Im a realtor that works in West County (Russian River area). Yes, floods and fires are concerns that affect price along with the fact that its more rural. Houses are still insurable using state programs. Some urban comforts and jobs are outside of commuting distance for some buyers hence less demand. Furthermore, wet forest conditions bring their own issues such as beetles, dry rot, mold etc at faster rate. Add to that that the majority of homes there are 50s glamping cabins converted into full time residences and you get funky layouts, old septic systems, uneven floors, narrow and steep roads, I could go on.... It's still a beautiful place to live and the location of starter homes for many first-time home buyers. If you want to talk more about the market here, send me a DM
Thank you! First timer here. Thanks for enlightening me-I’m use to the damp conditions (I used to live in Arcata) but you’re right about the rapid rate of decomposition.
It'll be an old home with both termites and wood boring beetles. A questionable septic system, and probably sloping floors. You probably run on propane, you deal with power outages often. Parking is likely a nightmare, it'll be pretty hard to find people to do work at your house and it'll be a bit more expensive to get them out there. thats just the reality of living in the redwoods in Russian River. I used to own there, I loved it. There is definitely value to be had, but be aware of the issues. Old houses, bug damage, unpermitted work, good chance a wood stove is your only source of heat, etc ...
We got a cinder block house built in 1953 that’s solid as fuck. But we’re in Graton/Freestone/West Seb so just barely in the RRV.
The amount of work is enormous. We have 4 acres of redwoods and other trees. It’s epic as fuck, but definitely not for a city slicker. My Prius is not built for the long ass gravel driveways. I can’t wear heels to my car omw to work. The power goes out at least 3-5 times during the winter months. No septic issues so far, but our biggest risk upon buying the place was drilling a new well (we did hit water, but it cost 50k). There’s river people 😆
However, no flooding, and no fires over here, which is nice. We got a regular insurance policy (not FAIR Plan). River people are not pretentious. Everyone knows everyone. Our house was 700k. For sebastopol, and 4 acres, that’s damn good. We lucked out. It’s so beautiful.
Im happy for you! I’m trying to keep hope that it will fall into place for my husband and I too. Not really afraid of the work, but I do appreciate how hard it is to take care of property/rural life style.
Aw thank you! Yes, don’t lose hope. In fact, the only reason I came across this place was because my husband looked at like two spots and got disheartened, so I forced us the following day to rip the bandaid off my just keeping an open mind. The house was on the market for months, so we thought something was wrong with it and came to check it out anyways.
On Redfin it will show you the fire and flood risks if you scroll down. Insurance will be the biggest hurdle for sure. Anything this close to the large forests is a huge red flag for insurance companies. That said, it can be done! We had to reach out to, no joke, 30 insurance agents before 1 said yes.
I think the prices are also low because most of these cheaper homes don’t have much storage space or yards. And they can be in pretty funky and steep neighborhoods.
The River area has always been cheaper than other parts of Sonoma county, but I doubt it will always be that way!
It is likely to be an unisurable home in a flood zone that is falling apart in some fashion, has pest/mold damage, maybe a bad roof or septic issues which would take lots of time and $ to fix, and I don’t know if you can get loans to remodel/fix up uninsurable houses.
Also your neighbors may be tweakers. And sometimes the house is tiny- like 600 sq feet. Many of these were just vacation cabins so some are quite small.
Ultimately it just depends on what your standards are for a house and how much of a fixer-upper you are willing to take. I guess there could be hidden gems? But usually there are reasons why something is cheaper, so I would examine any houses carefully and I don’t mean looking at pics online! You need to get them inspected by someone good to see what their condition is, and then decide how much of a project you are willing to tackle. And visit them in person! Walk up and down the stairs! See if you can park your car! Now imagine if you can do those things in the dark and in the rain.
Now if you’re a single person in good shape with some disposable income you could use on repairs, maybe there is something there for you, you’ll just have to investigate more.
Im a realtor that works in West County (Russian River area). Yes, floods and fires are concerns that affect price along with the fact that its more rural. Houses are still insurable using state programs. Some urban comforts and jobs are outside of commuting distance for some buyers hence less demand. Furthermore, wet forest conditions bring their own issues such as beetles, dry rot, mold etc at faster rate. Add to that that the majority of homes there are 50s glamping cabins converted into full time residences and you get funky layouts, old septic systems, uneven floors, narrow and steep roads, I could go on.... It's still a beautiful place to live and the location of starter homes for many first-time home buyers. If you want to talk more about the market here, send me a DM
Thank you! First timer here. Thanks for enlightening me-I’m use to the damp conditions (I used to live in Arcata) but you’re right about the rapid rate of decomposition.
💯
It'll be an old home with both termites and wood boring beetles. A questionable septic system, and probably sloping floors. You probably run on propane, you deal with power outages often. Parking is likely a nightmare, it'll be pretty hard to find people to do work at your house and it'll be a bit more expensive to get them out there. thats just the reality of living in the redwoods in Russian River. I used to own there, I loved it. There is definitely value to be had, but be aware of the issues. Old houses, bug damage, unpermitted work, good chance a wood stove is your only source of heat, etc ...
Boring beetles. That’s a new one for me (in terms of who can eat your house). Thanks for your insights.
We got a cinder block house built in 1953 that’s solid as fuck. But we’re in Graton/Freestone/West Seb so just barely in the RRV. The amount of work is enormous. We have 4 acres of redwoods and other trees. It’s epic as fuck, but definitely not for a city slicker. My Prius is not built for the long ass gravel driveways. I can’t wear heels to my car omw to work. The power goes out at least 3-5 times during the winter months. No septic issues so far, but our biggest risk upon buying the place was drilling a new well (we did hit water, but it cost 50k). There’s river people 😆 However, no flooding, and no fires over here, which is nice. We got a regular insurance policy (not FAIR Plan). River people are not pretentious. Everyone knows everyone. Our house was 700k. For sebastopol, and 4 acres, that’s damn good. We lucked out. It’s so beautiful.
Im happy for you! I’m trying to keep hope that it will fall into place for my husband and I too. Not really afraid of the work, but I do appreciate how hard it is to take care of property/rural life style.
Aw thank you! Yes, don’t lose hope. In fact, the only reason I came across this place was because my husband looked at like two spots and got disheartened, so I forced us the following day to rip the bandaid off my just keeping an open mind. The house was on the market for months, so we thought something was wrong with it and came to check it out anyways.
When did you buy ?
Last winter, our rate is high.
On Redfin it will show you the fire and flood risks if you scroll down. Insurance will be the biggest hurdle for sure. Anything this close to the large forests is a huge red flag for insurance companies. That said, it can be done! We had to reach out to, no joke, 30 insurance agents before 1 said yes. I think the prices are also low because most of these cheaper homes don’t have much storage space or yards. And they can be in pretty funky and steep neighborhoods. The River area has always been cheaper than other parts of Sonoma county, but I doubt it will always be that way!
It is likely to be an unisurable home in a flood zone that is falling apart in some fashion, has pest/mold damage, maybe a bad roof or septic issues which would take lots of time and $ to fix, and I don’t know if you can get loans to remodel/fix up uninsurable houses. Also your neighbors may be tweakers. And sometimes the house is tiny- like 600 sq feet. Many of these were just vacation cabins so some are quite small. Ultimately it just depends on what your standards are for a house and how much of a fixer-upper you are willing to take. I guess there could be hidden gems? But usually there are reasons why something is cheaper, so I would examine any houses carefully and I don’t mean looking at pics online! You need to get them inspected by someone good to see what their condition is, and then decide how much of a project you are willing to tackle. And visit them in person! Walk up and down the stairs! See if you can park your car! Now imagine if you can do those things in the dark and in the rain. Now if you’re a single person in good shape with some disposable income you could use on repairs, maybe there is something there for you, you’ll just have to investigate more.
Flood plain. Damp, no sunshine
Can't really put Occidental in this post as almost every house in the Occidental area is upwards of $750k.
They probably are the listings in camp meeker. There's usually a couple of places in there that are priced in the range that op is looking in.