Why You Should Purchase Your Next Home in Sonoma County, California

Hi Paris,

When you sidled up to me at the party and whispered, "You're hot!", and I told you I'd been happily married for thirty years, I thought that would be the last I would hear from you. I was pleased to get your letter talking about how much you already like the wine and food lifestyle in Healdsburg. It's not every day Paris Hilton is looking for a home in Sonoma County. I've put together an overview along with three interesting listings for you. Let me start by saying we're pretty casual in Sonoma County so I hope it's okay to call you Paris rather than Ms. Hilton. In addition to being informal, we mind our own business. We're big believers in discretion here, just like you, so I won't name drop about the celebrities that make Sonoma County their home. Let's just say you will have neighbors in the entertainment and sports industry almost anywhere in this wine country area north of San Francisco.

I've thought a lot about your needs for security, access to airports, and a large home with pool since you first got in touch with my Healdsburg Sotheby's International Realty office.There are plenty of houses that will meet your stated requirements, but as a real estate professional, it's my job to read between the lines of what you're asking for. My analysis of the key advantage of Sonoma County for you is that we can offer you a luxury that money can't buy. We can offer you real privacy.

It's one thing to have a gate or fence around a postage stamp sized Beverly Hills house and it's quite another to have tens or hundreds of acres that are yours alone for walking, riding, or hosting small intimate parties for hundreds of your friends. I have narrowed our preliminary list of properties to three estates of varying land size that will all protect your right to be left alone. You can think of them from a size point of view as the baby, mama, and papa places.

Baby comes first, so we'll start with our smallest property at only 12.9 acres. Your privacy here is protected by two gates; first to the famed Mayacama Club, and then by a second gate to the Shiloh residential area. Paparazzi won't be a problem for you here. They won't get closer than half a mile to your house.

The house, named Villa Quercia, is five bedrooms and seven baths in 6336 square feet of space. The materials throughout this house and the others I will show you are top quality. One of the most lovely features of this home is the entrance featuring hand crafted walnut and wrought iron Portalais front doors from Provence.

As you requested, I've included a picture of the pool area. There is a lovely cabana and extensive lawn near the pool, so entertaininentertaining here would be delightful... guests would feel charmed by the casual elegance of your small country estate.

There are several key advantages to this property. First, the double level of security is an active protection of your privacy. Within the grounds of the club are fine dining and your favorite sport, golf, at the #6 rated residential course (2004 -golfweek) designed by Jack Nicklaus. Within fifteen minutes of the property are many highly rated restaurants including Dry Creek Kitchen, Cyrus, and others. Additionally, when friends visit and your guest house and bedrooms are already filled, there is accommodation that you would approve of at Hotel Healdsburg and Les Mars Hotel. Both are superior properties for your excellent friends.

Finally, and this is a key factor for this property, the Sonoma County airport is only ten minute away. Whether you bring your own plane or want to rely on scheduled service to and from Los Angeles, you can make an easy getaway to your home in Shiloh from southern California.

The mama sized property I have selected for your review is a complete opposite in terms of style and surroundings from the first listing. This Bauhaus inspired home in the hills between Petaluma and Sonoma has dramatic views over much of the Bay Area and sits atop 128 of your own acres. Your privacy here comes from distance and the scale of all the neighboring properties. Everyone here has a lot of land and your own private gates will keep out intruders. This is a modest four bedroom three bath home in 6929 square feet.

There are already five acres of Pinot Noir planted in this wonderful part of the wine country, and the potential to make Paris Pinot is so perfect you almost have to take advantage of it. The five acres in peak prodution would yield almost 10,000 bottles of premium wine per year.

I took the liberty of creating a potential label for you. Of course we could work on different color schemes and match the label to some of your other marketing efforts in perfume, fashion, and style. Given the quality of the terrain and weather on this property, your wine could easily become a cult classic. In addition, think of the mileage you could get from discussion of the fine nose and great body on this product.

I have heard that you have experience with cocktails, but wasn't sure if you had an extensive background in wine. Let me assure you that many young people today are wine afficionados. Once you became involved in the wine industry professionally, you might want to consider joining the Wine Brats, The name certainly could help enhance your outlaw reputation and boost the marketing of the wine.

In addition to the pool and vineyards, this property has a lovely lake. This photo of early morning mist on the lake captures some of the drama of the natural environment on this site. Between the close-in landscaping and distant vistas, this property will give you a form of psychological down time that you can't get in an urban environment. When you have your PR machine revved up in high gear and are in your party mode you are burning energy at a prodigious rate. You need a place to unwind and relax alone or with your friends. This place might be the one. It's a longer trip than the first listing to get to an airport, but you can get to San Francisco, Oakland, or Santa Rosa airports within an hour.

The papa listing I saved for last since it represents your character more completely than the mama and baby properties. First of all, it's extravagant. I mean that in the best of ways for you. You lead a life dedicated to fame for its own sake. If you life isn't lived larger than normal, your whole gig goes away. You need a house that people will whisper about in awe. You want a house where people beg you to stage their weddings or invite them up for a weekend.

A dinky little 4 or 5,000 square foot house isn't in scale with your image. This 11,605 square foot house is more like it. The property, named "Shanel" includes not just the rambling main house, but guest house, caretaker's quarters, equestrian center, and many more outbuildings. In keeping with the living large lifestyle, you would have 362 acres on three lots to enjoy your privacy. The setting in the Valley of the Moon near Sonoma is as spectacular as you would expect. The distances to airports are approximately the same as for the mama listing.

The mama listing had a lake. This property has a LAKE. It's stocked with fish so bring your "fishing buddies" up to see how they do against your finned friends. You can separate the poseurs from the pros. While you're at it you can see who can row or paddle and who can't. Lakes like this are rare anywhere in California. It's a superb amenity.

The pool, spa, and cabana area is surrounded by lush lawns and can handle your large parties easily. Keep in mind that this property also has lath house, greenhouses, and other garden spaces, so when you entertain you aren't limited to the pool area or the interior spaces.

I wanted to give you a sense for three fine properties in Sonoma County. They vary in geography and amenities, but all three provide your basic requirements for privacy, space, pool, and access to airports.

I think any of the three would be a good fit for you, but the issue of taste and style will really dictate which of these homes feels most comfortable to you. I'm available to show you these and other fine properties at your convenience. In the potential event that none of these reaches your soul, I have one property that is currently without a pool, but which is perfect in many other respects. You can also refer to our Luxury North Bay site for luxury homes north of the Golden Gate Bridge.

I regularly write about architecture and real estate in Sonoma County so you can get more information about Sonoma County, Healdsburg, and the wine country there.