Get To Know Us
Living on the Mendocino Coast means enjoying space and time. Time to slow down and experience the ever-changing textures and hues of the ocean; hiking the quiet forest trails under towering Redwood trees; being awed by the expanse of black velvet and diamonds of the starry, starry, nights, unclouded by pollution and big-city lights. Unique and vibrant communities on the Pacific North Coast, enjoy some of the most uncrowded and unspoiled scenic areas California has to offer. The “nature channel” is always on. For those tired of the “big box” stores, endless urban sprawl, too much traffic, and an overheated climate, the Mendocino Coast is a place to calm the nerves, slow the pace and sooth the soul.
When you’re ready to explore what Mendocino County has to offer, long-time residents, Howie and Birdie Holmes, will happily be your hosts and introduce you to the community. They will be your “go-to” team and with dedication, expertise, professionalism and humor, assist with the shots needed to score your real estate goal.
Howie was born in “Mendo”. Birdie, born in Santa Clara County, moved to Fort Bragg in 1986. They’ve been together since 1988, sharing their love of art, architecture, property development, gardening, cooking, basketball, bicycling, and their work, with both buyers and sellers, to help clients find what they seek. The joy and excitement they share with their clients when a transaction closes and someone gets the keys to their new adventure; or, a heartfelt Bon Voyage as they begin a new journey, brings great satisfaction and purpose that makes life worthwhile.
With an industrial arts background, which began at Cloverdale High School, under the tutelage of an exacting task master, Howie developed the design, problem solving, and craftsman skills he has honed designing and building homes over the last 50-years, “art on a big canvas”. After building and remodeling homes from the central coast of California, Morro Bay; to the Painted Ladies and Penthouses of San Francisco; to the inland towns north, Willits and Laytonville; and from Tahoe to the Pacific Coasts of California and Oregon, Howie returned to Mendocino County in 1982, to continue his career in residential owner-builder design and construction, and now, property sales.
Birdie June grew up in the restaurant and service industries. In 1981, after completing radio broadcast journalism school, and licensed by the FCC, she worked in both AM and FM radio, as an announcer, copywriter and audio production technician. Birdie wrote and produced “Stories of Mendocino County” a short, weekly broadcast, highlighting the history of Mendocino County and the diverse characters who settled the land and tamed the wild. Outcall sales of radio advertising led to a job in auto sales.
When Howie and Birdie established their own property development company, Whole Earth Enterprises, in 1992, Birdie transitioned from auto sales to property management and vacation rental. She became a licensed Realtor, in 2002, and Broker in 2018. Howie expanded his repertoire and became a Realtor in 2019. She and Howie established their own brokerage in 2020, Mendocino Bayside Realty. Their combined experience in property development, residential design and construction, property management, real estate sales, vacation rental, and relocation services will be a great resource for anyone interested in exploring what Mendocino County has to offer.
Birdie Holmes
707-357-4085, DRE #01361234
The joy and excitement I share with clients when a transaction closes is one of the main reasons I work in real estate. When I can assist someone in finding a home they love, or, after selling a property, share a hearty “cheers!” and fond farewell as they begin a new phase in their lives, those moments and the friendships that endure after the transaction make all the hours spent and paperwork done well worth the effort.
Reflecting on what brought me to a career in real estate, I traced my interest in homes and properties to when I was nine-years old and first appreciated the beauty and artistic details, or not, of the homes I saw. The differences between homes and neighborhoods, of cities and suburbia, fascinated me. From the modest immigrant homes with their color riot of flowers filling the yard to the stately grounds and mansions in the Historical District, I realized whether cottage or cathedral, it meant something important and tangible to the inhabitants. It’s home, it’s refuge, it’s security. Those experiences determined what I wanted to do when I grew up: buy land and build a home of my own.
That dream of property development and self-sufficiency came true a couple of years after moving to Mendocino County, when in 1988, I met my husband Howie, a talented craftsman who specialized in owner-builder home design and construction. By 1992 we had started our own property development business, Whole Earth Enterprises.
707-357-4085
After living in several “Mendo” communities, Howie and I purchased a seven-acre, ocean-view property, owner-financed, in 1996. It had a deteriorating cabin, built in the 1940’s, and it was once part of the logging shantytown, located above the Caspar Creek Lumber Mill, now Caspar State Park and Beach. Over the course of time we were able to subdivide the property. We built a vacation rental home on one parcel, and for our principal residence, remodeled the old cabin “The Love Shack”, on the second parcel.
I grew up in the restaurant and service industries. After some exploratory employment in banking and insurance, I attended broadcast journalism school and was licensed by the FCC in 1981. Very soon I was working as a radio announcer and audio production technician, creating ads, public service announcements and a weekly broadcast, “Stories of Mendocino County”, historical excerpts of the people and events that shaped the settling of Mendocino County. While doing outcall radio ad sales at an auto dealership, I was offered a job selling cars and accepted it, beginning the journey that would eventually lead to a career in real estate sales and property management. Helping Howie manage his building projects led to an interest in Perma-Culture, eco-sustainable property development. While working in property management and vacation rental, I completed a Perma-Culture Design certification course, and for a little diversity, a license to practice massage therapy; both certifications occurred in 2002.
Finding real estate and sustainable development to be an ever interesting and creative pursuit, I became a Realtor in 2002, and Broker in 2018. Howie expanded his skill set and became a licensed Realtor in 2019. We established our own brokerage, Mendocino Bayside Realty, in 2020. Throughout the years we have assisted many clients and friends with their real estate needs, property management, and design/build questions. Howie and I love meeting folks new to the area and introducing them to the Mendocino County communities, both inland and coastal, as each township has its own personality and individual appeal. The natural beauty and amazing number of events, activities, shops, restaurants, galleries, services, etc., has drawn many artists, writers, farmers, families, and entrepreneurs to the area, creating a diverse and wonderful place to call home. It is my pleasure to help clients explore what the area has to offer and view the many unique properties available here. Come see for yourself; Northern CA is a great place to live!
Howie Holmes
707-357-1470, DRE #02079375
Mendocino! It’s such a fun word to say. It’s unique and beautiful. It invokes thoughts of both splendor and tranquility. It’s a dreamy, romantic destination and a rugged get-away. It’s a walk on the ocean bluffs and a hike in the forest to a hidden waterfall. It’s whale watching and sportfishing. It’s where the forest meets the sea. It’s my home, my sanctuary, my way of life made so special by its location on the one-of-a-kind Northern California Coast. Isolated, yet accessible for the intrepid few who are willing, like the settlers before us, to take up a shovel, hammer, saw, and carve out a bit of heaven on earth to call their own. I am incredibly lucky to call Mendocino County my birthplace.
Influenced by environment, my interest in the industrial arts began at an early age when my dad, a millwright, took me on a tour of his jobsite to see where the logs were being milled. The huge equipment and precise, methodical, production, was a huge operation for a young boy to see and it impressed me greatly. I remember as a boy of five or six years old, after the tour with my dad, playing in the dirt and building a “working model” of the mill, using rocks, sticks, leaves and the imagination kids are blessed with.
In 1969 I graduated from Cloverdale High School, where fortunately, they had a strong industrial arts program and I learned many of the skills I still use today. After attending Santa Rosa Junior College, my career in home design/drafting and the building trades began in 1971, when I went to work constructing homes in San Jose subdivisions. From there I built and remodeled homes in several central and northern California cities and Oregon (Eugene and Albany).
707-357-1470
I’m grateful for the years spent working on building projects in the cities of San Francisco, Hillsborough, Napa, Tahoe, San Luis Obispo, Cloverdale, Willits, Laytonville and the Mendocino Coast. The skills and knowledge gained, the people met and worked with along the way, and the diversity of the projects, region to region, was an incredible education and great experience.
This career path inspired a life-long love of quality craftsmanship, creative problem solving, and the ability to work well with others to achieve a shared goal successfully. Whether I’m handing someone the keys to a home I’ve worked on, or keys to a home I’ve helped them find and purchase, it brings me great joy and satisfaction to help people make their dreams come true.
My wife Birdie and I have been together sharing our experiences in construction and real estate since 1988. We started our residential home design, construction, and property management business, Whole Earth Enterprises, in 1992. After 16-years as a Realtor, Birdie became a Broker in 2018. I followed her into the business when I was licensed as a sales agent in 2019. We now own our own brokerage Mendocino Bayside Realty. She and I are a great team. We enjoy our live/work lifestyle and love using our years of experience and skills to help folks find their way here, to the heavenly coast of Mendocino.
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