159 Homes in 10 days: Spring has Arrived

Spring has arrived in Sonoma County — and it brought a leaked guest list, a triple IPA pilgrimage, and proof that someone in local government has actually been paying attention. This week we have a secret society's private roster accidentally becoming everyone's business, a twice-yearly beer release that turns Santa Rosa into something resembling a very civilized mosh pit, and a quiet housing policy in one famously expensive town that might be the most interesting real estate story nobody is talking about.

• A 2,200-name roster from the Bohemian Grove's 2023 gathering just leaked online, and the local names will absolutely make you do a double take.

• Pliny the Younger drops on March 20 — here's everything you need to know before you join the queue and pretend you planned this casually.

• Healdsburg has a $1.2M median home price and somehow just funded over 140 workforce housing units — here's why that matters more than you'd think.

It's Friday, the weekend is wide open, and this is the best use of the next five minutes before you pour that first glass — dive in.

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Market Insight

159 homes in 10 days: Wine Country's Spring Market Has Arrived 

The spring listing season is not coming — it's already here. Between March 2 and March 12, 159 homes hit the market across Sonoma County, and the pace is accelerating. Just 15 homes listed on March 2. By March 9–11, that had climbed to 21–24 per day.

Here's where the inventory is landing:

The countywide median list price across these 159 homes is $995,000, with a range from $319,000 to $9,975,000.

Nationally, Realtor.com data shows homes sell an average of 20 days faster in spring than in winter, and that listing in early March — before the bigger April–May inventory wave — gives sellers a window of higher buyer demand with comparatively less competition. That window is open right now. The weather is cooperating, the light is good, and buyers who spent the winter watching are starting to move.

If you're considering listing this year, the clock is ticking in your favour.

Real Estate Insight

The Airbnb alternative that sidesteps wine country's rental regulations

A new report from AirDNA and Furnished Finder (January 2026) makes a compelling case that monthly rentals — stays of 28 days or more — have quietly become one of the most significant shifts in the U.S. rental market. And for Sonoma County property owners navigating tightening short-term rental regulations, the timing is worth noting.

The numbers, by the numbers:

- Mid-term rental nights booked in the U.S.: 20 million (2019) → 46 million (2025). That's +136% — more than double.

- Revenue over the same period: $2.3 billion → $6.2 billion. Up 173%.

- Traditional short-term rental demand grew just 52% in the same window. Monthly rentals are lapping the field.

- Monthly rentals now account for 19% of all U.S. rental demand, growing at 8% year over year — more than double the ~3% growth rate of conventional STRs.

- Furnished Finder's platform: 20,000 listings in 2019 → 312,000 by late 2025. A 15x increase in six years.

- Booking inquiries on mid-term platforms tripled between 2022 and 2025.

- The market is highly fragmented: 240,000-plus independent landlords, most running just one or two properties.

The drivers are structural: housing affordability pressures, hybrid work patterns pushing people to relocate for weeks rather than days, and — critically — STR regulation that has pushed property owners to look for alternatives.

For Sonoma County, that last point matters directly. Property owners who have seen their short-term rental permits restricted or removed have an increasingly viable option — one that generates steady occupancy, attracts a very different renter profile (healthcare workers, corporate relocators, remote workers on extended stays), and largely sidesteps the permitting battles that have defined local STR policy for the past five years.

Local News

Behind the redwood curtain: Sonoma County's most famous secret just got a little less secret

A 2,200-name roster from the 2023 Bohemian Grove gathering leaked online last month — and the Sonoma County angle is very much front and center.

The Bohemian Grove is a 2,700-acre compound in the redwoods near Monte Rio, owned by San Francisco's all-male Bohemian Club since 1899. Every July, it hosts a two-week gathering of the kind of people whose names appear in presidential cabinets, tech boardrooms, and wine country charity galas. The club's motto — "Weaving spiders come not here" — suggests business stays at the gate. Whether it does is another matter.

Independent journalist Daniel Boguslaw published the leaked 2023 list on Substack on February 25, after The Intercept reportedly declined to run it. Within days, it was everywhere.

Local names on the list include Michael Mondavi, state senator Bill Dodd, car dealer Henry Hansel, and Grateful Dead drummer Mickey Hart. National names include Paul Pelosi, Conan O'Brien, Michael Bloomberg, and former Google CEO Eric Schmidt.

The club has not commented. Women remain barred from membership, except as employees. Which brings us to the broader picture, because the Bohemian Club is not an outlier — it is a very well-preserved specimen of a type.

Men-only clubs are, by any reasonable measure, living fossils. London's White's Club was founded in 1693 — older than the United States, and arguably less progressive. The Garrick, the Athenaeum, the Reform Club: all Victorian-era institutions whose membership rules have aged considerably better than their plumbing. White's still bars women as members. It has managed to survive three centuries without updating that particular policy.

The most public reckoning came at Augusta National Golf Club — home of the Masters — which didn't admit women until 2012, and only after decades of protests and a sustained PR campaign. Its first two female members were Condoleezza Rice and Darla Moore. It takes a former U.S. Secretary of State to crack a golf club. That says something, though reasonable people may disagree about what.

In the U.S., the legal strategy has been creative. Many private clubs have successfully argued they are "intimate associations" protected by the First Amendment — meaning a 500-member institution with a years-long waiting list can claim, in court, that it's essentially a close group of friends. Courts have sometimes agreed.

What keeps these institutions alive is not nostalgia. It's relevance. The Reform Club still hosts genuine power brokers. The Bohemian Grove still draws sitting CEOs and former heads of state. The exclusivity is the point — not as camaraderie, but as a filter for who is in the room when real conversations happen. The leaked list doesn't prove anything improper. But it does illustrate why, in 2026, a private gathering in the Sonoma County redwoods can still generate front-page coverage the moment a spreadsheet gets out.

For anyone who has ever driven past that stretch of Monte Rio on River Road and wondered what was behind those gates: now you have a considerably better idea.

Real Estate News

Housefishing: The AI listing Trick California Just Made Illegal 

There's a term making the rounds in real estate circles: "housefishing." It's what happens when you show up to a home expecting the bright, open-plan space from the listing photos — and find something considerably more lived-in.

AI-enhanced listing photography has exploded in the past two years. Agents and sellers can now virtually stage empty rooms, remove clutter, smooth damaged walls, and digitally erase power lines — all in minutes. The result can be a listing that photographs like a Dwell spread and tours like a handyman special.

California pushed back. Assembly Bill 723, which went into effect January 1, 2026, now requires that any digitally altered image used in real estate advertising include a disclosure, and that the unaltered original photo be posted alongside it.

Some agents are reporting that 30–40% of homes they tour don't match their listing photos. A Long Beach agent recalled a client wasting a trip on a property where AI had digitally erased power lines that were physically very much still there.

California is the first state to legislate AI disclosure in real estate listings. For buyers touring properties in Sonoma County, the practical takeaway is simple: if photos look suspiciously perfect, ask to see the originals. The law now requires sellers to have them.

Local News

Local Beats Big Chain: A Beloved Grocer Adds Its Fifth Store

Sonoma County's most beloved independent grocer is expanding again. Oliver's Market announced on March 6 that it will open a fifth store in the Farmers Lane Plaza in Bennett Valley, east Santa Rosa — taking over 35,500 square feet previously occupied by a Rite Aid.

The deal to purchase the building is set to close on April 1, after which design and construction begin. Oliver's expects the store to open in 2027, with 150 to 200 new jobs at the location.

The new store will be Oliver's third in Santa Rosa, joining its Montecito Center and Stony Point Road locations, alongside stores in Cotati and Windsor. General Manager Scott Gross said the company had been looking for the right site for several years.

What makes this particularly notable is the ownership structure. Oliver's became 100% employee-owned in 2024, meaning every new location — and every dollar of revenue — now directly benefits its 900-plus employee-owners. Founder Steve Maass started the company in 1988 with 13 people.

For the east Santa Rosa community, this fills a real gap. The Bennett Valley area has historically had limited access to quality independent grocery options. Santa Rosa Mayor Mark Stapp called it "another sign of Santa Rosa's economic vitality." For once, that kind of quote rings true.

Market Insight

140 New Workforce Units: The Policy Quietly Keeping Wine Country From Dying

Healdsburg's median home price sits at $1.2M — and yet the city has quietly built one of the most intentional workforce housing programs in California wine country. Over 140 new units are funded, approved, and breaking ground right now. Teachers, nurses, firefighters, and hotel staff may finally be able to live where they work. We break it all down in our latest video. Watch it here.

Here's what you'll find out:

• Healdsburg already has 878 deed-restricted affordable units — roughly 16% of its total housing stock. For a $1.2M median market, that's genuinely rare.

• Three major projects are underway: Dry Creek Commons, Saggio Hills (118 units, backed by $21.1M in California state funding), and Comstock North Village — all completing between 2026 and 2027.

• Why mixed-income neighborhoods are Healdsburg's actual competitive advantage — and what keeps it from becoming a ghost town between wine weekends.

• Who qualifies for these units, and the local-first priority system that could work in your favor.

This is what sets Healdsburg apart. Not just the Michelin stars or the $3M vineyard estates — but the fact that the people who ran and grew up in this town actually get to live here. That's not an accident. It's policy, planning, and community will working together. And it's exactly why Healdsburg isn't just a great place to invest — it's a great place to belong. If you are considering Healdsburg as a place to move to download our 35 Page E-book

Local News

Pliny the Younger drops March 20 — here's what you need to know

Once a year, Santa Rosa becomes a pilgrimage site for beer enthusiasts. Russian River Brewing Company's Pliny the Younger — widely regarded as one of the finest beers in the world — returns for its 22nd annual release on March 20, running through April 2.

A few fast facts before you go:

- What it is: a triple IPA clocking in at 10.25% ABV, dry-hopped three times with 9 pounds of hops per barrel — including Simcoe, Citra, Mosaic, Nectaron, Amarillo, and Warrior

- The flavour: bright citrus (orange, grapefruit, candied tangerine), stone fruit, and resinous pine, finishing clean and bitter despite the ABV

- Where to go: Russian River's Santa Rosa taproom at 725 Fourth Street, or the Windsor location at 700 Mitchell Lane

- Hours: 11am–10pm daily for the full two-week run

- What you get: Each guest is allotted three 10-oz pours and three bottles to take home — bottles are sold first come, first served in the taprooms only, with no online sales

- The brewery: Founded by Vinnie and Natalie Cilurzo, Russian River has two locations in Sonoma County and is considered one of the most influential craft breweries in America

Sonoma County has one of the most celebrated craft beer scenes in California. If you want to explore beyond Pliny, we put together a video guide to the best breweries in Sonoma County — worth a watch before you plan your next visit.

Current Listings

What’s Happening This Week

Clay + Kiln Studio Tour & Open House
Where: 115 W North St, Healdsburg, CA
When: Friday, March 13, 2026 • 5:00–7:00 PM
Why You Should Go: Healdsburg just got a brand new community ceramics studio, and this is your chance to be among the first through the doors. Come see the space, meet the people behind it, and get a preview of what's coming — classes for kids and adults, open studio access, and a creative hub right in the heart of town. The kind of addition that makes a great town even better.

Healdsburg St. Patrick's Day Parade & Celtic Concert
Where: Starting at Sanderson Ford, 453 Healdsburg Ave, then around the Plaza — Healdsburg, CA
When: Tuesday, March 17, 2026 • Parade at 7:00 AM | Celtic Concert 10:30 AM – 2:30 PM
Why You Should Go: Known as the "Biggest, Shortest Parade in the World," hundreds of people dressed in festive green march down Healdsburg Avenue, around the Plaza, and back — starting at 7am, because apparently Wine Country doesn't believe in sleeping in. Stick around for the Plaza celebration with live Celtic rock from Tempest and two performances by the West Shiloh Irish Step Dancers. It's free, it's festive, and it's exactly the kind of small-town tradition that makes people drive up from the Bay Area and never leave.

Sonoma County Bluegrass & Folk Festival
Where: Sebastopol Community Cultural Center, 390 Morris St., Sebastopol, CA
When: Saturday, March 14, 2026 • 12:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Why You Should Go: Now in its 22nd year, this full day of live music, workshops, open jamming, and a square dance finale runs noon to 9 p.m., with headliners Laurie Lewis and Nina Gerber topping a stacked bill. Bring your instrument, grab some food and drink on site, and experience the kind of grassroots, all-ages community gathering that’s hard to find anywhere else. This one sells out — don’t say we didn’t warn you.

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David & Jonathan here – the guys who write about real estate but really just want to talk about our favorite taco trucks. Hit us up about anything Sonoma County (or beyond). Whether you're buying, selling, or just want to know which wineries actually welcome dogs – we've got you covered.