Things are really picking up here in the Sonoma County real estate world, and I'm delighted you've decided to tune in and stay abreast of it all.  Today's episode is a fun and fluid exchange as Heidi and I chat on the subject of March Madness & Market Value.  It was quite the fruitful 20 minutes!

Enjoy!

Heidi Would is a licensed agent with the California Department of Real Estate, and her license number is 02072248. Because Heidi serves as an agent for the brokerage of Corcoran Icon Properties, it's important that we include the following disclaimer: ©2023 Corcoran Group LLC. All rights reserved. Corcoran® and the Corcoran Logo are registered service marks owned by Corcoran Group LLC. Corcoran Group LLC fully supports the principles of the Fair Housing Act and the Equal Opportunity Act. Each franchise is independently owned and operated. If your property is currently listed with a Realtor or agent, please disregard this notice. It is not our intention to solicit the offerings of other Brokers.

Topics & Highlights

Love: When searching for a home specifically here in Sonoma County, it can be a very challenging process especially if you truly fall in love and want to write an offer. How will you stand out in a multiple offer situation? What if you just want the seller to know about you? In this episode we discuss the true details of writing a love letter, or what we refer to as a buyer offer letter. We provide a few examples of what to do and what not to do and provide guidance on how you might present an offer to a seller with the most integrity without breaking any Fair Housing rules.

Land:   In the broad scope of our beautiful Sonoma County area, we learn the total square miles and how we compare to Napa. We discuss zoning and land use details and other valuable information available through this link: https://permitsonoma.org/

Listings:  In this episode we talk about listings, including the marketing and data that populate Zillow, Realtor.com and Trulia to name a few. We discuss the pros and cons of a "pocket" listing and what it means to be included in the Multiple Listing Service that conveys the information to home buyers and sellers everywhere.

For more in depth information about any of these subjects, please email me at [email protected], and I would be happy to discuss your specific real estate needs.

Heidi Would is a licensed agent with the California Department of Real Estate, and her license number is 02072248. Because Heidi serves as an agent for the brokerage of Corcoran Icon Properties, it's important that we include the following disclaimer: ©2023 Corcoran Group LLC. All rights reserved. Corcoran® and the Corcoran Logo are registered service marks owned by Corcoran Group LLC. Corcoran Group LLC fully supports the principles of the Fair Housing Act and the Equal Opportunity Act. Each franchise is independently owned and operated. If your property is currently listed with a Realtor or agent, please disregard this notice. It is not our intention to solicit the offerings of other Brokers.

Welcome! Today we'll look forward at the landscape of the upcoming year and get clear on what to focus on to increase our probability for success in our real estate endeavors.

Topics & Highlights

Embracing Change:  What do we have in store for us in an election year? Historically,
election years are good for buyers, however most of us feel some level of uncertainty
especially with what’s happening in the world today. We may find some level of procrastination due to this uncertainty. Here are some basic ideas to stay on track to successfully sell or purchase property. Please consult with a licensed Realtor®, they will provide guidance and assistance on touch points for your specific situation.

1. Write it down and break it down. If you feel overwhelmed with thoughts of buying or selling a home, create a to-do list and prioritize your tasks in order of importance.
2. Get motivated and organized by setting deadlines. You may need to work from an ideal finish date backwards, Nancy coined this reverse engineering.
3. Minimize distractions by staying on task, create a blocked schedule and unplug so you can concentrate on getting important tasks completed.
4. Be accountable and recheck your to-do list which will provide a sense of accomplishment.

Experience Matters:   Your Realtor® should act as a guide and mentor providing details
to help you make decisions throughout your home buying and selling journey.


Lifestyle:  The most important detail to provide your Realtor® is how and where you see yourself living. This information could include the location, the size, the configuration, or the features of the home. It’s the tangible and intangible details of the way you see yourself living that bring you joy.


Timing:   It truly is “all about the timing” especially if there is a window of opportunity. In
Real Estate there are periods of time, timelines, deadlines, expiration dates and many
details around time that factor into a real estate transaction. Your Realtor® will help you stay on track and provide important dates and information. Always remember to go with your gut and if the timing doesn’t feel right, it doesn’t necessarily mean you are
procrastinating.

Heidi Would is a licensed agent with the California Department of Real Estate, and her license number is 02072248. Because Heidi serves as an agent for the brokerage of Corcoran Icon Properties, it's important that we include the following disclaimer: ©2023 Corcoran Group LLC. All rights reserved. Corcoran® and the Corcoran Logo are registered service marks owned by Corcoran Group LLC. Corcoran Group LLC fully supports the principles of the Fair Housing Act and the Equal Opportunity Act. Each franchise is independently owned and operated. If your property is currently listed with a Realtor or agent, please disregard this notice. It is not our intention to solicit the offerings of other Brokers.

My goodness, it’s good to be back with you after having a bit of a break!

I am so excited to share this celebratory episode with you today, when Heidi will be sharing many of the fun & funky aspects of living in Sonoma County at this particular time of the year.  

But before we begin our conversation, I just want to highlight someone very special, and that is our podcast editor extraordinaire, Carolyn Forster, my multi-talented sister-friend who is located in the tropical north of Queensland, Australia.  

I could talk for days about Carolyn’s many gifts, but today I want to celebrate her passion for visual and audio media creation and invite you all to visit her beautiful page on Facebook, where you’ll also find examples of her amazing raw desserts.  

Carolyn, we really gave you something to sink your teeth into today when my telephone rang in the middle of our conversation, so thank you for pretty-ing up our episode, as always.

With that, let’s dive on in and enjoy ourselves as we chat on the subject of Harvest, Holiday & Home, right here in beautiful Sonoma County.  


And, if you'd like personal support from Heidi on your own real estate journey, then reach out to [email protected].

Heidi Would is a licensed agent with the California Department of Real Estate, and her license number is 02072248. Because Heidi serves as an agent for the brokerage of Corcoran Icon Properties, it's important that we include the following disclaimer: ©2023 Corcoran Group LLC. All rights reserved. Corcoran® and the Corcoran Logo are registered service marks owned by Corcoran Group LLC. Corcoran Group LLC fully supports the principles of the Fair Housing Act and the Equal Opportunity Act. Each franchise is independently owned and operated. If your property is currently listed with a Realtor or agent, please disregard this notice. It is not our intention to solicit the offerings of other Brokers.

Welcome back everyone to INSIDE Sonoma County Real Estate.   Today we’ll continue our exploration into all the ways that sellers’ agents serve their clients.   In our last episode we covered everything that occurs before the home is actually listed on the market, and today we’ll pick up and discuss the listing process itself, as well as what happens from a marketing standpoint from that point forward.

Heidi does a beautiful job of pulling back the curtain for us on all the promotion that happens BOTH in front of AND behind the scenes.  In fact, if you’d like even more detailed insight into what an actual marketing plan might include, Heidi has provided a wonderful resource to this effect that you’ll find in the show notes.   

Today we also touch upon the ‘dance’ that occurs between agents during the offer process, and then we cover some basics of escrow and the sort of ‘home stretch' in a successful home sale.

And one final note before we begin … I want to let you know that this will be the final episode of Season One of our podcast!  And I want to invite you to STAY TUNED, because we’re coming back in September with Season Two, all around Harvest, Holiday & Home here in exquisite Sonoma County.  So, be sure to subscribe if you have not yet done so. 


And ... if you'd like personal support from Heidi on your own real estate journey, then reach out to [email protected] or visit our website at https://www.insidesonomacountyrealestate.com.

Heidi Would is a licensed agent with the California Department of Real Estate, and her license number is 02072248. Because Heidi serves as an agent for the brokerage of Corcoran Icon Properties, it's important that we include the following disclaimer: ©2023 Corcoran Group LLC. All rights reserved. Corcoran® and the Corcoran Logo are registered service marks owned by Corcoran Group LLC. Corcoran Group LLC fully supports the principles of the Fair Housing Act and the Equal Opportunity Act. Each franchise is independently owned and operated. If your property is currently listed with a Realtor or agent, please disregard this notice. It is not our intention to solicit the offerings of other Brokers.

Welcome back, everyone, to INSIDE Sonoma County Real Estate.  Today’s episode is the second in a series of three in which Heidi’s been highlighting for us ALL the various aspects of how real estate agents serve their clients, with a particular focus on how she brings her personal style to her interactions.  

I’m excited today to bring you Part One on the topic of What Sellers’ Agents Do for their Clients.  We’ll cover what it means to cultivate a healthy Seller-Agent relationship, as well as all the steps involved in preparing a home for sale.  Then we’ll come back next episode and chat about what happens once the property is on the market.  

I thoroughly enjoyed our conversation, and I hope you do too.

And ... if you'd like personal support from Heidi on your own real estate journey, then reach out to [email protected] or visit our website at https://www.insidesonomacountyrealestate.com.

Heidi Would is a licensed agent with the California Department of Real Estate, and her license number is 02072248. Because Heidi serves as an agent for the brokerage of Corcoran Icon Properties, it's important that we include the following disclaimer: ©2023 Corcoran Group LLC. All rights reserved. Corcoran® and the Corcoran Logo are registered service marks owned by Corcoran Group LLC. Corcoran Group LLC fully supports the principles of the Fair Housing Act and the Equal Opportunity Act. Each franchise is independently owned and operated. If your property is currently listed with a Realtor or agent, please disregard this notice. It is not our intention to solicit the offerings of other Brokers.

Welcome back, everyone, to INSIDE Sonoma County Real Estate.  We’ve got another WONDERFUL episode in store for you today, as Heidi describes for us, in a step-by-step fashion, just what it looks like for a real estate agent to work with a client who wants to purchase a home, sharing her own personal style & preferences all along the way.  

She takes us from initial contact, all the way through to close of escrow, and really removes the mystery so we can relax and trust the process.  

With that, let’s begin!

And ... if you'd like personal support from Heidi on your own real estate journey, then reach out to [email protected] or visit our website at https://www.insidesonomacountyrealestate.com.

Heidi Would is a licensed agent with the California Department of Real Estate, and her license number is 02072248. Because Heidi serves as an agent for the brokerage of Corcoran Icon Properties, it's important that we include the following disclaimer: ©2023 Corcoran Group LLC. All rights reserved. Corcoran® and the Corcoran Logo are registered service marks owned by Corcoran Group LLC. Corcoran Group LLC fully supports the principles of the Fair Housing Act and the Equal Opportunity Act. Each franchise is independently owned and operated. If your property is currently listed with a Realtor or agent, please disregard this notice. It is not our intention to solicit the offerings of other Brokers.

Welcome back, everyone, to INSIDE Sonoma County Real Estate.  I am REALLY excited to share this next conversation with you, as Heidi enlightens us to the many moving parts to be taken into account when acquiring vacation and other short-term rental property, or perhaps even converting an existing property into a short-term rental.  She covers both the practical aspects of planning for such a purchase in any instance, as well as some very important Sonoma County-specific guidelines that have affected the local real estate market recently.  So … buckle in, enjoy the ride, and be prepared to take away some valuable nuggets.  

If you’d like personal support from Heidi on your own real estate journey, then reach out to [email protected] or visit our website at https://www.insidesonomacountyrealestate.com.

Here are the resources Heidi mentioned during this episode:

Vacation and Short Term Rental Booking Sites:

https://www.vrbo.com/

https://www.airbnb.com/

https://www.sonomacounty.com/vacation-rentals

City & County Ordinance & Regulations:

For County Information:

https://permitsonoma.org/aboutus/codeforvacationrentals

https://permitsonoma.org/regulationsandinitiatives/vacationrentals/vacationrentalpermit

For City-specific Information:

Santa Rosa
https://www.srcity.org/3625/Short-Term-Vacation-Rentals

Healdsburg
https://www.ci.healdsburg.ca.us/274/Vacation-Rentals

Sonoma
https://www.sonomacity.org/vacation-rental-regulation/

Petaluma
https://cityofpetaluma.org/documents/short-term-vacation-rental-permit-checklist/

Sebastopol
https://www.ci.sebastopol.ca.us/City-Government/Departments-Services/Planning/Housing-Resources-Vacation-Rentals

Please be sure to check your specific area which may not be listed above for additional information.

Heidi Would is a licensed agent with the California Department of Real Estate, and her license number is 02072248. Because Heidi serves as an agent for the brokerage of Corcoran Icon Properties, it's important that we include the following disclaimer: ©2023 Corcoran Group LLC. All rights reserved. Corcoran® and the Corcoran Logo are registered service marks owned by Corcoran Group LLC. Corcoran Group LLC fully supports the principles of the Fair Housing Act and the Equal Opportunity Act. Each franchise is independently owned and operated. If your property is currently listed with a Realtor or agent, please disregard this notice. It is not our intention to solicit the offerings of other Brokers.

And so here we are at Episode 2, about to discuss a topic that has arguably the deepest impact on the buying and selling experience here in Sonoma County … and that is Inventory.  So we’ll chat today about what the idea of inventory even means in the context of real estate, what kinds of factors influence inventory, as well as how fluctuating levels of inventory impact a given market, in a broad sense.  And then we’ll get into a more specific inquiry into what Heidi has seen and experienced up close and personally within our local market.   So … here we go!

If you’d like personal support from Heidi on your own real estate journey, then reach out to [email protected] … or visit our website at https://www.insidesonomacountyrealestate.com.  

Heidi Would is a licensed agent with the California Department of Real Estate, and her license number is 02072248. Because Heidi serves as an agent for the brokerage of Corcoran Icon Properties, it's important that we include the following disclaimer: ©2023 Corcoran Group LLC. All rights reserved. Corcoran® and the Corcoran Logo are registered service marks owned by Corcoran Group LLC. Corcoran Group LLC fully supports the principles of the Fair Housing Act and the Equal Opportunity Act. Each franchise is independently owned and operated. If your property is currently listed with a Realtor or agent, please disregard this notice. It is not our intention to solicit the offerings of other Brokers.

So, here we are, Episode 1 of what is shaping up to be a super fun adventure.  And I’ve got to say, I couldn’t ask for a more capable collaborator than Heidi Would.  She’s BOTH salt of the earth AND super savvy.  She’s accessible, yet HIGHLY professional.  Most of all, though, she’s REAL, and I am so looking forward to your getting to know her better. But for today, we’ll simply say hi, find out how and why she decided to enter the wonderful world of Sonoma County real estate, and a little bit about what she’d like to offer listeners in episodes to come. 

If you'd like personal support from Heidi on your own real estate journey,  reach out to [email protected] or visit our website at https://www.insidesonomacountyrealestate.com.  

Heidi Would is a licensed agent with the California Department of Real Estate, and her license number is 02072248. Because Heidi serves as an agent for the brokerage of Corcoran Icon Properties, it's important that we include the following disclaimer: ©2023 Corcoran Group LLC. All rights reserved. Corcoran® and the Corcoran Logo are registered service marks owned by Corcoran Group LLC. Corcoran Group LLC fully supports the principles of the Fair Housing Act and the Equal Opportunity Act. Each franchise is independently owned and operated. If your property is currently listed with a Realtor or agent, please disregard this notice. It is not our intention to solicit the offerings of other Brokers.