Buying a home in Sonoma County and Marin.

There is no single answer. Conventional loans commonly run 5 to 20 percent down, FHA (Federal Housing Administration) can go lower for qualifying buyers, VA (Veterans Affairs) loans can reach zero down for eligible veterans, and jumbo loans in higher price bands often want more. Down payment also affects rate, mortgage insurance and how competitive your offer looks.

Get a written pre-approval before you shop. It establishes your actual price range and it is what makes an offer credible to a seller.

General informationNo single public source governs this. It depends on the property and the contract, and this page is general information, not advice for your situation. Confirm specifics with the appropriate professional.

The three that carry the most protection are inspection, appraisal and loan. Inspection covers physical condition and diligence, appraisal protects against overpaying relative to the lender's valuation, and loan protects your deposit if financing fails. Shortening or waiving them is a real risk transfer, not a formality.

In a competitive situation the right move is usually to shorten timelines you can genuinely meet rather than to remove protection entirely.

SourceCalifornia Association of REALTORS ↗ (opens in a new tab)

It is the good-faith deposit a buyer puts into escrow, commonly around three percent of the purchase price in California. While your contingencies are in place and you cancel properly within them, the deposit is generally refundable. After contingencies are removed, it is at risk if you fail to perform.

Deposit disputes are contract questions with real money attached. Read the cancellation and dispute-resolution terms before you sign, not after.

SourceCalifornia Association of REALTORS ↗ (opens in a new tab)

You will sign a written buyer representation agreement early: in practice before your agent shows you homes, and by law no later than the day you sign an offer. It states the services, the term and how your agent is compensated. Compensation may come from the seller, from a seller-offered concession, or from you directly. All of it is negotiable, and none of it is set by law or by any association.

For an individual buyer the initial term is capped at three months and cannot renew automatically. Since the 2024 industry changes, compensation offers are no longer published in the MLS, so the terms have to be discussed and documented directly.

SourceCalifornia Civil Code 1670.50 · Buyer-broker representation agreements ↗ (opens in a new tab)

Water supply, wastewater, legal access, easements, zoning and permitted structures, fire hazard designation, insurance availability, utilities and flood exposure. A rural parcel can be beautiful and still be constrained in ways that determine what you can build, finance, insure or resell.

Country property diligence is a different exercise from buying in town, and it usually needs more time in the contract than a standard 17-day inspection period.

SourcePermit Sonoma ↗ (opens in a new tab)

Start with the zoning designation and general plan land-use classification for the exact parcel, then check the applicable setbacks, density, height limits, resource or hazard overlays and any recorded restrictions. In unincorporated Sonoma County that is Permit Sonoma; inside a city it is that city's planning department.

Online zoning maps are a screening tool. A written confirmation from the governing planning department is what you should rely on before making a decision.

SourcePermit Sonoma · zoning and land-use parcel search ↗ (opens in a new tab)

Understand exactly what you are giving up first. Waiving inspection does not remove defects, it removes your right to cancel because of them; you can still ask for a change, but the seller does not have to agree. On an older home, a rural property or anything with unusual construction, that can be a very expensive way to win.

A pre-offer inspection is often the better trade. You get the information first, then write a clean offer knowing what you are accepting.

General informationNo single public source governs this. It depends on the property and the contract, and this page is general information, not advice for your situation. Confirm specifics with the appropriate professional.

Lenders use the two labels differently, so ask what was actually checked. Pre-qualification is usually an estimate based on what you state. Pre-approval usually means the lender has reviewed income, asset and credit documentation and issued a conditional commitment. Neither guarantees the loan, and the more fully verified file makes the stronger offer.

Some lenders offer fully underwritten approvals, which are stronger again and can meaningfully shorten a loan contingency.

SourceConsumer Financial Protection Bureau · prequalification vs. preapproval ↗ (opens in a new tab)

Enough to recognize value when you see it, which for most buyers means seeing a range of condition and price within one submarket rather than a large number of homes across many. Ten well-chosen showings usually teach more than thirty scattered ones.

Touring with a clear brief, including what you will not compromise on, shortens the search considerably.

General informationNo single public source governs this. It depends on the property and the contract, and this page is general information, not advice for your situation. Confirm specifics with the appropriate professional.

Yes, but it affects lending, appraised square footage, insurance and your own future resale. Appraisers and lenders treat unpermitted space case by case, so an unpermitted addition may add living space without adding much appraised value, and some loan programs will not count it at all.

Check the permit history for the address, then price both the risk and the cost of legalizing the work if you intend to keep it.

SourcePermit Sonoma · permit record search ↗ (opens in a new tab)

They are additional charges on the property tax bill used to fund infrastructure or services in a defined district, and they are separate from the base property tax. They can run for decades and they transfer with the property.

Check the current tax bill and any district disclosures for the specific parcel. Two houses on the same street can carry different assessments.

SourceSonoma County Assessor · parcel information ↗ (opens in a new tab)

Commonly 21 to 45 days for a financed purchase, and as short as one to two weeks for cash where diligence is straightforward. Rural property, unusual financing, probate, short sales and properties with permit or title issues take longer.

The contract sets the timeline, so the dates you agree to at offer are the ones you have to be able to meet.

General informationNo single public source governs this. It depends on the property and the contract, and this page is general information, not advice for your situation. Confirm specifics with the appropriate professional.

It can be, if you can price the work accurately and finance it. The mistake is estimating construction cost from a listing photo. Labour and materials in the North Bay, permit timelines and the possibility of discovering additional problems all need to sit in the number before you offer.

Get contractor input during the inspection period rather than after closing, and treat the contingency budget as part of the purchase price.

General informationNo single public source governs this. It depends on the property and the contract, and this page is general information, not advice for your situation. Confirm specifics with the appropriate professional.

It means the seller does not intend to make repairs, not that the buyer gives up the right to inspect or the right to receive disclosures. In the standard California residential purchase agreement, buyers retain investigation rights and sellers retain disclosure obligations regardless of as-is language.

As-is changes the repair negotiation, not the information you are entitled to.

SourceCalifornia Association of REALTORS ↗ (opens in a new tab)

They are different markets with different price levels, commutes, climates, water agencies and housing stock, so the answer depends on your budget, your work pattern and the kind of property you want. Neither is objectively better, and the useful comparison is at the neighborhood and property level, not the county level.

Test the actual commute at the times you would drive it, and price insurance for the specific address before deciding.

General informationNo single public source governs this. It depends on the property and the contract, and this page is general information, not advice for your situation. Confirm specifics with the appropriate professional.