Gualala* …
“Water coming down place” or “Where the water meets the sea” was named by the original Pomo Indian* inhabitants to describe the mouth of the Gualala River which forms the border between Sonoma and Mendocino counties. Sited just 120 miles north of San Francisco, Gualala serves as the commercial center for sixty miles of coastline from Timber Cove to Elk and inland to Annapolis. An area of unsurpassed beauty where redwoods meet the sea, it enjoys a uniquely mild micro-climate called the “Banana Belt.” *(gwah-la-la)
Our Story:
J. Moloney Scott and Karen Petersen Scott met in college and have been together ever since! Born and raised in the Southern California desert, they spent a considerable part of their college years seeking the perfect climate, gradually migrating north through the University of California system culminating with graduate school at UC Berkeley for Karen and advanced studies at San Francisco and Hayward State for Scott. They settled on a hilltop in the East Bay, discovered their first microclimate(!), with Karen employed in the financial industry in San Francisco becoming the first female stock broker in her NYSE firm while Scott continued his studies and was employed by a regional public utility. Their weekends were devoted to beachcombing and their search for the perfect climate.
They found it in 1978, on the ridgetop top above Anchor Bay, California. Intended for eventual retirement, they came up weekends for day trips with their three German Shepherds and found it harder and harder to return to the urban environment. Almost exactly one year after they purchased their land, they moved up with three dogs, a cat and a travel trailer to begin building a new home from the ground up with their architect and a moonlighting master craftsman to guide them. And they learned a lot! After completion of their home, Scott, whose father had been a real estate broker, picked up his real estate license and went to work in the local industry. In 1985, while managing an office for another broker, he recruited Karen as an agent, and in 1986 they opened their own company, named it after the microclimate that brought them to Anchor Bay; Banana Belt Properties was born! Over the ensuing thirty something years, they have represented and sold land and homes on the coast from Muniz Ranches to the village of Elk and inland vineyards and ranches from Yorkville to Annapolis.
Our motto, “We recruit neighbors!” has been the guiding principle of our business, to give each client the total care and professional service they deserve.
About Me
Hi!
Welcome to my website!
My name is Karen Scott. My husband, J. Moloney Scott and I founded Banana Belt Properties on the ides of March, 1986.
The name of our company celebrates a unique microclimate centered geographically on the village of Anchor Bay, in the unincorporated area of Gualala, in the glorious county of Mendocino, in the great state of California. It took us years to find this gem called Gualala with clean air, clean water and a microclimate that will mitigate the effects of global warming during our life spans. Let us be your guides to the most beautiful and affordable coastal property in the state.