"Oh What Fun ~ 2nd Annual Sonoma County, CA ~ Maker Kids Mini-Maker Faire!"         You are looking at a Giant Kaleidoscope (human size) at the 2nd Annual Sonoma County, CA Maker Kids Mini-Maker Faire.  It was fun for all who came today on Saturday April 2nd, 2011 from 11:00am - 3:00pm.  Kids of all ages (and some specially invited adult Makers) came to show off their creations and took part in the hands-on activities at this fun FREE event! Produced by the Sonoma County Office of Education in Partnership with Sonoma Country Day School and the folks who produce the original and World's Largest Maker Faire in San Mateo County, CA each year, Maker Kids Mini-Maker Faire Celebrates things people create themselves from - "Ride-able Sculptures" appliance dissection turned into "Junkart".     ... 04/02/2011

  Santa Rosa Real Estate Market Report for February 2011     Santa Rosa is the largest City in Sonoma County, with a population of approximately 160,000. Santa Rosa is located 55 miles North of San Francisco and 23 miles East of the Pacific Ocean. There was a lot of buyer activity during February 2011. The number of properties that went under contract surpassed April 2010, which was at the height of the first-time home buyer tax rebate. The graphs below will help you understand recent trends in the Santa Rosa Real Estate Market. Data for these graphs is derived from the Bay Area Real Estate Information System (BAREIS). Private sales, multi-family homes and mobile/manufactured homes are not included in this report. The data is believed to be reliable but not guaranteed. ~   ~   ~   ~   ~... 03/22/2011

Social Media Branding for REALTORS® - Online Real Estate Marketing It's amazing the amount of work it takes to put a class together for me. It took me three weeks of work after hours to come up with 38 slides and guidebook for my social media branding class.  I'm blown away by the amount of energy and creativity it takes to set up just one class and commend all the teachers in the world who do this on a daily basis. Thank you for your incredible dedication to the craft of teaching! My latest class is designed to help REALTORS® establish a consistent image, or brand with their social media. I've found many agents have floundered in this category. Their profiles are typically inconsistent on their website, Facebook, Linkedin, Twitter, Activerain, etc. So, I put together this powerpoint an... 02/25/2011

A client of mine has just purchased a 4BR/2BA single family home in Santa Rosa. He put a sandwich board outside with a "For Rent" sign and he immediately started getting calls from prospective tenants. Without placing a single ad on Craigslist or anywhere else, he had tenants to choose from, and has selected a family that is ready to move in immediately. I didn't think he would have any trouble getting it rented, but I was surprised by the volume of calls he got just by hanging out a "For Rent" sign. So it seems that the rental market is strong, at least for this type of home in Santa Rosa. Peter Nielsen, Peter@MarinRealtyExperts.com 02/24/2011

Santa Rosa Real Estate Market Report for January 2011 Santa Rosa is the largest City in Sonoma County, located 55 miles North of San Francisco and 23 miles East of the Pacific Ocean. With a population of approximately 160,000 residents, Santa Rosa has suffered a substantial drop in market value since 2007, due to the high number of distressed properties. The biggest surprise to me this month is the number of properties that went under contract during January 2011. Normally a slow month, more properties went under contract than any other month this past year except for April 2010, which was at the height of the first-time home buyer tax rebate. The graphs below will help you understand recent trends in the Santa Rosa Real Estate Market. Data for these graphs is derived from the Bay Area ... 02/15/2011

2011 Business Strategies for REALTORS® - Online Real Estate Marketing Planning for success in 2011 takes a ton of energy, but it's worth the effort! Last year, I taught a class where only 5% of the attending REALTORS® had completed a real estate sales business plan for 2011! I couldn't believe how many real estate agents didn't have a plan completed yet! How are you supposed to run a business without a plan showing you what direction you are going to take for the forthcoming year? I found out from many of the REALTORS® in the class who didn't complete a business plan that they just didn't know where to start. So... I put together a new class for this year called 2011 Business Strategies for REALTORS® and completed a powerpoint to go with the class. The class was a blast to teach and the... 01/21/2011

I just signed up with PartnerFirst, a nationwide Real Estate Network designed to serve homeowners & agents/brokers with Short Sales.  I took their intensive online course on Short Sales and acquired their PSC (Pre-Foreclosure Specialist Certification). Whether you are agent or financially-stressed homeowner, I recommend you visit their website.  PartnerFirst link: http://members.partnerfirst.org/ I also have been certified by Equator with their Platiinum Short Sale & REO Certification.  I also have been certified by NABPOP ) National Association of Broker Price Opinion Professionals), Titanium Solutions, Distressed Sales University and Harris Real Estate University. Why would I focus so much time and effort on this, you may ask? Please consider these facts which essentially guarantee a ... 12/18/2010

Ho Ho Ho Sue Carrell will be on Mike Kelly's Show This Sunday Morning Check it out! Call In. Ask All the questions you want to know about Property Management in Santa Rosa, Sebastopol, Windsor, and more. What can I rent my house for? What does it cost? Why do I want to do it? How long would it take to get a good tenant? What is the rental market doing? Should I buy real estate today and rent it out? What are the benefits? Risks? 707 636 1350-Call in KSRO Radio 9-10 am in Santa Rosa, CA. 12/16/2010

Social Media Marketing for REALTORS® - Online Real Estate Marketing It's been awhile since I've posted anything on AR! I've been so busy with my work and life events. I've also been busy Social Media Marketing and branding to my local real estate agents at the North Bay Association of REALTORS®. My classes have basically been a live demonstration and dryboard illustration of my thoughts and ideas. They've been very successful and educational to all who've participated, but I felt I needed to take the classes to a whole new level by creating powerpoint presentations of all my classes. It's a lot of work! I didn't realize how much more time it would take me to make a powerpoint summary for just one class! LOL! It's a lot of work! Especially for someone like me who's constantly trying to i... 12/04/2010

Will the real Brad Andersohn please stand up! Last week I was fortunate enough to attend a class that was taught by the one and only Brad Andersohn from Activerain at the North Bay Association of Realtors in Santa Rosa, Ca. To my wonderful surprise, I found several Sonoma County blogging greats in class who were also there to hear Brad. It was so nice to see and visit Dave Roberts, Cynthia Larsen, and Kathleen Bonham that afternoon! As always, Brad provided us with a plethora of information and tools for mastering our online branding as real estate professionals. Some of my top three favorite web tools were: Box.net - It's a website that allows you to upload files for your friends to download Picnik.com - This is a wonderful free online photo editing tool StepRep.com - I've been using t... 10/24/2010

Five Benefits of Historic Designation ! This summer I have been taking a class on Historic Designation and Vintage homes at the local junior college in Santa Rosa, California. I have learned about numerous aspects of the process for obtaining designation as a Historic Preservation District. The class project, in fact, is a survey of the junior college district housing stock to establish the basis for historic designation. The process centers on cataloging houses in the neighborhood with special historic and architectural features. The general purpose of historic designation is straightforward: namely, to preserve the special historic and architectural character of the neighborhood. The rules and regulations that accompany Historic Designation  require approval by a local board or commis... 10/05/2010

Fountaingrove is a lovely part of  Santa Rosa, CA.  It's located in the hills with beautiful views looking toward the west county hills.  There are hundreds of homes in Fountaingrove, and they enjoy a nice variety of city parks such as Rincon Ridge Park, Francis Nielson Park, and Nagasawa. Rincon Ridge Park, is a City of Santa Rosa neighborhood park.  It's located on Rincon Ridge Drive right off Fountaingrove Parkway.  It has an expansive lawn, perfect for a friendly soccer game, or tossing the Frisbee.  There is a nice picnic area with tables, and a grill, all shaded by mature oaks.  There are 2 play structures one for younger, and the other for older children.  There are no bathrooms.                                Francis Nielson Park, is another Santa Rosa City neighborhood park.  F... 09/28/2010

The Second Fairway in Fountaingrove offers elegant golf course living.  Built in 1995, the Second Fairway development consists of 26 homes most of which sit on the Fountaingrove golf course in a variety of sizes.Second Fairway homes range in size from 1900 sq ft to over 3000.  They sit on a variety of lots, some as small as .12 acres, to over 1 acre.  I'd say that the average lot size is approx .20    The homes are wood costruction with stucco exterior, composite tile roofs, and a concrete perimeter foundation.  Most homes have natural gas central heat and air conditioning.  The neighborhood is served by city water and sewer.  Most of the homes have  similiar amenities such as high ceilings, hardwood floors, bedrooms with balconies, gourmet kitchens and 2 - 3 wood burning fireplaces.   ... 09/28/2010

The Oaks in Fountaingrove offers a nice alternative to the more expensive custom homes found in this area.  Located on Thomas Lake Harris Dr, The Oaks consist of 46 large, single detached homes on small lots.  The homes range in size from 1500 sq ft to 1990 sq ft.  Each lot averages  about 3500 sq ft.  Individually, the homes are mostly two stories, with wood burning fireplaces, central heat, city water/ sewer, and two car attached garages.  The homes are built with wood siding, tile roofs, and concrete perimeter foundations.   Although the homes are considered "single detached homes", some of the garages share a common wall with the neighboring home.  Built in 1994, The Oaks consist of Kilarney Circle, Bally Bunion Lane, Lahinch Lane and Gullage Drive.  Some of the homes enjoy the priv... 09/27/2010

I was driving from my home office to the North Bay Association of Realtors (NorBAR) for a seminar when I spotted a brilliant flash of gold. Up ahead on my left was Sts. Peter and Paul Russian Orthodox Church. I had remembered reading an article in the newspaper about the domes on the church having been refurbished recently. The sun was high in the sky, not a cloud in sight and the domes were spectacular. If it hadn't been for road construction that has been going on for years (literally), I wouldn't have chosen this particular path. I'm glad I did, I found a little treasure that made my day.     Sts. Peter and Paul Russian Orthodox Church850 St.Olga's Ct.Santa Rosa, CA 95407     09/23/2010

For those of you who are interested, there is an exclusive neighborhood in the hills above Santa Rosa called Fountaingrove. Within this neighborhood is a combination of high end developments that were built within the last 25 years.   One of these developments is a neighborhood called Southridge. Southridge is a community of about 50+ custom and semi custom homes halfway up Fountaingrove Parkway. The lots range in size from 4900 sq ft up to half an acre, with the average lot being close to .25 of an acre. The homes, built in a wide variety of styles, also range in size from 2200 sq ft up to 4100 sq feet. These homes sit on a hill amongst beautiful mature oaks. Most homes enjoy a view looking over West Santa Rosa and toward the hills of Sebastopol and Forestville. The streets that make ... 09/13/2010

There's a small house movement encouraging people all over the world to live simply, consume fewer resources, and make a smaller carbon footprint. A big factor in how efficiently and lightly we live is in the size of our houses. A bigger house takes more energy to heat, more resources to build, and occupies more landfill when it is eventually dismantled.  We haven't always craved large homes. The rise of the bigger scale homes  is a post World War II phenomenon that exploded in the 1970's and 80's. Today, lots of people spend extra time cleaning and paying for heat and cooling inside homes built for many more occupants and a different lifestyle. Downsizing is in and many are opting for smaller homes. One of my clients is fixing a 600 square foot dollhouse on a little over half an acre i... 07/24/2010

Selling the Family Vintage Home in Sonoma, Calif. and Surviving. I have just spent three months with my husband, daughter, pet schnauzer (Neddie) preparing to sell the family home and downsize into a more simple home with less upkeep, less maintenance, less taxes ..in other words LESS of everything.   Here is what I did to get the ball rolling after I pullled the covers over my head for about 2 days thinking of all I had to do and not being able to move because I was so overwhelmed. The physcololgy of this life change is a blog just by itself! 1. Get Organized. I am NOT the greatest at organizing and going through years of history.. momentos, sentimental gifts, notes from favorite granmothers or parents, child's photos and grammar school drawings, acievements, etc. SO, I solicited help ... 07/20/2010

Santa Rosa Real Estate Homes For Sale (784) Bank-Owned Listings (145) Short-Sale Listings (382) New Listings (132) Price Reductions (111) Land for Sale (91) Condos for Sale (142) For more information on each individual property: www.KammieQuinonesRealEstate.com     07/09/2010

      Santa Rosa Real Estate For Sale Santa Rosa Homes for Sale (748)  Santa Rosa Foreclosure Listings (121) Santa Rosa Short-Sale Listings (344) New Santa Rosa Listings (123) Santa Rosa Price Reductions (136) Santa Rosa Land for Sale (97) Santa Rosa Condos for Sale (132) For More Information and Free Real Estate Assistance: www.KammieQuinonesRealEstate.comKammie Quinones License #01372729  05/26/2010