1 post tagged “sonoma county”

Just when harried real estate agents in the Petaluma area are gradually adjusting to a market moving at what feels like a proverbial snail's pace, there are new plans afoot to make it even less attractive for sellers to put their homes on the market.

A proposal to upgrade existing homes with "Pay As You Save" installation of the latest water saving devices before they are sold, is set to ignite a mass protest at Petaluma City Hall's upcoming council meeting, this September 10th.

The point of sale provision, if approved, would require that all city homes for sale be inspected through Petaluma's "Water-wise House Calls" program, with a trained  technician evaluating use and efficiency of all household appliances and landscaping.

In short, prior to the sale of the home, any inefficient water equipment or appliances such as toilets would have to be replaced or upgraded at the owner's expense.

Petaluma's approach may be to offer rebates to local homeowners as an incentive to upgrade old water fixtures and ultimately ramp up an already in place, city-wide water use reduction campaign. This might, at least, balance the finances somewhat for the average seller.

All good in theory and certainly an outstanding move for environmental resources, but nevertheless another costly  aspect of a home sale in these tenuous times.

Our resident realtor, Timo will be one of the local Petaluma market's leading broker/agents at City Hall on Monday. More to follow......