Cloverdale, CA

Real Estate is starting to explode – not only with my listings & sales but also with numerous Agents I’ve spoken to this past week - they have Buyers coming out their ears; “Sonoma Countiers” want to buy homes in this great market! Working together as a tight-knit team of Agents, we CAN get the right message across to Homebuyers: Market is right now and homes are only increasing in their value so don’t miss out!

Cloverdale is a classic small town at the northern end of Sonoma County. The Alexander Valley appellation, a famed wine country designation, begins in Cloverdale. The housing boom was unkind here. Multiple developers projected strong growth for residential housing in Cloverdale and a multitude of projects were started in the early part of the 21st century. Many, like the Del Webb senior housing community, were finished long before the housing bubble collapsed. Others, including "The Brambles", a lovely development by Christopherson Homes, were finished just in time for the first buyers to get into their homes right at the peak of the market. Ouch! Most of the original buyers are licking their wounds elsewhere as their dream homes were foreclosed on or sold as short sales. Both the bigger homes and more modest neighborhoods were hard hit.

Signs of the recovery are evident if you can glean data nuggets from charts that have too few data points to be completely meaningful...and if you know how to read the MLS data on active, contingent, pending, and sold properties.

This Cloverdale Unit Sales by Sales Condition chart shows the strong presence of REO transactions in the market. The dark brown bar represents well over half the sales in January, February, and March. Cloverdale REO sales are still strong in April, but during the summer months, there was in increase in short sales as a proportion of the market. The big change comes in August when normal, unstressed sales make up more than half the market. In addition, the volume of sales hit 24 units in August when the previous highest figure for this year was 17 home in March. It's not clear if this burst represents pent up buying, but there are some signs from the MLS that residential sales activity has continued to be strong in September.

There are currently 83 listings for single family homes in Cloverdale. 30 of those homes are either in escrow or have closed this month. At that rate, there are less than three months of supply, a condition that most observers would call a seller's market. In the most desirable neighborhoods like the Brambles, homes priced well are selling even faster. It's too small a sample to be statistically important, but in the Brambles one listing just sold, three are contingent, and one is active.

A few things are clear. As a seller, you still have to be aggressively priced to get offers. The presence of high quality, newer homes at bargain prices puts a lot of pressure on sellers who want to get top dollar for their smaller, older homes.

Eager buyers are present in the market. They are attuned to current values and will snap up properties at the prevailing selling prices, particularly the deluxe models that are selling at a bigger discount from their original price. Many buyers are grabbing second homes. Investors are picking up single family homes that will generate positive cash flow. First time buyers are able to move into nice condos for far less than the cost of renting would be.

I was brave once, and called the bottom of the market in April of 2009 here on ActiveRain. I was lucky and we have been bumping along on a plateau ever since then. What I'm seeing in Cloverdale is the emergence of buying pressure from people who think now is a great time to get back into the market. Prices will always fluctuate, but home prices have been squeezed until all the fat has been wrung out of them. I see Cloverdale today as an excellent buying opportunity for both investors and people looking for a nice town to live or vacation in.

Tucked away in the Sonoma County town of Cloverdale, California, Clover Springs by Del Webb is a hidden gem. With just 350 homes, Clover Springs is a smaller Del Webb community yet it’s still beautifully designed with luxury amenities and a vibrant lifestyle. Built between 1998 and 2000, the community completely sold out of new construction homes in just two years and it’s easy to see why!

Clover Springs Del Webb is located at the northern end of Sonoma County, right in the middle of California’s famous wine country. It’s actually built on the site of a historic winery and many of the old winery features were thoughtfully preserved within the community design. The ideal location is close to everyday conveniences, wonderful restaurants and charming shops.

The main community amenity is the beautiful 6,200 Firecreek Recreation Lodge boasting a charming covered patio and a wide array of amenities both inside and out. Features include a beautiful lobby with nice conveniences such as computer stations, video and book lending library, copy machine, flat screen television plus a billiard table. The popular arts and crafts room is perfect for the pottery lover with an on-site kiln while the multi-purpose room offers the perfect space for exercise classes, club meetings or holiday parties. A fitness center rounds out the features on the inside. Outdoors is a beautiful swimming pool, bocce ball courts and horseshoes as well as two lighted tennis courts and a barbecue area.

Homes at Clover Springs are available on a resale basis with prices ranging from the mid $300’s to the low $700’s. All of the homes are ranch style and feature first floor living complete with one or two bedrooms. Many of the homes are situated on oversized lots with stunning mountain vistas. Del Webb designed each unique floor plan with the active adult homeowner in mind. Features include spacious open layouts, relaxing master suites, ample storage space and fabulous kitchens.

Residents of this elite California active adult community enjoy the smaller, private feeling of the community yet still enjoy an active lifestyle. There are numerous social events to participate in plus a wide variety of special interest clubs. Plus, the local area offers a wealth of recreational opportunities! Santa Rose is just 30 miles away as is the Pacific Ocean. As a small town, Cloverdale offers a quaint and private feeling yet is just minutes from everything you could ever want.

For more information and photos of this and other CA active adult retirement communities please visit 55Places.com. To stay in touch with us please join our Facebook page by clicking the Facebook link below.

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Beautiful corner lot 3 bedroom, 2 bath, 2 car garage w/butler pantry & RV parking. Pride of ownership - a must see! Completely remodeled in the last 3 to 5 years. Fresh interior and exterior paint. Professionally Landscaped w/mature trees, redwood deck. Gorgeous concrete kitchen countertops, oak cabinets & newer appliances. A/C, brick fireplace with a gas starter, laminate wood floors. 100 sq ft Lock Shed - vented w/Double Doors.

For More Information, Email me and I will send all info: Kammie@comcast.net

Cloverdale, Sonoma County CA April 2009 Market Snapshot

Cloverdale, Sonoma County CA April 2009 Residential Property Market Snapshot

Following are sales stats for the April 2009 Cloverdale area as well as what is currently (as of May 24) available in the residential real estate market. Residential meaning, Single Family Homes, Condo's as well as Farms/Ranches. This month I am changing this up a bit by dividing out the detached single family homes from the condo market.

As of Today May 24, 2009 Cloverdale CA has:

100 MLS Listed Properties:

95 Are Single Family Homes with a List Price Range of $119,900 - $6,000,000

Average List Price $678,715 * Median List Price $361,000

24 are Bank Owned aka REO/Foreclosed properties & 34 are Short Sales

5 Are Condo Listings with a List Price Range of $99,750 - $169,900

Average List Price of $117,830 * Median List Price of $109,500

1 is Bank Owned aka REO/Foreclosed properties & 3 are Short Sales

43 of the Listings Are In Escrow in "Contingent" status

41 being Single Family Homes List Price Range $138,900 - $799,000

Average List Price $305,150 * Median List Price $285,000

Of these 41, 13 are Bank Owned & 23 are Short Sales

2 are Condo's with a List Price Range of $109,500 - $110,000

Average List Price of $109,750 * Median List Price of $109,750

Of these 2, 0 are Bank Owned & 2 are Short Sales

5 of the Listings In Escrow are in the "Pending" status i.e. All Contingencies have been removed

4 are Single Family Homes List Price Range $141,900 - $319,000

Average List Price $223,625 * Median List Price $216,800

Of these 4, 3 are Bank Owned & 0 are Short Sales

1 is a Condo with a List Price Range of $99,750

This Condo is neither Bank Owned nor a Short Sale

20 Listings Sold i.e. Closed Escrow During the month of April 2009:

19 being Single Family Homes Selling for 96.98% of List Price

List Price Range $139,900 - $439,900 * Selling Price Range $148,500 - $420,000

Average List Price $259,582 * Average Selling Price $251,753

Median List Price $239,900 * Median Selling Price $220,000

Of the 19, 16 were Bank Owned & 0 were Short Sales

1 Was a Condo That Sold for 100% of List Price

List Price $109,900 & Selling Price of $109,900

This listing was Bank Owned

Upon Request I am happy to adjust these stats to a more specific neighborhood within Cloverdale or your own criteria such as certain number of bedrooms and bath or single level only to name a few.

Lynn Bowen

Domaine Real Estate

Sebastopol Ca

707-695-3814 Lynn@DomaineRE.com

www.LynnBowenRealEstate.com