Call Marlene for Real Estate in
Sonoma County, California

It was once a parking space, a gravel-covered patch of barren earth where diesel fuel had been used to kill weeds. But one day Marlene Lily did something that changed that dreary place forever.

Marlene was getting water at the spring on Mount Saint Helena when she noticed some acorns sprouting under a massive live oak. She picked one up and brought it home. With a pick ax, she chipped out a hole in the parking lot, and carefully planted the sprouted acorn. Her neighbors scoffed at the prospect that such a lifeless and contaminated area could support a living thing. But Marlene persevered.

Today, a decade later, the single small acorn has blossomed into a fifteen- foot live oak, now surrounded by other California native plants. The parking lot has become a natural woodland landscape right in the city.

It’s hardly a surprise that Marlene looks at the opportunities presented to her in her work as a real estate professional in a similar light: a chance to nurture something and help it become something greater. Just as she does in her colorful yard, she helps things grow in her real estate practice: the dreams and goals of her clients. She has an eye for opportunities and methods others may not see.

Marlene originally moved to Santa Rosa because it had been the home and workplace of the renowned horticulturist Luther Burbank, and she wanted to live, work and garden in the place he called “the chosen spot in all the earth as far as nature is concerned.”

By nurturing the hopes and dreams of her clients, as well as the flowering cherry trees, Japanese maples, organic vegetables and even a cutting from Burbank’s own thornless nopales cactus in her garden, Marlene feels she is carrying on Burbank’s vision of the Redwood Empire.


Creative, hard working and respected by her colleagues, Marlene is a familiar name in Sonoma County real estate because she has never forgotten that what she does is not about buildings and shuffling papers— it’s about people and the dreams they hold dear.

When you are ready to buy or sell property in Sonoma County, or even if you just have questions about the complex local market, make your first call to Marlene. With more than ten years experience, she understands real estate finance, construction and negotiation. You provide the dream— the acorn, if you will— and let Marlene do the rest.
Contact Marlene Lily today.

People are talking about Marlene:

"We have been real estate investors for 15 years and have done business with dozens of real estate agents. Marlene is head and shoulders above them all. She consistently performed professionally under extremely difficult circumstances and her persistence and perseverance went way beyond the call of duty. We highly recommend her!" --Kevin & Nancy Cooper "Marlene marketed and sold our home in a neighborhood record of 6 weeks. She consistently demonstrated good business sense, considerable knowledge, and excellent sales instincts... She counseled us wisely..." --Dan & Rosemary Folan "Your knowledge of how the City works was invaluable... I don't think any other agent would have taken the time you did.... You were very accurate in setting the original price." --Laura Riera "Marlene listened to what we were looking for... She paid great attention to detail... We always felt completely comfortable...wonderful to work with." --Laura & Dell Tredinnick