Jim Cheney Rincon Valley Real Estate

Mission Lake Condominiums is a quiet development located in the heart of Rincon Valley. Mission Lakes consists of approximately 100 units, built in 1989, tucked away under a canopy of trees near the intersection of Mission Blvd, and Sonoma Hwy (Hwy 12). The homes range in size between 700+ sq. ft. to over 1000 sq. ft. They are either one bedroom, or two bedrooms, with 2 baths. All the homes have a fireplace, and a covered unattached garage.

The complex is nicely landscaped, and in great condition. Tall mature trees provide shade in the summer time and add extra privacy along with splendid views. The complex has a large pool and plenty of parking.

In 2011 twelve of these units sold in a price range between $89,000 and $137,000. The median price was $115,000.

In this part of Rincon Valley, you can easily make your way to US 101, or drive east to Kenwood, Sonoma and on to Napa. A short drive out Calstoga Road will take you to the town of Calistoga and St. Helena, and by driving over Fountaingrove Parkway, you can be in Windsor in 15 minutes.

Rincon Valley is located in the northeast quadrant of Santa Rosa. It is close to world class wineries such as St. Francis, Ledson and Kunde. Two major state parks, Annadel and Sugarloaf, are a few miles away. Two major county regional parks are located in Rincon Valley, Mt Hood, and Spring Lake.

View Rincon Valley condominiums: Mission Lake in a larger map

One of my first jobs after college was delivering packages for a company in Belmont called Local Parcel Service. I made minimum wage plus, .50 cents for every address I delivered to, plus .10 cents for each package delivered. Each stop was a minimum of .60 cents. My first route was delivering in beautiful Woodside and Portola Valley, where, during an 8 hour day, I made about 50 stops. I wasn't making a lot of money, but my days were spent driving through the country, and I did not really have to work very hard.

As I made more friends in the company, I found that I was on the bottom of the pay scale. Some of my friends were making over $100 a day, and done with their routes by 3 in the afternoon. There were delivering to high rise office buildings in San Francisco. They would spend their whole day at one building. They were able to deliver more packages by not driving around. I can't use the expression "working smarter not harder" because, they were working hard. The benefit was that they made more money, and got off work earlier. So I guess they were simply, "working smarter". I eventually took a route in Palo Alto delivering to some Silicon Valley biggies, and like my fellow employees, began working smarter.

As new employees were hired and assigned the routes in the country, I'd whisper in their ear, "try to get inner city routes with lots of apartments".

Real estate in Sonoma County is the same way. Recently, while taking a 45 minute drive to Cloverdale to meet a seller (125 Elbridge), I thought "This drive is killing my day". 90 minutes spent in the car driving to and from Cloverdale not to mention the amount of time spent with the client. It took my whole afternoon. Don't get me wrong, I did not mind meeting with the client, it was all the time and gas getting there.

I thought about my time at Local Parcel Service, and thought, my time could be better managed if I only worked in Rincon Valley. My overhead would be less, I would be able to take on more listings, and still have more time for myself and my family. Since I'd save money and have more available time, I thought it only fair to set a commission that was more in tune with my reduced overhead. That's when I decided to charge 4.5% commission to anybody who wanted to sell their home in Rincon Valley.

I still take listings in other parts of the county, but I feel 4.5% for listings close to home is very reasonable.

There are some brokerages that provide listing discounts based on what services it provides to the seller. My 4.5% offer is not a discount. I provide personal, superior service to all my clients regardless of where they live or what commission we agree on.

I have to limit this offer to single family homes with a value over $200,000. Some homes will not qualify, such as mobile homes, distressed properties such as short sales etc. All commissions are always negotiable. I would consider commissions below 4.5% subject to negotiation.

Streamside Place is a beautiful community of 56 homes, custom built by Cobblestone Homes. It is located in Rincon Valley on Highway 12, gateway to Sonoma Valley and the wine country, built alongside Santa Rosa Creek. The homes are affordable because they are so close together, the exterior walls almost touch each other. They occupy very little land, so many homes occupy a minimal amount of land.

In 2010 2 units sold. One for $249,000 and the other for $289,000. Currently there are two homes in escrow. Both were listed for $249,000. The homes average 1500 sq ft +/- and have 3 bedrooms and at least 2 baths. They are either 2 stories or 3. The first story is always the garage. Shopping and transportation is one block away on Hwy 12. There is a common area with a children's play structure, and trails that run along the Santa Rosa Creek.

There is a homeowner's association and fees currently (Jan 2012) are 120. per month.

Buckthorn Court is a wonderful townhouse development located in Rincon Valley. It consists of 28 single story units that are all the same floor plan and size. The homes are 1246 sq ft, and the lots are 1700 sq ft. All are only 2 bedrooms and 2 baths. They were built in 1984, and have a cottage look. The exterior siding is shake shingle.

The development is very peaceful. There is no pool, play structures, or tennis court. The landscape is thick, mature, and well maintained. Walking paths meander through the neighborhood, passing under giant eucalyptus, and past sprawling lawns.

The development is partially on Indian Creek Drive, and partially on Buckthorn Court. It is off Hwy 12 (Sonoma Highway) in between Middle Rincon and Calistoga Road in the heart of Rincon Valley. It is a short drive to the Saint Francis Shopping Center, and an easy bike ride to either Annadel State Park, or Spring Lake.

The development is unusually stable. There has not been a sale since 2007. Even with the slump in the market, there have been no short sales or foreclosures. At the height of the market the homes were selling for the high $300,000's. Currently they hover around $200,000 or less.

If you are interested in buying or selling in this development please call me. I'd love to meet you and put together a strategy that works for you.

View Buckthorn Court HOA on Indian Creek Way in a larger map

I'm frequently asked if there are any condominiums or Planned unit Developments (aka: PUD) that I recommend in Rincon Valley. YES ! There are several. Which one really depends on your needs, and financial consideration. Here is a list of the most common ones that I list or sell. Click on the name of the development and you'll be taken to a specific web page for each development.

If you don't know the difference between a condominium and a Planned Unit Developement, click on this link:

Condominium or Townhouse (PUD) ?

If you have specific questions, or would like to tour any of these developments feel free to call me.

Brush Creek Villas:

Villa Los Alamos:

Mission Creek:

The Cascades:

Redwood Village:

Saint Francis Woods (AKA: Schoolhouse Creek)

Streamside

Indian Creek (Buckthorn Court)

Mission Lakes