Northern California Real Estate
Northwest Sonoma County and Southern Mendocino County
Recreational And Estate Properties
We have been doing this since 1976

SOLD

$489,732 - 160 Acres
Sold For: $480,000 January 29, 2007
38555 Wickersham Ranch Road, Healdsburg, CA
Lot 30 Lake Sonoma Ranches or Wickersham Ranch
A two bedroom 1957 mobile home.
AP# 144-240-020 MLS # 20640601 Thomas Bros. Map 4 2 D

Maps Photos

LOCATION

One hour and fifteen minutes from Healdsburg. Thirty eight minutes of that are on a good gravel road.

THE ROAD SYSTEM

Leading to the ranch is covered by a Road Association I set up in 1976. At that time the roads were pitiful. The annual fee is $500. There has been a steady improvement and it now takes about 15 minutes less to drive here than it did in 1976. Since then the roads have been closed by storms 3 times. The last time was 1986, I think. You can drive there in a passenger car but in the winter having an all wheel drive is a good idea. The driveway is rocked from the main road to the cabin. The four that share a small portion of the driveway have been good about sharing the cost. There is a 4x4 road going west down to Elk Creek which flows through the bottom of the property.

VINEYARD POTENTIAL/TERRAIN

Approximately half the property is gentle. Of that, between 30 to 40 acres look like they could be planted. I believe it should cost about $45,000 per acre That works out to about 1.8 mil. for a completed 30 acre vineyard. There are logical pond locations. Wells in the area have been from 10 to 40 gpm. Twenty-nine acres have been planted on an adjoining property to the west. It is much steeper. They planted Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Zinfandel. They harvested 3.41 tons per acre in 2006. That property is for sale and I can show it to you. I am restricted in what I can say about it on my web site. The balance of this property is 30% steep to 30% very steep. About 35 acres on the west end is fair timber ground and was harvested in 1993. It should be ready for another harvest in about 2013.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ON THE VINEYARD.
Phil Enzenaure looked at the potential and estimated that there is 25AC. easy to plant. He recommends thinking about Zinfandel, Petite Sarah, Sarah, Cabernet, Merlot and Sauvignon Blanc. His estimate is $57,000 to $70,000t to plant. This depends on lot of variables. He believes the grapes would justify the investment. His letter is available.

STRUCTURES

The cabin is a 1957 mobile home, 800 ft. Insulated roof. It is in fair or rustic condition. It was put in place without a permit. It is on haydite blocks and the frame is welded to rebar that is set in concrete. You get strong winds occasionally. There is a large covered deck. The views are more than nice. You can see a tiny portion of the Pacific Ocean which is about 13 miles away. You can also see the Buddhist Temples on Tin Barn Road and the 29.2 acres of vineyard across the canyon. There is a storage shed which houses the generator. It is also wired for a simple 12 volt light system. There is a 500 gallon propane tank. The refrigerator is propane as is the instant hot water. The existing septic system is a 2 section redwood box with leach lines. There is also an outhouse with a great view.

BUILD A NEW CABIN?

A permit to build a new cabin was approved under class K regulations in 2004. A death in the family stopped the process. The water requirement has been met by certifying the creek. The septic system design for a shallow slope system with 400 ft. of leach line for a 2 bedroom cabin was done and approved. It is ready and waiting for you if you wish to build.

WATER

Elk Head Creek was used to certify the house. It could be used but a well would be much easier. If it is for recreational usage, the existing spring system has worked well since 1989. The spring is below the skinning shed which is north of the cabin. It is a draw with ferns growing in it. Four locations in the draw were developed and piped into 2 /500 gallon tanks. It was originally set up with a solar pump that automatically pumped water when it was sunny. Portions of that system are still there and it could be reactivated if you wish. They are in the shed next to the tanks. Both the tanks and the shed are very close to the property line and could be over the line. The present owner simplified the system to a Honda gas pump that pumps the water up to the buried water tank. I think it is 1,000 gallons. There is a white pvc pipe that acts as a visual float so you can see if the water supply is low from the cabin. There is also a bath tub collection system which collects rain water. As soon as you can see the cabin look up to your right on the top of the hill. You will see where it is buried

CELL PHONE

Look due west and you can see the Verizon tower which is on Hoover Ridge next to the CDF fire lookout tower. On the other side of them is Annapolis. Cell service is excellent. You can get some reception with a TV antenna but a dish would be nicer if you use the cabin a lot.

USAGE

This property is good enough to consider living on or retiring to. We did a test garden and it looked very good for vegetables. Obviously a vineyard has great potential here or some other agricultural venture you have mind. A weekend location for contemplating your navel and watching the views is a possibility. Deer hunting is not as good anywhere in Sonoma County as it was 20 years ago before they eliminated hunting mountain lions. What you have here is probably as good as you will find anywhere. There are turkeys, mountain quail, squirrels, lots of pigs, foxes, raccoons and anything else you can think of.

EARTHQUAKE FAULTS

Toombs Creek Fault runs somewhere south of the property. Probably along Toombs Creek.

WEATHER

At 2100 ft. you will see snow VERY occasionally. Probably every 3 years for a short time. Rainfall is about 65 inches a year. You are going to be above the fog most of the time. It is nice to see it coming in form the coast. Summer will be high 70’s or low 80’s. I would expect one week of hot per summer.

EASEMENTS

When the subdivision was created by 3 scoundrels that did not keep their word about providing many enhancements they talked about, they created the road easements at one time. In 1998 I wrote a detailed expose’ on the mistakes they made and sent it to everybody. The result is only the first property has a deeded perfected easement to the pavement. Since then title companies have continued to insure access and I do not expect it to be a problem in the future.

NEIGHBORS

I do not see any neighbors from hell here.

THE SELLER

Is a widow. She lost her husband who was a Doctor and a very nice guy in 2004. He had just completed the steps to build a log cabin and pull out the mobile home. They were going to use the same spring system since it would be for continued weekend use. She is not hurting financially but it is now logical for her to sell.

VALUE

Over the last 30 years I have sold about 100 similar properties. I am familiar with just about everything that has sold in this area and that is on the market. I approached the value from 3 different methods and think the price is fair. I do not take over priced listings.

TAXES

They should be about .0125% of the purchase price. About 25% of the land might be converted into a TPZ which would reduce taxes on that portion to about $150. If a farming operation is started a Williamson Act should be applied for and that would reduce taxes on that portion to about $2,500. A conservation easement could do a similar function and would have income tax benefits.

SURVEY

I have found 3 monuments on the south line, the n/e corner and I can come close to the n/w corner.

ZONING: RRD 240

It is not dividable. This is a broad category that will allow anything logical you might wish to do in the country.

DIRECTIONS

By appointment. There are 3 locked gates. Exit at Dry Creek in Healdsburg. Pass the visitors center at Lake Sonoma. Turn left on Skaggs Springs Road before you go over the bridge at Lake Sonoma. In 11 miles pass over the Bungee Bridge. In 1.5 miles just past the 23 mile marker exit at the RED AND BLUE GATE on your right, #13290. Down this road 6/10 of a mile is my office and my house. The BLUE gate on the left # 13290 is mine. In 8 7/10 miles from the RED gate, turn left at #38555. Bear right 300 yards and you are there.

SHOWN BY APPOINTMENT

Combinations are needed to enter the property.

The statements and figures presented herein, while not guaranteed, are secured from sources we believe to be authorities. In other words, we try hard, but we are not perfect. ©JOE WHITE

Joe White - P.O. Box 728 - Healdsburg, CA 95448
Tel: (707) 431-2151 - Fax: (888) 688-4021

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