Santa Rosa, CA

As a Realtor in Rincon Valley, people expect me to be an expert in the community. I'm asked everything from local school testing to, the best dry cleaning. I've got some news. I don't know it all, but I do learn something new about Rincon Valley everyday.

I grew up on the San Francisco Peninsula and had never even heard of a Grange Hall. When I moved into Rincon Valley (in Santa Rosa north of the Golden Gate). I frequently passed a sign pointing to Rincon Valley Grange Hall #710 on Rincon Ave. One day I asked my neighbor what the Grange Hall was, he said "I don't know, but you can rent the building for weddings".

Well, that did not tell me much. I went to my computer and found out that the Grange is actually short for The National Grange of the Order of Patrons of Husbandry. One of America's oldest, and still active, agricultural organizations. Grange is Latin for grain. Once a million members strong, today there are less than 300,000 active members.

Formed in 1867, the purpose of the "order" was to promote agriculture. Past issues have been taking on the big railroads monopolies, and pushing for rural mail deliveries. The Grange was the center for many farming communities. Some small towns still have a Grange Hall on main street. Rincon Valley's Grange is off the beaten track.

The Grange borrowed some of its rituals and symbols from Freemasonry, including secret meetings, oaths and special passwords. There are seven degrees of Grange membership; the ceremony of each degree relates to various symbols and principles.

So now I know, and so do you (if you didn't already). This Rincon Valley Grange Hall looks fairly new for an organization that is over 150 years old. My guess is that this building was built in the 1960's. I don't recall ever seeing any activity there, but I'd say that the Rincon Valley Grange is reminiscent of Rincon Valley's once rich agricultural history when Walnut and cherry trees lined the rural roads. At the turn of the century Rincon Valley had acres of hops.

I hope you stop by Rincon Valley sometime and enjoy all there is to do here. A nice blend of country and modern living.

Jim Cheney, Broker "Your Rincon Valley Realtor"

Serving Rincon Valley's real estate and property needs

Rincon Valley, Santa Rosa, Sonoma County, CA

Rincon Valley has it's back road treasures. The Melita Station Inn is one of them. Located at 5850 Melita Rd in Rincon Valley, Santa Rosa. The Melitta Station Inn is located at the end of a narrow country road. Shaded by a thick canopy of trees, the Inn back to the Santa Rosa Creek.

Currently a Bed and Breakfast, this historic Rincon Valley building was built in the 1880's and was a stagecoach stop for travelers traveling between Sonoma and Santa Rosa. In 1887 it became a train depot popular with Italian immigrants who came to work the quarries for basalt paving stones which were shipped via rail to a young, growing San Francisco.

The building morphed from a train depot to an Inn/flop house for the quarry workers who stayed until the earned enough money to buy their own property or make other accommodations. The building has wore many different hats to include general store, antique, feed and a post office for the town of Melitta. In the 1970's it was a hippie commune.

In 1987 it was returned to a Bed and Breakfast. Visitors to the Inn now can enjoy a very short walk to Annadel State Park where there are miles of endless hiking and mountain bike trails. Being in the heart of Rincon Valley, Santa Rosa, Sonoma, Calistoga, Sonoma and world class wineries are a short drive away. Room inquiries can be made at (800)-504-3099.

Jim Cheney, Broker "Your Rincon Valley Realtor"

Serving Rincon Valley's real estate and property needs

Rincon Valley, Santa Rosa, Sonoma County, CA

So I recently had a home owner who hired us to Stage her Semi Custom Single Level Home home but would not allow us to hang anything.

To compensate we brought in tall plants.

We also brought in tall furnishings.

We where able to hang curtains.

What would you do?

With Divine Style was founded in 2005 by Linda D. Pufford. Linda started her business as a Professional Organizer and Interior Designer in 1988. Growing up Linda was surrounded by interior designers so she took naturally to interior design but it wasn’t until the passing of a family friend in 2002 that Linda discovered the art of Home Staging.

Not knowing anything about Home Staging, Linda turned to books and shows on HDTV to guide the way. Once the home was staged it sold in just 2 weeks! Thus began her career in home Staging.

Since then Linda has gone on to become an Accredited Staging Professional Master and in 2008 she was nominated for the Barb Swartz Home Staging Excellence Award.

Certifications and Associations:

• Affiliate Member of NORBAR and Women’s Council of Realtors Marin Chapter
• Accredited Staging Professional Master (ASPM)
• 2009-2010 IAHSP® International Board- “Chapter Program Director”
• The President of the Marin IAHSP® Regional Chapter (MIRC)
• Member of the International Association of Home Staging (IAHSP®)
• Affiliate Member of the “Woman Counsel of Realtors®” (WCR) Marin Chapter.
• 2008 Nomine for the Prestigious “Barb Schwartz Staging® Excellence Award”. The Highest Award in the Industry
• Certified Professional Color Consultant (PCC)
• International Design and Decorating Professional (IDDP)

I am in the process of preparing my website and one of the services I provide is Professional Organizing. So if anybody has time to make some comments or suggestions it would be appreciated.

Professional Organizing is the art of developing systems that are custom tailored to your personality and natural organization style. The goal of professional organizing is to provide long term results.

How the process works:

Step 1. We perform an over the phone intake to help assess your needs for services.
Step 2. For a set fee we come to your home or office and help you develop a plan to get organized.
Step 3. Then for an additional set fee we come into your home and implement the plan.

All work is preformed with you the client and is implemented in 4 hour intervals. In order to make the results of the professional organizing long term you must first be willing to develope new habits. Once we are done implementing the systems maintaining them should require little upkeep because they where developed by you. So if you are ready for real change in your life hire a professional organizer.

Services Offered

• Home
• Closet Organizing
• Garages, attics, and basements
• Kitchens
• Bedrooms/ Other rooms
• Home Office
• Paperwork
• Time Management
• Budget Planning
• Storage/ Warehouse
• Moving/ Relocation Services
• Event/ Meeting Planning
• Photographs, Collections, and Memorabilia
• Estate Planning/ Management/ and Sales

We specialize in organizing with Special Populations such as:
• Children
• People with ADHD
• Chronically Disorganized
• People who suffer from Hording
• People with Physical Disabilities
• Elderly