Category Archives: Buying Properties

Buying a vacation home with friends or family in California: TIC vs LLC title, co-ownership agreements, joint mortgages, property tax, rentals and exit plans.

Modern homes in Napa and Sonoma: viewshed and ridgeline rules, the 2026 WUI Code for glass, roofs and vents, what to inspect and how architecture-led homes resell.

Marin County's short-term rental ordinance as of October 2026: the county license, township caps and waitlists, the license ending at sale, the 14% West Marin hotel tax and city-by-city rules.

How California's Mills Act works: the 10-year self-renewing contract, the income-based assessment, which Bay Area and Napa programs take applications, and what a buyer inherits.

Napa Airbnb rules as of October 2026: the county's prohibition, the City of Napa's capped permits, St. Helena's wait list, Calistoga's 2025 ban, and more.

What a septic and well inspection should cover when you buy in Napa or Marin County: records, pumping, yield tests, water testing and Stinson Beach permits.

Can you buy a house anonymously in California? What the deed and LLC filings reveal, trust vs LLC vesting, Prop 13 rules and the FinCEN rule's 2026 status.

What the Coastal Act and the Sonoma and Marin Local Coastal Programs mean for buyers: exemptions, bluffs, septic, appeals, tsunami maps and vacation rentals.

Before you buy a house to tear down in San Francisco, Marin, Napa or Sonoma, confirm the demolition path, replacement-unit rules, historic review and site limits.

Buying property with a conservation easement in Marin, Sonoma or Napa: Civil Code 815 rules, MALT and Ag + Open Space approvals, escrow checks and value.

How the Tiburon view ordinance and Belvedere's tree rules work, why California has no general right to a view, and how to document a Marin view before you close.

Hillside home for sale in Marin, Napa or Sonoma? When to order a geotechnical report, how to read one, retaining wall red flags and landslide insurance.

Homes with a guest house for sale in Napa, Sonoma or Marin: how to tell a permitted ADU from a guest house or unpermitted unit, and what each can be rented for.

How lenders, the IRS and California classify a second home versus an investment property, and why local short-term rental rules in Sonoma, Marin and San Francisco can decide it for you.

A Bay Area-wide guide to Eichler homes: tracts from Palo Alto and the San Mateo Highlands to Walnut Creek and Marin, local rules, inspections and selling.

What a private road maintenance agreement covers in California, how Civil Code 845 splits costs without one, what Fannie Mae requires, and a buyer's checklist.

High value home insurance in California fire zones: the FAIR Plan's $3 million limit, DIC policies, admitted vs surplus lines carriers, lender rules and timing.

Buying a home with a well or septic in Sonoma County: well permits, metering and yield tests, septic permits and monitoring, ADU limits, a buyer checklist.

Can you rent a Sonoma County home by the night? City of Sonoma ban, county permits, licenses, TOT, zones, caps and exclusion areas, and a buyer's checklist.

Buying land or adding an ADU in Sonoma County: an 8-point lot checklist, the 2024 county ADU update, septic and well prerequisites, rental limits and taxes.