Outlook Positive for Sonoma County

The Economic Development Board and Moody's put together a quarterly report on the state of the couny and things are looking quite positive overall.

•Sonoma County’s economy has improved considerably in the past six months. Job growth is now approaching 2.5% over the year, its fastest rate since the 2001 recession.
•Sonoma County’s unemployment rate is falling to a point where the risk of a labor shortage is rising.
•Sonoma County’s housing market appears to be easing. Improved housing affordability, however, would generate improved long-term economic conditions.
•Sonoma County’s economy is proving itself to be resilient, as its industries, including technology, restructure and remain competititve.
•Brad Zigler reports on growth in local stocks. Brad Zigler is a Santa Rosa-based financial writer and editor, and is the creator of the North Bay Stock Index.

Click here for the full report in PDF format.

Second-Home Owner Survey Shows Solid Market, Appetite for More

With a majority of Sonoma Coast homeowners being multi-home owners, this article will certainly offer lots of support for your investment decisions. There's a LOT of data in the report, but all of it points to a steady growth in vacation and investment property purchases for years to come.

Second-Home Owner Survey Shows Solid Market, Appetite for More

1031 Exchange Myths

Doing a 1031 Exchange is not always straightforward, so you have to expect a lot of myths to exist. This article addresses a few of them and helps clarify the more important aspects of successfully deferring tax gains on investment properties.

1031 Exchange Myths

Prices Up, Sales Down...

The median price of an existing home in California increased 13 percent in March and sales decreased 15.1 percent compared with the same period a year ago, the California Association of REALTORS (C.A.R.) reported today. See article March 06 sales/price report.

Despite the continued media negativity and talk of a bursting real estate bubble, real people realize that investing in property is still one of the safest strategies available. As I mentioned weeks ago, we're expecting a solid year overall - the third best on record, in fact - and it appears that we're getting a increase in momentum.

For Bodega Bay in 2006, there have been 11 sales with a median of $990,000. While this is a relatively low number of homes - buyer activity is beginning to return and I'd expect a steady increase throughout the year.

Open House Weekend April 22-23

Open House Schedule

Come on out to the coast to see all of Coldwell Banker Coast Properties' listings this weekend. The link above shows a preview and all homes will be available from 1-4pm Saturday and Sunday...

I gotta bridge to sell ya...

Believe it or not, the Bodega Bay pedestrian trail appears to be making some progress! According to the Bodega Bay Navigator, two pieces of the puzzle are funded and underway - one piece on the north end and one on the south end.

If you live in Bodega Harbour, you'll soon (soon being a year or so) be able to ambulate to the US Post office without the fear of being run over by a truck. There will be a 100-foot bridge connecting Doran Beach and the Birdwalk Regional Park. From there you can access Smith Brother Road where you'll access your PO Box. A few more steps and you're in my office.

At the other end of the trail-to-be is a section which connects Salmon Creek to the infamous Community Center and Children's Bell Tower. As time goes on, we may be able to safely walk from Salmon Creek to Bodega Harbour to enjoy a martini at the all-new Bluewater Cafe.

Bodega Bay Fisherman's Festival

The 33rd Annual event takes place April 8 & 9 this year with the theme of "Whales & Fish Tales" so get on over to Westside Park - directly across the harbor from Gourmet au Bay. It's only $5 per adult and there's live music, wine tasting, food, crafts and children's events. As you may know, we're big fans of charity events and all proceeds from the festival benefit Bodega Bay area community services. Go to http://www.bbfishfest.com/ or call (707) 875-3286 for more info.