All About Monte Rio on the Russian River!

Ducks Under The Bridge In Monte Rio

 

Many people have never heard of Monte Rio and fewer have ever been there. The truth is Monte Rio is an adorable little town located between Guerneville and the coastal town of Jenner along the Russian River. It is known to the locals and repeat visitors as “The Vacation Wonderland” and is know for its stunning beaches and small tight-knit community. This charming little town has so much to offer.

Attractions

The most common attraction in Monte Rio is, of course, the beach! During the vacation months, a variety of food is offered at a great price on the beach. Everything from a four dollar veggie burger to three dollar nachos! This is great if you are hanging out at the beach and don't want to pack up all your stuff and drive into Guerneville to eat! Also, kayaks, canoes, tubes, and chairs are available to rent for an hour or if you plan on sticking around you can rent them all day! There are also volleyball, badminton, and horseshoe courts where you and your friends/loved ones can have tons of fun participating in some good healthy competition.

Another attraction that brings many people from the area, as well as visitors to Monte Rio, is Northwood Golf Course which is located near the Bohemian Grove. Northwood is a landing spot for locals to relax after a long day and visitors to enjoy this paradise to its fullest! Monte Rio used to be the stop on the North Pacific Coast Railroad that connected Cazadero to the Sausalito California ferry. During the 19th century, loggers came and wiped out a huge amount of the redwood trees in the area. Sonoma Lumber Company preserved 160 acres of the old growth redwood trees which was later sold to the Bohemian club in 1899. This is how the Bohemian Grove began. Today the Bohemian Grove adds to the attraction of visiting Monte Rio by offering summertime fun and events in Monte Rio.

My favorite attraction in Monte Rio is the Rio Theater located across from the beach. Rio Theater used to be an army surplus store. Since then it has turned into a beautiful theater that plays new and old films! In January 1993 it was purchased by Monte Rio residents Don and Suzi Schaffert.The Schafferts also were faced with a $4,000 fine for allowing neighborhood children to perform chores in the Rio in exchange for a movie ticket, a hot dog and a drink. A judge reduced the fine by 50 percent after the parents and other residents of Monte Rio commended the Schafferts for giving the children a useful activity they enjoyed.The youths who did chores for the Schafferts also began reporting strange occurrences while they were working. Footsteps were heard coming down the stairs from the upstairs loge when no one was on the steps and no other people were in the theater. One youth said he felt an arm reach through a curtain and tap him on the shoulder as a disembodied voice said: "Excuse me."

Monte Rio Real Estate

The Monte Rio real estate market has been very brisk for competitively priced vacation homes and cabins as well as larger riverfront homes for sale and private estates. Northwood Heights across Highway 116 is walking distance to the golf course and beach, offers smaller cabins and vacation getaway homes. Homes for sale in Monte have some great little getaways and river front properties. If you are interested in investing in Monte Rio Real Estate call David R. Millar (BRE#01354778) 707-217-1786 and let me find you your next home in paradise today!

Russian River Lending Specialist Patrick Pennington

When it comes to getting a home loan on the Russian River there are three big things that can stand in your way! Those three things include a foreclosure, a short sale or a bankruptcy. Fannie Mae is a common term used to refer to FHA loans. FHA stands for Federal Housing Administration which was formed in 1934 and later became part of the US Department of Housing and Development, known to many as HUD. FHA insures loans in US territory and the District of Colombia that are issued by FHA approved lenders. Patrick Pennington is an FHA approved lender and therefore qualified to issue FHA loans in Guerneville and the Russian River area in general. Since its integration into HUD, FHA has insured over 34 million loans making it one of the world's largest insurers of mortgages!

Patrick Pennington is our local preferred lender here in Russian River Real Estate because he has been lending here on the Russian River for over Twenty four years and he knows the ins and outs of the market in Guerneville. Patrick is the type of guy that gets the job done. If there is a loan that you will qualify for here on the Russian River Patrick will find it!

It used to be that when you had experienced a short sale on a home you would have to wait two years before you could qualify for a conventional home loan again. "However, on August 16, 2014, the waiting period for a homeowner to purchase a new home after a foreclosure becomes four years." That means that if you have had a short sale and it has been two years now is the perfect time to contact Patrick Pennington about getting a loan before they put into effect the new four-year standard.

Russian River homes for sale are in short supply right now! It is summertime and people are out buying homes in Guerneville for their summer vacation. If you have been thinking about buying a home in Guerneville or on the Russian River act soon because inventory is going fast!

If you have experienced a recent short sale and were waiting the two years to qualify act now and call

Patrick Pennington at 707-869-5626 and let Patrick hook you up with an FHA loan that could get you a home in paradise before the time frame changes and you have to wait another two years!

All About Russian River Real Estate In Guerneville

The town of Guerneville is known for how it binds together in a judgment-free way to create a safe and accepting place for people to come. Many people will buy a Vacation Rental and visit during the summer and rent it out the rest of the year to other vacationers! Some invest in Russian River Real Estate in order to live here year round and are quickly accepted into the community.

Information in this blog courtesy of http://activerain.trulia.com/blogsview/4420375/fannie-mae---increasing-the-waiting-period-to-purchase-after-a-short-sale

I am David Millar and I am ready to find you a stunning Russian River Home!

Local Russian River Agent Sold Beautiful Home On Russian River Today

This gorgeous vacation rental sold on the Russian River this morning for $484,000! I represented the buyers in this transaction. They were two of the best clients I have ever worked with. They worked alongside me making sure that the inspections got done and that the paperwork was all sorted out. They were very involved and maintained a very friendly and positive attitude despite a few bumps in the road!

The home has been a very successful vacation rental. In addition to the two beautiful bedrooms and quaint bathroom, there is also a large deck complete with a hot tub! It is in a breathtaking location where they can sit out on the deck and enjoy the peace and tranquility of the birds chirping in the treetops. I was so happy to be able to find them a home in Paradise where they can escape the hustle and bustle of the city and relax on the river! Charles Brown of Russian River Realty represented the seller in this transaction and it was my pleasure to be able to work with him on this transaction! To my clients, I would like to say congratulations on your new home. It has been an absolute pleasure working with you both and I wish you luck as you move forward into your future.

Russian River Real Estate

The Russian River is a Paradise where people band together to protect one another in a judgment-free and welcoming fashion. It is a place where one can nap beneath a thousand-year-old redwood or take a refreshing dip into the tranquil waters of the Russian River. Many people will buy a Vacation Rental and visit during the summer and rent it out the rest of the year to other vacationers! Some invest in Russian River Real Estate in order to live here year round and are quickly accepted into the Guerneville community.

There are a variety of different Guerneville Homes For Sale and investing in Russian River Real Estate can be very rewarding.

Russian River Real Estate Is Becoming More Elite

As a local Russian River Real Estate agent here in Guerneville I couldn't help but notice the rise in the rental rates! Many people tell me that they can't afford to buy a home but they would like to rent a place here on the Russian River. "The average apartment rent rose to $1,521 a month in Sonoma County in the second quarter, a jump of 13.3 percent from a year earlier, according to Real Answers, a Novato-based rent research firm formerly called RealFacts." This information is staggering, to say the least. What this is doing is making it so difficult to rent a place here that you might have better luck buying a home! Due to this surge in prices for rentals mortgage rates are looking more and more reasonable! 

Since the real estate market has been on the rise as far as pricing goes, homes are becoming less attainable for people on a stricter budget and many have opted to rent a home instead. However, since the demand for rental homes on the Russian River has skyrocketed another problem has come about...there are no more homes to rent! The demand is larger than the supply. "When you ask why rents are rising so fast, experts repeatedly give two answers: job growth in the Bay Area and a lack of new housing in Sonoma County."  Experts say "Few new houses and apartments have been completed in Sonoma County since the housing market began its crash nearly seven years ago." 

Your Local Russian River Agent

I bet your wondering then what the best solution would be. Well as a local Russian River Real Estate agent I can tell you that with the loan rates lower than we have ever seen them and rental costs rising at an alarming rate the best thing to do would be to buy a home that you can afford the mortgage on and secure your future in the process! 

The Beginning Of Guerneville Real Estate

The heart of the Russian River is a small town, founded in the early 1800's, that is commonly known today as Guerneville. The earliest settlers to the area were small Native American communities that used to settle in Guerneville for the summer season. The most prominent of these communities were the Pomo who aptly named the area Ceola, which roughly translated means the dark place! Not only did the large canopy keep the light from filtering in making Guerneville dark and shady but the Pomo also believed that there were spirits haunting the area making it mysterious and forbidden.

In the early 1860's R.R Lunsford and his team of European settlers developed a lumber camp near the Russian River. I suppose you could say this was the first  Guerneville real estate investment in the area. He supplied the areas rapidly growing cities such as Petaluma, San Francisco, Santa Rosa, and Sonoma with rails, shingles, and rough timbers and quickly grew into a very successful industry.

The town began to grow and prosper and many other sawmills were developed giving rise to a huge logging industry that swept through the area leaving the town with its very first English name...Stumptown.

Shortly after this took place a new name came about due to "One report in 1886 documented that trees cut from just one acre in “Big Bottom,” essentially the Russian River basin, yielded more than 1.4 million board feet of lumber." The belief was that if just one acre could produce that much lumber; imagine what you could build with ten acres? It was at this point that the people decided that a section of redwoods must be spared. This small piece of the forest would later be named Armstrong Woods in honor of Colonel Armstrong that helped preserve the trees in the 1870's. By now homes were being built with redwood lumber all throughout Stumptown and the smaller surrounding communities. The buying and selling of local Russian River Real Estate had finally taken off. In 1865 a Swiss gentleman moved to the area and along with a partner he bought a local Lumber mill from S.H.Torrance.

The sawmill was named Heald and Guerne Lumber Mill. The Gentleman's name was George Guerne and he had quickly become the town's most prominent citizen. In 1870 Stumptown got its very first US Postal Office and the town was officially named Guerneville after the town's favorite citizen.

As the mighty giant redwoods gave way through the massive logging era Gravenstein apple trees began to replace them and the settlement, with the amazing apple crop, grew larger and flourished.

The town became a popular vacationing spot for wealthy vacationers from San Francisco in the late 19th century. " In 1874 Colonel Peter Donahue was asked to extend a branch railroad spur from his main line further inland at Fulton to Guerneville to more efficiently haul lumber out of the area. Donahue agreed and started construction but did not complete the line all the way to Guerneville because of a dispute that arose over payment. He stopped at the Korbel bothers' sawmill, three miles short of Guerneville. Eventually, the Guerneville mills financed the remaining three miles of track and the first train reached Guerneville in March 1877."

The 1930's brought the downfall of the local train system as many people began purchasing motor vehicles.Winter floods in 1964 caused a further decline in business conditions.As the economy grew weaker many locals began to wonder what would become of their once thriving town. "Two world wars, floods and other disasters put a dent in the growing tourism industry but in 1946, some enterprising Guernevillians decided to take the proceeds from the town’s only slot machine and announce to the world a three-day celebration called “Stumptown Daze” as a means of informing folks that Guerneville is alive, well and open for business!” Stumptown Daze quickly became an annual celebration that continues to this day as one of Guerneville's leading events. "A renaissance took place in the late 1970s as large numbers of gay entrepreneurs from San Francisco identified the area as a prime recreational destination for weekends. Many older resorts gained a new lease on life with the new visitors, and in general, the town's businesses began to thrive again." Since that time Guerneville real estate has become a booming industry. As a local Guerneville Agent, I have purchased a Guerneville home for sale and sold Guerneville Real Estate for years. Along the way, I developed a passion for Guerneville and the Russian River.

Before too long a new wave of crops struck Guerneville and the Gravenstein apple trees were replaced with large vineyards that produced beautiful crops. Korbel Brother's, keeping up with the times and the local demand for fine wine, turned their sawmill into a winery. That winery has remained a local landmark just outside of Rio Nido since then. Likewise, Russian River real estate is a booming industry. Typically the political views in the area are very liberal making it a very safe and judgment-free place to vacation during the summer months and a strong community to those who live here year round. Today the Guerneville real estate market consists primarily of people who work in San Francisco who are looking to diversify their investment portfolio into real estate who buy vacation homes and rent them out when they are not using them. Due to the onset of creek and river protection laws getting permits to build here on the Russian River is notoriously hard. This means that since there isn't anything being built that inventory remains low and the demand for a home in Guerneville continues to go up.

David Millar- Your Local Guerneville Agent

If you have been thinking about investing in a Guerneville home for sale call David R. Millar (BRE#01354778) at 707-217-1786. David is a local Guerneville Agent that lives and works in the area and has not only invested in Guerneville Real Estate himself but has also sold Guerneville Real Estate in the area for quite some time.

Information in this blog courtesy of

Local Russian River Agent gives Main Street Legal A Great Review

Sebastian Titus owns a legal office in the same building as Millar and Company and as a local Russian River agent I want to be able to refer my clients to the best of whatever they need. If they are hungry, I want to send them to a great restaurant. If they want to stay in town for a couple of days while viewing property I want to refer them to a great inn in town and if they want to start a business or set up a living trust, I want to send them to a lawyer that I trust. Sebastian Titus at Main Street Legal is where I would refer my  Russian River clients because he is honest and local and his goal is to provide local affordable service that will help people secure their future!

Sebastian Titus was admitted to the Bar June 3rd, 2013 and immediately set up his office here on the Russian River. He is a local and he is a huge part of the Guerneville community. He has lived in the Russian River area since 2003 with his family and says that Russian River Living is about knowing your neighbors and being a part of the community.

What This Has To Do With Russian River Real Estate

Sebastian specializes in Estate planning and Business Law. "Estate planning is the process of anticipating and arranging for the disposal of an estate during a person's life. Estate planning typically attempts to eliminate uncertainties over the administration of a probate and maximize the value of the estate by reducing taxes and other expenses. However, the ultimate goal of an estate plan is determined by the specific goals of the client and may be as simple or complex as the client's needs dictate.Guardians are often designated for minor children and beneficiaries in incapacity." This is important in real estate because trusts are a common place for real estate to be held. Many people will put their estate in a trust or create a will in which their Russian River Real Estate would switch hands after their death to whomever they have willed their property to. This must be set up properly with a good lawyer in order to avoid problems in the future with your Russian River Real Estate.

The other side of Sebastian's legal specialty is Business Law. "Commercial law, also known as business law, is the body of law that applies to the rights, relations, and conduct of persons and businesses engaged in commerce, merchandising, trade, and sales. It is often considered to be a branch of civil law and deals with issues of both private law and public law." Many of the people who invest in Russian River Real Estate are also looking to start businesses in the area and want to live close by in order to run their business. It is important that a business is run legally and Sebastian is here to make sure your business here on the Russian River runs legally and that your investment in your future is a sound one. If you are planning on starting a business in the Russian River area or if you have been thinking about setting up a living trust or will call Sebastian Titus at 707-237-1044 or visit his website at www.mainstlegal.com.

David R. Millar Your Local Russian River Agent

If you are thinking about relocating to the Russian River to set up a small business call David R. Millar at 707-217-1786 and I will help you invest in Russian River Real Estate. I specialize in Riverfront homes for sale as well as Russian River Valley Real Estate. We have a great Facebook Page dedicated to the lifestyle here on the Russian River as well  http://www.facebook.com/russianriverliving and can also be found on Google+ and Twitter.

Information In This Blog Courtesy Of http://en.wikipedia.org/

Invest in Russian River Real Estate knowing you have a local Russian River Agent who has your best interests at heart.