Welcome to the Russian River Real Estate Blog by DAVID R MILLAR, local Russian River real estate agent serving Guerneville, Monte Rio, Forestville, and Cazadero.
Take a look at this charming, newly remodeled 2 bedroom, 1 bath home in Forestville! Featuring new appliances & Kitchen floor, Italian porcelain tile, open beam ceiling & Large workshop space! Enjoy the deck and patio space to unwind and relax in the sunshine. Just walking distance to the Russian River.
The Farmhand is a much welcomed new Gourmet Deli and Espresso bar in Stumptown (just a blink of an eye between Rio Nido and Guerneville). The Farmhand is a rustic and spacious environment, with a small market & deli area in the front, a separate coffee bar area, a central sitting area by a warm and cozy fire, more private seating area beyond that, and finally outside dining area to enjoy your meal and coffee as you look over the beautiful Russian River.
One thing you’ll notice as you mull over the shelves of stocked goods in the small market is that it is almost exclusively artisan goods from Sonoma County. You can find pasta, sauces, cheese, olive oil, cold beverages and even gift items all created with fresh Sonoma County ingredients by local residents. It’s definitely a great place to stock up for a picnic on the Russian River or Armstrong Woods.
The deli offers a variety of gourmet and standard sandwiches as well as fresh salads, soup of the day and fresh baked goods. They offer some local deli meats such as Willie Bird Turkey and Rocky and Rosie Chicken and they will have locally farmed vegetables when it is seasonally available. The espresso bar serves Roasters coffee, which is roasted right down the road in Forestville. The espresso bar has it’s own separate area so that if you're just there to get your much-needed caffeine you don’t have to wait for the group of ten to order their sandwiches first.
Whether you’re visiting from out of town and enjoying a Russian River get-away, out looking for your Russian River dream home, or if you are a West County local: if you’re looking for a taste of our local fare, then this is the place!
Truly one of a kind DOME HOME in the heart of the Russian River! The attention to detail is obvious, from the beautiful woodwork to the custom tile shower and entryway. Updated kitchen, a separate building for laundry, and a great big yard for having FUN in the SUN!
Walk to downtown Guerneville and Johnson's beach from this cute, private cottage. Two bedrooms and 1 bath on over 1/4 of an acre of your own private oasis with fruit trees, gardening and sun. This home is located right on the other side of the river from Guerneville's famous restaurants and shops. Just take the walking bridge into town.
If you own a home with a septic system or you are considering buying a rural property that has a septic system then this is important information that you need to know to protect yourself against a potentially costly disaster. A septic system is typically employed if the home is in a remote location where the city sewer does not or cannot reach. Septic systems are used as a means to dispose of waste in these situations.
In the Russian River area where I live many of the homes are close to a river or creek and there are laws that protect rivers and creeks so getting permits from the county to install or fix a septic system can be a challenge. In this article, I will explore how a septic system is structured, what challenges homeowners face if they have a system, what buyers should look at before they buy a home with a septic system and what you can do to keep your system in tip-top shape to avoid any potentially costly repairs.
Septic System Structure
Although there are different designs for septic systems they all generally work in the same way. A septic system is composed of two parts the tank and the leach field. The tank is divided into two parts 2/3 solids and sludge and 1/3 liquids. The third that has the liquids is what the leach field is for. The leach lines will filter the liquids from the tank out into the ground to become part of the natural earth around your home.
The 2/3 section of the tank is where everything that goes down the drain or is flushed down the toilet goes. Our bodies have a natural bacteria that enters the tank with the waste and begins to break down the solids in the tank. Once they are broken down they become sludge. When your tank is pumped the sludge is what is pumped out of the tank.
Septic System Challenges
If a septic system is not maintained properly or if it is simply outdated then it may need to be repaired or replaced. The challenge is going to be if you are located on a river or creek. This makes it difficult to get a permit to repair or replace a septic system. Many of the homes were built so long ago that they have a simple redwood box as the septic tank. These boxes break down faster and are not up to code. Here there are four classes of septic systems. Class one septic systems are typically newer, permitted and built to code. If you have one of these systems then you have less to worry about in terms of maintaining your septic.
A class two and class three systems do not meet current codes for a class one due to setbacks or other requirements
Cesspools are a different animal altogether. If your home is on a cesspool in the river area then you will not be approved for remodeling or additions until you upgrade your system.
Conditional Septic Systems are common here in Sonoma County. These are systems that have been grandfathered in because they were there before the current laws were put into place. The reason for this is that today you could not build a home so close to a river or stream, however, there were already homes there so they made an exception so to speak. These systems are not up to code but the county allows them to remain in place due to their age. There are no guarantees that Conditional systems will be allowed in the future.
How To Manage Your Septic System
To get some insider tips I decided to take it to the professionals. Ben Karnes of BDK Septic Services said that a septic tank is like a stomach. The best rule of thumb is that, besides toilet paper, if it doesn't go in your stomach it should not go in the tank! This includes ANYTHING anti-bacterial. Anti-bacterial soaps and detergents will kill off the good bacteria that your body puts off and cause your tank to not have what it needs to break down the solids in the tank. This will make your tank fill up and eventually back up your toilets and sinks causing a nasty odor and a costly repair.
Another good thing to note is that garbage disposals can be hard on septic systems. Make sure to be careful with what you are putting down your garbage disposal or refrain from using it altogether. If you do use a garbage disposal then make sure to use it properly. If you took a Kleenex and got it wet it would dissolve breaking down to almost nothing in a few minutes. Now consider a melon rind...if you got it wet it would just be wet. This is where garbage disposals tend to be hard on the septic tank. Some people will try to force larger and harder pieces of food into the disposal to avoid the gruesome task of having to reach into the sink and transfer them to the trash. Unfortunately, those pieces end up sitting at the bottom of your septic tank taking longer to decompose filling the tank and causing it to need pumping more often which can get expensive.
So to sum this all up for you, if you have a septic system then you will need to make sure to maintain it. Make sure to get it pumped every three to five years and make sure you are not putting anything in it that should not be there. Read the EPA Homeowner's Guide To Septic Systems and request help from a professional if you have any further questions. If you are buying a home make sure that you get a septic inspection and that the system is functioning properly before you buy the home to avoid any potential disasters on move-in day! If you have any other questions about septic systems or real estate call/text me at 707-217-1786 or post your question in the comment section below!
So many possibilities on this beautiful West Santa Rosa COUNTRY ESTATE! This 3 bedroom 2 bath home is set on over 7 ACRES of lush, SUNNY property, complete with a 3 car garage, multiple outbuildings, fruit trees, and your own groomed walking trail around the perimeter of the entire property. Desirable location, minutes to world class food & wine, and towns of Sebastopol & Graton. Easy access to Highway 12 & the 101.
These two platforms are often overlooked in business because businesses often don't have the man power to be active across the board on all of the social media sites, however it is really important that you take the time to be social on these two platforms. Even if you can only login once a week for a half an hour...make the time and your business will see results.
Google+ For Business
Although Google+ for business seems to have lost some momentum recently, I have found that using Google+ actually gives me a lot more traction then some of the other sites. Consumers are not hanging out and chatting on Google+ and your ads or pitches for your business are going to fall on def ears. This is where you will want to build your network. When you post on Google+ it should be information that would help someone in your network. If you own a bakery then you could post information on how to bake the best German chocolate cake or how to decorate elaborate cookies for Christmas. The information would need to be something that another baker would find interesting. Write content that is helpful to them and then share their content that is helpful to you on your blog. Create a network of bakers all over the United States or even the world, swap ideas and share stories. Ultimately you will want to reference their blogs on your website and often in return they will link back to your website from theirs. This gives you validity with Google which will help your site rank higher. Basically what that means is that if a customer goes to Google and types in Bakeries in your area then your business is more likely to come up at the top of the list.
LinkedIn for Business
LinkedIn for Business
LinkedIn is very similar to Google+ in terms of content but you will want to also add in your sales information as well because you can also connect with customers and locate exceptional staff on LinkedIn. So let's say you are an artist and you have a gallery. In addition to posting blogs about painting techniques you will want to post information about your next show or showcase your latest masterpiece. Build your network as a combination of people who are interest in art to view or purchase as well as other artists. If you are a business that is looking at resumes you can take a look at linkedIn to find out who recommends each of the applicants and what skills they have that may be helpful to have around.
Groups
One thing that can really get your name out there on both Google Plus and LinkedIn is groups. Groups are where you find your friends, colleagues and potential clients! Okay seriously though this is important for your business! Take the time to join at least 5 groups and 5 communities (groups are called communities on G+) and start networking with both future customers and with people in your field. Be social...they are after all social networks! Groups can be major game changers for you and your business.
Social Nugget
No matter what platform you are being social on there are two things that will help you ten fold. The first is your story...really define the message that you want people to hear and how you got to that message. A good example of this is the little pet store in my hometown. They want their customers to feel comfortable bringing their pets with them to the store and to know that the products are completely healthy for them. To do this they market themselves as the honest pet store that will stock what their customers want and tell them if something is really bad for their pet so that their pet doesn't wind up sick. This is their message that they spread over and over across all social media. It works! Find your story and tell it to the world.
The other thing that will really help you is the likes. If someone has liked something on one of your social posts then a notification will appear...click on it and if they don't already follow you ask them to! It never hurts to ask someone to do something...in fact in the marketing world they call this a "Call to Action."
When you are talking about a real estate transaction you will hear the word "Escrow" but what is that? What does it mean exactly? This is always a hard word to describe but to put it in the most basic terms it is a process that a buyer and seller go into when they are in contract. So to begin a buyer finds a house and they put in an offer and negotiations commence. Once the buyer and seller have agreed upon a price and the conditions of the sale they will be in contract. The agents will then contact the agreed upon title company and open escrow. The title company will oversee the transaction. They are neutral and work for both the buyer and the seller at the same time. Title is not allowed to make decisions that will influence the transaction...they act on the express and signed instructions that have been agreed upon by the buyer and the seller.
Earnest Money Deposit
When you are writing an offer you will specify an EMD or earnest money deposit that will be held in escrow in the event that you, the buyer default on the contract. This money is a pledge of commitment that you will follow through on your offer. If you release your contingencies and then decide not to buy the home then the seller is given the earnest money deposit as compensation for the wasted time that their home was not on the market. An EMD is typically 3% of the purchase price however it doesn't have to be. The buyer is responsible for specifying the earnest money deposit amount when they write the offer.
Preliminary Title Report & Title Insurance
When escrow is opened and the process starts to progress the title company will do a search of the title to make sure there are no clouds on the title. Clouds are items such as tax liens, easements, loans that have the home as collateral and so on. Once they have performed this search they will provide a Preliminary Title Report. This report will list the title insurance policy that is available for the home as well as any clouds that would be exceptions to coverage. The report will also come with some supporting documents, if available, that indicate where the title company got their information. These are normally county, state, or federal documents however not always.
Once all contingencies have been released and closing day is upon you title will coordinate with the lender and get the loan paid and the title recorded at the county office in the buyer's name so that the buyer can get the keys to their new home!
In Social Media you can post just about anything and that you want but is anyone going to share it? If you are simply socializing with your friends then it really doesn't matter if no one shares your posts, but if you are posting for a business then you want your name to get out there so you will need shares! There are tons of professionals that will give varying numbers about what type of content you should be posting, however, since I have been in marketing I have come to like the 20/20/60 method the most. Basically, this method consists of making 20% of the content you post about your business and marketing your products. The second 20% is fun, interesting and sometimes irrelevant content to draw interest to your social pages and the 60% is informational, insightful and focuses more on the bigger picture. Gary Vaynerchuk is one of my heroes as far as marketing because he stresses the value...his message is that no matter what social media platform you are on you should be providing something of value. Take a look at this article he wrote called DRIVING BOOK SALES THROUGH PERSONALIZED EXPERIENCES. For example, let's say that you are a photographer and you are marketing yourself so that you can get business being a photographer. You would want 20% of your content to be upcoming events that you are going to be hosting, perhaps pictures that you are trying to sell, demonstrations of completed work etc. Then your next 20% would be pictures of adorable kittens cuddling, photos of gorgeous landscapes in your area, personal photos like a picture of your trip to the zoo when the lion almost took off your head. The 60% should be informational and interesting like links to articles that depict new advances in photography, information on how to stage the perfect setting for a shoot, how to get the light just right for a photo and so on. This combination is what I have found to be the most successful in business.
Pick your audience
In business you often will be asked what it is that you do. Most people can answer this without any issue at all. Now what if the same person asked you why do you do it? Do you have an answer? The why is of the utmost importance! Sinek did a presentation called The Why Factorand I have posted that video here in the content for you. If you own a business or are marketing something then I would strongly suggest watching it. Here is the trick...if you know why you are doing something then it is much easier to figure out why people would want to be part of it. Let's go with the photography example again. If someone asks you what you do, you respond "I am a photographer." If they ask you why you wanted to be a photographer and you answer "because I love it" then you sound exactly like every other photographer on planet earth! However if you said "I love capturing a couples happiest memories on their wedding day and cataloging this momentous occasion so they can cherish the memories for years to come," then you are unique...you have captured your audience. Your audience is now anyone who is in a relationship and is thinking about getting married soon. Since you have captured your audience then you are going to want to think about how this audience will differ from one social media platform to another. Jayson DeMers wrote a wonderful article that will really help you narrow your target audience called 6 Steps To Decoding Your Target Audience.
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How To Write For Each Audience
Once you have found your audience you will want to consider this...what your audience needs will be different depending on which platform you are using. For instance, if you are writing a blog for Facebook then you are probably talking to those who may be in need of your services so your blogs should reflect information that they may need, want, or will interest them. Let's go back to the photographer....their blogs will need to be about love, capturing the moment, how to design a picture-perfect wedding, etc. If that same photographer was posting to say Google plus or LinkedIn then they would be appealing to other photographers with tips and tricks on how to best photograph a wedding. Their audience would be other professionals in their field and they would want to be reading and sharing the content from those sites to their social media platforms. Also keep in mind that when you link to a professional website in a different state that is similar to yours they are likely to link back which gives your site credibility with Google, so consider siting their blogs in yours and linking to them.
Twitter is its own animal...I like to call it the fast track grab bag! Essentially anything you write you should tweet. Your Twitter audience will be a mixture of you audiences from all of your social media sites so all of your blogs have a chance at getting shared.
So to recap, make sure you know why you are doing whatever it is that you do in the business world and make sure you are appealing to the right audience while you are writing. Post the appropriate content on the appropriate platform to optimize your chance of getting your content liked, commented on, and ultimately shared. Thank you for taking the time to read and take a minute to post a quick comment about what you liked, disliked or learned here!
10 Popular Tasting Rooms In The Russian River Area
Sonoma County and the Russian River areas are centered in the heart of wine country but where can you go to sample these sinfully delicious wines? This article will highlight 10 of the most popular tasting rooms in the Russian River area and what makes them special.
Porter Bass winery is located on Mays Canyon in Guerneville. Although they don't have a spacious tasting room they do offer a taste of any of their exquisite wines by appointment any day of the week. Their wines are made through a gentle and slower fermenting process that allows the richness of the earth to be infused in every sip. Porter Bass is local serving top quality wine here in the heart of wine country.
Korbel is located on River Road just outside of Rio Nido. They are known for having beautiful garden tours, delicious food in the gourmet delicatessen and some of the best champagne in Sonoma County. They offer public and private winery tours and tasting daily. One of the things that makes Korbel special is it's long history here in the area. The Korbel family settled here in the mid 1800's and have been perfecting the art of making champagne for more than two hundred years!
If you want to find the best of something then you must look to those who have a passion for creating it! Rick Moshin was a math teacher with a love for Pinot Noir. Today he and his family own 28 acres of grapes and have arguably the best Pinot Noir on the Russian River. Their farming methods are sustainable using gravity flow and solar energy.
The winemaker Giovanni Balistreri hand picks each site used to grow these gorgeous vines. With the ability to taste one grape and know how the wine will taste after the grapes have been put through the wine making process Giovanni has the ability to weed out bad grapes before they ever reach your glass ensuring rich flavor in every sip!
Enthralled by the farmers who work tirelessly to ensure a great harvest Jigar decided he wanted to make wine with a crew of this stature. He gathered a crew with a passion for growing and together they have produced amazing Russian River wines. Their catchphrase is "celebrate life" which is exactly what you will find yourself doing when you taste these wines.
Radiating modern chic and historic charm Sophie's Cellar is a place where the best of wine country can be found here on the Russian River. The grounds are decorated with gorgeous gardens that make sipping wine while taking a walk one of the days most relaxing moments. It is the perfect place to take a moment to really appreciate all that life has to offer.
Specializing in the Russian River's top production of old vine Zinfandel, Hartford Family Winery has made a name for itself among wine critics across the united states. Their tasting room is open daily for you to stop in and enjoy vineyard views while tasting their award winning Chardonnay and Zinfandel created from vines over 100 years old.
Kistler Vineyards doesn't have an open tasting room however they are so elite that one must make an appointment to have a private tasting at the winery. The winery began with Steve Kistler and his family and was later joined by Mark Bixler and Jason Kesner. Together these three well educated men have built their wine empire educating others on what delicious wine really tastes like.
With Vineyards positioned along the coast Fort Ross Vineyards make no bones about wanting to produce only wines of purity and elegance and they do it with amazing grace. In addition to their infamous wine club that draws people from all over the world inviting them to take a sip of the coastal wine country, they have a tasting room that is grandiose and welcomes visitors every day of the week.
This is the epitome of artisan wine from hand picked and sorted fruit to hand punch downs multiple times daily. Every grape is treated with care and hand crafted into gourmet wine. Wine spends extended development time in French Oak barrel with light filtration to pull out every level of flavor available.
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2 Bedroom
1 Bedroom
Custom Tile Shower & Entry Way
2 Bedroom
Fruit Trees
