Jim Cheney Your Rincon Valley Realtor

Thanksgiving is right around the corner, and I'm sure a lot of Sonoma County residents will be buying their birds this weekend. All the supermarkets are packed with Butterball and other mass produced birds. If you want to try something new this year, I highly recommend our local Willie Bird Turkeys. They are raised in Sonoma County and shipped all over the country by mail order. Willie Bird Turkeys are free range turkeys that have incredible taste. Willie began raising the birds locally 40 years ago, and are a real treat.

You can pick up a pre cooked, or ready cook bird at the retail store located at 5350 Highway 12, Santa Rosa, CA (707-545-2832)

or swing by the restaurant for dinner 1150 Santa Rosa Ave, Santa Rosa, CA 707-542-0861

This week continues to see great rates on 30 year fixed rate home loans. Below is a chart from Freddie Mac of the countries averages. Low rates with tax credits make this a great time to get out there and buy a home! Call me if you would like any further informationl.

When people think of the Wine Country, they don't usually think of air pollution. However... two things are hurting Sonoma County. Our proximity to the San Francisco Bay Area, and our rural agricultural roots that allow farmers to burn their discarded vegetation.

The Bay Area Air Quality Management District has been authorized to declare "Winter Spare the Air Days" between November 1, and February 28th. This means nothing can be burned including fires inside your chimney at home not even pellets in a pellet stove. There are a few exceptions, however most of us don't qualify for them such as: if a wood burning stove is your only source of heat. The district is expecting to declare between 15 and 20 Spare the Air days this season.

What if you burn on a Spare the Air Day? Well, the first offense will likely result in a warning. Subsequent violations could result in a $400 fine.

Why is it important to Spare the Air? In the wintertime, fine particulate matter (PM2.5) becomes the pollutant with the greatest impact on air quality. Fine particulates can bypass the body's natural defenses, penetrating deeply into the lungs and even passing into the bloodstream. Prolonged exposure to the fine particulates in wood smoke has been linked with aggravated asthma, lung and heart disease, and increased mortality rates. Wood burning in fireplaces and wood stoves creates about one-third of the winter particulate matter air pollution in the Bay Area.

How do I know if there's a Winter Spare the Air Day declared? The Air Quality Board will notify the media by 2pm the day prior to a Spare the Air Day. If you don't follow the local news, you can use any of the 3 methods listed below:

1. Visiting www.baaqmd.gov or www.sparetheair.org
2. Calling 1-877-4-NO-BURN
3. Signing up for e-mail AirAlerts at www.sparetheair.org or phone alerts by calling 800-430-1515.

For information, go to: http://www.sparetheair.org/

I think one of the most misunderstood titles is that of Realtor. I know it doesn't matter to other real estate agents, but this blog is written to explain a few commonly and frequently misunderstood terms in real estate:

Sales Associate: This is probably the most common type of real estate agent the public comes in contact with. A sales associate can also be called a Salesperson, or simply a Real Estate Agent (although this last term is deceiving). In California, a Sales Associate is anybody who is at lease 18 years old, and takes 3 college level real estate courses, one of which has to be Real Estate Principles, and one has to be Real Estate Practice. The third can be any other real estate course offered at the college level. The applicant then takes the state Salesperson exam and if passes, applies for a real estate license from the state. Once licensed, the Sales Associate can not work for themselves, they have to work under the supervision of an employing broker. The Sales Associate can perform most real estate services which mostly include showing property, taking listings, writing contracts, and negotiating for a client.

Broker: A Broker,most commonly, started out as a sales associate, although there are several exceptions (such as lawyers). Once a sales associate has 2 years of experience, they need to complete the following additional college level real estate courses: Real Estate Finance, Real Estate Appraisal, Real Estate Economics, and three other courses out of a possible eleven choices. Some examples are Property Management, Real Estate Law, Accounting etc. The applicant than takes the state broker's exam which is longer, and harder then the salesperson exam. The applicant then applies for a Broker license. Once licensed, a Broker can work for themselves without supervision. They can work under a name other than their real name assuming they have filed a DBA (Doing Business As). Real Estate Brokers have greater responsibility. For example, they can manage and broker real estate loans. They can sell real estate investment such as mineral rights etc., and can handle their own escrows.

Realtor: Realtor is the most commonly misused real estate term. Realtor is a trade name. A Realtor is a real estate professional, such as a broker or a sales associate who applies for membership with the National Association of Realtors (NAR). The NAR reviews the application, and if accepted, issues the applicant an annual membership card. They can then call themselves a "Realtor". The California Real Estate Commissioner takes this term and membership very seriously, and can revoke a licensees license for calling themselves Realtors if they are not indeed a member of the NAR. There are a lot of benefits to joining the NAR. They offer superior real estate courses, for example GRI (Graduate Realtor Institute) which is a year long course, and CRS (Certified Residential Specialist), E-pro (a real estate technology course) and many more.

President Obama extended the first time home buyer new $6,500 repeat home buyer tax credit program. Here are the details of how it works:

For the $8,000 First Time Home Buyer tax credit:

• You have not owned a principal residence during the three-year period prior to the purchase.
• The tax credit is equal to 10 percent of the home's purchase price up to a maximum of $8,000.
• The tax credit does not have to be repaid.
• The tax credit applies only to homes priced at $800,000 or less.
• The tax credit now applies to sales occurring on or after January 1, 2009 and on or before April 30, 2010. However, in cases where a binding sales contract is signed by April 30, 2010, a home purchase completed by June 30, 2010 will qualify.
• For homes purchased on or after January 1, 2009 and on or before November 6, 2009, the income limits are $75,000 for single taxpayers and $150,000 for married couples filing jointly.
• For homes purchased after November 6, 2009 and on or before April 30, 2010, single taxpayers with incomes up to $125,000 and married couples with incomes up to $225,000 qualify for the full tax credit.

Here's a link the Federal Government's FAQ page regarding the $8,000 tax credit: http://www.federalhousingtaxcredit.com/faq1.php

For the $6,500 Repeat Home Buyer tax credit:

Here's a link to the Federal Government's FAQ page: http://www.federalhousingtaxcredit.com/faq2.php