Broker Blog

Wine Country Group Summary for July, 2010

We closed 59 transactions this July compared to 70 a year ago. The dollar volume was $23.6 million compared to $38.0 million in July, 2009. It appears that some of our normal July sales were squeezed into our very busy June period. Also, a fall off in our REO sales in the month affected the results. We had about 8 REO closings in July this year compared to 24 a year ago. We did maintain a healthy pace with 46 new listings and 53 newly opened escrows for the month. We are 14% ahead year over year with 121 pending sales as of August 15 and we are 22% ahead in pending dollar volume. We are down about 11% in listings with 213 at the end of July, 2010 compared to 238 as of July, 2009.

We remain solidly number one in market share in our Sonoma Valley (30.1%), Healdsburg (26.5%) and Cloverdale (14.0%) markets. In Sonoma County in general for July of this year Frank Howard Allen Realtors has increased its market share to 13% (units sold) and 14.2% (dollar volume). All of the Frank Howard Allen agents in the area are outperforming the competition.

July, 2010 - Market Analysis

Napa County Trends: The inventory of homes and condominiums for sale at the end of July in Napa County (775) was 22% higher than the inventory (634) at this time last year. It was equal to the inventory in June, 2010 (774). New sales (165) were 20% ahead of the pace a year ago (137) and 9% ahead of the month of June (151). The median price of the homes closed in Napa County in July was $385,000, 10% higher than that of both a month ago a year ago and the highest since November of 2009. The city of Napa had an increase in new sales in July (105) that was 19% higher than that of a year ago (89) and 12% ahead of that of June (95). American Canyon has just 1.4 months supply of inventory based on new sales. Up Valley Napa County has a 16.2 month supply.

St. Helena/Up Valley Trends: The St. Helena/Up Valley market (Angwin, Calistoga, Deer Park, Rutherford, St. Helena and Yountville), had an inventory of 210 units at the end of July, 2010. This compares with 204 at the end of July, 2009. Sales for the month (13) were 44% ahead of the pace of a year ago (9), but 35% below the pace last month (20). The Up Valley market seems relatively stable at 10 to 20 sales per month.

Sonoma County Trends: The inventory of homes and condominiums for sale (1843) in Sonoma County at the end of July was 24% higher than a year ago (1485). That’s the high water mark for available listings in the past year. New sales (601) in July were 11% ahead of the pace in July, 2009 (540) and they were 14% ahead of the pace of last month (528). The median price of homes closed in July in Sonoma County was $340,000. This is slightly higher than the medium price of closed homes in July, 2009 ($335,000) and somewhat in line with the median price over the past twelve months. The average price per square foot of sold homes has stabilized around $230-$250/sq. ft. Based on the current sales pace, there is a 3.1 month supply of inventory – a continuing indication of a “seller’s market”.

Sonoma Valley Trends: Not reflecting the county trend, the inventory of homes and condominiums for sale (243) in the Sonoma Valley (Sonoma, Glen Ellen and Kenwood) at the end of July was 4% below that for July, 2009 (254). It was comparable to that of last month (230). There were 46 new sales for the month which is 15% higher than that of a year ago (40) and equal to that of last month (43). There were 32 closings in the Sonoma Valley in July and our Sonoma Valley offices closed 32 units - so our agents obviously handled transactions outside of the Valley.

Healdsburg Trends: The inventory of homes and condominiums for sale (121) in Healdsburg at the end of July was 16% higher than that of the available inventory (104) in July, ‘09. New sales (26) were 44% ahead of that of last month (18) and were 37% ahead of that of a year ago (19). There is a 4.7 month supply of available homes and condominiums for sale based upon the current sales pace.

Cloverdale Trends: The inventory of homes and condominiums for sale in Cloverdale (55) at the end of July, 2010 was 77% higher than that of a year ago (31) and remained equal to that of month ago (58). Sales for the month of July (13) have fallen off sharply from 25 in April, 26 in May and 19 in June. Perhaps the eclipsing of the First Time Homebuyer’s Program in June has had an impact on sales in Cloverdale.

Windsor Trends: The inventory of homes for sale in Windsor (73) at the end of July was equal to that of the inventory (74) last month and was 35% ahead of the inventory of July, 2009 (54). There were 45 new sales of homes and condominiums in Windsor in July which is 29% higher than the 35 sales in July of 2009. The new sales level was up 12% from the 40 last month. The current market has just 1.6 months of supply based on the current sales pace. The median price of the 32 homes that closed in Windsor in July was $395,000, the highest in the past fifteen months and 11% higher than the median price of closed homes in July, ’09.

Solano County: Available inventory of homes and condominiums for sale in Solano County reached a fifteen month high of 1,288 units in July. This is 59% higher than the inventory in July, 2009 (810). New sales for the month (668) were steady year over year. There is 1.9 months supply of available inventory based on the current sales pace and the median price of closed homes is steady in the $200,000 range.

Closings: The following agents enjoyed closings during the past five weeks: Liz Manfree (St. Helena); Marla and Steve Ericson (St. Helena); Constance Sharpe (Glen Ellen); Kent Mitchell (Healdsburg); Joyce Davison (Sonoma); Gina Clyde (Sonoma); Diane Litchfield (Sonoma); Kendra Martin (Sonoma); Susan Irvine (Glen Ellen); Faeli Vyn (Napa); Hank Lane (Healdsburg); Diane Krause (Sonoma); Cheri Stanley (Napa) and Robyn Makurak (Sonoma).

The following agents enjoyed two closings each: Mara Kahn (Sonoma); Tammy Owens (Sonoma); Corrie Sterbentz (Sonoma); Pat and Norm Brown (Sonoma); David Barker (Napa); Diane Harris and Deke Dekay (Healdsburg); Carol Figoni (Healdsburg); Susan Montgomery and Amanda Stampley (Healdsburg); Erick Rothfeld (Sonoma); Mike Caselli (Sonoma); Dmitra Sutsos (Sonoma); Barbara Sommerville (Sonoma) and Felice Torri (Sonoma).

Sheila Deignan (Sonoma), Terri D’Amico (Sonoma) and Jane and Ron Pavelka (Healdsburg/Cloverdale) had three closings each during this period.

Doug Del Fava and Susan Parker had four closings during this period.

And, Daniel Casabonne enjoyed ten closings during this period – two per week.

Congratulations to all!

Addition to Wine Country Group Management Team:   Amir Farhid has joined the management team of Frank Howard Allen Realtors, the Wine Country Group, in the position of Director of Business Development.  Mr. Farhid recently completed his MBA degree at Sonoma State University.  He has been a licensed real estate broker since 2003 and has worked in the mortgage and real estate sales field since obtaining his license.  From 2006 to 2008, Mr. Farhid was an independent broker owner in San Francisco licensed with Frank Howard Allen Realtors.  Since then he has been the Broker/Owner of Pro Capital Mortgage in Novato.

We have been consulting with Amir for the past six months on various topics and with the completion of his MBA program, the opportunity is present for him to come on board.  As Director of Business Development, Amir will concentrate on recruiting, training programs, coaching and business planning to maximize the professionalism, expertise and success of the Wine Country Group agents.

Amir’s office will be in Napa, but he will circulate among the firms offices to complete his responsibilities.   His contact number is 707-265-1616 and his e-mail address is amir@winecountrygroup.com.

Wine Country Group Summary for 1st Half of 2010

Frank Howard Allen Realtors, the Wine Country Group, enjoyed 379 closed transaction sides with a cumulative value of over $171 million dollars for the first half of 2010.  This is an 8% increase in units and a 22% increase in dollar volume compared to the first half of 2009.  The average sales price of the homes that we closed in the first half of 2010 was $450,000.  This is an increase of 13% from the $398,000 in 2009 and stemmed a four year decline in sales prices for a WCG first half.  Our open sales (445) for the first half of 2010 was 13% ahead of that for 2009, however, cancellations continue at a high rate.  New listings (311) were steady with that of a year ago.  Our Sonoma and Healdsburg offices continue to lead the way with 48% and 26% increase in closed sales for the year over year period.

We had a very strong month of June with 90 closed transactions totaling $46 million in dollar volume compared to 73 closings and $31 million in June, 2009.  This is the highest June unit volume that we have ever experienced.  Again, part of this is attributable to our very wet spring which I believe pushed sales from February, March and April, to April, May and June.   We opened 69 new escrows in June compared to 38 a year ago, and another all time high.  We had 42 new listings compared to 37 a year ago.  Of our 90 closings in June, 53 were out of our Sonoma office.

As of Tuesday (July 13),  we had 113 pending sales with a gross sales dollar volume of $52,000,000.  This compares to 112 pending sales a year ago and $62,000,000 in dollar volume a year ago.   We have about 8% fewer listings (209 compared to 222) year over year, but our average listing price is steady at  slightly under $1,000,000.

We remain solidly number one in market share for units sold in the past twelve months in our Sonoma Valley (30.2%), Healdsburg (26.1%) and Cloverdale (15.5%) markets.  Our Napa and St. Helena offices closed 214 units in the past twelve months giving the firm 3rd place in market share for units sold.

June, 2010 – Wine Country Market Analysis

Napa County Trends:   All trends are up in Napa County for the month of June, 2010.  Available inventory is up 17% from a year ago, closings are up 16% and new sales are up 39%.   Approximately 50% of the new sales were “distressed” meaning either foreclosed properties or short sales.  Only 23% (178) of the available inventory (774) are distressed properties.  The median price of the homes and condominiums sold in June was $383,000 which is the highest in the past six months.  The median price of the 66 distressed sales was $319,000 while the median price of the 64 non distressed sales was $449,000.

The city of Napa had an increase in new sales in June (111) that was 54% higher than that of a year ago (72) and 8% ahead of that of May (102).  It is the highest level of monthly new sales in the past five years.  There is a 4.3 month supply of inventory.   Available inventory is 25% ahead of a year ago and closings are 30% ahead of June, 2009.  The number of distressed sales, closings and listings, mirrors the county figures.  

American Canyon has just 1.8 months supply of inventory.  American Canyon has higher percentages of distressed properties than the overall county with 61% of the closings in June being distressed sales and 70% of the available inventory are distressed properties.

St. Helena/Up Valley Trends:  The St. Helena/Up Valley market (Angwin, Calistoga, Deer Park, Rutherford, St. Helena and Yountville), had 21 new sales in the month of June compared to 10 in June, 2009.  This is the highest level of sales in any month since June of 2005.  Available inventory stands at 212 units which is a twelve month high.  Only 6% of the Up Valley inventory are “distressed” properties (either bank owned or short sales), but 33% of the new sales in June were distressed properties.  Predictably, the distressed properties are selling at a higher rate than the non-distressed properties.

Sonoma County Trends:  The inventory of homes and condominiums for sale (1,744) in Sonoma County at the end of June was 22% higher than a year ago (1,432).  Of the inventory, 25% of the properties were “distressed” properties, either bank owned or short sales.  New sales (599) in June were 10% ahead of the pace in June, 2009 (543) and were 24% ahead of the pace of last month (483).  Of the new sales in June, 57% were distressed sales.  The median price of  the 500 homes that closed in June in Sonoma  County was $336,000.  This is 11% higher than the medium price of closed homes in June, 2009 ($302,000) and somewhat in line with the median price over the past six months.  42% of the properties that closed in June, 2010 were distressed sales.  Based on the current sales pace, there is only a 2.9 month supply of inventory – a typical indication of a “seller’s market”.  

Sonoma Valley Trends:  The inventory of homes and condominiums for sale (207) in the Sonoma Valley (Sonoma, Glen Ellen and Kenwood) at the end of June was slightly ahead of that  for June, 2009 (200), but it climbed for the seventh straight month from a low of 134 units in December.  Only 15% of the inventory is represented by distressed properties (bank owned or short sales).  There were 41 new sales for the month which is 46% higher than that of a year ago (28).  At the same time, closings (46) were 44% ahead that of June, 2009 (32).  It seems that the late spring may have shifted sales to later in the season.  The months of inventory based on new sales is 5 months – an indication of a stable market.  Of the closed homes for the month, 30% were distressed properties, and of the new sales for the month, 44% were distressed properties.  Understandably, the banks and short sellers are more motivated sellers.

Healdsburg Trends:   The inventory of homes and condominiums for sale (119) in Healdsburg at the end of June was 24% higher than that of the available inventory (96) in June, ‘09.  Only 8% of the inventory is represented by distressed properties (bank owned or short sales).  New sales (20) were 26% behind that of a year ago (27).  Though only 8% of the inventory is distressed property, 50% of the new sales and 29% of the closings for the month were distressed properties.  The Healdsburg also seems stable right now.  

Cloverdale Trends:  Closings for the month of June in Cloverdale (28) jumped up from just seven a month ago.  They were 51% ahead of June a year ago (18).   Approximately 50% of the new sales and 50% of the existing inventory is represented by “distressed” properties – either bank owned or short sales.  The inventory of homes and condominiums for sale in Cloverdale (58) at the end of June, 2010 was 66% higher than that of a year ago (35) and inventory is at a 2.8 month supply based on the current sales pace.  Cloverdale is one of the hotter markets in Wine Country at present.

Windsor Trends:  The inventory of homes for sale in Windsor (74) at the end of June was 58% higher than that of the inventory (47) in June, 2009.  “Distressed” properties – bank owned or short sales – represent 51% of the inventory.  There were 45 new sales of homes and condominiums in Windsor in June which is 36% ahead of the 33 sales in June of 2009.  62% of the new sales were distressed properties.  The current market has just 1.6 months of supply based on the current sales pace.  The median price of homes sold in Windsor in June was $359,000 which is consistent with the level over the past fifteen months..

Solano County:  Inventory remains very tight in Solano County with only 1.7 months of supply based on the current sales pace.  Distressed properties make up the majority of the market of both the homes that are selling (72%) and those in inventory (63%).  

Closings:   Ian Reilly and Ally May, both of our Sonoma office, had their very first closings with the Wine Country Group in the past five weeks.  Congratulations and wishing them many more!

The following agents enjoyed closings for this period:  Linda Alioto (St. Helena);  Jannette Hall (Napa);  Mara Kahn (Sonoma);  Kendra Martin (Sonoma);  Frank Lazzarotto (Sonoma);  Hank Lane (Healdsburg);  Dee Grohmann (Healdsburg);  Beth Bruno (Healdsburg);  Mari Johnson (Sonoma);  Diane Litchfield (Sonoma);  Debbie Hendershot (Healdsburg);  Jeff Veness (St. Helena);  Dan Gallagher (Sonoma);  Mike Caselli (Sonoma);  Deke Dekay and Diane Harris (Healdsburg); Cherie Choolijian (Sonoma);  Howard Powell (Sonoma);  Mara Kahn (Sonoma);  Jana Jones (Healdsburg) and Erick Rothfeld (Sonoma).

The following agents enjoyed two closings during this period:  Charlee Schanzer (Healdsburg); Terri D’Amico (Sonoma);  Susan Irvine (Sonoma);  Cheri Stanley (Napa);  Pat and Norm Brown (Sonoma) and Gina Clyde (Sonoma).

Joyce Davison (Sonoma);  Diane Krause (Sonoma);  Sheila Deignan (Sonoma);  Erin George (Sonoma);  Aimee Greco (Napa) and Steve and Marla Ericson (St. Helena) enjoyed three closings over this period.

Ellen Politz (Napa) enjoyed four closings during this period.

Sheila Deignan of our Sonoma office enjoyed five closings.

Susan Montgomery and Amanda Stampley of the Foss Creek team (Healdsburg);  Jane and Ron Pavelka (Healdsburg/Cloverdale) and Doug Del Fava and Susan Parker of our Kenwood office each enjoyed six closings.

And finally, Daniel Casabonne of our Sonoma office enjoyed ten closings during this five week period – two per week!   Well done.

Congratulations to all!

The Best

For the eighth consecutive year, Frank Howard Allen Realtors has been voted the “Best Real Estate Company” in the Northbay Biz’s 2010 Readers Poll.  The Northbay Biz is celebrating its 35th year serving Napa, Marin and Sonoma Counties.  As most of you know, Frank Howard Allen Realtors is celebrating it’s 100th year and receiving the “Best” award for the eighth straight year is a fitting tribute. 

Congratulations to the executive, management and staff teams that provide support to over 500 agents working in the Northbay.  And, especially congratulations to our agents who every day are the face of Frank Howard Allen Realtors to our real estate clients.  Job well done, and we will work hard to continue to earn this recognition.

Wine Country Group Summary for May, 2010

Frank Howard Allen Realtors, the Wine Country Group, enjoyed 61 closed transaction sides with a cumulative value of over $28 million dollars in May.  This is fewer than we had in May, 2008 (70 sides and $34M), but was more than May 2005-2008.  I believe that the rainy and cold weather in February and March may have “dampened” the market.  We did open 70 new escrows in May compared to 40 a year ago, so perhaps it is just a delay in the market.   Our Sonoma and Healdsburg offices continue to lead the way with our Napa and Kenwood offices doing well also.

As of this Monday (July 7),  we had 124 pending sales with a gross sales dollar volume of $63,000,000.  This is 15% higher than the number of pending sales a year ago (108) and 21% higher in dollar volume ($52M).  We have about 10% fewer listings (202 compared to 226) year over year, but our average listing price is up t0 $1,044,000 compared to $956,000 a year ago.

We remain solidly number one in market share for units sold in the past twelve months in our Sonoma Valley (29.2%), Healdsburg (26.8%) and Cloverdale (15.3%) markets.  Our Napa and St. Helena offices closed 223 units in the past twelve months giving the firm 3rd place in market share for units sold.

May, 2010 – Wine Country Market Analysis

Napa County Trends:   New sales of homes and condominiums for the month of May (167) were 27.5% ahead of the pace a year ago (131) and were at the highest level for any single month since June of 2005.  Approximately 50% of the new sales were “distressed” meaning either foreclosed properties or short sales.  There were 118 closings for the month, 16% ahead of May a year ago (102).  55% of those closings were distressed sales.  The median price of the homes and condominiums sold in May was $356,000 which is fairly consistent with the level over the past fifteen months.  The inventory of homes and condominiums for sale at the end of May in Napa County (715) was 9% ahead of  the inventory (655) at this time last year.  It was 6% higher than the inventory in April, 2010 (671) which is consistent with the seasonal growth in activity in the spring.  Of the 715 available properties, only 20% of them were distressed properties, so the inventory is carrying more conventional properties than the sales and closing activity indicates.  

The city of Napa had an increase in new sales in March (121) that was 73% higher than that of a year ago (70) and 22% ahead of that of April (99) and has just a 3.5 month supply of inventory – typically, an indication of a seller’s market.  The rainy and late spring may have pushed the timing of sales back this year.  The number of distressed sales, closings and listings, mirrors the county figures.  

American Canyon has just 2.3 months supply of inventory.  American Canyon has higher percentages of distressed properties than the overall county with 70% of the closings in May being distressed sales.

St. Helena/Up Valley Trends:  The St. Helena/Up Valley market (Angwin, Calistoga, Deer Park, Rutherford, St. Helena and Yountville), had an inventory of 207 units at the end of May, 2010.  This compares with 196 at the end of May, 2009.  Sales for the month (16) were comparable to the pace of a year ago (14) and to that of last month (13).  The Up Valley market seems to be stable at the moment.   Only 7% of the Up Valley properties are “distressed” properties (either bank owned or short sales), but 36% of the closings in May were distressed properties – so the distressed properties are the ones that are selling.

Sonoma County Trends:  The inventory of homes and condominiums for sale (1,596) in Sonoma County at the end of May was 13% higher than a year ago (1,409).  Of the inventory, 25% of the properties were “distressed” properties, either bank owned or short sales.  New sales (555) in May were 4% ahead of the pace in May, 2009 (532) but they were 16% behind of the pace of last month (663).  Of the new sales in May, 52% were distressed sales.  The median price of  the 441 homes that closed in May in Sonoma  County was $348,000.  This is 10% higher than the medium price of closed homes in May, 2009 ($315,000) and somewhat in line with the median price over the past six months.  As with the new sales for the month, of the properties that closed in May, 2010, 50% were distressed sales.  Based on the current sales pace, there is only a 2.9 month supply of inventory – a typical indication of a “seller’s market”.  

Sonoma Valley Trends:  The inventory of homes and condominiums for sale (213) in the Sonoma Valley (Sonoma, Glen Ellen and Kenwood) at the end of May was 6% below that  for Mary, 2009 (226), but it climbed for the sixth straight month from a low of 163 units in December.  Only 15% of the inventory is represented by distressed properties (bank owned or short sales).  There were 47 new sales for the month which is 31% higher than that of a year ago (36).  At the same time, closings (34) were 21% below that of May, 2009 (43).  It seems that the late spring may have shifted sales to later in the season.  The months of inventory based on new sales is 4.5 months – an indication of a stable market.  Of the closed homes for the month, 50% were distressed properties, and of the new sales for the month, 34% were distressed properties.  Understandably, the banks and short sellers are more motivated sellers.

Healdsburg Trends:   The inventory of homes and condominiums for sale (111) in Healdsburg at the end of May was 26% higher than that of the available inventory (88) in May, ‘09.  New sales (16) were 33% ahead of that of a year ago (12).  The Healdsburg also seems stable right now.  

Cloverdale Trends:  Though there were only 7 closings in the month of May in Cloverdale, there were 32 new sales – the highest level of sales for any month since May of 2005.   Approximately 50% of the new sales and 50% of the existing inventory is represented by “distressed” properties – either bank owned or short sales.  The inventory of homes and condominiums for sale in Cloverdale (53) at the end of May, 2010 was 32% higher than that of a year ago (40) and inventory is at a 1.7 month supply based on the current sales pace.  Cloverdale is one of the hotter markets in Wine Country at present.

Windsor Trends:  The inventory of homes for sale in Windsor (76) at the end of May was 40% higher than that of the inventory (54) in May, 2009.  “Distressed” properties – bank owned or short sales – represent 46% of the inventory.  There were 48 new sales of homes and condominiums in Windsor in May which is 37% ahead of the 35 sales in May of 2009.  60% of the new sales were distressed properties.  The current market has just 1.6 months of supply based on the current sales pace.  The median price of homes sold in Windsor in May was $342,000 which is consistent with the level over the past fifteen months..

Solano County:  Inventory remains very tight in Solano County with only 1.7 months of supply based on the current sales pace.  Distressed properties make up the majority of the market of both the homes that are selling (70%) and those in inventory (60%).  

Training:   The new series of Contract Training for the Summer, 2010 begins on June 18 and continues for eight total sessions ending on July 12th.  If you would like more information, please contact your manager.  The company does pay for this training if you have manager approval and attend all classes.

Management Training:  We are beginning a new series of Management Training with our trainer “par excellance” Sandy Schaefer.  There are four day long sessions that begin on Friday, July 9th.  There is a $250.00 fee to attend the training.  If you desire to attend, please contact your manager.

Advisory Letters regarding REOs and Short Sales:  We have received a series of advisory letters to be used for buyers and sellers in REO and Short Sale transactions.  Staff will be putting these on FHA-WCG letterhead and placing them in the forms files and in the forms section of our intranet, MyWineCountryGroup.com.  These are for immediate use and Regina will be adding these as required forms on our escrow check-off list and she will be seeing that the letters are in each of our open and to be opened files.

Please discuss with your manager if you have any questions.

Closings:  I missed an update last month, so this list includes closings from 4/12 through 6/4.  Dina Mogannam enjoyed her first closing using her license with the firm – many more for Dina!  

The following agents also enjoyed closings for this period:  Liz Manfree (St. Helena);  Lark Raymond (Napa);  Mara Kahn (Sonoma);  Tish Thames (Sonoma);  Frank Lazzarotto (Sonoma);  Charlee Schanzer (Healdsburg);  Helaine Forte (Napa);  Ann Amtower (Healdsburg);  Beth Bruno (Healdsburg);  Hank Lane (Healdsburg);  Lisa Albertson (Sonoma/Healdsburg);  Linda Alioto (St. Helena);  Terri D”Amico (Sonoma);  Debbie Hendershot (Healdsburg);  Jeff Veness (St. Helena);  Chuck Post (Sonoma);  Ann Foley (Sonoma);  Bill Streett (Sonoma);  Isaac Raboy (Sonoma);  Aimee Greco (Napa);  Vinni Bubak (Napa) and Mary Beth Foster (Sonoma).

Dee Grohmann of our Healdsburg office also had one closing during this period, but it was for $6,100,000 and warrants special recognition!  Well done Dee!

The following agents enjoyed two closings during this period:  Penelope La Montagne (Healdsburg);  Diane Litchfield (Sonoma);  Dan Gallagher (Sonoma);  Susan Irvine (Sonoma);  Faeli Vyn (Napa);  Barbara Sommerville (Sonoma);  Constance Sharpe (Glen Ellen);  Jana Jones (Healdsburg);  Mike Caselli (Sonoma);  Jane Barker (Napa);  Deke Dekay and Diane Harris (Healdsburg); and Erin George (Sonoma).

Cheri Stanley (Napa);  Gina Clyde (Sonoma);  Corrie Sterbentz (Sonoma);  and David Barker (Napa) enjoyed three closings over this period.

Kendra Martin (Sonoma) enjoyed four closings during this period.

Pat Brown (Sonoma) and Diane Krause (Sonoma) each enjoyed five closings.

Carol Lexa (Healdsburg);  Jane and Ron Pavelka (Healdsburg/Cloverdale) and Sheila Deignan (Sonoma) each enjoyed six closings.

Susan Montgomery enjoyed seven closings during this period including six at Foss Creek where she teams with Amanda Stampley.

And finally, Daniel Casabonne of our Sonoma office nosed out Doug Del Fava and Susan Parker of our Kenwood office with thirteen closings to Doug and Susan’s twelve during this eight week period.

Congratulations to all!

In Memoriam – John Scott Rader

Most of you know that our good friend and colleague passed away several weeks ago. There was a celebration of Scott’s life yesterday with lots of laughs and tears. For those who could not attend, below is a poem written by one of our Healdsburg agents, Penelope La Montagne, that was included as part of the day:

It all comes down to this…
For Scott Rader, In Memoriam

It comes down to the shirts he wore,
that salmon color, the deep orange, the ochre.
He would say Sue picked it out
deflecting somehow the boldness of it.

It comes down to the six pack in the fridge,
for Wednesday night poker,
the peanut butter sandwiches,
the pillow talk timbre of his voice
in conversation, the wit – so wry,
his jaunty gait never let you forget
the boy inside the man,
the breath pulled in on his laugh,
as if he had surprised himself.
It comes down to the fences he built,
and houses, and bridges between people.
He did what he wanted,
and he did it well, and
he would tell you if
what you were attempting
wasn’t worth doing.
He knew about things
and he made them happen
in a way that caused
no fragment in the weave.
He was a man among men
who never lost the devil in him.
He made things work, and some
will call him great, and
they would not be wrong.
It all comes down to
how comfortable
you felt about yourself
when you were with him,
and how we all loved him for that.

Wine Country Market Trends

Wine Country Group Summary for 1st Quarter and Month of March, 2010

We ended the first quarter with 169 closed transactions with a cumulative value of over $71 million dollars. This is the highest number of transactions that we have ever closed in a first quarter since founding the company. However, the dollar volume falls below our 1st quarter record of over $100 million dollars achieved in 2005. We did compare very favorably to the 1st quarter of 2009 finishing this year’s quarter 20% ahead of 2009 in units closed and 42% ahead in gross dollar volume. Our Healdsburg (+166%) and our Sonoma office (+93%) are leading the way for the firm. Our new listings for the first quarter (141) were 15% behind that of the first quarter of last year but newly opened sales (90) were 30% ahead of 2009. All in all, a promising start to 2010.

The month of March made a strong rebound from the month of February. We closed 62 transactions with a value of $26.5 million dollars compared to 40 transactions with a value of $12.7 million in February and 42 transactions with a value of $11.9 million dollars in March of 2009. New listings for March (51) compares to 31 in February and 38 in March, 2009. New sales (70) compare to 44 in February and 51 in March, 2009.

We remain solidly number one in market share in our Sonoma Valley (28.3%), Healdsburg (28.2%) and Cloverdale (14.7%) markets. Our Sonoma office closed 31.9% of the transactions closed in the Sonoma Valley in the first quarter of 2010, up from 24% in the 1st quarter of 2009. In Sonoma County in general for the first three months of this year Frank Howard Allen Realtors has increased its closings from 229 to 311 while our two nearest competitors have had reduced closings from 412 to 337 and from 322 to 286 respectively. All of the Frank Howard Allen agents in the area are outperforming the competition.

March, 2010 - Wine Country Market Analysis

Napa County Trends: The inventory of homes and condominiums for sale at the end of March in Napa County (620) was 9% below the inventory (682) at this time last year. It was 7% higher than the inventory in February, 2010 (578) which continues the reversal of a downward trend that persisted for over a year. It is reasonable to expect a continued increase in inventory as the spring market evolves. New sales (188) were 71% ahead of the pace a year ago (110) and 47% ahead of the month of February (128). The median price of the homes closed in Napa County in March was $345,000, 5% higher than that of both a month ago a year ago. The city of Napa had an increase in new sales in March (119) that was 78% higher than that of a year ago (67) and 32% ahead of that of February (90) and has just a 3.1 month supply of inventory – typically, an indication of a seller’s market. American Canyon has just 1.1 months supply of inventory. Up Valley Napa County has a 11.3 month supply.

St. Helena/Up Valley Trends: The St. Helena/Up Valley market (Angwin, Calistoga, Deer Park, Rutherford, St. Helena and Yountville), had an inventory of 180 units at the end of March, 2010. This compares with 163 at the end of March, 2009. Sales for the month (16) were 129% ahead of the pace of a year ago and 78% ahead of the pace last month. The Up Valley market seems to be finally gaining some momentum.

Sonoma County Trends: The inventory of homes and condominiums for sale (1374) in Sonoma County at the end of March was 12% lower than a year ago, but it was 15% higher than it was at the end of last month (1,191). We expect inventory to continue to climb as the spring market gets going. New sales (632) in March were 14% ahead of the pace in March, 2009 (553) and they were 42% ahead of the pace of last month (444). The median price of homes closed in March in Sonoma County was $325,000. This is 6.5% higher than the medium price of closed homes in March, 2009 ($305,000) and somewhat in line with the median price over the past six months. The average price per square foot of sold homes has stabilized around $230-$240/sq. ft. Based on the current sales pace, there is only a 2.2 month supply of inventory – a definite indication of a “seller’s market”.

Sonoma Valley Trends: The inventory of homes and condominiums for sale (184) in the Sonoma Valley (Sonoma, Glen Ellen and Kenwood) at the end of March was 10% below that for March, 2009 (205), but it climbed for the fourth straight month from a low of 163 units in December. There were 56 new sales for the month which is 19% higher than that of a year ago (47) and 124% ahead of last month (25). The months of inventory based on new sales dropped to 3.3 months. There were 36 closings in the Sonoma Valley in March and our Sonoma Valley offices closed 29 units so our agents obviously handled transactions outside of the Valley.

Healdsburg Trends: The inventory of homes and condominiums for sale (90) in Healdsburg at the end of March was just slightly higher than that of the available inventory (86) in March, ‘09. The inventory was 17% higher than the 77 units that were available at the end of last month. New sales (21) were 250% ahead of that of last month (6) and were 162% ahead of that of a year ago (8). The Healdsburg market seems to be gaining great momentum going into the later spring.

Cloverdale Trends: The inventory of homes and condominiums for sale in Cloverdale (45) at the end of March, 2010 was 32% lower than that of a year ago (66) and remained equal to that of month ago (44). Sales for the month of March (20) were equal to that of March, 2009 (21) and were slightly ahead of the 17 sales last month. There were only six closings in February, but there were 13 in March.

Windsor Trends: The inventory of homes for sale in Windsor (75) at the end of March was equal to that of the inventory (74) in March, 2009 and was 42% ahead of the inventory of last month (53). There were 41 new sales of homes and condominiums in Windsor in March which is 24% less than the 54 sales in March of 2009. The new sales level was up 46% from the 28 last month. The current market has just 1.8 months of supply based on the current sales pace. Prices bumped up to $233 per square foot and a median of $348,000 last month.

Training: Legal Update: The Spring Legal Updates are scheduled as follows:
Thursday, April 15, 8:30 to 11:10 – Rohnert Park
Tuesday, June 1, 8:30 to 11:10 – San Rafael

Closings: The following agents enjoyed closings for the period from 3/08 to 4/09: Steve & Marla Ericson (St. Helena); Corrie Sterbentz (Sonoma); Susan Irvine (Sonoma); Ellen Politz (Napa); Lark Raymond (Napa); Mike Caselli (Sonoma); Scott Inglis (Sonoma); Mari Johnson (Sonoma); Tammy Owens (Sonoma); Kendra Martin (Sonoma); Dee Grohmann (Healdsburg); Pam Giusto (Sonoma); Alicia Robledo (Sonoma); Charlee Schanzer (Healdsburg); Helaine Forte (Napa); Randy Haak (Glen Ellen); Ann Amtower (Healdsburg); Erin George (Sonoma) and Howard Powell (Sonoma).

The following agents had two closings during this period: Diane Krause (Sonoma); Cheri Stanley (Napa); Robyn Makaruk (Sonoma); Mary Beth Foster (Sonoma); Lisa Albertson (Sonoma/Healdsburg); Carol Lexa (Healdsburg) and Joyce Davison (Sonoma).

Jane and Ron Pavelka (Healdsburg/Cloverdale) and Sheila Deignan (Sonoma) enjoyed three closings over this period.

Jana Jones (Healdsburg) and David Barker (Napa) each enjoyed four closings during this period.

Doug Del Fava and Susan Parker of our Kenwood office had six closings during this stretch and Daniel Casabonne of our Sonoma office had a busy five weeks with twelve closings.

Congratulations to all!

Wine Country Market Trends

Wine Country Group Update for February, 2009

One of our clients recently asked the following intriguing question:  Do you access to data that shows regional trends (wine country) in residential sales prices over the past twelve years?

Just so happens that we began recording data for our wine country offices in 1998.  Based on our sample size (from 250 to 700 units per year) it should be representative of the regional trends.  I find the results quite interesting.

Prices appreciated 67% from 1998 to 2001.  They dipped 2% in 2002 as the market adjusted to 9/11.  They then appreciated 60% from 2002 to 2006.  The overall appreciation between 1998 and 2006 was 160% or 20% per year on average.  Since 2006, prices have declined 40% through 2009, or down 13% per year on average.  So, prices today are 43% higher than they were in 1998, or an average annual appreciation rate over the past 11 years of 3.8%.

February was a far cry from our record month for closings in January.  Of course, February closings would have been December sales and the end of December was very slow.  For the month we closed 40 units compared to 67 in January.  It is reasonable in retrospect as we closed 44,33,35 and 37 in the prior four years in February.  Despite having measurable rain on 14 days in the month and the majority of the rest of the days being overcast, damp and cold, we opened 44 new escrows compared to 43 a year ago and 27 in 2008.  Our listing inventory (168 units) as of 3/1/10 is comparable to that of a year ago (174).  The average asking price ($881,000) of our current listings is 16% higher than this time a year ago ($759,000).  Our pending sales as of 3/1/10 (104 units) total $52M in transaction volume compared to 93 units and $47M a year ago.  

We remain solidly number one in market share in our Sonoma Valley (28.5%), Healdsburg (28.3%) and Cloverdale (14.2%) markets.  Our Napa office continues to improve on a year over year basis and is a solid number three in market share for the firms with major offices based in the Napa Valley.  In Sonoma County in general for the first two months of this year Frank Howard Allen Realtors has increased its closings from 153 to 191 while our two nearest competitors have had reduced closings from 270 to 216 and from 199 to 178 respectively.  All of the Frank Howard Allen agents in the area are outperforming the competition.

February, 2010 - Market Analysis

Napa County Trends:  The inventory of homes and condominiums for sale at the end of February in Napa County (578) was 14% below the inventory (673) at this time last year.  It was 7% higher than the inventory in January, 2010 (540) which is a reversal of a downward trend that persisted for over a year.  It is reasonable to expect an increase in inventory as the spring market evolves.   New sales (144) were 40% ahead of the pace a year ago (103) and 29% ahead of the month of January (112).  The average price per square foot of the homes closed in Napa County in February was $249/sf, 8% higher than a month ago and 25% higher than that of a year ago.  The city of Napa had an increase in new sales in February (102) that was 59% higher than that of a year ago (64) and 52% ahead of that of January (67) and has just a 3.5 month supply of inventory – an indication of a seller’s market.   American Canyon has just 1.3 months supply of inventory.  Up Valley Napa County has a 15.7 month supply.    

St. Helena/Up Valley Trends:  The St. Helena/Up Valley market (Angwin, Calistoga, Deer Park, Rutherford, St. Helena and Yountville), had an inventory of 157 units at the end of February, 2010.  This compares with 152 at the end of February, 2009.  The inventory has declined 25% from the high level of 210 units that occurred in June of last year.  Sales for the month (10) were generally consistent with the pace of the past five months.  The Up Valley market seems to be stable at the moment.   

Sonoma County Trends:  The inventory of homes and condominiums for sale (1,191) in Sonoma County at the end of February was 26% lower than a year ago, but it was 6% higher than it was at the end of last month (1,126).  We expect inventory to continue to climb as the spring market gets going.  New sales (517) in February were 20% ahead of the pace in February, 2009 (430) and they were 16% ahead of the pace of last month (445).  The median price of homes closed in February in Sonoma  County was $325,000.  This is 14% higher than the medium price of closed homes in February, 2009 ($285,000) and somewhat in line with the median price over the past six months.  The average price per square foot of sold homes has stabilized around $230-$240/sq. ft.  Based on the current sales pace, there is only a 2.3 month supply of inventory – a definite indication of a “seller’s market”.  
Sonoma Valley Trends:  The inventory of homes and condominiums for sale (146) in the Sonoma Valley (Sonoma, Glen Ellen and Kenwood) at the end of February was 18% below that  for February, 2009 (178).  It was comparable to  that of last month (149).   There were 32 new sales for the month which is 33% higher than that of a year ago (24) and 23% ahead of last month (26).

The median sales price for the 32 homes that closed last month was $470,000 45% higher than the median price of $325,000 a year ago and was ahead of all months in the last twelve except July, 2009 when it was $509,000.  There were 32 closings in the Sonoma Valley in February and our Sonoma Valley offices closed 25 units so our agents obviously handled transactions outside of the Valley..

Healdsburg Trends:   The inventory of homes and condominiums for sale (77) in Healdsburg at the end of February was equal to that of the available inventory (78) in February, ‘09.  The inventory was higher than the 64 units that were available at the end of last month due to a new planned unit development coming on the market.  New sales (7) were equal to that of last month and to that of a year ago.  It is expected that the spring market will bring in an up tick in both listings and sales.  

Cloverdale Trends:  The inventory of homes and condominiums  for sale in Cloverdale (44) at the end of February, 2010 was 37% lower than a year ago (70) and 16% ahead of that of a month ago (38). Sales for the month of February (22) was ahead of 17 a year ago and 15 last month.  There were only six closings last month, but the new sales activity is high.

Windsor Trends:  The inventory of homes for sale in Windsor (53) at the end of February was 39% lower than the inventory (87) in February, 2009 and was 26% ahead of the inventory of last month (42).  There were 30 new sales of homes and condominiums in Windsor in February which is 22% higher than the 25 sales in January of 2009.  The new sales level was down from the 34 last month. The current market has just 1.8 months of supply based on the current sales pace.  Prices have stabilized at slightly over $200 to $210 per square foot.  

Training:  Don’t forget the upcoming course:  “Taking a Listing When Competing with a Top Producer”.   This includes winning the listing and not reducing your commission!   A good thing all around.

The classes are scheduled as follows:  Tuesday, March 23 @ 9:00 am in the Sonoma office;  Tuesday, March 30 @ 10:00 am in our Napa office;  and, Tuesday, April 6 @ 9:00 am in our Healdsburg office.   Please plan to attend one of these trainings.

Legal Update:  The Spring Legal Updates are scheduled as follows:
Thursday, April 15, 8:30 to 11:10 – Rohnert Park
Tuesday, June 1, 8:30 to 11:10 – San Rafael  

Closings:  The following agents enjoyed closings so far during the past two weeks:   Linda Alioto (St. Helena);  Jane and Ron Pavelka (Cloverdale);  Corrie Sterbentz (Sonoma);  Susan Irvine (Sonoma);  Aimee Greco (Napa);  Ellen Politz (Napa);  Sheila Deignan (Sonoma);  Mary Beth Foster (Sonoma);  Isaac Raboy (Sonoma);  Erick Rothfeld (Sonoma);  and Cheri Stanley (Napa).

The following agents had two closings during this period:  Pam Giusto (Sonoma);  Daniel Casabonne (Sonoma);  and David Barker (Napa).

And, Doug Del Fava and Susan Parker of our Kenwood office had a busy two weeks with seven closings.

Congratulations to all!

Realtor® Emeritus:  Our favorite, fabulous leader, Earl, has received well deserved recognition from the National Association of Realtors®.  The certificate that Earl recently received states the following:  “The National Association of Realtors® hereby honors and bestows upon Earl Shuttleworth the status of Realtor® Emeritus.  This status is awarded with deepest gratitude in recognition of forty cumulative years of membership in the National Association of Realtors® and in recognition of valuable and lasting contribution to the real estate profession in the Community”.

Earl certainly has made a valuable and lasting contribution to our firm and to all of those with whom he has come in contact over the years.  And, he really has 47 years of continuous NAR membership.  Wishing him many more successful years ahead.

Training:  We are happy to announce our first series of Wine Country Group trainings for the new year.  Joyce Davison is developing a course entitled:  “Taking a Listing When Competing with a Top Producer”.   This includes winning the listing and not reducing your commission!   A good thing all around.

The classes are scheduled as follows:  Tuesday, March 23 @ 9:00 am in the Sonoma office;  Tuesday, March 30 @ 10:00 am in our Napa office;  and, Tuesday, April 6 @ 9:00 am in our Healdsburg office.   Please plan to attend one of these trainings.

There is a revision to the CAR Residential Purchase Agreement coming out in April.  We will be holding trainings in each of our offices, but also keep an eye out for NorBAR trainings.

Winforms is becoming ZipForms and requires an upgrade if you are using WinForms on your own computer.  Please take a look at this link: http://www.car.org/tools/zipForm6/.  There is a series of webinars listed so that you can get accustomed to the new look and feel.

CAR Q & A’s:  Sometimes the questions that we are asked by our clients are covered in CAR Q & A’s.  I readily hand out Q&A’s on topics such as Prop. 60, tax consequences of a sale, etc.  A couple of useful newer ones are:  
    “Credit After Foreclosure, Bankruptcy, or Short Sale”  the link for this is:  http://www.car.org/legal/2009-qa/credit-aft-forecl-bankrup-short/

“Deed in Lieu of Foreclosure” the link is: http://www.car.org/legal/2008articles/deed-in-lieu-foreclosure/

“Homebuyer Tax Credit Update” the link is: http://www.car.org/legal/legal-questions-answers/2010-qa/homebuyer-tax-credit-update/

Nonrefundable Deposits:  There is also a Realegal update (http://www.car.org/legal/special-features/realegal-chart/2010-realegals/realegal-2-12-10/) dated February 12, 2010, entitled:  “Nonrefundable Deposit Deemed Invalid.”  It sites a recent court case.  The position of our legal counsel has always been that in residential 1-4 unit transactions there is “no such thing” as a nonrefundable deposit.  Even if the parties are willing to “create” a nonrefundable deposit, it may not be enforceable.  If you are asked to draft an agreement that contains clauses attempting to create a nonrefundable deposit, please call me or your manager before proceeding.

Closings:  The following agents enjoyed closings so far during February:  

Mari Johnson (Sonoma);  Lisa Albertson (Sonoma);  Linda Alioto (St. Helena);  Cherie Choolijian (Sonoma);  Corrie Sterbentz (Sonoma);  Ann Amtower (Healdsburg);  Diane Harris and Deke DeKay (Healdsburg);  Jana Jones (Healdsburg);  and Mike Caselli (Sonoma).

The following agents had two closings during this period: Felice Torri (Sonoma);  Jane and Ron Pavelka (Cloverdale);  Barbara Sommerville (Sonoma);  Doug Del Fava and Susan Parker (Kenwood);  and the Foss Creek Condominium team of Susan Montgomery and Amanda Stampley.

Daniel Casabonne (Sonoma) and David Barker (Napa) had three closings each.

And, Kendra Martin has had a good month so far with six closings.

Congratulations to all!

Wine Country Group Summary for January, 2010

We closed 67 transaction sides in the January, 2010. This is more than in any January in our history. This is 22% more than we closed in January, 2009 (55). Our dollar volume ($32M) was 60% ahead of the volume last January ($20M). Our open sales for the month (51) were 38% ahead of that for January, 2009 (37), and our new listings for the month (41) were 58% ahead of that of a year ago (26). Overall a very solid month which offers optimism moving into the new year. Our listing inventory (167 units) as of 2/8/10 is 6% behind that of a year ago (177) while in most of our market areas, inventory is down as much as 20-40% year over year. The average asking price ($838,000) of our current listings is 22% higher than this time a year ago ($689,000). Our pending sales as of 2/8/10 (109 units) total $50M in transaction volume compared to 70 units and $35M a year ago.

We remain solidly number one in market share in our Sonoma Valley, Healdsburg and Cloverdale markets. Our Napa office continues to improve on a year over year basis and is a solid number three in market share for the firms with major offices based in the Napa Valley. Our agents and staff are working hard to keep us ahead of the competition in most of our markets in year over year productivity.

January, 2010 - Market Analysis

Napa County Trends: The inventory of homes and condominiums for sale at the end of January in Napa County (540) was 20% below the inventory (674) at this time last year. It was slightly higher than the inventory in December, 2009 (540) which is a reversal of a downward trend that persisted for over a year. It is reasonable to expect an increase in inventory as the spring market evolves. New sales (121) were 20% ahead of the pace a year ago. The average price per square foot of the homes closed in Napa County has stabilized at about $230/sf over the past several months.. American Canyon has just 1.4 months supply of inventory and the town of Napa has 4.4 months. Up Valley Napa County has a 12.7 month supply.

St. Helena/Up Valley Trends: The St. Helena/Up Valley market (Angwin, Calistoga, Deer Park, Rutherford, St. Helena and Yountville), had an inventory of 152 units at the end of January. This compares with 140 at the end of January, 2009. The inventory has declined 28% from the high level of 210 units that occurred in June of last year. Sales for the month (12) were generally consistent with the pace of the past four months and better than that of a year ago, ‘08. The Up Valley market seems to be continuing to improve.

Sonoma County Trends: The inventory of homes and condominiums for sale (1,126) in Sonoma County at the end of January was 32% lower than a year ago, but it was 3% higher than it was at the end of last month (1,093). We expect inventory to continue to climb as the spring market gets going. New sales (509) in January were 21% ahead of the pace in January, 2009 (421) and they were 24% ahead of the pace of last month (413). The median price of homes closed in December in Sonoma County was $340,000. This is 13% higher than the medium price of closed homes in January, 2009 ($300,000). The average price per square foot of sold homes has stabilized around $235-$240/sq. ft. Based on the current sales pace, there is only a 2.2 month supply of inventory.

Sonoma Valley Trends: The inventory of homes and condominiums for sale (149) in the Sonoma Valley (Sonoma, Glen Ellen and Kenwood) at the end of January was 10% below that for January, 2009 (166). It was 13% higher than that of last month (132) indicating a rising trend going into the spring. There were 30 new sales for the month which is pretty consistent with the sales pace over the past twelve months.

The median sales price for the 33 homes that closed in December was $428,000 22% higher than the median price of $350,000 a year ago and well ahead of the lowest median price ($313,000) set for the year in April of 2009. There were 24 closings in the Sonoma Valley in January and our Sonoma Valley offices closed 30 units. We obviously handled some outside of the Valley, but it seems we got a good share of the Valley closings for the month.

Healdsburg Trends: The inventory of homes and condominiums for sale (64) in Healdsburg at the end of January was 16% below that of the available inventory (76) in January, ‘09. The inventory was equal to the 63 units that were available at the end of last month. New sales (9 dropped from the 14 in December and were equal to the pace of a year ago.. We’ll see if the spring market picks up the pace of both listings and sales.

Cloverdale Trends: The inventory of homes and condominiums for sale in Cloverdale (38) at the end of January, 2010 was 45% lower than a year ago (69) and was equal to that of a month ago. Sales for the month of January shot up to 17 from 8 a year ago and 9 last month. The median price of the homes sold in Cloverdale in the month of January was $270,000, 33% higher than a year ago, but there were only six closings in the month.

Windsor Trends: The inventory of homes for sale in Windsor (42) at the end of January was 52% lower than the inventory (87) in January, 2009 and was equal to the inventory of last month. There were 40 new sales of homes and condominiums in Windsor in January which is jump up from the 22 new sales last month, but consistent with the 36 sales in January of 2009.. The current market has just 1.1 months of supply based on the current sales pace. Prices have stabilized at slightly over $200 to $210 per square foot.

Please contact me for additional information and copies of the complete TrendGraphix reports.

Marketing Tip: Again borrowing from Rick DeLuca (http://www.RealEstateIdeaClub.com) he has some good counsel if the "market has you down - thinking slump". He cautions against finding yourself in an emotional slump but thinking it's a production slump. Rick suggests:

"You MUST do a few things specifically to ease this type of slump. Here are some suggestions to consider:

1. Consciously look for something positive EVERY DAY. Find something in the news, around the office, people you know, something you've read, anything
that can be categorized as positive. If you just let positive things enter your life on their own, you may be waiting a long while.

2. It's absolutely crucial you have a list each day of what precisely you need to accomplish. Have a short list to start with, if this is a new activity for you. Only five or six things that you really need to do today. At the end of the day give yourself the opportunity of looking down at your list and seeing a check mark by each task. You deserve to have a feeling of accomplishment, satisfaction or success on a daily basis. As a matter of fact - you need this!

3. As corny as it may sound, immerse yourself in positive books, CD's, podcasts, streaming video, anything that is positive in nature. It's difficult to maintain a negative mindset if you are consistently inputting positives. That's what it's all about.

4. Call someone who has been helpful to you and thank them for their support or whatever may be appropriate for them. Follow-up immediately with a handwritten note. It's very difficult to do a positive activity such as this and maintain a negative attitude.

Green Solution?: Have trouble keeping your flyer box stocked on your listing sign pole? Looks unprofessional and sloppy? Wasting paper throwing out wet and wilted flyers? Look into Flyer on a Chain - www.flyeronachain.com. A green, long lasting and low maintenance solution.

I'll cover closings in the next blog update, so keep your eye out!

Here are my remarks to our agents and staff who gathered for our 2010 Wine Country Group Kick-off last Friday at the Oakmont Golf Club:

"Good morning everyone. I’d like to propose a toast. Here’s to a new decade beginning in 2010; here’s to a new century beginning for Frank Howard Allen Realtors in 2010; and here’s to all of you, agents, staff, managers and guests – thanks for your tremendous efforts in 2009 and here’s to moving ahead! Cheers!

I’d like to thank those who worked so hard to pull this 2010 Kick-off together: Alma, Susie, Frank, Earl, Lori, and the marvelous decorating team of Carol Lexa and Danuta.

Also at the outset, I’d like to thank all of our staff and managers who work so hard to support our sales associates. Staff and managers, please stand up to be acknowledged. Earl and I particularly want to recognize Lori Sargiotto for all that she does to keep us on track. Otherwise, we would be a train wreck.

I’d also like to recognize those listed on the program as new agents to the firm. Can those who joined The Wine Country Group in 2009 please stand?

And, those listed on the program with 10+, 15+, up to 30+ years with the firm (how about that Frank Lazzarotto?). Will you also please stand an be acknowledged?

Thank you all.

In the music that has backed up the slides this morning, some of you may have recognized the Debussy piece entitled Clare de Lune. I included this piece in today’s program because it is part of a Youtube video that a friend passed along to us last week. I will share the link to this video with all of you in the next update to the Broker Blog,

www.youtube.com/watch_popup?v=9xwCG0Ey2Mg

it is quite inspirational. Let me describe it a bit in the meantime.

It opens with the sound of the beginning phrase of Clare de Lune and pans in on the back of a young man sitting at the piano. The playing is beautiful. As the camera approaches, you can see that the young man is in a wheel chair. As the camera pans around the wheelchair you can see that his hands are in an awkward and bent position. The narrator starts to explain that the young man, Patrick Hughes, was born without eyes and with a condition that does not allow him to extend his arms – they are bent and crippled. But that when he plays music…”it is the music of possibility and the sound of promise”. The camera faces Patrick directly and the narrator asks: “How would you describe your disabilities?” And Patrick answers forcefully: “Not disabilities at all – more abilities.” Then it jumps to a scene of Patrick in full band gear playing trumpet for the Louisville University Marching Band with his father guiding him through the precise band drills in his wheelchair. It goes on for 6 minutes and it is quite wonderful.

For me, the video speaks to an attitude towards life – life as it comes to us. We all know how important a positive attitude is in living our lives, in doing our jobs, in being a salesperson. It is that positive attitude that allows us to see the possibilities, and the promise, in all the things around us.

Ahead is the theme for this Kick-off and this year. What lies ahead? None of us know, really. But personally, I am determined to get there – to move ahead. We will be completing our new Strategic Plan in the first quarter of this year and that will give us direction on how we will improve the brokerage and make it even better.

We had good results and we made strides in 2009. We are the market leader in the Northern California Wine Country. No other firm can claim that. You, our agents and staff, have worked to get us there. We have three agents in the top fifteen of the 2,755 agents in Sonoma County. We have the 2nd and 7th most productive agents out of the 637 agents in Napa County. We have six of the top 12 agents in Healdsburg, the top agents in Cloverdale and the top agent in Up Valley Napa. Diane Krause of our Sonoma office had the largest single residential sale in the Wine Country in 2009 at more than $6.4 million. Across Wine Country – you are obtaining spectacular results.

As most of you know, 2010 is the one hundred year anniversary of the founding of Frank Howard Allen Realtors. We are proud to be associated with a firm with such deep roots and with such a long record of leadership, success and contribution to the community. It’s one thing that the firm generously contributes to the community, but many of the agents and staff – likely the large majority – contribute in many ways. You serve on non-profit boards, serve as volunteers and mentors, coach little league or volleyball, etc. It’s a beauty of being a Realtor that, for the most part, we can direct our own time and serve our communities in many positive ways.

To celebrate the 100th anniversary of the firm, rather than a big party or bash, it has been decided to close the offices on Friday, June 25th and each of our staff, agents and managers will be involved in a community service day. We may all do one project, or we may let each office decide to choose their own way of providing service to the community – we will figure that out in the coming months. But block out the date of June 25 and send along your ideas for service projects.

Lourdes has created a 100 year logo that we will be using in our advertising, on our websites and elsewhere. We are having stickers made so we can put them on our letterhead, on our flyers, on whatever we send out, to promote the achievement of doing respected business in the North Bay for over a century.

In our awards this morning, we will be recognizing the leaders in our firm. To move forward – to get ahead – every organization needs leaders. We are grateful for the examples that these leaders provide for the rest of us. Know that Earl and I, and the managers and staff in the company will do all that we can to advance each of you into leadership positions so that we can celebrate again at the beginning of next year. I’m wishing us all success as we move ahead in 2010 and beyond.

Now, I’m happy to turn the program over to Susie for a Marketing Update. But first, I do have some commission checks here – it’s always fun for us to distribute commission checks! Congratulations.

Thank you all for being here and for all that you do".

Here are links to the new Market Share charts that Susie has created and the new Leading Real Estate Companies of the World and Luxury Portfolio sign riders that we introduced at the kick-off.

The following awards were recognized at the Kick-off:

Top Producers for the Wine Country Group for 2009:
Daniel Casabonne: Dollar Volume ($32,000,000); Units Closed (65) and Listings (76).

Doug Del Fava and Susan Parker (Team): Units Closed (86) and Listings (87)

Top Producers by Office:
St. Helena Office: Linda Alioto: Dollar Volume, Units Closed and Listings. (Linda is the Top Producer among all agents for Units Closed in Up Valley in 2009).

Sonoma Office: Daniel Casabonne: Dollar Volume, Units Closed and Listings. (Daniel is the Top Producer among all agents in Sonoma in 2009 for Dollar Volume and Units Closed).

Napa Office: Cheri Stanley: Dollar Volume and Units Closed. (Cheri is the 2nd Top Producer among all agents in Napa County in 2009 for Units Closed).

David Barker: Listings

Healdsburg Office: Ann Amtower: Dollar Volume and Units Closed

Deke DeKay and Diane Harris (Team): Units Closed

Jana Jones: Listings

Cloverdale: Ron and Jane Pavelka: Dollar Volume, Units Closed and Listings. (Ron and Jane are the Top Producer among all agents in Cloverdale in 2009 for Dollar Volume and Units Closed).

Office of the Year: Sonoma Office

Employee of the Year: Susie Savino

2009 Top Performers: (These agents made substantial strides in improving their production (or maintaining their high production standards) in 2009:
Lisa Albertson; Linda Alioto; Ann Amtower; David Barker; Daniel Casabonne; Mike Caselli; Sheila Deignan; Deke DeKay; Doug Del Fava; Diane Harris; Mari Johnson; Diane Krause; Susan Montgomery; Susan Parker; Lark Raymond; Rico Ruthnick; Lisa Smith; Barbara Sommerville; Cheri Stanley and Faeli Vyn

Chairman's Circle of Excellence: Lisa Albertson; Linda Alioto; David Barker; Daniel Casabonne; Mike Caselli; Sheila Deignan; Deke DeKay & Diane Harris; Doug Del Fava and Susan Parker; Diane Krause; Ron and Jane Pavelka and Cheri Stanley

President's Gold Award of Distinction: Ann Amtower

President's Silver Award of Distinction: Beth Bruno; Herb Heil; Mari Johnson; Jana Jones; Susan Montgomery; Rico Ruthnick and Lisa Smith; and Bill Streett

President's Bronze Award of Distinction: Pat Brown; Gina Clyde; Joyce Davison; Erin George; Aimee Greco; Dee Grohmann; Mara Kahn; Carol Lexa; Diane Litchfield; Robyn Makaruk; Kendra Martin; Lark Raymond; Constance Sharpe; Corrie Sterbentz; Tish Thames and Faeli Vyn.

Marketing Tip: This is borrowed from Rick Deluca. How to succeed in marketing to your geographical farm:

1) CONSISTENCY. They must hear from you at least once per month; month after month. It may take 6 to 12 months before you finally generate business from this area. They need to see you are persistent in your
communication and they can count on you. They may have had other agents "work their neighborhood" only to never hear from them again after 3 or 4 months. Show them you are different.
2) BECOME AN EXPERT. No one should know more about the local market activity than you. Gather data about the neighborhood and make this part of your ongoing contact with them. Let them see that you know
what is selling, how much it sells for, how long it took and who tried, but failed in their attempt to sell. They need to see you as their source of real estate information for the area.
3) DEVELOP A RELATIONSHIP. Do your best to become more than just a real estate agent who lives in the area. Go out of your way so they can "see" you and not just hear from you. Whether it's organizing a
neighborhood garage sale or volunteering for neighborhood activities, creating an electronic newsletter just for that area, or anything else, get yourself out there so people can see who you are and they begin to connect the real estate expert to an actual neighbor.

Closings: As far as jumping into the business in 2010, the following agents had closings in the last three weeks of January: Carol Lexa (Healdsburg); Corrie Sterbentz (Sonoma); Lisa Albertson (Sonoma); Mari Johnson (Sonoma); Tammy Owens (Sonoma); Jeff Veness (St. Helena); Mike Caselli (Sonoma); Kendra Martin (Sonoma); Erin George (Sonoma); Ellen Politz (Napa) and Penelope La Montagne (Healdsburg).

The following agents had two closings during this period: Faeli Vyn (Napa); Linda Alioto (St. Helena); Aimee Greco (Napa); Dee Grohmann (Healdsburg); Doug Del Fava and Susan Parker (Kenwood) and Ron and Jane Pavelka (Cloverdale).

Deke DeKay and Diane Harris of our Healdsburg office had three closings during this period.

David Barker (Napa), Herb Heil (Sonoma) and the Foss Creek team of Susan Montgomery and Amanda Stampley each had four closings during this period.

Sheila Deignan of our Sonoma office had five closings during this three weeks, and Daniel Casabonne topped it off with seven closings during the past three weeks - more than two per week.

Congratulations to all!

From one of my favorite websites, www.wordsmith.org, comes the following as a wish to you for the year:

Philosopher John Locke (1632-1704) once said, "Our incomes are like our shoes; if too small, they gall and pinch us; but if too large, they cause us to stumble and to trip." In the new year, may your incomes be like a nice pair of shoes, not too small, but large enough to slip into and be comfortable.

Wine Country Group Summary for December, 2009 and for the full year – 2009

Frank Howard Allen Realtors, The Wine Country Group, closed 75 transaction sides in the December, 2009, more than in any December in our history. This is 36% more than we closed in December, 2008 (55) and a solid 200% more than we closed in December, 2007 (25). The dollar volume ($31M) was 24% ahead of the volume last December ($25M). Our open sales for the month (43) were slightly behind of that for December, 2008 (46), but our new listings for the month (36) were slightly ahead of that of a year ago (29). Our listing inventory (175 units) is 7% behind that of a year ago (187) while in most of our market areas, inventory is down as much as 20-60% year over year. The average asking price ($725,000) of our current listings is 3% higher than this time a year ago ($711,000). Our pending sales at the end of December (102 units) total $51M in transaction volume compared to 69 units and $36M a year ago. Our agents are working hard to keep us ahead of the competition in most of our markets in year over year productivity.

For the full year of 2009, we closed 764 sides compared to 628 in 2008 and 534 in 2007. This is the highest number of closings since 2004 when we closed 797 sides. So, we are well on the way to advancing our previous high water mark. Despite the rise in units, we were somewhat below in dollar volume (lower sales prices) in 2009. We achieved $317,000,000 in volume in 2009 compared to $355,000,000 in 2008 and compared to our high of $537,000,000 in 2005.

We remain solidly number one in market share in our Sonoma Valley, Healdsburg and Cloverdale markets. Frank Howard Allen Realtors achieved number one market share in dollar volume for 2009 in both Sonoma and Marin Counties when one includes all licensed offices (including The Wine Country Group) and corporately owned offices. This is a great achievement for the Sonoma County agents who we affectionately refer to as “Team One”.

In the past twelve months in the Sonoma Valley, we have closed twice as many transactions (239) as our nearest competitors and our agents have achieved a 27.7% market share in unit volume. For 2009, our Healdsburg agents have increased our market share to 26.8% from 19.6% in 2008 in unit volume.

Our Napa & St. Helena offices have generated a 64% increase in transaction sides (261) for 2009 compared to 2008. Our Napa County offices have increased their market share by 35% this year while our competitors have had flat or decreasing market share.

We will celebrate our many successes at our annual company “Kick-off” on January 29th and we will focus on “Moving Ahead” in 2010 and beyond.

December, 2009 - Market Analysis

Napa County Trends: The inventory of homes and condominiums for sale at the end of December in Napa County (536) was 24% below the inventory (706) at this time last year and is the lowest inventory of available homes since February of 2006, three and one half years ago. The decreasing trend in inventory has moderated, however, and it is reasonable to expect an increase in inventory in the spring of 2010 instead of the decline that we saw through all of 2009. New sales (129) were 32% ahead of the pace a year ago. The average price per square foot of the homes closed in December was $237/sf, an 18% increase since February when the per square foot price was $201.00. American Canyon has just 1.2 months supply of inventory and the town of Napa has 3.9 months – so it is Up Valley Napa County that has an overhang of inventory. 29% of the available inventory in the county remains “Up Valley” at the end of December.

St. Helena/Up Valley Trends: The St. Helena/Up Valley market (Angwin, Calistoga, Deer Park, Rutherford, St. Helena and Yountville), had an inventory of 157 units at the end of December. This compares with 142 at the end of December, 2008, so it has been generally consistent throughout the year. Sales for the month (10) were the same as two months and were a bit below of the number of sales (13) posted in December, ‘08. The Up Valley market seems to be gaining some traction at the end of this year. Available listings in Up Valley represent 29% percent of the overall Napa County inventory, a relatively high percentage.

Sonoma County Trends: The inventory of homes and condominiums for sale (1,093) in Sonoma County at the end of December was 40% lower than a year ago. New sales (471) in December were 8% ahead of the pace in December, 2008 (436). The median price of homes closed in December in Sonoma County was $350,000. This is 13% higher than the medium price of closed homes in December, 2008 ($310,000) and 23% above the low median price established in February of 2009 ($285,000).

Based on the current sales pace, there is only a 2.3 month supply of inventory.

Sonoma Valley Trends: The inventory of homes and condominiums for sale (132) in the Sonoma Valley (Sonoma, Glen Ellen and Kenwood) at the end of December was 21% below that for December, 2008. There were 31 new sales for the month compared to 34 a month ago and 27 in December, ‘08.

The median sales price for the 33 homes that closed in December was $486,000 compared to a median price of $429,000 a year ago and well ahead of the lowest median price ($313,000) set for the year in April of 2009. There were 33 closings in the Sonoma Valley in December and our Sonoma Valley offices closed 36 units. We obviously handled some outside of the Valley, but it seems we got a good share of the Valley closings for the month.

Healdsburg Trends: The inventory of homes and condominiums for sale (63) in Healdsburg at the end of December was 22% below that of the available inventory (81) in December, ‘08. This is the lowest inventory in Healdsburg since March 0f 2006. New sales (14) remained steady in December. The Healdsburg market seems to have regained some momentum.

Cloverdale Trends: The inventory of homes and condominiums for sale in Cloverdale (38) at the end of December, 2009 was 49% lower than a year ago. Sales in Cloverdale for the month of December (9) was equal to that of a month ago and to that of December, 2008. The median price of the homes sold in Cloverdale in the month of December was $255,000, 14% lower than a year ago, but up 28% above the low for the year of $200,000 in March of 2009.

Windsor Trends: The inventory of homes for sale in Windsor (41) at the end of December was 58% lower than the inventory (97) in December, 2008 and was the lowest inventory since May of 2005, four and a half years ago. There were 28 new sales of homes and condominiums in Windsor in December which is fairly consistent with the sales pace throughout the year. The current market has 1.5 months of supply based on the current sales pace. Prices have stabilized at slightly over $200 per square foot.

Solano County: Since we closed 102 homes in Solano County in 2009, we keep an eye on the trends there as well. Inventory stands at 736 units – 68% lower than in December ’08, but it has climbed in the last two months. New sales for the month of December totaled 565 units – 6% higher than last year. This creates just a 1.4 month supply of inventory at the current sales pace. The average price per square foot of closed homes for the month was $135.00, up 13% from the low of $119.00/sf registered in April of 2009.

Please contact me for additional information and copies of the complete TrendGraphix reports.

FHA Wine Country Group Kickoff:  Be sure to attend the 2010 Wine Country Group Kickoff on Friday, January 29, 8:30 am to 11:30 at the Oakmont Country Club.  Celebrations, Awards, Inspiration, Photos, Cheers and Tears - see you there!

Training:  Management training with Sandy Schaefer starts this Friday, January 15. Four sessions of leadership work to improve you skills and your business.

New training programs on the horizon.

Closings:  Closings for the last week of 2009 and the first week of 2010 include: Debby Hendershot (Healdsburg); Linda Alioto (St. Helena); Louis Horta (Napa); Ryan De Mello (Napa); Diane Litchfield (Sonoma); Mike Caselli (Sonoma); Mari Johnson (Sonoma); Joan Harrington (Sonoma); Jane and Ron Pavelka (Cloverdale); Pam Giusto (Sonoma); Aimee Greco (Napa) and the Foss Creek team of Susan Montgomery and Amanda Stampley (Healdsburg).

The following agents had two closings during this two week period: Steve and Marla Ericson (St. Helena); Liz Manfree (St. Helena); David Barker (Napa); Jana Jones (Healdsburg) and Cheri Stanley (Napa).

Doug Del Fava and Susan Parker of our Kenwood office had four closings and Daniel Casabonne of our Sonoma office had five closings for these two weeks.

Well done for all and carry on in 2010!

“The way you do anything is the way you do everything.”   Tom Waits

Thanks to the hard work of our agents and staff, we continue to be a leading firm in the Wine Country Markets which we serve.  We have a bang up finish to the year with 44 transactions scheduled to close this week!  Even if some get delayed, it is a solid finish to a solid year – thanks to everyone.

Hold the date of January 15 if you are planning to take part in our second series of Management Training with Sandy Schaefer.  And hold the morning of January 29 open for the Wine Country Group kick-off.

Will have a summary of our performance and market performance for the end of the year early in January.  For now, I’d like to recognize those agents with closings since the last Broker Blog update on 11/15.  For the dates between 11/16 and 12/27, the following enjoyed closings:

Ellen Politz of our Napa office had her first closing as a new licensee – in fact she had three during this period.  Wishing her many, many more.

Cherie Chooljian of our Sonoma office had her first two closings since joining the Wine Country Group several months ago.  Again, wishing her many more!

Others with closings during this period include:  Erin George (Sonoma);  Leo Merle (Sonoma);  Jeff Veness (St. Helena);  Gina Clyde (Sonoma);  Pat and Norm Brown (Sonoma);  Susan Irvine (Sonoma);  Herb Heil (Sonoma);  Beth Bruno (Healdsburg);  Felice Torri (Sonoma);  Dave Reynolds (Healdsburg);  Faili Vyn (Napa);  Chuck Post (Sonoma);  Carol Figoni (Healdsburg);  Lisa Smith (Healdsburg);  Bill Streett (Sonoma);  Mara Kahn (Sonoma);  Barbara Greenhill (Sonoma);  Tish Thames (Sonoma);  Mari Johnson (Sonoma);  Ann Amtower (Healdsburg);  Kent Mitchell (Healdsburg);  Debby Hendershot (Healdsburg) and Lisa Albertson (Sonoma/Healdsburg).

The following agents had two closings during this period:  Sally Kros (Kelseyville);  Mike Caselli (Sonoma);   Aimee Greco (Napa);  Kendra Martin (Sonoma) and Pam Giusto (Sonoma).

Joyce Davidson (Sonoma);  Jane and Ron Pavelka (Healdsburg/Cloverdale); Deke Dekay and Diane Harris (Healdsburg) and Cheri Stanley (Napa) had three closings each.

Sheila Deignan (Sonoma) and Constance Sharpe (Glen Ellen) enjoyed four closings each.

David Barker (Napa) and the Foss Creek Condominium team of Susan Montgomery, Amanda Stampley, Lisa Albertson and Gina Clyde had five closings each.

Doug Del Fava and Susan Parker had six closings.

And Daniel Casabonne tops the list with a whopping ten closings during this six week period.

Congratulations to all and carry on into 2010!

Moving Ahead in 2010, and beyond, wishing everyone a Healthy and Happy New Year.

Market Trends: We have added current Market Graphs and commentary to our website (www.winecountrygroup.com) for each of our Wine Country Markets. Whenever you need to know what’s going on in Wine Country, just visit our Market Trends web pages.

This month, there are some really pronounced milestones in the market. Please review the Market Analysis below, particularly for Sonoma County and Napa County – this is good news for our markets!

Wine Country Group Summary for October, 2009

We closed 76 transaction sides in the October, 2009, more than in any October since 2004 when we closed 83. This is 27% more than we closed in October, 2008 (60). The dollar volume ($33M) was 10% ahead of the volume last October ($30M). Our open sales for the month (74) were a healthy 61% of that for October, 2008 (46), so things are looking good moving into the mid Fall. Our listing inventory (224 units) is 10% ahead of a year ago (203) while in most of our market areas, inventory is down as much as 40% year over year. The average asking price ($929,000) of our current listings is 34% higher than this time a year ago ($695,000). Our pending sales at the end of October (136 units) total $74M in transaction volume compared to 84 units and $49M a year ago. Our agents are working hard to keep us ahead of the competition in most of our markets in year over year productivity.

We remain solidly number one in market share in our Sonoma Valley, Healdsburg and Cloverdale markets. In the past twelve months in the Sonoma Valley, we have closed twice as many transactions (231) as our nearest competitors and our agents have achieved a 27.3% market share. For the first ten months of this year, our Healdsburg agents have increased our market share to 25% from 18% for the first ten months of 2008.

Our Napa & St. Helena offices have generated a 31% increase in transaction sides (218) for the first ten months of 2009 compared to 2008. Our Napa County offices have increased their market share by 25% this year while our competitors have had flat or decreasing market share.

We respect the hard work that all of our agents are doing in these changing and tough times to help us to remain market leaders.

October, 2009 - Market Analysis

Napa County Trends: The inventory of homes and condominiums for sale at the end of October in Napa County (590) was 33% below the inventory (881) at this time last year and is the lowest inventory of available homes since March of 2006, three and one half years ago. New sales (154) were a whopping 60% ahead of the pace a year ago and were the highest monthly level since August of 2005. Of the 154 new sales in Napa County in October, 103 of them were in the City of Napa. This is a 87% increase in the number of sales in the City from this time last year and the highest number of sales in the City since September of 2006. This certainly signals strength in the local housing market. The average price per square foot of the homes closed in October was $270/sf, a 38% increase since February when the per square foot price was $201.00. The county in general is down to 3.8 months supply of inventory based on the current sales pace. American Canyon has just 1.4 months supply of inventory and the town of Napa has 3.4 months – so it is Up Valley Napa County that has an overhang of inventory. 31% of the available inventory in the county remains “Up Valley” at the end of October.

St. Helena/Up Valley Trends: The St. Helena/Up Valley market (Angwin, Calistoga, Deer Park, Rutherford, St. Helena and Yountville), had an inventory of 182 units at the end of October. This compares with 189 at the end of October, 2008, so it has been generally consistent throughout the year. Sales for the month (14) remained close to the level of last month and were 27% ahead of the number of sales (11) posted in October, ‘08. The Up Valley market seems to be gaining some traction at the end of this year. Available listings in Up Valley represent 31% percent of the overall Napa County inventory, a relatively high percentage. The average asking price of the current Up Valley inventory is $2.1M compared to the average price of the homes that closed in October being $1.0M so the high end remains the weakest segment of the market as in other Wine Country markets.

Sonoma County Trends: The inventory of homes and condominiums for sale (1,308) in Sonoma County at the end of October was 44% lower than a year ago. This is the lowest level of inventory in the County for any month since December of 2005. New sales (620) in October were 13% ahead of the pace in October, 2008 (551) and 17% ahead of that of last month (528). This is the highest level of new home sales in the County since August of 2005 – marking a new milestone in the housing recovery. The median price of homes closed in October in Sonoma County was $344,000. For the first time since June of 2006, the year over year median price was higher – in this case 3% higher. That means that the median price of sold homes has been lower on a year over year basis for over three years and now has reversed that trend.

The average price per square foot of properties sold in October ($244/sf) was equal to that of a year ago and 13% ahead of the low price per square foot ($216/sf) experienced in January of 2009. Indications are if you bought then, you have experienced some appreciation. The market seems to be certainly segmented and stuck in the higher ranges as the average asking price of unsold inventory is $1.1M compared to the average price of the units sold in October being $462K. Based on the current sales pace, there is only a 2.1 month supply of inventory.

Sonoma Valley Trends: The inventory of homes and condominiums for sale (181) in the Sonoma Valley (Sonoma, Glen Ellen and Kenwood) at the end of October was 21% below that for October, 2008, but it has be relatively steady since December of ’08 – ranging from 166 t0 200 units. There were 42 new sales for the month (compared to 35 a month ago and 33 in October, ‘08). The Sonoma Valley market also seems to be stalled in the higher end as the average asking price of the inventory is $1.1M compared to the average sales price of units sold in October being $462K. There were 31 closings in the Sonoma Vally in October and our Sonoma Valley offices closed 26 units. We obviously handled some outside of the Valley, but it seems we got a good share of the Valley closings for the month.

Healdsburg Trends: New sales (22) in October remained at a relatively high level and is 37% of the sales pace (16) a year ago. The inventory of homes and condominiums for sale (95) in Healdsburg at the end of October was slightly below that of last month (101) and it was 15% below the available inventory (112) in October, ‘08. This compares to inventory that is 44% lower in the County overall. Months of inventory based on current sales rate is 4.3. The Healdsburg market continues to show signs of rebounding.

Cloverdale Trends: Sales in Cloverdale for the month of October (13) remained about equal to the month earlier when there were 15 sales and was about equal with the 15 sales in October of 2008. The inventory of homes and condominiums for sale in Cloverdale (31) at the end of October, 2009 is about equal to that of last month and it was 66% lower than a year ago. It is the lowest level of available inventory since May of 2005 – four and a half years ago. There remains only a 2.4 month supply of inventory based on the current sales pace. The median price of the homes sold in Cloverdale in the month of October rose again to the 300,000 level which has been pretty consistent through the year. The median price of homes and condominiums sold in Cloverdale has bounced back from a low of $200,000 in March of this year.

Windsor Trends: The inventory of homes for sale in Windsor (49) at the end of October was 60% lower than the inventory (122) in October, 2008. There were 38 new sales of homes and condominiums in Windsor in October which is an increase of 31% from the level (29) in October ‘08. The current market has 1.3 months of supply based on the current sales pace. Prices have stabilized at slightly over $200 per square foot.

Solano County: Since we have closed 89 homes in Solano County this year so far, we keep an eye on the trends there as well. Inventory is down to 736 units – 72% lower than in October ’08. New sales for the month of October totaled 745 units – 27% higher than last year – and more than the number of available units at the beginning of the month (711). This creates just a one month supply of inventory at the current sales pace. The average price per square foot of closed homes for the month was $128.00, up each month from the low of $119.00/sf registered in April of this year.

Please contact me for additional information and copies of the complete TrendGraphix reports.

Management Training: Our first program in Management Training with Sandy Schaefer was a big success, so we are planning our next program. All agents manage their own business, if not an office, so everyone learns key skills from this program – particularly in leadership and planning. The next program will begin on January 15 and 16 and continue on the 22nd and 29th. We are subsidizing the cost to $250.00 per person including course materials. If you are interested in attending, please let me know.

Business Planning for 2010: It’s that time of year to plan for the coming year. Your office managers have business planning forms to assist you and I recommend you consider the following questions as you undertake setting your plans for next year:

1. Review 2009 by asking these questions: Did you meet your goals? If not, why not? Where did your leads come from? Where did your sales come from? How would you describe your situation now?

2. Write down your goals. I like what Stephen Covey says about starting with the end in sight. What numbers (income, houses sold, etc.) do you want in December of 2010? What specific steps will you need to take to reach those numbers? Who will hold you accountable for reaching your goals?

3. Analyze your operations. How do you accomplish your goals? Are you being efficient? Who will do your non-dollar productive activities? How do you handle leads now and what can you do to improve this? What do your key team members need so they can help you achieve the goals? Do you have an ideal weekly and daily schedule that helps your business run smoothly? Do you have systems in place that make overall operations run efficiently?

4. Evaluate your business strategy. Perform a SWOT analysis (What are your Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats for 2009?). How will you capitalize on your strengths and opportunities? How will you strengthen your weaknesses and deal with threats?

5. Examine your sales and marketing efforts. What marketing channels worked and which ones failed? Can you adjust the ones that failed and make them more successful? If so, how? Can you make the successful ones even better? If so, how? How will potential clients know you exist and when they realize you exist, do your marketing messages compel them to contact you? How will your ideal customer evaluate your services and make decisions? Are your scripts effective? If not, how will you make them more powerful? Do your scripts reflect the current market?

6. Get a handle on your finances. Do you have an accounting software package or system that gives you profit and loss statements, balance sheets and budget projections? Are you attaching costs to your efforts so that you can see if you’re getting the best return on your investments of time and money? Are you tracking your results?

Please let me know if I can assist you in anyway in developing your 2010 business plan.

FHA-Wine Country Group Kick-off: Save the date: January 29, 2010 for the Wine Country Group kick-off and Recognition Event. We will be returning to the Oakmont Golf Club and will have a fun time and an inspiring speaker. The program will begin at 8:30 am and run until 11:00. Save the date!

Staffing over the Holidays: Please be aware that our support staff will have a holiday on Friday, November 27th, following Thanksgiving.

Link to Home Buyer Credit info: Here's a link to CAR's outline on the extended Home Buyer Tax Credit. This includes higher income limits and non-first time buyers as well as first time buyers. Share this with your clients! http://www.car.org/newsstand/newsreleases/taxcreditextended/

Closings: Congratulations to the following for closings in the last thirty days: New agent to the WCG Liz Manfree (St. Helena) enjoyed her first closing with the firm. Wishing her many more!
Others with sales include: Carol Lexa (Healdsburg); Herb Heil (Sonoma); Terri D’Amico (Sonoma); Charlie Laughlin (Napa); Helaine Forte (Napa); Bill Streett (Sonoma); Diane Krause (Sonoma); Joyce Davison (Sonoma); Erin George (Sonoma); Susan Irvine (Sonoma); Alicia Robledo (Sonoma); Howard Powell (Sonoma); Gina Clyde (Sonoma); Faeli Vyn (Napa); Frank Lazzarotto (Sonoma); and Hank Lane (Healdsburg).

The following agents had two closings in this period: Sheila Deignan (Sonoma); Lark Raymond (Napa); Mari Johnson (Sonoma); Leo Merle (Sonoma); and Jane and Ron Pavelka (Healdsburg/Cloverdale).

Corrie Sterbentz (Sonoma); Lisa Smith (Healdsburg) and Susan Montgomery (Healdsburg) had three closings each.

The Foss Creek Condominium team (Lisa Albertson, Gina Clyde, Susan Montgomery and Amanda Stampley) had four closings for the month. Also with four closings were David Barker (Napa); Lisa Albertson (Sonoma/Healdsburg); and Jana Jones (Healdsburg).

Daniel Casabonne (Sonoma) and Doug Del Fava and Susan Parker (Kenwood) had six closings each during the past month.

And, Cheri Stanley tops the bill with nine closings in the past month – over two a week – a healthy pace!

Congratulations to all.

Extraordinary Things Happen When Our Sign Goes Up:
This is the new “tag line” that we are featuring on our website and in our advertising. Some of the extraordinary things are:
Reliable Communication; Intelligent Marketing; Extensive Networking; Expert Negotiation; Hands-on Management; Streamlined Escrows; One Hundred Years of Experience; Quick Sales = Happy Clients.

Let us know if you think of some other Extraordinary Things that Happen When our Sign Goes Up.

Training:  Next Legal Update Date is: Tuesday, November 3, San Rafael

NorBAR is sponsoring trainings on the new RPA to be released in November. Look for trainings in your local area and we will look into bringing a resource into our offices to cover the topics.

BAREIS Photo Contest: I know that you are all talented photographers. You can get your photo on the BAREIS home page and earn a free month of dues if you submit a winning photo. Deadline is this Weds., Oct. 20 at 5 pm, so get those photos to sabrina@norcalmls.com.

Wine Country Group Summary for September, 2009:

We closed 210 transaction sides in the 3rd Q of 2009, more than in any 3rd Q since 2005 when we closed 212. This is 16% more than we closed in the 3rd Q 2008 (181). The dollar volume was 5% below the volume last year due to the lower average prices of our transactions. On the positive side looking ahead, the average asking price ($855,000) of our 229 listings as of October 12 was 5% higher than this time a year ago – and inventory is actually ahead of a year ago at 229 listings compared to 207. This is ahead of the general market conditions where inventory is lower year over year in our markets.

Our September results were strong month over month and year over year and our pending sales as of 10/12/09 (129) are 46% ahead of that of a year ago. Accounting for lower price points, the current dollar volume of our pending sales ($65M) is just 14% ahead of a year ago ($57M).

We remain solidly number one in market share in our Sonoma Valley, Healdsburg and Cloverdale markets. In the past twelve months, we closed 2.4 times the number of transactions as our nearest competitors in our Sonoma office. We increased our market share in Sonoma for the first nine months of this year to 28.4% compared to 25.5% a year ago. Our Healdsburg office has increased it’s market share for the first nine months of the year to 26.5% from 19.4% for the first nine months of 2008.

Our Napa & St. Helena offices have generated a 29% increase in transaction sides (197) for the first nine months of 2009 compared to 2008. We are continuing to grow our Napa Valley business at a healthy pace. We respect the hard work that all of our agents are doing in these tough times to help us to remain market leaders.

September, 2009 - Market Analysis

Napa County Trends: The inventory of homes and condominiums for sale at the end of September in Napa County (614) was 29% below the inventory (867) at this time last year and it was equal to the inventory last month. New sales (149) were a whopping 62% ahead of the pace a year ago. The average price per square foot of the homes closed in September remained the same as last month, $263.00 per sf, a steady increase since February when the per square foot price was $201.00. The county in general is down to 4.1 months supply of inventory based on the current sales pace. American Canyon has just one months supply of inventory and the town of Napa has 3.9 months – so it is Up Valley Napa County that has an overhang of inventory. 30% of the available inventory in the county is located “Up Valley” at the end of September.

St. Helena/Up Valley Trends: The St. Helena/Up Valley market (Angwin, Calistoga, Deer Park, Rutherford, St. Helena and Yountville), had an inventory of 184 units at the end of September. This compares with 165 at the end of September, 2008. Sales for the month (16) remained at the level of last month and were well ahead of the 4 sales that posted in September, ‘08. Perhaps the market is starting to finally warm up. Unlike our other Wine Country markets, inventory is up 12 % from a year ago, but it has decreased over the past three months. Up Valley available listings represent 30% percent of the overall Napa County inventory – an unusual occurrence.

Sonoma County Trends: The inventory of homes and condominiums for sale (1,393) in Sonoma County at the end of September was 42% lower than a year ago. New sales (594) in September were 13% ahead of the pace in September, 2008 and equal to that of last month. The median price of homes closed in September in Sonoma County was $325,000, equal to that of a month ago and 6% lower than a year ago. Based on the current sales pace, there is only a 2.3 month supply of inventory, either an indication of a pending sellers market, or, more likely, a slowing of the sales pace.

Sonoma Valley Trends: The inventory of homes and condominiums for sale (191) in the Sonoma Valley (Sonoma, Glen Ellen and Kenwood) at the end of September was 19% below that for September, 2008 and is equal to the inventory of last month. There were 39 new sales for the month (compared to 43 a month ago and 25 in September, ‘08).

Healdsburg Trends: New sales (18) in September remained at a relatively high level and similar to the sales pace (15) a year ago. The inventory of homes and condominiums for sale (101) in Healdsburg at the end of September was slightly below that of last month (109) and it was 11% below the available inventory (113) in September, ‘08. This compares to inventory that is 42% lower in the County overall. The Healdsburg market continues to show signs of rebounding.

Cloverdale Trends: Sales in Cloverdale for the month of September (14) weakened from the month earlier when there were 25 sales and was about equal with the 13 sales in September of 2008. The inventory of homes for sale in Cloverdale (36) at the end of September, 2009 is about equal to that of last month and it was 58% lower than a year ago. There remains only a 2.6 month supply of inventory based on the current sales pace. The median price of the homes sold in Cloverdale in the month of September dropped to $278,000 from $345,000 in August, but it was higher than the $275,000 median price of homes closed in September, ’08. The median price of homes sold in Cloverdale has bounced around from a low of $200,000 to a high of $345,000 in the last twelve months, but this is the first month where we have seen year over year increase in the median price of sold homes in any of the markets that we serve in the Wine Country.

Windsor Trends: The inventory of homes for sale in Windsor (51) at the end of September was remarkably less than the number of new sales in the market in September which was 54. Inventory is 62% lower than a year ago and sales are 103% ahead of a year ago. The current status of the market is less than one month supply of inventory. Prices have stabilized at slightly over $200 per square foot. It remains interesting that there were new sales of 35 units, 33 units and 35 units in May, June and July of this year, but there were closings of only 30 units, 19 units and 24 units in July, August and September. So, we are either having delays in financing – which seems pretty prevalent at this time – or, there are a lot of distressed sales which can take longer to close, or we are having a lot of cancellations.

Solano County: Since we have closed 81 homes in Solano County this year so far, we keep an eye on the trends there as well. Inventory is down to 711 units – 74% lower than in September ’08. New sales for the month of September totaled 748 units – 31% higher than last year. This creates just a one month supply of inventory at the current sales pace. The average price per square foot of closed homes for the month was $130.00, up each month from the low of $119.00/sf registered in April of this year.

Please contact me for additional information and copies of the complete TrendGraphix reports.

Closings: Congratulations to Charlie Laughlin of our Napa office who had his first closing with FHA-WCG during this recent period. He also served ably on the Legal Update agent panel this morning! The following agents also had closings from 9/14 to 10/09. There were a lot of them – which is a good thing!

Randy Haak, Glen Ellen; Corrie Sterbentz, Sonoma; Ann Amtower, Healdsburg; Dee Grohmann, Healdsburg; Bill Streett, Sonoma; Faeli Vyn, Napa; Barbara Sommerville, Sonoma; Deke Dekay and Diane Harris, Healdsburg; Dan Gallagher, Sonoma; Carol Lexa, Healdsburg; Lark Raymond, Napa; Gina Clyde, Sonoma/Healdsburg; Dave Reynolds, Healdsburg; Linda Alioto, St. Helena; Jana Jones, Healdsburg; Hank Lane, Healdsburg; Susan Montgomery, Healdsburg; Helaine Forte, Napa; and Patty Keiser, Glen Ellen.

The following agents had two closings over the past month: Mara Kahn, Sonoma; and Herb Heil, Sonoma.

The following agents had three closings in the past thirty days: Erick Rothfeld, Sonoma; Lisa Albertson, Sonoma and Erin George, Sonoma.

Cheri Stanley of our Napa Office had four closings.

Mike Caselli and Daniel Casabonne of our Sonoma Office and David Barker of our Napa office each had six closings for this period.

Jane and Ron Pavelka based in Cloverdale had seven closings for this period and, to cap it off, Doug Del Fava and Susan Parker of our Kenwood office.had a whopping fourteen closings in the past month – over three a week – something to strive for!

Well done by all and congratulations!

Welcome to Scott Rader as a Partner in the Wine Country Group: We issued a Press Release this week welcoming long term North Bay real estate broker Scott Rader as a partner in the Wine Country Group. Scott has worked with our firm over the past twelve years and was responsible for expanding the Healdsburg office and establishing offices in Windsor and Cloverdale. Scott will be a great resource for the firm and it's agents. If you would like a copy of the Press Release, just let me know.

Seven New Rules for First Time Home Buyers: A recent article by Ron Lieber in the New York Times suggests seven new rules for first time home buyers. Of course, if you have been in the business for a while, you will recognize some of these rules as old rules before the lenders got goofy - in any case they are the rules of the day:
1. Start with the basics: A minimum of 20% down payment; a fixed rate loan; don't spend more than 35% of your pretax income on mortgage, property tax and property insurance payments. With student and other loans included, do not exceed 45% of your pretax income.
2. Consider your income: The best case for "stretching" for a house is that first time buyers in their 20s and 30s income will grow more quickly than older people buying their second or third home.
3. Bow to Unknowns: There are many reasons that a young couple, with both individuals working at present, may find that they need to live on one income, or on one full time and one part time income. It is wise to do financial modelling for these circumstances.
4. Map out expenses: Studies show that many homeowners underestimate the cost of maintaining a home. One source recommends budgeting 3.6% of the original purchase price of a home per year for maintainance and 4.5% of the original purchase price per year for an older home.
5. Buy Best (or Cheapest): Some suggest buying your "dream home" if you can afford it - but if you can't, don't buy the "next best thing", buy a less expensive starter home that will allow you to save towards that dream home later on.
6. Stretch the House: This refers to stretching your time in a home and making continual "expansion improvements" to the first home rather than incurring all of the transactional costs of buying a series of homes.
7. The Eight Hour Rule: All of the above rules vary from circumstance to circumstance. The old fall back "eight hour rule" says that if the impending purchase and future ownership expenses are keeping you up at night - maybe the purchase should be postponed until you are more comfortable with the decision.

Wine Country Group Summary for August, 2009

We closed 70 transaction sides in August, more than in any August since 2005 when we closed 75. This is 15% more than we closed in August, 2008 (61). But, as has been the case most of the year, the dollar volume was 15% below the volume last year. On the positive side looking ahead, the average asking price ($900,000) of our 250 listings at the end of August remained 32% higher than this time a year ago – so higher selling prices are on the horizon. Our Sonoma and Healdsburg offices had particularly strong results in August.

We continue to receive multiple offers on our REO listings as the demand is strong and the supply has weakened. We are still expecting a second wave of foreclosure properties as our Bank of America partner is expecting their nationwide inventory of REOs on the market to jump from 30,000 to 70,000 in the next six to twelve months.

We remain solidly number one in market share in our Sonoma Valley, Healdsburg and Cloverdale markets. In the past twelve months, we closed 2.4 times the number of transactions as our nearest competitors in our Sonoma office. Our Healdsburg office has increased it’s market share for the first eight months of the year to 25.4% from 18.1% for the first eight months of 2008. Our Napa office has generated a 41% increase in transaction sides (178) for the first eight months of 2009 compared to 2008. The firm just ahead of us in market share in Napa only increased their business by 16% in comparison, so we are continuing to grow our Napa Valley business at a healthy pace. We respect the hard work that all of our agents are doing in these tough times to help us to remain market leaders.

(Late update: We've opened at least 16 escrows in the past two days. Either the agents have been holding out putting them "on the board", or it's gotten a bit hot!)

August, 2009 - Market Analysis

Napa County Trends: The inventory of homes and condominiums for sale at the end of August in Napa County (613) was 31% below the inventory (884) at this time last year and represents the tenth month in a row that inventory has fallen month over month. New sales (174) were a whopping 75% ahead of the pace a year ago. The average price per square foot of the homes closed in August reached $266.00, a steady increase since February when the per square foot price was $201.00. The county in general is down to 3.5 months supply of inventory based on the current sales pace. American Canyon has just one months supply of inventory and the town of Napa has 3.4 months – so it is Up Valley Napa County that has an overhang of inventory. One third of the available inventory in the county is located “Up Valley” at the end of August. Please contact me for additional information and copies of the complete TrendGraphix reports.

St. Helena/Up Valley Trends: The St. Helena/Up Valley market (Angwin, Calistoga, Deer Park, Rutherford, St. Helena and Yountville), though heavy in inventory with 203 units, did experience and up tick in sales in August to 17. This is the highest number of new sales in any month in Up Valley since April of 2007 when there were 20 sales. Perhaps the market is starting to finally warm up. Unlike our other Wine Country markets, inventory is up 12 % from a year ago, but it has decreased over the past three months. Up Valley available listings represent 33% percent of the overall Napa County inventory – a very unusual occurrence. Please contact me for additional information and copies of the complete TrendGrahix reports.

Sonoma County Trends: The inventory of homes and condominiums for sale (1,438) in Sonoma County at the end of August was 44% lower than a year ago. New sales (648) in August were 40% ahead of the pace in August, 2008 and 13% ahead of last month. The median price of homes closed in August in Sonoma County was $325,000, slightly off from a month ago, but a solid 14% ahead of the low median price point of $285,000 that was reached in February. Based on the current sales pace, there is only a 2.2 month supply of inventory, either an indication of a pending sellers market, or, more likely, a slowing of the sales pace. Please contact me for additional information and copies of the complete TrendGraphix reports.

Sonoma Valley Trends: The inventory of homes and condominiums for sale (190) in the Sonoma Valley (Sonoma, Glen Ellen and Kenwood) at the end of August was 21% below that for August, 2008 and 11% lower than the inventory of last month. There were 45 new sales for the month (compared to 38 a month ago and 30 in August, ‘08). The median sales price in Sonoma Valley in August dropped to $370,000 from $504,000 last month, so there were fewer sales in the high end and perhaps more condominium closings. Please contact me for additional information and copies of the complete TrendGraphix reports.

Healdsburg Trends: New sales (21) in August remained at a relatively high level. They were 91% ahead of the new sales pace a year ago. The inventory of homes and condominiums for sale (109) in Healdsburg at the end of August was slightly higher than that of last month (104) but was 13% below the available inventory (125) in August, ‘08. This market is certainly showing signs of rebounding. The average days on market for the 20 closed sales in Healdsburg last month was 91 days which is a more rapid turnover than most of the past year. Please contact me for additional information and copies of the complete TrendGraphix reports.

Cloverdale Trends: Sales in Cloverdale for the month of August remained strong at 24. This is the highest sales pace for a single months since February of 2005 when there were also 24 sales. The inventory of homes for sale in Cloverdale (37) at the end of August, 2009 is slightly ahead of last month and creates a supply of only 1.5 months of homes based on the current sales pace. The median price of the homes sold in Cloverdale in the month of August was $346,000, the highest level since August of 2008 when it was $394,000. Please contact me for additional information and copies of the complete TrendGraphix reports.

Windsor Trends: The inventory of homes for sale in Windsor (58) at the end of August is 58% lower than it was a year ago. And, with a sales pace of 37 new sales for the month, the market is at a low of 1.6 months of inventory. The sales price to original listing price remains a healthy 99%. and prices have stabilized at slightly over $200 per square foot. It is interesting that there were new sales of 35 units, 33 units and 38 units in May, June and July of this year, but there were closings of only 29 units, 29 units and 16 units in June, July and August. So, we are either having delays in financing – which seems pretty prevalent at this time – or we are having a lot of cancellations in this market. Please contact me for additional information and copies of the complete TrendGraphix reports.

Legal Update: Mark the dates: Tuesday, 10/20, 8:30 am in Rohnert Park or Tuesday, 11/3, 8:30 am in San Rafael. Risk management requires all of our attendance at one of these presentations.

Closings: First of all, congratulations to Jane Barker of our Napa office for closing her first ever escrow (only happens once!) on September 1. Wishing her many, many more. Other closings for the period 8/24 to 9/11 include: Erin George, Sonoma; Kent Mitchell, Healdsburg; Diane Krause, Sonoma; Dan Gallagher, Sonoma; Lark Raymond, Napa; Carol Lexa, Healdsburg; Joyce Davison, Sonoma; Diane Litchfield, Sonoma; Leo Merle, Sonoma; Herb Heil, Sonoma; Constance Sharpe, Glen Ellen; Robyn Makurak, Sonoma; Ann Amtower, Healdsburg; Cheri Stanley, Napa; Hank Lane, Healdsburg; Pam Giusto, Sonoma; Monica Hernandez, Healdsburg.

The following agents had two sales during this period: Faeli Vyn, Napa (and her son got married); Pat and Norm Brown, Sonoma; and Sally Kros of Kelseyville, Lake County.

Daniel Casabonne, Sonoma; David Barker, Napa and the Foss Creek team of Lisa Albertson, Susan Montgomery and Gina Clyde each had three closings during this period - and Lisa had one extra on her own!

Finally, Doug Del Fava and Susan Parker had four closings during this period.

Congratulations to all!

The Three R’s:  I was reminded of the “Three R’s” today:
    Respect for self
    Respect for others
    Responsibility for all of one’s actions

Training:   Next Legal Update Dates are: 
      Tuesday, Oct. 20 – Rohnert Park and
      Tuesday, November 3, San Rafael

CAR Red Alert:  I encourage you to respond to CAR’s call for action opposing AB 827 and 985 by calling 1-800-961-3302.  It’s easy and effective.  

Wine Country Group Summary for July, 2009:

We closed 70 transaction sides in July, more than in any July since 2005 when we closed 73.  This is 20% more than we closed in July, 2008 (59).  But, as has been the case all year, the dollar volume was only 10% ahead of the volume last year.  But it was ahead – and that is good!   Also on the positive side, the average asking price of our 236 listings at the end of July remained 33% higher than this time a year ago – so higher selling prices are on the horizon.  We continue to receive multiple offers on our REO listings as the demand is strong and the supply has weakened.  We currently have 18 offers on a bank owned property in a desirable part of Solano County.  Recent comps indicated a list price of $399,000.  The home sold in 2005 for $795,000, and we are receiving offers in excess of $500,000.   A bit of rebalancing.

We remain solidly number one in market share in our Sonoma Valley, Healdsburg and Cloverdale markets.  In the past twelve months, we closed two and times as many transactions as our nearest competitors in our Sonoma and Healdsburg offices.  Our Napa office has generated a 54% increase in transaction sides for the first seven months of 2009 compared to 2008.  The current market leaders only increased their business by 26% and 23% respectively, so we are continuing to grow our Napa Valley business at a healthy pace.  We are a solid number three firm in units sold in Napa County.  We respect the hard work that all of our agents are doing in these tough times to help us to remain market leaders.

August, 2009 - Market Analysis:

Napa County Trends:  The inventory of homes and condominiums for sale at the end of July in Napa County (634) was 28% below the inventory (880) at this time last year.  New sales (174) were a whopping 49%% ahead of the pace a year ago. As in most parts of wine country markets, the median price of homes closed in Napa County seems to have reached it’s low point ($310,000) in February of this year.  In July, the median price of the closed homes was $350,000.   The average price per square foot of the homes closed in July reached $261.00 a steady increase since February when the per square foot price was $201.00.  The county in general is down to 3.6 months supply of inventory based on the current sales pace.  American Canyon has just one months supply of inventory and the town of Napa has 3.3 months – so it is mostly Up Valley Napa County that has an overhang of inventory.  Unusually, over a third of the available inventory in the county is located “Up Valley”.    

The sale of distressed properties (bank owned sales and short sales) represented 57% of the closed escrows for the month of July, 2009.  75% of the 317 contingent or pending homes waiting to close are distressed properties, but only 18% of the active listings are distressed sales.  So, pending the release of additional foreclosed properties by banks (something we have been anticipating for several months), the market is fairly stabilized with conventional listings.  We might expect to see a slow down in the sales pace month over month as the distressed sales are making up such a smaller part of the market over the next several months. Please contact me for additional information and copies of the complete TrendGraphix reports.

St. Helena/Up Valley Trends:  The St. Helena/Up Valley market (Angwin, Calistoga, Deer Park, Rutherford, St. Helena and Yountville) continues to be the slowest market in the region.  There are 204 properties available and there were only 12 new sales in the month of July.  That represents a 17 month supply of inventory.  Unlike our other Wine Country markets, inventory is up 15 % from a year ago.  Up Valley available listings represent 33% percent of the overall Napa County inventory – a very unusual occurrence.   Homes take over one and a half times as long to sell in the Up Valley (146 average days on market) compared to entire County (95 days).  The spring market never gained traction in Up Valley this year – it will be interesting to see when this market will kick into gear.  Please contact me for additional information and copies of the complete TrendGrahix reports.

Sonoma County Trends:  The inventory of homes and condominiums for sale (1,485) in Sonoma County at the end of July was 42% lower than a year ago, but slightly higher than the 1,432 available last month.  New sales (640) in July were 41% ahead of the pace in July, 2008 and 11% ahead of last month.  The median price of homes closed in July in Sonoma  County was $340,000 an increase from the low median price point of $285,000 that was reached in February.  If prices continue to bump forward at the current pace, the median price at the end of next month might be equal to that of August, 2008 ($355,000) meaning the market would have been stable in price on a year over year basis.  We’ll see.   Based on the current sales pace, there is only a 2.3 month supply of inventory, either an indication of a pending sellers market, or, more likely, a slowing of the sales pace.  Please contact me for additional information and copies of the complete TrendGraphix reports.

Sonoma Valley Trends:  The inventory of homes and condominiums for sale (213) in the Sonoma Valley (Sonoma, Glen Ellen and Kenwood) at the end of July was 12% below that  for July, 2008 and slightly ahead of the inventory of last month.  There were 41 new sales for the month (compared to 35 a month ago and 33 in July, ‘08).  The median sales price in Sonoma Valley in July ($504,000) was just slightly below the median sales price ($518,000) in July, 2008.  Overall, the Sonoma Valley market seems to be reaching a stage of “good health”.  Please contact me for additional information and copies of the complete TrendGraphix reports.

Healdsburg Trends:  New sales (23) in July remained at a relatively high level.  They were 156% ahead of the new sales pace a year ago.  The inventory of homes and condominiums for sale (104) in Healdsburg at the end of July was slightly higher than that of last month (96) but was 10% below the available inventory (116) in July, ‘08.  This market is certainly showing signs of rebounding. The average days on market for the 15 closed sales in Healdsburg last month was 134 days – so things are taking a while!  Selling price to original list price was 86% for last month’s sales, still a soft figure for our Wine Country markets.  The sales activity in Healdsburg clearly is in the below $1,000,000 price range.  Please contact me for additional information and copies of the complete TrendGraphix reports.

Cloverdale Trends: The inventory of homes for sale in Cloverdale (31) at the end of July, 2009 is the lowest that it has been in the past fifteen months.  It is 67% lower than this time a year ago.  Sales remain strong at 23 for the month, so there is only 1.3 months of inventory available at the current sales pace.  The median price per square foot ($203.00) is 30% ahead of the low median price per square foot ($156.00) in March of this year.  The Cloverdale market may have trouble sustaining the current sales pace due to the lack of inventory and the absence of distressed sale properties – but, perhaps, reluctant sellers may see that the market has turned their way and consider going on the market.  Please contact me for additional information and copies of the complete TrendGraphix reports.

Windsor Trends:  The inventory of homes for sale in Windsor (54) at the end of July is 63% lower than it was a year ago.  And, with a sales pace of 44 new sales for the month, the market is at an astounding low of 1.2 months of inventory.  The sales price to original listing price is a healthy 99%. and prices have stabilized at about $200 per square foot.  The median price ($360,000) of the homes closed in July is 11% ahead of the median price ($325,000) level in April of this year – the seemingly low point in the market.  Clearly, this market needs inventory and sellers who have been on the sidelines should be encouraged to get into the game while the market is in their favor.  It will be interesting to see how this market goes through the balance of the summer.  Please contact me for additional information and copies of the complete TrendGraphix reports.

Closings:  Congratulations to Carol Figone who closed her very first real estate transaction as a new licensee on 8/11 after being with the company just a few months.  Wishing Carol many, many more in her career.

Others who enjoyed closings in the past month include:  Randy Haak, Glen Ellen;  Barbara Greenhill, Sonoma;  Art Bowen, Napa;  Ann Amtower, Healdsburg;  Hank Lane, Healdsburg;  Bill Streett, Sonoma;  Aimee Greco, Napa;  Barbara Sommerville, Sonoma;  Beth Bruno, Healdsburg;  Mara Kahn, Sonoma;  Carol Lexa, Healdsburg;  Lark Raymond, Napa;  Diane Krause, Sonoma;  Penelope La Montagne, Healdsburg;  and Diane Litchfield, Sonoma.  

The following agents had two closings over the past month:  Sheila Deignan, Sonoma;  Mari Johnson, Sonoma;  and Svetlana Ternovskaya.

The following agents had three closings in the past thirty days:  Felice Torri, Sonoma;  Linda Alioto, St. Helena;  Herb Heil, Sonoma;  Frank Trozzo, Napa;  and Deke Dekay and Diane Harris, Healdsburg.

Lisa Albertson, Gina Clyde and Susan White enjoyed four closings in the Foss Creek Subdivision in Healdsburg in the past month.  

Cheri Stanley of our Napa Office had six closings and David Barker of our Napa office and Doug Del Fava and Susan Parker of our Kenwood office had seven closings each in the past month.

To cap it off, Daniel Casabonne of our Sonoma office had a whopping twelve closings in the past month – three a week – something to strive for!

Well done by all and congratulations!

Moving On:  Many of you know that Earl and I have acquired the Mayo family's interest in Frank Howard Allen Realtors, The Wine Country Group, effective this week.  Over the past thirteen years of our partnership, Henry has been an instrumental part of the growth of our firm and he has always been fully supportive of the agents, staff and his partners.  I've learned a lot from Henry over the years and I appreciate the experience that he has always been willing to share.  We will miss Henry as a partner, but we know he will remain active around the valley and that our paths will cross many times in the community.  I believe that I can say from all of us involved with the firm over the years:  Thanks Henry, and Well Done!

Best Real Estate Company:   For the eight consecutive year, Frank Howard Allen Realtors is named as the “Best Real Estate Company” in the 20th annual readers poll in the North Bay Biz magazine.  Congratulations to all of our agents and staff, and to all of the agents and staff of all of the Frank Howard Allen Realtor family offices.  I believe that it is worth mentioning here that Frank Howard Allen Realtors will be celebrating its 100th anniversary in 2010.  A milestone with which we are proud to be associated.

Wine Country Group Summary for 1st Half of 2009

We closed 351 transaction sides in the first half of 2009.  This is more than in any similar six month period since the first six months of 2005 and is 25% more transaction sides than in the first six months of 2008.  However, while the transaction activity is up, the total dollar sales volume is down by 25% to $139.6 million this year compared to $183.3 million last year.  Our average sales price for 2009 has been slightly under $400,000 compared to $650,000 a year ago.  On the positive side, the average asking price of our 236 listings at the end of June has climbed to $1,000,000 – the highest level in three years.  We also closed multiple million dollar sales in June of this year including a $6.5 million dollar sale.  In our various wine country markets, prices seemed to have bottomed as of February of this year, so things look to be improving.

We remain solidly number one in market share in our Sonoma Valley, Healdsburg and Cloverdale markets.  For the first six months of 2009, we closed two and one half times as many transactions as our nearest competitors in our Sonoma and Healdsburg offices.  Our Napa office has generated a 56% increase in transaction sides for the first half of 2009 compared to 2008.  The current market leaders only increased their business by 29% and 26% respectively, so we are continuing to grow our Napa Valley business at a healthy pace.  We respect the hard work that all of our agents are doing in these tough times to help us to remain market leaders.

June, 2009 TrendGraphix Analysis

Napa County Trends:  The inventory of homes and condominiums for sale at the end of June in Napa County (663) was 25% below the inventory (884) at this time last year.  New sales (107) were 13% ahead of the pace a year ago while closed escrows (103) were flat year over year.  The sale of distressed properties (bank owned sales and short sales) represented 51% of the closed escrows for the month of June, 2009, but only 18% of the active listings are distressed sales.  So, pending the release of additional foreclosed properties by banks (something we have been anticipating for several months), the market is fairly stabilized with conventional listings.  We might expect to see a slow down in the sales pace month over month as the distressed sales are making up such a smaller part of the market over the next several months.  As in most parts of wine country markets, prices seem to have reached their low point in February of this year and have been increasing steadily since then.  Please contact me for additional information and copies of the complete TrendGraphix reports.

St. Helena/Up Valley Trends:  The St. Helena/Up Valley market (Angwin, Calistoga, Deer Park, Rutherford, St. Helena and Yountville) continues to be the slowest market in the region.  There are 210 properties available and only 7 sold in the month of June.  That represents a 30 month supply of inventory and, unlike our other Wine Country markets, inventory is up 23% from a year ago.  Up Valley available listings represent 33% percent of the overall Napa County inventory – a very unusual occurrence.  Homes take over one and a half times as long to sell Up Valley (169 average days on market) compared to entire County (99 days).  The Spring market never gained traction in Up Valley this year – it will be interesting to see when this market will kick into gear.  

Sonoma County Trends:  The inventory of homes and condominiums for sale (1,432) in Sonoma County at the end of June was 45% lower than a year ago.  New sales (466) in June were consistent with the pace in June 2008.  Distressed sales, either bank owned, in foreclosure, or “short sales” (where the lender accepts less than the full payoff of their loan) represented 57% of all closings in June, 2009 compared to 73% in the early part of this year.  Distressed listings represent only 21% of the current inventory compared to 55% in February.  So, pending the release of additional foreclosed properties by banks (something we have been anticipating for several months), the market is fairly stabilized with conventional listings.  We might expect to see a slow down in the sales pace month over month as the distressed sales are making up such a smaller part of the market over the next several months.  The median price of homes closed in June in Sonoma  County was $300,000, an increase from the low median price point of $285,000 that was reached in February.  Based on the current sales pace, there is only a 3.1 month supply of inventory, either an indication of a pending seller’s market, or, more likely, a slowing of the sales pace.  

Sonoma Valley Trends:  The inventory of homes and condominiums for sale (194) in the Sonoma Valley (Sonoma, Glen Ellen and Kenwood) at the end of June was 20% below that of June 2008, and slightly ahead of the inventory of last month.  There were 32 new sales for the month (compared to 39 a month ago and 30 in June ‘08).   Distressed sales (bank owned properties and short sales) represented 46% of closed sales in June, 2009 and currently represent 13% of the available inventory.  This compares to distressed sales representing 33% of the inventory in February.  So, like elsewhere, the distressed properties are being absorbed.  We can expect two trends:  Sales pace will slow as these properties disappear and prices should climb as they have done in the past several months.  The average sales price in Sonoma Valley in June ($700,000) was significantly higher than the median sales price ($412,000) so there are some sales occurring in the higher price brackets including a $6.5 million dollar sale that was listed by our office.  This compares to sales in Napa County where the average price was $479,000 and the median price was $380,000 – much closer.  

Healdsburg Trends:   The inventory of homes and condominiums for sale (96) in Healdsburg at the end of June was slightly higher than that of last month (88) but was 24% below the available inventory (127) in June 2008.  This market is certainly showing signs of rebounding.  New sales (20) in June were the highest in the past 15 months continuing an increasing trend that began in March of this year.  Sales have taken a while to happen.  The average days on market for the 15 closed sales in Healdsburg last month was 221 days – but they closed!  Selling price to original list price has also taken a bit of a beating – it has been between 75% and 85% for the past several months – a low figure for our Wine Country markets.  Most of the activity seems to be in the below $1,000,000 price range.  

Cloverdale Trends: The inventory of homes for sale in Cloverdale (35) at the end of June 2009 is the lowest that it has been in the past fifteen months.  It is 61% lower than this time a year ago.  Sales remain strong at 15 for the month, so there is only 2.3 months of inventory available at the current sales pace.  The median price ($302,000) for the month of June has rebounded from the low in March of this year which was $210,000.  The Cloverdale market may have trouble sustaining the current sales pace due to the lack of inventory and the absence of distressed sale properties – but, perhaps, reluctant sellers may see that the market has turned their way and consider going on the market.  

Windsor Trends:  The inventory of homes for sale in Windsor (47) at the end of June is the lowest that it has been in recent history.  It is a full 66% lower than it was a year ago.  And, with a sales pace of 31 new sales for the month, the market is at an astounding low of 1.8 months of inventory.  The sales price to original listing price is a healthy 95% and prices have stabilized at about $200 per square foot.  Clearly, this market needs inventory and sellers who have been on the sidelines should be encouraged to get into the game while the market is in their favor.  It will be interesting to see how this market goes through the balance of the summer.  

Closings:  Since it has been several months since my last message, there are far too many closings than I can reasonably recap here.  Let me just congrat all of you who have worked so hard to succeed in these difficult market conditions.  I would like to recognize the following agents who have been the most productive in company dollar contribution during the first six months of this year:
    Diane Krause, Doug Del Fava and Susan Parker, Sheila Deignan, Daniel Casabonne, Cheri Stanley, Deke Dekay and Diane Harris, Ann Amtower, Linda Alioto, David Barker, Faeli Vyn, Mike Caselli, Jane and Ron Pavelka, Robyn Makaruk and Lisa Albertson.

Leading Through Turbulent Times – As part of the Leadership Council Meetings in Atlanta last month, we spent a few hours with Michael Staver in a program entitled “Leading Through Turbulent Times”. As each agent is CEO of their own business – each of us need to display these leadership traits:
Mindsets over Skillsets – here are the Mindsets We Need:
• Open – to looking at EVERY area of our businesses with FRESH EYES (yours and others)
• Creative – doing different things – not doing things differently
• Determination – relentlessly driving your business by:
    - Living and demanding consistent execution of your         core values
    - Enhancing the experience
    - Not listening to or accepting old answers to new             questions
• Focus – consistently dealing with what’s important as opposed to what gets our attention

Many of you know of my involvement with the Hyde Schools based in Bath, ME. I recently received a letter from the school indicating they are joining the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard as the only educational institutions to annually offer the “Hoffman Quadrinity Process”. Visit www.hoffmaninstitute.org for more info. The part that applies to this paragraph on leadership comes from another Hyde alumni parent Warrne Bennis, Chairman of the Kennedy School of Government Board of Advisors who says: “Here is the deal: learning to be a leader is virtually the same process as becoming an integrated and healthy person…What that means is that when we talk about ‘growing leaders’ we’re inevitably involved in personal stuff, personal transformation.”

Again from Mike Staver (www.thestavergroup.com):
• Values=Attitude. Attitude=Behavior
• Dumb is your friend – Ask questions
• It’s all about results
• Don’t panic – Do the work
• Commit to Lifelong Learning
• Live with Energy and Intensity


Top Ranking Businesses in the North Bay: Frank Howard Allen Realtors is listed as the largest Real Estate company in the recent edition of Top 500 Ranking Businesses published by the Northbay BIZ last month. The firm is identified with 637 agents and $48,000,000 in revenues for 2007. We are proud to be a part of the Frank Howard Allen family and celebrating 100 years in business next year.

Current Activity: Some interesting conclusions can be drawn from our business for the first quarter of this year. As of 3/30, we have 110 units in escrow compared to 65 on 3/30/08. Those 110 units represent $54,000,000 in sales volume compared to $52,000,000 for the 65 units last year. So, we are working nearly twice as hard for the same revenue. At the end of March, we have 228 units in available inventory compared to 220 a year ago. The average listing price at the end of March last year was $800,000 and is $759,000 this year.

In the first quarter of 2008, we closed several transactions in excess of $4,000,000 which we did not do this year. The reduced prices of the market place are clearly reflected in our dollar volume for the first quarter of 2009 being $50 million compared to $87 million in the first quarter of 2008 despite closing 141 units this year compared to 126 in the first quarter a year ago. We have not seen this level of activity since the first quarter of 2001 it is highly likely that we will be going through another series of cost reductions as we move through the balance of this year.

We are proud of the hard work that our agents are putting in to helping us to remain leaders in our industry.

Training: We are working on a follow-up training to Joyce Davison’s great presentation last month. It will involve direct mail and SOI marketing. In the meantime:
CAR Contract Training on 4/10 in Santa Rosa, 9:00 am to Noon. Check on the NorBAR website – www.norbarrealtor.com - to sign-up by 4/3.

Also, don’t forget the Spring Legal Update in Rohnert Park on Tuesday, May 5. Attendance is mandatory as part of our Risk Management program.

Sonoma Valley International Film Festival - The Sonoma Valley International Film Festival runs through the balance of this week. We are proud to be sponsors as we have been over the years and to have all the activity next to our office in the Sebastiani Theratre building. For several years we sponsored the documentary films in the festival better known as the "House of Docs". We did a little film trailer during that time and you might enjoy viewing it - it's a couple of minutes long. Just click on "House of Docs Video".

Welcome to our new sales agents: Welcome to Ellen Politz who has joined our Napa office. Ellen has over fifteen years of experience in the banking industry and is an excellent short sale consultant. Call her at 265-1605 if you need assistance with a short sale. We’re also happy to welcome Helaine Forte back to our Napa office. She will be handling properties in both Napa and Sonoma. Her number in Napa is 337-3415

Closings: Congratulations to Vinni Bubak, Jannette Hall and Sally Kalaveras, all in our Napa office, and Julie King of our St. Helena office for their first closings with Frank Howard Allen Realtors, the Wine Country Group. Wishing them many more. Other closings for the period from 2/23 thru 3/27 include: Sheila Deignan (Sonoma); Diane Krause (Sonoma); Susan Irvine (Sonoma); Faeli Vyn (Napa); Mara Kahn (Sonoma); Carol Lexa (Healdsburg); Aimee Greco (Napa); Lark Raymond (Napa); Deke Dekay and Diane Harris (Healdsburg); Robyn Makaruk (Sonoma); Svetlana Ternovskaya (Napa); William Streett (Sonoma); Alicia Robledo (Sonoma); Dee Grohmann (Healdsburg); Jana Jones (Healdsburg); Erick Rothfeld (Sonoma); Mike Caselli (Sonoma); and Pat Brown (Sonoma); The following agents had two closings over this period: Ida Clark (Napa); Linda Alioto (St. Helena); and Doug Del Fava and Susan Parker (Kenwood). Ann Amtower of our Healdsburg office and Daniel Casabonne of our Sonoma Office both had three closings during this period. David Barker of our Napa Office had four closings. And Cheri Stanley of our Napa office and Ron and Jane Pavelka of our Cloverdale office each had five closings during this period. Congratulations to all!

Birthdays: Birthdays in the last month include: John Scott, Marianne Young, Diane Krause, Joan Harrington and Alicia Robledo – Best wishes to all!

The Hokey Pokey – Daniel Casabonne, our top producing agent in Dollar Volume for in 2008, was sharing his experience and expertise with our Healdsburg and Cloverdale agents this week when he reminded me of the Hokey Pokey. Several years ago, Lori Bremner, our consummate commercial property manager, gave me a t-shirt that said: “What if the Hokey Pokey is what it is really all about”. I adopted this for the year in the sense that you “put your whole self in, and you take your whole self out.” Dan remembered this little mantra and shared it with the other agents. When he is “at work”, he is all the way in – fully committed. When he takes time for himself, he is all the way out – committed to his own well being and peace of mind. He doesn’t abandon his work – but he puts it in the proper perspective. This way he keeps a healthy balance and maintains his enthusiasm. Thanks, Dan, for reminding me of that important lesson in the Hokey Pokey.

Wine Country Group Update for February, 2009: Our business remains stable in light of all that is going on around us. In January, we closed 55 sides vs. 48 sides a year ago and 39 in 1/2007 and 38 in 1/2006. As busy as we were, our dollar volume in 1/2009 was $20,000,000 compared to $46,000,000 in 2008. So the median price of our transactions was down for that month. The same fact is reflected in our backlog of pending transactions which (as of 2/23) stands at 93 sales compared to 64 a year ago and reflects $42,000,000 in volume compared to $50,000,000 a year ago. Same with listing inventory which is down to 174 units compared to 187 a year ago and reflects a median price of $758,000 compared to $834,000 a year ago. Certainly, our activity in the REO market is largely responsible for this trend, not only in our firm, but industry wide. We do see market rate and high end listings and sales coming on line as the spring market unfolds.

We remain number one in market share in our Sonoma Valley, Healdsburg and Cloverdale markets. In the Sonoma Valley, we are selling twice as many units as our nearest competitor and we expect to continue that trend. Our Napa, Kenwood and Sonoma offices all had year over year gains in units closed for the month of January, 2009.

Best Real Estate Company: We are proud to be named the “Best Real Estate Company” in Sonoma in KVON’s 17th annual “Best of…” awards. Congratulations to all of our agents and staff for this recognition. Visit http://www.kvon.com/ to see the results of the survey.

Training: Congratulations to Joyce Davidson of our Sonoma office for planning and implementing two two hour training sessions in the past two weeks. The response to Joyce’s trainings has been very positive and we look forward to sponsoring Joyce in doing more training sessions throughout the year. This is consistent with our goal of generating more internal training opportunities for our Wine Country Group agents this year. Thanks, also, to Cheri Stanley and Daniel Casaboone who contributed their knowledge and skills to the training.

**Property Websites – Important Policy Change**: To my knowledge, we are the only real estate firm in Northern California offering free property websites to our agents for all of our listings. We appreciate that our agents have wholly adopted this marketing approach and to date we have developed over 717 of these interactive websites. Many thanks to Ally, Lourdes and Susie. Because of the cost to us to reserve websites we are implementing the following

POLICY CHANGE:
Effective 3/1/09, if:
1. A property website address is reserved, but unused for over thirty (30) days; or
2. More than one property website address is reserved for one property; or
3. A property website is reserved and it is a mistake; or
4. A property website is extended for over one year;
Then, the agent will be charged $25.00 for each occurrence.

Please note, for all other uses of the property website program, there will be no charge to our agents and it will remain a unique marketing tool that the company provides for each of our listings.

Welcome to our new sales agents: Susan Montgomery joins our Healdsburg office as part of the team handling the 40 unit Foss Creek Condominium project. David Katz, former Executive Director of California Trouts Unlimited and former ED of the Sonoma Land Trust joins our Sonoma office. David has a wealth of experience in land conservation, conservation easements, agricultural development and ag preserves, etc. If you have any sensitive properties that have these “issues”, David is a great resource for us. Also welcome to Zoe Stanowski in our Sonoma office.

Frame of Mind Coaching: I enjoy reading articles by Kim Ades who has a business called Frame of Mind Coaching. As you can guess from the title, she emphasizes the importance of “attitude” in all that we do – particularly in sales. Much of her training is done through Webinars and she has an interesting one coming up this Thursday, 2/26. It’s called “Let’s Get Thin”, and the speaker, Rob Sugar (ironically) is an “Emotional Eating” coach. His premise is that diets do not work, overeating is an emotional response to other stresses. Sounds interesting, at least thought provoking. For more, visit: this LINK.

Green Designation: If you are interested in receiving your “Green Designation” as a Realtor, several local classes are being offered. Visit http://www.car.org/education/designations/greendesignation/ for more information.

Closings: Closings for the period from 1/26 thru 2/20 include: Isaac Raboy (Sonoma); Ann Foley (Sonoma); Constance Sharpe (Glen Ellen); Tish Thames (Sonoma); Aimee Greco (Napa); Art Bowen (Napa); Penelope La Montagne (Healdsburg); Susan Irvine (Sonoma); Frank Trozzo (Napa); Patty Keiser (Glen Ellen); Christina Bourassa (Sonoma); Faeli Vyn (Napa); Curtis Kind (Cloverdale); Richard Hurst (Cloverdale); Monica Hernandez (Healdsburg); Jana Jones (Healdsburg); Barbara Sommerville (Sonoma); Corrie Sterbentz (Sonoma); Pat Brown (Sonoma); The following agents had two closings over this period: Jessica Detwiller (Napa); Herb Heil (Sonoma); Sheila Deignan (Sonoma); Diane Litchfield (Sonoma); and Jane and Ron Pavelka (Cloverdale). Cheri Stanley of our Napa office and Daniel Casabonne of our Sonoma Office had four closings each during this period. Doug Del Fava and Susan Parker of our Kenwood office closed five transactions during this time, and David Barker of our Napa Office topped the bunch by having seven closings during this period. Congratulations to all!

Congratulations to Roger Olson of our Healdsburg office for being awarded the 2008 Sonoma County Spirit Award by the Windsor Chamber of Commerce.

Birthdays: Birthdays for the month of January include: Robyn Makurak, Sharon Semenero, Linda Alioto, Danuta Mykytiuk, Mari Johnson, Diane Harris, Barbara Sommerville, Isaac Raboy, Katie Bailie and Kendra Martin. For February, birthdays include Randy Haak, Charlotte Schanzer, Scott Inglis, and Patti Keiser. Special wishes to Earl Shuttleworth who celebrates one of those “BIG” birthdays this week – and best wishes to all!

A whole bunch has been happening leading up to and following our new President's inauguration on January 20. I have some thoughts in my "welcoming address" to our Wine Country Group Kick-off which we held on Friday, January 23, but first, here is a copy of some of the highlights of the Kick-off:

Sonoma, California (January 26, 2008)—Frank Howard Allen Realtors, The Wine Country Group™, had their companywide kick-off on Friday, January 23rd, with over one hundred agents and staff in attendance at the Quail Lodge at the Oakmont Country Club. Top producers for the seven office firm were announced and recognized.

Gerrett Snedaker, CEO/Broker of Frank Howard Allen Realtors, The Wine Country Group™, made the announcement of the firm’s overall top agents with the following comments: “For our entire company there are three stellar performances that we want to recognize today. One of our agents produced more than $39,000,000 in Dollar Volume. He doubled the dollar volume and unit count of his nearest competitor in his market. Congratulations to Daniel Casabonne of our Sonoma Office for being Top Producer in Dollar Volume. Another agent closed 76 and one half units in 2008. That’s almost one and one half closings per week. This agent became the highest producing agent in both units and dollar volume for all agents based in Napa County. Congratulations to Cheri Stanley of our Napa Office for being our Top Producer in Units Sold. Finally, one agent produced 72 listings for the year. More remarkably, he did this in only eight months as he joined the Wine Country Group in April of 2008. Congratulations to David Barker of our Napa Office for being Top Producer in Listings”.

Earl Shuttleworth, Partner in the Wine Country Group, and Lori Sargiotto, Chief Financial Officer, alternately introduced Top Producers in each of the firm’s offices including Casabonne in the Sonoma Valley and Stanley and Barker in Napa. Doug Del Fava and Susan Parker were also acknowledged as Top Listing Agents for the Sonoma Valley. Dee Grohmann (Top Dollar Volume) and Penelope La Montagne (Top Unit Sales and Listings) were recognized for the Healdsburg office; Ron and Jane Pavelka were recognized as Top Producers in the Cloverdale Office; and, Steve and Marla Ericson (Top Dollar Volume) and Linda Alioto (Top Unit Sales and Listings) were recognized for the St. Helena office.

Shuttleworh also announced the company’s Top Performers. These agents, though not always the Top Producers in their respective offices, made significant advances in their personal production on a year over year basis. They reached difficult standards set by the company at the beginning of 2008. Included in this "Top Performers" group were Lisa Albertson (Sonoma and Healdsburg), Ann Amtower (Healdsburg), David Barker, Daniel Casabonne, Sheila Deignan (Sonoma), Doug Del Fava and Susan Parker, Dee Grohmann, Patty Keiser (Glen Ellen), Diane Krause (Sonoma), Jane and Ron Pavelka, Isaac Raboy (Sonoma), Nicki Rector (Healdsburg), Charlee Schanzer (Healdsburg), Cheri Stanley, Bill Streett (Sonoma) and Frank Trozzo (Napa).
Gina Clyde of the Sonoma office was recognized as the company’s “Rookie of the Year”, Danuta Mykyliuk, the Office Administrator for the Healdsburg Office, was named “Support Staff Employee of the Year”, and the Napa Office was named “Office of the Year”. The Napa Office increased its production 5 fold in 2008, going from 34 closings to 166 and adding ten new agents over the course of the year.

Other events at the Wine Country Group’s Kick-off included the introduction of new on-line marketing materials by the company’s Marketing Director, Susie Savino, and a Keynote Address by Keith Woods, Chief Executive Officer of the North Coast Builders Exchange.

My welcoming remarks were as follows:

What an exciting week. The energy surrounding our new President’s inauguration was palpable even three thousand miles away. Listening to radio reports of those who were there confirm that it was a once in a lifetime moment. Of course, this larger scale excitement has made it difficult for me to come up with something meaningful to say this morning, but I will do my best.

On Tuesday, President Obama said the following: “Our challenges may be new. The instruments with which we meet them may be new. But those values upon which our success depends — hard work and honesty, courage and fair play, tolerance and curiosity, loyalty and patriotism — these things are old. These things are true. They have been the quiet force of progress throughout our history”. I am proud that many of these values are also in our company statement of “Who We Are”: Courage, Curiosity, Honesty, Trust, Integrity, High Expecations and Respect. I agree that these principles are the values upon which our success depends.

On your program and around the room are posters of a Rocky Mountain Goat in mid-air, leaping across a mountain ravine. Looking at these photos, the value of courage comes to mind. I respect the courage that each of you exhibit in taking on new clients, on counseling them through difficult situations fraught with strong emotions. As I said in my printed remarks, I observe you “leaping empty chasms all the time…” – moving forward.

In Elizabeth Alexander’s Inaugural Poem, “Praise Song for the Day”, she repeats this notion of “leaping forward” – a combination of courage and curiosity:
“We cross dirt roads and highways that mark the will of someone and then others who said, ‘I need to see what’s on the other side; I know that there’s something better down the road’”.
I see that you, in your professional sales careers, look to the next opportunity, the new client relationship, the something better on the other side of your difficult efforts. I admire this in you.

Music is always inspiring to me. In putting together the group of songs that have been playing while we gathered this morning – many thoughts and emotions come to me, and I relate many of the songs to the values with which we work and the today’s kick-off theme. I will weave some of these songs and lyrics into my coming remarks:
Many of you will receive well deserved awards and recognition for your hard work and your business success in 2008. Some of you will receive multiple awards because you have placed yourself as leaders among your peers. For those who receive awards today and those who set the goal of receiving an award at our kick-off next year – here are some song’s to keep in mind:
“Keep On Pushin’” – you can’t stop now
Similar to Earl’s favorite theme from “Chariots of Fire” – race farther, harder and faster than the rest
“It’s a Brand New Day” – thinking in a brand new way. Paraphrasing a famous saying, if we continue to do the same thing over and over again, we can expect the same results. To those of you who are recognized today – keep doing what you are doing. For those desiring to get there – it’s a brand new day and time to think in new ways.
“Accentuate the Positive” – Dr. John’s prescription for the “attitude for doing right”.
There are songs of dreamers and travelers, persistence and joy, and a couple of Yes We Can songs – One is the “Obama Anthem” by Talat; “You Can Get it if You Really Want” by Jimmy Cliff, and the original: “Yes We Can Can” by the Pointer Sisters. Did some of you see the movie “Young At Heart”? It’s a great film about a man who forms a touring singing group called “Young at Heart”. The great and challenging part is that all of the singers are 70 year’s old or older – some are into their 90’s. In one part of the film he is teaching them new songs including “Yes We Can Can” and they get all tongue tied over the repeated Yes We Can’s – 59 of them in the song. In any case, they finally make it through and perform the song on their tour to great ovations. They take that leap over the empty chasm into the unknown, and they are rewarded.

If you’d like a CD of these songs to listen to while driving from here to there, or at home, let me know, I’ll be happy to burn you one.

I believe that you all know that 2008 has been full of some extraordinary events in our real estate brokerage. In my forty plus years in the business, I heard new and startling stories about your transactions, and non-transactions this year. The fact that new things are always happening in our business is one of the most enjoyable parts of it for me. With all the interesting stories, my favorite is this: Jane and Ron Pavelka were representing a first time home buyer, buying a REO property at the end of the year. As with all REO transactions, the timing of the timelines and closings were uncertain. They actually closed on December 24th. When Jane met them at the home that evening, Christmas Eve, to turn over the keys, they gave her a small envelope. In it was their Christmas card. It was a picture of them in front of the house – taken some time before - but they had not wanted to share it with anyone until the home was actually theirs and their dream of owning a home came true. With tears and hugs, Jane accepted their holiday offering and ushered them into their new home and their new life.

We are confident that 2009 holds great opportunities for all of us and, with you, we will keep “Leaping Towards Success”.

Here is the info on our company production and our market conditions as of 12/31/08:

For the year ending December, 2008, The Wine Country Groups closings were ahead of the rate for 2007 and 2006. We closed 628 units compared to 534 a year ago. Because of falling sales prices across all of our markets, our median price for closings for the year dropped to $568,000 compared to 740,000 in 2007. Thus, our gross sales volume was $355 million compared to $386 million last year. Our commission rate increased over the year and our commission split as a company improved a bit, so things balanced out and we were able to achieve a modest profit for the year – our first in three years.

We had a record year in listings with 677 compared to 594 a year ago. Our available inventory at year end numbers 200 listings, exactly the same as at this time a year ago. Our average listing value is $705,000 which is down from $880,000 a year ago, but higher than the $648,000 that we had at the end of November, 2008. As we begin 2009, we have 77 open escrows vs. 74 a year ago. Predictably, the outstanding dollar volume is less than a year ago, $45,000,000 compared to $62,000,000. I know that we have at least $30,000,000 in high end listings that will be coming on the market in the weeks following the Super Bowl – the traditional end of the holiday season.

We remain solidly number one in market share in our Sonoma Valley, Healdsburg and Cloverdale markets. Our Napa office finished the year 388% ahead of 2007. For firms based in Napa County, we are now the third largest in unit production over the past twelve months. Interestingly, one competitor in the Sonoma Valley is claiming #1 market share. The fine print in their graphic specifies that the data is “for sales in excess of $1,000,000 in value”. In reality, we sold nearly twice as many homes as they did in 2008 (193 to 100) and we exceeded their overall dollar volume as well – so be careful with those statistics!

December, 2008 TrendGraphix Analysis

Napa County Trends: The inventory of homes and condominiums for sale at the end of December in Napa County (727) was 11% lower than a month ago and it was also 11% below the inventory (818) at this time last year. New sales (101) and closed escrows (103) were well ahead of the pace of a year ago (42 and 42 respectively). That’s an increase of 140% in units sold for the month. The sale of bank owned properties (REOs) continues to strongly influence the current market. The median price of homes closed in December, 2008 was $392,000 compared to $377,000 last month and $567,000 in December of 2007. A 45% decline in median price over the last year. The average price per square foot of homes sold, however, seems pretty stabilized in the low $300s per square foot.

St. Helena/Up Valley Trends: New sales (13) in the St. Helena/Up Valley market (Angwin, Calistoga, Deer Park, Rutherford, St. Helena and Yountville) were up from a month ago when there were 6 new sales. In December, 2008, there were 16 closings compared with 4 both a month ago and in December, 2007. This is a welcome change as the Up Valley market has been really slow over most of the year. Inventory remains relatively high at 158 units compared to 139 a year ago.

Sonoma County Trends: The inventory of homes and condominiums for sale (1,834) in Sonoma County at the end of December was 24% lower than a year ago. New sales (404) in December, ‘08 were consistent with last month and were 92% ahead of the pace in December, ‘07 (210). Distressed sales, either bank owned, in foreclosure, or “short sales” (where the lender accepts less than the full payoff of their loan) remain a major component of the market. The median price of homes closed in December in Sonoma County was $310,000 which was ahead of last month’s median ($306,000) but was 39% lower than the median price ($432,000) of closed sales in December, 2007. The average price per square foot of homes sold, however, seems pretty stabilized in the $230 to $240 per square foot range.

Sonoma Valley Trends: The inventory of homes and condominiums for sale (169) in the Sonoma Valley (Sonoma, Glen Ellen and Kenwood) at the end of December, ’08 was 24% below that for the period of December, 2007 (223). There were 25 new sales for the month (compared to 21 a month ago and 16 in December, ‘07). The median price of homes closed in December in the Sonoma Valley was $435,000 which was ahead of last month’s median ($340,000) but was 56% lower than the median price ($678,000) of closed sales in December, 2007. The average price per square foot of homes sold, however, seems pretty stabilized in the $305 to $320 per square foot range.

Healdsburg Trends: The inventory of homes and condominiums for sale (85) in Healdsburg at the end of December was slightly less than that of November (92) and was 13% below the 98 homes available in December, ‘07. New sales (11) and closed escrows (13) compared to 6 and 8, respectively, in December, 2007, so the market is picking up in Healdsburg. The available inventory compared to closed homes in the month dropped to a 6.5 month supply, down from a 16.3 month supply a year ago and the lowest in the last fifteen months.

Cloverdale Trends: The inventory of homes for sale in Cloverdale (75) in December, 2008 dropped from 81 units a month ago, and is slightly below the 82 units available at this time in December, 2007. New sales and closings have dropped off from the pace of the early fall at 9 to 8 respectively, but this is still an improvement from the 8 closings and 3 sales that occurred in December, 2007. The median price of homes closed in December in Cloverdale was $295,000 which was ahead of last month’s median ($290,000) but was 29% lower than the median price ($382,000) of closed sales in December, 2007. The average price per square foot of homes sold, however, seems pretty stabilized in the $175 to $200 per square foot range.

Please contact me, or any of our agents, for additional information and copies of the complete TrendGraphix reports – a Frank Howard Allen Realtors exclusive.

Branding with Trulia.com: If you look go to Trulia.com, you will see that we have now branded our listings and have "featured listings" that rise above the other listings on Trulia's page. From Trulia's home page enter a town/city in which we have an office (i.e. Sonoma, Healdsburg...) and you will see that some of our listings show up as "featured properties" and all of our listings are branded with our logo. We have seen a real jump in our website traffic since entering a marketing agreement with Trulia and we will monitor it over the next six months to see if it is worth our investment.

"They Walk Among Us":  A friend sent along a list of funny bits on the theme that there are actually people out there like this!  One related to a real estate agent and went like this: 

While looking at a house, my brother asked the estate agent which direction was north because, he explained, he didn't want the sun waking him up every morning. She asked, 'Does the sun rise in the north?' When my brother explained that the sun rises in the east, and has for sometime, she shook her head and said, 'Oh, I don't keep up with that  stuff'

Well, I can hope that this particular agent does "not walk among us" in the Wine Country Group.

Closings and Birthdays:  I am so far behind on this that I am going to start fresh in the next update to the blog.  I do want to point out a few agents who had their first closings with Frank Howard Allen Realtors, the Wine Country Group over the past six weeks, or so.  They include:  Lark Raymond, Ida Clark, Art Bowen and Jannette Hall, all in our Napa office, and Curtis Kind in our Cloverdale office.  Congratulations to all who had closings and/or birthdays over the past weeks since my last blog entry.

Ac-cent-tchu-ate the Positive – As many of our agents found out in the past few days, I woke up on Monday morning wondering how to look at our business and market moving into the last quarter of the year. Suddenly, the song “Ac-cent-tchu-ate the Positive” came to mind. When I found the lyrics on line – it was just what I was feeling like:
“You’ve got to accentuate the positive
Eliminate the negative
Latch on to the affirmative
Don’t mess with Mister In-Between”

It’s that Mister In-Between that is the biggest nemesis. Sitting on the fence will get you no where.

Johnny Mercer wrote this song in 1944. We had been at war for three years. It was the year of D-Day and there was much uncertainty, but also, much solidarity. Sounds familiar. In any case, I like Doctor John’s version of the song and will be playing it over and over in my mind, if not on my iPod.

Wine Country Group Update for October, 2008: For October, 2008, The Wine Country Groups closings were ahead of the rate for 2007, 60 closings vs. 46 a year ago. New sales for the month (46) were 18% ahead of October, 2007, and new listings (44) were 46% ahead of October, ’07. A rather startling figure in October was 30 canceled sales. We basically had to sell two for everyone that succeeded. Our available inventory numbers 212 listings vs. 235 at this time a year ago. Our average listing value is down from $885,400 in November, 2007 to $689,000 this year. We have 82 open escrows going into November vs. 62 a year ago, but the dollar volume is less than a year ago, $52,000,000 compared to $69,000,000. In a positive vein, we have reduced our overhead by approximately 1/3 from it’s high in 2005, so we can be, and are, profitable at these lower sales volumes.

We remain number one in market share in our Sonoma Valley, Healdsburg and Cloverdale markets. Our Napa office business is 153% ahead of 2007 on a year to date basis compared to our Napa based competitors whose businesses are minus 7%, minus 18%, plus 13% and minus 24% on a year to date comparative basis. For firms based in Napa County, we are now the third largest in unit production over the past twelve months. Cheri Stanley, in our Napa office, is the highest producing agent based in the Napa Valley with 72 units and $25.6 million in dollar volume in the past twelve months.

October, 2008 TrendGraphix Analysis

Napa County Trends: The inventory of homes and condominiums for sale in Napa County (902) were equal to last month, but it is 10% below the inventory (1,007) at this time last year. New sales (95) and closed escrows (107) were well ahead of the pace of a year ago (67 and 66, respectively). The sale of bank owned properties (REOs) is strongly influencing the current market. Of the 107 closed sales in October, 2008, 60% of them were distressed sales (either bank owned, in foreclosure or “short sales” where the lender accepts less than full payment for their loan). In American Canyon, 23 of the 25 closed sales fell into the distressed sale category. The median price of homes closed in October in Napa County was $311,500 for the distressed sale segment of the market and $535,000 for the “conventional” segment of the market. Something that I referred to previously as “a tale of two markets”. It is expected that this will continue well into 2009, and perhaps beyond that.

St. Helena/Up Valley Trends: New sales in the St. Helena/Up Valley market (Angwin, Calistoga, Deer Park, Rutherford, St. Helena and Yountville) were up from a month ago (September, 2008) when there were 4 new sales. In October, there were 10 new sales and 8 closings. This compares to 12 new sales and 8 closings in October, 07. Up Valley inventory of unsold homes stands at 187 homes in October, 25% higher than in October, ‘07. The market in Up Valley can still be described as “sluggish” and “selective”.

Sonoma County Trends: The inventory of homes and condominiums for sale (2,354) in Sonoma County at the end of October was 21% lower than a year ago. New sales (532) in October, ‘08 were consistent with last month and were 125% ahead of the pace in October, ‘07 (235). Of the 592 closed sales in October, ’08, 395, or 67%, were distressed sales. The median price of homes closed in October in Sonoma County was $290,000 for the distressed sale segment of the market and $481,000 for the “conventional” segment of the market. Also “a tale of two markets” expected to continue well into 2009, and perhaps beyond that.

Sonoma Valley Trends: The inventory of homes and condominiums for sale (234) in the Sonoma Valley (Sonoma, Glen Ellen and Kenwood) at the end of October ’08 was 15% below that for the period of October, 2007 (274). There were 30 new sales for the month (compared to 25 a month ago and 15 in October ‘07). Of the 33 closed sales in October, ’08, 13, or 39%, were distressed sales. This compares to 67% on a county wide basis. The median price of homes closed in October in the Sonoma Valley was $345,000 for the distressed sale segment of the market and $537,500 for the “conventional” segment of the market. Also, “a tale of two markets”.

Healdsburg Trends: The inventory of homes and condominiums for sale (116) in Healdsburg at the end of October was equal to that of September and was 13% below the 133 homes available in October, ‘07. New sales (15) and closed escrows (20) compared to 8 and 5, respectively, in October, 2007, so the market is picking up in Healdsburg.

Windsor Trends: The inventory of homes and condominiums for sale (124) in Windsor at the end of October was continuing to decline over the level in the past few months and was 33% lower than that of October a year ago (184). New sales were steady at 30 units compared to 29 last month. They were significantly higher than the 10 new sales in October a year ago. Of the 30 closed sales in October, ’08, 21, or 70% were distressed. The median price of homes closed in October in Windsor was $370,000 for the distressed sale segment of the market and $382,000 for the “conventional” segment of the market. These two numbers are uncharacteristically close so there is less of “a tale of two markets” than we see in other parts of the region.

Cloverdale Trends: The inventory of homes for sale in Cloverdale (91) in October, 2008 climbed from 85 units a month ago, and remains well below the 108 units available at this time in October, 2007. New sales and closings have improved over the past few months at 15 to 18 respectively. Of the 18 homes that closed in October, 12 of them were distressed sales. The median price of homes closed in October in Cloverdale was $265,000 for the distressed sale segment of the market and $450,000 for the “conventional” segment of the market. Again, “a tale of two markets” that is expected to extend well into 2009 or beyond.

Solano Trends: Solano County is somewhat of a bridge between the North Bay and the Central Valley. The real estate market is closer to the Central Valley market with the large number of distressed sales. Inventory of homes and condominiums at the end of October (2684) was 19% lower than a year ago. New sales (621) were 252% ahead of the pace in October, 2007. Of the 514 homes that closed in October, 495 of them were distressed. That represents 96% of the closings. The median price of homes closed in October in Solano County was $255,000 for the distressed sale segment of the market and $325,000 for the “conventional” segment of the market. In comparison, a more affluent market, Marin County, had only 30% of it’s sales in October represented by distressed sales and the variance between the median price of distressed sales and conventional sales was $392,000 compared to $850,000. Tales of two markets in very diverse markets.

Please contact any of our Wine Country agents for additional information and copies of the complete TrendGraphix reports – a Frank Howard Allen Realtors exclusive.

Welcome to our new Lake County sales agent: Sally Kros has joined Frank Howard Allen Realtors, the Wine Country Group. An established Lake County agent tells me: “…you sure got a good agent with Sally! She is a very nice lady and is very well respected here in Lake County”. We agree. Sally can be found in her Kelseyville office at 9030 Highway 175, her phone numbers are: Cell – 707 245 8019 and Office – 707 279 9488 and her e-mail address is surebusy2@aol.com. Sally welcomes referrals – and we welcome her on board.

Welcome, too, to new agents in our Napa office: Art Bowen, Jannette Hall, Sally Kalaveras, Ida Clark and Lark Raymond.

REO/Short Sale Forum: Wine Country Group agents will attend a “REO/Short Sale Forum” this coming Friday, 11/21, at the Kenwood Depot in Kenwood beginning at 11:30. The agenda will include:
Jeremy Olsen, NorBAR legal counsel on industry wide issues
The Top Six Things you need to know to get your buyer client qualified in today’s mortgage market
Counseling re: Deed in Lieu/ Short Sale/Foreclosure
Review of new company policies
Open sharing and idea exchange

Holiday Cheer:  All agents, staff and management are invited to Frank Howard Allen Realtor's Holiday Party to be held on Wednesday, December 3, from 4PM to 7PM at the Club at McInnis Park, 350 Smith Ranch Road, San Rafael.  We are grateful to Brennie and Larry Brackett for hosting this event for the entire company.  Please RSVP to your Office Admistrator, or to 415-898-2545 x 126, by November 20. 

Closings: Closings for the period from 11/8 thru 11/14 include: Isaac Raboy (Sonoma); Mike Caselli (Sonoma); Patty Keiser (Glen Ellen); Mara Kahn (Sonoma); Jane and Ron Pavelka (Cloverdale); Daniel Casabonne (Sonoma); Aimee Greco (Napa); and Steve and Marla Ericson (St. Helena). David Barker of our Napa Office had two sales during this period. Congratulations to all!

Birthdays: Birthdays in the past week include Sheila Kelly, Roger Olson and Gregg McCaw and . Best wishes to all!

Veterans Day: Another real estate executive, Tom Tognoli of Intero Real Estate Services, highlighted Veterans Day in his weekly update today. He sites the definition that “A veteran is someone who, at one point in their life, wrote a blank check made payable to The United States of America for an amount of “up to and including my life”. I find that a powerful thought and it gives me pause to wish all veterans, and current service men and women, safety and peace in their lives.

Frank Howard Allen Wine Country Group REO and Short Sale Forum:

We will be having a REO and Short Sale Forum for our Wine Country Group agents on Friday, 11/21 from 11:30 am to 1:30 pm, at the Kenwood Depot, 314 Warm Springs Rd., Kenwood. If you are handling REO or Short Sale transactions, your attendance is mandatory at this meeting. If you are not handling these transactions, you are still welcome to attend. The meeting will be in three parts:

11:35 to 12:15: Jeremy Olsen, legal counsel for the North Bay Association of Realtors, will be providing his perspective on the challenges that these transactions bring to us as sales agents and to our industry in general. He will also be available to answer your questions regarding NorBAR's and CAR's experience with these transactions.

12:15 to 12:45: A review and discussion of the recently announced policies and procedures that our company has adopted regarding REO and Short Sale transactions.

12:45 to 1:30: An open sharing and idea exchange regarding “best practices” relating to REO/Short Sale transactions.

The forum is a “brown bag” affair, so bring a sandwich and/or piece of fruit. We will have water and soft drinks available.

Please RSVP to your office administrator by 11/20 so that we can know how many chairs to set up.

In a separate matter, Cheri Stanley of our Napa office is organizing a brain storming/idea exchange session for agents in the Napa Valley who are handling REOs and Short Sales. This will take place at First American Title Co. at noon on Wednesday, 11/19. If you have an interest in attending this, please let me know. Cheri hopes to make this a monthly event while we are still dealing with the foreclosure and short sale market.

Texting Listing "Solution": We are exploring a texting solution for listings that has an ID on a sign rider which an individual can enter into their PDA and receive back an entire copy of the MLS public details including photos. The listing agent is notified of the contact and given the individual's text address for future farming activities. This service will cost agents $8.00/sign rider/month - i.e., 5 different sign riders equals $40.00/month. Can you please let me know if you are interested in this program and if would commit to pay for the service for a one year contract term. Thanks, and also let me know if you have any questions.

Closings: Closings for the period from 11/3 through 11/7 include: Robyn Makurak (Sonoma); Herb Heil (Sonoma); Jana Jones (Healdsburg); Mike Caselli (Sonoma); Diane Litchfield (Sonoma); Daniel Casabonne (Sonoma); Erin George (Sonoma); and Deke DeKay and Diane Harris (Healdsburg). The following agents had two sales during this period: Frank Trozzo (Napa) and Penelope La Montagne (Healdsburg). Congratulations to all!

Birthdays: Birthdays in the past week include Mechel Boucher, Susan Irvine and Jana Jones. Best wishes to all!