Curtis Van Carter

This morning at my MLS (multiple listing service) meeting, John Tuteur, the Napa County Tax assessor, spoke to our group as he does about twice a year. He had some pretty amazing facts about the property tax assessments for Napa County. Here are a few of the highlights:

• California will have deflation for 2010 compared to 2009
• If your home was valued at $100,000 as of January 1, 2009 for property tax evaluations, it will be worth $99,764 January 1, 2010 for this valuation
• This is the first time in Napa County Tax Assessor's recent history (since at least 1973) this has occurred
• Since Proposition 13 (property taxes can only increase by a max 2% in any tax year) was passed by the voters in 1978 only 5 years have had 1-2% increase, the remainder the max 2%
• 64% of the homes in American Canyon are in a decline of value status for property tax evalution compared to previous years
• This number is 26% in the City of Napa

Besides being a great speaker filled with great facts, John also maintains a number of great article on the Napa County web site which can be accessed here:

John Tuteur's Property Tax Articles

Remember from my July 18th post "Napa Valley Real Estate, a Tale of Two Times Two Markets" was the number of distressed sales (in foreclosure, a short sale or a bank owned property, REO) increasing for homes priced $800,000 to $2,000,000, especially up valley. By up valley I mean the Cities of St. Helena, Calistoga, Angwin, Deer Park, Oakville, Rutherford and the Town of Yountville. Today, there are 3 distressed sales of 89 active listings in this price range, compared to 2 of 110 on July18th and 3 of 100 for the last two months. Keep tuning in for this as a new monthly stat I will regularly tract from now own. Next look December 1st.

Laura Cunningham, "the force that inspired the world class front-of-the-house magic for the French Laundry to compliment the wizardry of chef Thomas Keller", will open a new Yountville restaurant called Vita named after her grandmother, Vita Morrell, who encouraged Laura to move ahead with the concept of a Sicilian, southern Italian restaurant. Jeffrey Cerciello and the team of the Thomas Keller Restaurant Group will manage the culinary side for Cunningham.

Vita will occupy the site formerly known as PJ Steak previously operated by Philippe Jeanty who still runs Bistro Jeanty here. The new 130 seat eatery will be the second largest in Yountville behind only Bottega, Michael Chiarello's new restaurant which will seat between 169-184 when it opens sometime this fall in the V Marketplace, the old Vintage 1870.

PJ Steak was purchased last year from Jeanty by a small group of Napa Valley investors who sought to find an exceptional Italian chef for their restaurant. Cunningham expects to open Vita mid 2009 as she wants to make changes to the space.

Much of this news comes from the Yountville Sun July 3, 2008 article. This just solidifies Yountville's dominance as the culinary capital of the Napa Valley, most likely California and probably the United States.

About 2months ago, I was contacted by Dan Levy, a writer for bloomberg.com, wanting to know about Yountville. What he was looking for was different than any of the other writers who have contacted me in the past. He was trying to find what I felt was more its current soul, what it has truly become besides what it was. After having lived, played and/or worked here for nearly 40 years, I get contacted quite a bit about Yountville and have been often disappointed by writers and their takes on how things are here. However, I feel Dan has captured the many faces and local opinions that make this place the wonderful enclave it truly is. Here are 3 comments from Dan's article which can be found in its entirety here:

"The blue-collar workers in Napa Valley's Yountville have been knocked off their bar stools, replaced by the likes of Super Bowl quarterbacks Tom Brady and Eli Manning, Oracle Corp. founder Larry Ellison and actress Reese Witherspoon sitting in fine restaurants."

"It was a raucous, drunken town," known for its taverns and brothels, said Steve Rogers, city manager. "It hasn't always been this idyllic community."

"Some old-timers feel priced out of Yountville's housing market, especially renters and mobile-home residents, said Curtis Van Carter, a Coldwell Banker real estate agent."

Yes he even quoted me. I feel after hanging around this Town for nearly 40 years, they tend to think you know something. Ask me about driving Porsches here, buying Mengen clogs at the Highwayman, and getting a pitcher of margaritas to-go on our way up to Lake Berryessa to water ski. I don't admit the last one is absolutely true in today's drinking and driving taboo era, but then this was 40 years ago!!!!!!