Valley, Santa Rosa, CA. Fabulous Floor to Ceiling Views from this Secluded, Private setting. Less than 5 minutes to Golf, Tennis, Whole Foods Grocery & Fine Wine Country dining. Old world home with some very nice updates, 4 beds & 2 baths in 3221 sq ft. Gas Cooktop, concrete countertops and nice appliances. Great workshop with a small guest home above it, SOLAR POWER,a wine cellar, tree house,in ground pool with security cover, spa and a new well which produces 25 gallons per minute. Room for horses and/or a small vineyard.

Valley Ford Retreat

Tue, 18 May 2010 23:04:19 GMT

On the Valley Ford road, which connects Bodega Highway to US 1 as a short cut to Sebastopol, there are fabulous properties sometimes for sale. The address Freestone Ranch Rd is actually considered in Sebastopol.

Moving to Sonoma County: What you need to know

Tue, 18 May 2010 21:55:50 GMT

It's no surprise that every visitor that comes to Sonoma County in Northern California leaves with a bit of regret. In any season, this area fills you with delight. In the fall, driving through the vineyard areas, blazing with orange and reds, is superb. In the winter, the milder climate makes you happy you're not in Chicago or New York. The summer brings cool air at the coast and hot days in-land, so you have your choice: swim in the river to cool off, or bike in the ocean breeze. And then there is spring. In some ways, Sonoma County is a perpetual spring. Once the rains begin in November, everything starts to grow green and lush, and it stays that way up until May. There is a year long growing season in Sonoma County, so there is hardly a time that you can't find fresh veggies at the local farmers market.

Given all that, plus access to mountains, oceans, farms, redwood forests, and urban areas, who wouldn't want to live here? As far as we can see, no one, which explains why the real estate market stays rather steady, even admist the ups and downs of the economy.

So what do you need to know to make the decision to move? We identified the following key things to consider:
- Real Estate Pricing
- Earning a Living
- Making Friends who share your interests.

All three of these components come together in one word: Finding the right neighborhood for you. This site is dedicate to helping you understand the areas of Sonoma County and finding the best real estate deals so you can live your California Dream.

The Sonoma Coast

Tue, 18 May 2010 21:26:32 GMT

If you're waiting for a good reason to get property on the Sonoma Coast, here's some incentive: Imagine watching this from your home:

West County Schools

Tue, 18 May 2010 20:49:22 GMT

West County School District Map:

Below, the map in yellow indicates the public school districts in West Sonoma county. In addition to public schools, each district also may have public charter schools as well as private schools.

For parents wondering about public schools in West Sonoma County, there are ample choices. The map at the bottom indicates the way the district is divided up. Basically in the West Sonoma County High, there are are several areas with elementary and middle schools which then feed into high schools. For Sebastopol and outlying areas, the main high schools, including special needs schools, are

Analy High School
El Molino High School
Laguna High School
Nuevo Leon High School
Russian River Charter School
WSCUHSD Community Day School

The elementary and middle schools which feed these high schools are:

Forestville Union
Fort Ross
Gravenstein Union
Guerneville
Harmony Union
Monte Rio Union
Montgomery Elementary
Oak Grove Union (Sebastopol, Graton)
Sebastopol Union (Sebastopol)
Twin Hills Union (Sebastopol)

For more information visit the Sonoma County Office of Education website.

Stunning Pacific Ocean Views

Tue, 18 May 2010 16:25:50 GMT

You will enjoy the Spectacular ocean view from GOAT ROCK HOUSE! Stunning Jenner location. Goat Rock House sits on one of two lots totaling 1.012 Acres. The owner recently passed away and the estate must be liquidated. It has been used as a very popular vacation rental for several years. Everybody who stays loves to come back. Priced $300,000. less than the Sonoma County Probate Referees valuation. The home and building lot must go. Offered for sale as an "Insider's deal" at $1,030,000.

Orrin Thiessen

Tue, 18 May 2010 23:33:13 GMT

August 18, 2009: I’ve come to Harmony Village in Occidental to meet the developer, Orrin Thiessen and check out the project. Orrin is in a meeting and invites me to take a self-tour, so I head past the bulldozers and workers into the courtyard. The area is humming as they head towards a deadline of an open house on September 6 (2009).

The first thing that I notice is the surroundings. The redwoods are still ever present, and it feels as if few were disturbed to form the surroundings for this open-space planned village. I am also aware of its multi-levels. From the starting level, which I assume will be the work-space, up the short ramp to the condos, and behind to what appear to be tract houses, it all blends together with great, well, harmony!

The project was a complete make-over of what was formerly a public school, closed down for lack of student population in the area. Looking in the window of one of the condos, I am struck with the size. They seem huge. One-story condos, all connected, created from what used to be classrooms. The only thing that reminds me of its former life is the ever-present concrete. Many of the condos have large concrete patios, which, while definitely saving on water for lawns, is a little off-putting and makes the unit feel a little colder than it would otherwise. On the hand, it is all still under construction, with landscaping yet to occur, so I’ll reserve judgment.

Every unit has some amount of privacy as well as some opening to the communal village area. One of the units right along Bohemian Highway has been skillfully placed so that there is no view of the road over the high wooden fence. It is one of the few with a very large planted, rather than concrete, patio area. A worker strolls out while I am peering in its door, and states matter of factly, “It’s sold.”

I’m wondering how many are sold, what the prices, and what the move-in date will be. But these will have to wait until Thiessen extracts himself from his meeting.

Details
Orrin takes time from his busy, deadline-driven day to show me the inside of one of the condos. It is huge, with windows all around. He explains that since they were formerly classrooms, all the units have lots of window space. In total, there will be twelve condos, ranging in size from 900-1600 square feet, with 2 or 3 bedrooms. The prices range from $350K to $439.

I ask about the single-family homes and he points to a remarkably large white house on the hill. I assumed that it was an older building, because of its size. In fact, it is the largest of the newly built 11 homes, with that one being 2500 square feet. The homes are pre-wired for solar on the house and can be solar upgraded.

While the village isn’t LEED green certified, Orrin comments that he just finished a certified green project, and has used all the same materials in this village as well. From the looks of it, there is little room to doubt the quality.

Bonus features
One of the draws of the village is that the Occidental Center for the Arts is right on the property. The building, which seats 200, is being donated by Orrin. It includes an outdoor amphitheater, surrounded by redwood forest. The Redwood Arts Council, who will run the art center, has booked world-class performers and created a wonderful cultural haven in West County for years, without the physical building, so we expect even more now that they will have a home.

Another boon is that live-work is part of the design. There are about 6 commercial spaces located at the bottom level of the village. I particularly like the fact that the office space is separate from the condos, so you can ‘walk’ to work, without having it be right in your face.

Why Sonoma?
I ask Orrin about the draw of the village for someone looking for a home. He mentions a few things. “The town of Occidental is a very special place,” he says. He came to Sonoma 38 years ago to go to Sonoma State University. I asked why he stayed. “It's paradise…” We couldn’t agree more.

Our conclusion
While the project is still under construction, from the one model we saw, this is exceptionally good value. It is new construction, it is right in a great town, and the price is reasonable, in comparison to other condos on the market in downtown Sebastopol. While it is not in Sebastopol, you have easy access to Sebastopol (about 15 minutes) for all your major shopping, and it is also only 15 minutes to the ocean. The fact that the Performing Arts Center is there is a great boon. We give the village a big thumbs up.

For more information about Harmony Village, visit their website or call them at 707 836-9112.