Lynn Bowen, Realtor® EcoGreen Certified Agent

Yeah, I'm so excited, I sure hope this really can happen!

I just read an article that ran May 22^nd regarding how some of the big banks such as Bank of America and Wells Fargo, are working on making it easier to work with short sale situations. The Obama administration last week unveiled a strategy to promote short sales as well.

With the number of short sale listings growing at an unprecedented rate, hearing that some of the big banks and the president have plans in the works to streamline the process is music to my ears. I'm sure many a short sale home seller as well as buyers trying to purchase these homes and their Realtors assisting them thru the process will be thrilled as well.

Short Sales should be more advantageous to both the lenders and the homeowners if they can actually happen. For the lender, one would think it less costly than having to repossess, market and maintain a vacant property. Often in the past I have wondered why the lenders had not already figured out ways to streamline the process as it seemed so counter productive. Because of the complexity of these transactions -- including the need for approval of a sales price by lenders, investors and mortgage insurers -- the sales often fall apart. Many times by the time the sellers get an answer from the bank on an offer, their potential buyer has lost interest and gone elsewhere buying a home that is easier to buy.

From what I read, Bank of America, the nation's largest mortgage servicer, states that more than 60 percent of approved short sales do not close, which is why the bank wants to streamline the process.

In the past, the bank did not begin the lengthy process of qualifying a borrower for a short sale until it had received a purchase offer. To expedite these short sales, Bank of America has enlarged and updated staff training and set up a phone line dedicated to short sales that borrowers and their agents can use. In the near future there will be a Web portal that will accept qualifying documentation from clients wishing to do short sales.

Currently it typically takes 45 to 60 days for the bank to tell a client if a short sale offer can be accepted, and up to 90 days if an investor must approve it. Bank of America's goal is to shorten the wait to a week. When that time comes we all will be singing praises to B of A.

Short sales will also benefit from President Obama's an amendment to the Making Home's Affordable program. Last week it was announced that standardize short sale application and acceptance forms will be implemented. It also provides monetary incentives to servicers and may help cover relocation expense for homeowners.

Wells Fargo Home Mortgage, has indicated that their bank has been working many months to reduce delays in the short sale process. The bank is working closely with borrowers' agents to increase the likelihood that the listing prices on a short sale will be accepted.

The lending and real estate industries have certainly been on a crash course in short sales since the housing market bust. The biggest challenge has been not understanding the process, Now that many of us have had some experience with the process and with some of the banks attempting to streamline it I think we might just see that lite at the end of the tunnel in the near future. Let's all hope that that is the case. There are some excellent opportunities for buyers if we can just figure out how to get these transactions to close more quickly.

I for one am very much looking forward to what transpires down the road.

Lynn Bowen

Domaine Real Estate - Sebastopol CA

Lynn@DomaineRE.com 707-695-3814

www.LynnBowenRealEstate.com

I've been thinking about all the great little spots and holes in the walls we have around here and thought I'd help spread the word about these little gems. Some of my favorites and in no particular order are:

Mimi's Ice Cream in downtown Sebastopol on the corner of Bodega Hwy (hwy 12) and Petaluma Ave (Hwy 116) across from what used to be the Chevy dealership. If you are ever in town this is a must if you love good homemade natural ice cream. And, if you are a chocoholic like myself as well as a caffeine addict then Mimi's Mudd is the flavor to try. The smell of freshly baked waffle cones permeates the air. Once you've been to Mimi's it WILL be a favorite.

Sushi Tozai also in Sebastopol on Healdsburg Ave and lucky for me it's right down the street from my office!!! Some of the best Sushi I have ever eaten. Always very fresh fish and an extremely large menu. The Prawns Martini are to die for. YUM!

Pasta Bella - Sebastopol for a large assortment of scrumptuous salads, sandwiches and pasta concoctions. Always fresh and flavorful. For the gluten free folks they serve gluten free pastas! My favorite there is the grilled portabella mushroom sandwich I think it's called the E Germone.

Osmosis Enzyme Baths in beautiful Freestone Valley just west of Sebastopol on the way to Bodega Bay. Time spent at Osmosis is heavenly and oh so worth it. The japanese mediation gardens are spectacular as well. Treat yourself to something special the next time you are out this way and book an enzyme bath and massage. You will thank yourself.

And while in Freestone be sure to stop by The Wild Flower Brick Oven Bakery. They have THE BEST freshly baked whole grain breads. Weekends offer the gigantic (almost too big) sticky bun/cinnamon rolls that are killer. My favorite breads there are the Fugase (sp?) and the Goat Flat. I usually have to buy 2 in order to get 1 whole one home.

If you like Clam Chowder then another must visit is the Spud Point Crab Co. They are across from the marina on your way out to Bodega Head. It's a tiny little place with a small menu of white & red clam chowder, crab cakes, crab sandwiche, crab cocktail and hot dogs. There might be more but I pretty much eat the clam chowders and the crab stuff. Everything is home made with wonderful flavoring almost has a cajun flair to the recipes. They have to be the nicest people in the world there as well. One note, do NOT plan to go on a Wednesday as they are closed. I did that once and was very disappointed.

Willowood in Graton is my final gem I'll talk about today. It's the best, a must visit for an excellent line up of healthy and fresh local favorites.

Let me know about your Favorite Sonoma County Spots.

Lynn

Lynn@DomaineRE.com

707-695-38147

I've been thinking about all the great little spots and holes in the walls we have around here and thought I'd help spread the word about these little gems. Some of my favorites and in no particular order are:

Mimi's Ice Cream in downtown Sebastopol on the corner of Bodega Hwy (hwy 12) and Petaluma Ave (Hwy 116) across from what used to be the Chevy dealership. If you are ever in town this is a must if you love good homemade natural ice cream. And, if you are a chocoholic like myself as well as a caffeine addict then Mimi's Mudd is the flavor to try. The smell of freshly baked waffle cones permeates the air. Once you've been to Mimi's it WILL be a favorite.

Sushi Tozai also in Sebastopol on Healdsburg Ave and lucky for me it's right down the street from my office!!! Some of the best Sushi I have ever eaten. Always very fresh fish and an extremely large menu. The Prawns Martini are to die for. YUM!

Pasta Bella - Sebastopol for a large assortment of scrumptuous salads, sandwiches and pasta concoctions. Always fresh and flavorful. For the gluten free folks they serve gluten free pastas! My favorite there is the grilled portabella mushroom sandwich I think it's called the E Germone.

Osmosis Enzyme Baths in beautiful Freestone Valley just west of Sebastopol on the way to Bodega Bay. Time spent at Osmosis is heavenly and oh so worth it. The japanese mediation gardens are spectacular as well. Treat yourself to something special the next time you are out this way and book an enzyme bath and massage. You will thank yourself.

And while in Freestone be sure to stop by The Wild Flower Brick Oven Bakery. They have THE BEST freshly baked whole grain breads. Weekends offer the gigantic (almost too big) sticky bun/cinnamon rolls that are killer. My favorite breads there are the Fugase (sp?) and the Goat Flat. I usually have to buy 2 in order to get 1 whole one home.

If you like Clam Chowder then another must visit is the Spud Point Crab Co. They are across from the marina on your way out to Bodega Head. It's a tiny little place with a small menu of white & red clam chowder, crab cakes, crab sandwiche, crab cocktail and hot dogs. There might be more but I pretty much eat the clam chowders and the crab stuff. Everything is home made with wonderful flavoring almost has a cajun flair to the recipes. They have to be the nicest people in the world there as well. One note, do NOT plan to go on a Wednesday as they are closed. I did that once and was very disappointed.

Willowood in Graton is my final gem I'll talk about today. It's the best, a must visit for an excellent line up of healthy and fresh local favorites.

Let me know about your Favorite Sonoma County Spots.

Lynn

Lynn@DomaineRE.com

707-695-38147

Petaluma, Sonoma County CA April 2009 Residential Property Market Snapshot

Are you interested in current market statistics & conditions for the Petaluma Market Area of Northern California Real Estate? Following are the stats for the April 2009 market as well as what is currently (as of May 24) listed in the residential real estate market. Residential meaning, Single Family Homes, Condo's as well as Farms/Ranches. This month I am changing this up a bit by dividing out the detached single family homes from the condo market.

As of Today May 24, 2009 the Petaluma CA Market Area has:

284 MLS Listed Properties:

262 Are Single Family Home with List Price Range of $175,000 - $14,000,000

Average List Price $738,785 * Median List Price $499,900

23 are Bank Owned aka REO/Foreclosed properties & 88 are Short Sales

22 Are Condo Listings with a List Price Range of $198,000 - $529,900

Average List Price of $318,108 * Median List Price of $287,000

2 are Bank Owned aka REO/Foreclosed properties & 10 are Short Sales

120 of the Listings Are In Escrow in "Contingent" status

108 being Single Family Homes List Price Range $179,900 - $895,000

Average List Price $421,215 * Median List Price $399,000

Of these 108, 14 are Bank Owned & 63 are Short Sales

12 are Condo's with a List Price Range of $199,000 - $380,000

Average List Price of $271,738 * Median List Price of $264,975

Of these 12, 2 are Bank Owned & 9 are Short Sales

27 of the Listings In Escrow are in the "Pending" status i.e. All Contingencies have been removed

All 27 are Single Family Homes List Price Range $182,162 - $1,250,000

Average List Price $447,932 * Median List Price $399,000

Of these 27, 6 are Bank Owned & 10 are Short Sales

51 Listings Sold i.e. Closed Escrow During the month of April 2009:

50 being Single Family Homes Selling for 99.99% of List Price

List Price Range $215,000 - $5,000,000 * Selling Price Range $220,000 - $3,800,000

Average List Price $508,699 * Average Selling Price $482,390

Median List Price $383,938 * Median Selling Price $391,000

Of these 50, 21 were Bank Owned & 9 were Short Sales

1 Was a Condo That Sold for 92.80% of List Price

List Price $242,450 - Selling Price of $225,000

This sale was neither Bank Owned or a Short Sale as it was a traditional old fashioned real estate transaction!

For quite some time now the Petaluma market has been heavily weighted with bank owned/REO's (foreclosed homes) and short sale listings. Petaluma is following suit with a majority of the rest of the county having a larger number of short sales in escrow but when it comes to numbers closed escrows the numbers turn around with more Bank Owned listings closing.

Considering the current volume of listings and that we have consistently sold approx 52 listings a month, Petaluma has a 5.5 month inventory. I'll break these numbers out further, we have just over a 1 month inventory of Bank Owned homes and a 10.5 month inventory of Short Sales.

Upon Request I am happy to adjust these stats to a more specific neighborhood within Petaluma or to your own criteria such as certain number of bedrooms and baths or single level to name a few.

Lynn Bowen

Domaine Real Estate

Sebastopol Ca

707-695-3814 Lynn@DomaineRE.com

www.LynnBowenRealEstate.com

Cloverdale, Sonoma County CA April 2009 Market Snapshot

Cloverdale, Sonoma County CA April 2009 Residential Property Market Snapshot

Following are sales stats for the April 2009 Cloverdale area as well as what is currently (as of May 24) available in the residential real estate market. Residential meaning, Single Family Homes, Condo's as well as Farms/Ranches. This month I am changing this up a bit by dividing out the detached single family homes from the condo market.

As of Today May 24, 2009 Cloverdale CA has:

100 MLS Listed Properties:

95 Are Single Family Homes with a List Price Range of $119,900 - $6,000,000

Average List Price $678,715 * Median List Price $361,000

24 are Bank Owned aka REO/Foreclosed properties & 34 are Short Sales

5 Are Condo Listings with a List Price Range of $99,750 - $169,900

Average List Price of $117,830 * Median List Price of $109,500

1 is Bank Owned aka REO/Foreclosed properties & 3 are Short Sales

43 of the Listings Are In Escrow in "Contingent" status

41 being Single Family Homes List Price Range $138,900 - $799,000

Average List Price $305,150 * Median List Price $285,000

Of these 41, 13 are Bank Owned & 23 are Short Sales

2 are Condo's with a List Price Range of $109,500 - $110,000

Average List Price of $109,750 * Median List Price of $109,750

Of these 2, 0 are Bank Owned & 2 are Short Sales

5 of the Listings In Escrow are in the "Pending" status i.e. All Contingencies have been removed

4 are Single Family Homes List Price Range $141,900 - $319,000

Average List Price $223,625 * Median List Price $216,800

Of these 4, 3 are Bank Owned & 0 are Short Sales

1 is a Condo with a List Price Range of $99,750

This Condo is neither Bank Owned nor a Short Sale

20 Listings Sold i.e. Closed Escrow During the month of April 2009:

19 being Single Family Homes Selling for 96.98% of List Price

List Price Range $139,900 - $439,900 * Selling Price Range $148,500 - $420,000

Average List Price $259,582 * Average Selling Price $251,753

Median List Price $239,900 * Median Selling Price $220,000

Of the 19, 16 were Bank Owned & 0 were Short Sales

1 Was a Condo That Sold for 100% of List Price

List Price $109,900 & Selling Price of $109,900

This listing was Bank Owned

Upon Request I am happy to adjust these stats to a more specific neighborhood within Cloverdale or your own criteria such as certain number of bedrooms and bath or single level only to name a few.

Lynn Bowen

Domaine Real Estate

Sebastopol Ca

707-695-3814 Lynn@DomaineRE.com

www.LynnBowenRealEstate.com