Cynthia Larsen - Sonoma County Real Estate Broker

Holy Cow, Batman. Where did the inventory of Homes for Sale in Sonoma County go? Since the beginning of the year, we have experienced a huge spurt in buyer activity, primarily due to low interest rates and low prices. As a result, the current supply of available properties in Sonoma County is less than 2 months. In some areas, such as Rohnert Park/Cotati, we are down to less than one month.

If this keeps up, prices will start climbing as demand continues to be stronger than supply. It's too soon to tell, but maybe, just maybe, this is the beginning of a much needed reprieve for sellers in this area. It's starting to look like it's going to be a HOT summer.

As a real estate broker, I am constantly traveling back and forth between towns and Cities within Sonoma County. And as well as I think I know my County, I'm quite often surprised when I find that a home isn't in the City I thought it was in.

There is a line of demarcation somewhere, dividing jurisdictions from one City to another, but that line is invisible. And sometimes it moves. This isn't usually a problem, until I find myself needing assistance.

Real Estate, as every agent knows, isn't the safest job in the world. Agents meet with people they have never met in homes they have never been in. Because of this, I store the contact numbers of every police and sheriffs department in my cell phone.

Today is one of those days where I need to find out who I should call in case I find myself in a vulnerable situation. The foreclosed home I am visiting to do an occupancy check is right on the cusp of two Cities. To make my job even harder, the online County recorders office says the home is in one City, the online County Assessor's tax roll says its in another.

One of these Cities has its own police department, the other is under contract with the County Sheriff. After a phone call to the City police, I was told the address is within the County's jurisdiction. Another call had to be placed, of course, to make sure the County Sheriff's dispatcher agreed with that. They did.

Part of me wants to buy a can of spray paint so I can define my own line of demarcation based on my research, but I won't. Like I said ... sometimes those lines move. And it is better to be safe than sorry.

Cotati Station is one of the newest communities in Cotati, just a few blocks away from Sonoma State University. Aptly named for the its proximity to the future commuter train station, these townhomes are perfect for a busy family or SSU students who prefer to live off campus.

This 3 bedroom (plus huge bonus room!) townhome is currently available for rent for $2400.00 a month. With 1700 square feet of living space on three levels, this modern townhome affords privacy and comfort. Unlike most condos for rent in Cotati, this townhome also has a full size two-car garage.

Your trips to the laundromat will be over when you rent this unit. A Whirlpool washer and dryer are conveniently situated on the second level, near the kitchen and two of the bedrooms. The spacious master suite occupies the entire top level, you'll love it!

For more information, please call 415-717-3336

My maternal Grandmother, who was 84 at the time, broke her hip in her own apartment. Lucky for us, an attentive Meals on Wheels driver determined she was hurt and called for help. My Mom made the decision to move her Mother to a "retirement home" as soon as she was discharged from the hospital.

Our search was short lived ... there were only three assisted living facilities in Corvallis (Oregon, 1989) at the time. I remember thinking "there is no way there will be enough retirement homes for us baby boomers ... we will have to figure out an alternative solution".

There are approximately 76 million boomers born between '46 and '64 who are, or should be, thinking about where and how they will be able to age in place while considering proximity to:

- family
- health care facilities
- grocery shopping
- transportation
- entertainment and hobbies
- places to socialize
- senior support services

Consider this excerpt from the White House Council on Aging Report ...
"Beginning January 1, 2006, on average, a new 60 year old was celebrating a birthday every seven seconds, and these celebrations will continue for another 18 years. The impact of this demographic shift will affect every level of our social, economic and political systems"

I predict there will be a growing number of Last-Time Home Buyers in the near future. Their goal will be to create a living environment they will never have to say good-bye to. This can be accomplished in part due to the growing number of in-home care services and companies who sell and install home modification equipment.

The Last-Time Home Buyer will be smart to seek out help from a real estate agent who understands the fundamentals of Aging In Place. An agents knowledge of Universal and Barrier-Free design is extremely helpful to evaluate the potential of living space in an existing residential home.

Lets face it ... if you are a baby boomer like me, chances are slim to none there will be a bed waiting for us in an assisted living facility. It's going to be up to us to make our own beds ... and to sleep in them.

I don't watch "The Bachelor" on TV, or any reality-type show for that matter. But it is pretty hard for me to not pay attention to this seasons episodes since "The Bachelor", Ben Flajnik, is from Sonoma County. In fact, this season their logo shows a sunset over a vineyard, Sonoma County style, instead of the usual seashore.

Tune in this evening and you'll see the actual town of Sonoma. Then you'll understand why I have lived in this beautiful place for 23 years. I might have to break down and tune in as well ... better yet, I'm going outside to see it for myself :)