Buying a Home in Sonoma County
How Buying a Home in Santa Rosa With Erika Works
Buying anywhere is Sonoma County goes best with a buyer’s agent who knows the market, knows the local agents, and stays with you until the door opens. I’m Erika Frey, a Realtor with W Real Estate. I’ve been licensed since 2019 (DRE #02089042) and hold the Commitment to Excellence (CTE) designation. I work with you personally, from our first conversation to the day I hand you your keys.
Step 1: A 20-minute buyer consultation
We’ll talk about what’s bringing you to the market, what you’re looking for and which parts of Sonoma County might fit. It’s an open conversation, so ask me anything about living here. I’ll walk you through how the search works, from online listings to the off-market homes I find through my relationships with local agents.
Step 2: Know your buying power
You might be paying cash, buying your first home, investing, or moving up or down as your family changes. Either way, we’ll map out your financing. If you’re getting a loan, we’ll check whether you’re approved and how long that approval lasts. I work with many excellent lenders I can recommend, so you’ll be pre-approved and know exactly what you can spend.
Step 3: See every home that fits, including off-market ones
- New listing alerts: automatic emails from my website, so you never miss a new home that hits the market.
- Showings and open houses: I set up showings and send you open houses for homes I think you’ll like.
- Off-market homes: W Real Estate agents post off-market listings on a private inter-office website, so we see them first. I also find off-market gems at office meetings and broker tours, and through a private group where agents from other brokerages share their off-market opportunities.
- Remote tours: video and FaceTime tours if you can’t see a home in person.
Step 4: Write a strong offer
When you find the one, we write your offer and go over the disclosures and inspections together.
Step 5: Inspections and repair negotiations
Once you’re in escrow, we order the right inspections and review the results side by side. If repairs are needed, I negotiate with the seller for either a price reduction or for them to make the repairs.
Step 6: Your keys
On closing day, I’ll meet you at your new home, hand you the keys and open the door for you!
Why the right agent matters
One home’s marketing said the furnace was brand new. I encouraged my buyer to get a home inspection, and the inspector found the furnace was actually 25 years old. We negotiated $25,000 off the price.
What it costs you
There are no upfront fees, ever. Everything is paid through escrow, and I only get paid when you find your home. In most sales, the seller pays the buyer agent’s commission from the proceeds of the sale. When a seller isn’t offering buyer agent compensation, we can get creative with the offer. Ask me how.
Buyer agreements run 3 months. If we haven’t found the right home by then, you can renew for another 3 months, decide not to buy, or simply move on. I don’t tie my clients into long contracts.
Moving to Sonoma County?
I love working with buyers coming here from out of the area. I live here and love it, and sharing that excitement with people discovering Sonoma County is one of the best parts of my job. I also specialize in luxury homes, move-up buyers, and clients who need to sell their current home and buy a new one at the same time.
What buyers say
24 five-star Google reviews
“Erika is such an amazing realtor. She is so knowledgeable and made my husband and I feel so comfortable. We had a lot of questions and she had great answers and advice. I loved the extra time she spent with us.”
— Erin Patterson
“Erika has been fantastic. I’ve been looking for investment property, which she is quite knowledgeable about, but also searching for a home for my mother. Erika has been patient and forward thinking in fulfilling both of our needs.”
— Christopher Smith
Ready to start? Call or text Erika at 707-888-0212 to book your 20-minute buyer consultation.