Truckee Real Estate – Tahoe Donner Home Sales Strong – August 2010

Update for August month end ….

The total for August was 24 single family homes sold! Quite an increase over the 13 for July. June was also 13. I will publish updated graphs etc. in a day or two.

This month will be a good month for sales of single family homes in Tahoe Donner.  I just ran the sales statistics as of Aug 28th  and there are 20 single family home sales so far this month vs. 13 for June and 13 for July. Also, it certainly appears that we will see several more than 20 sales this month since there are 6 pending and 26 contingent in escrow and we have a couple days to go until month end.  I would assume we may see a a couple of the pendings close and maybe a few of the contingent sales – we could be looking at close to 25 single family home sales for August.

The good news – according to past seasonality data, Sept. Nov and Dec should also be stronger than this month.

Call me if you want to see more detailed data for the month so far. This would include $/sq ft, purchase price vs. ask price etc.

Gary at 530-448-1100

Tahoe Donner – Is 2010 the year of the Condo?

Sunrise Over Truckee

Yes, it is in comparison to year-to-date (YTD) single family home sales in Tahoe Donner.

So far there have been 122 sales of single family homes YTD vs. 119 for the same period in 2009 with an average price of $574K vs. $590K last year. An increase of 2.5% in home sales and a decrease of roughly 1% in average sales price.

Contrast this with sales of 29 condo/townhomes in 2010 YTD vs. 20 in the same period last year and an increase in average price of $315K vs. 295 for the same period last year. An increase of 45% in condo/townhome sales and an increase in average price of 6.8%. No question that the Condo/Townhome market is stronger in 2010!

Truckee Real Estate – Truckee Home Staging

Need a bit of help dressing up a home for sale?

Contact Becky LaBelle at TruckeeHomeStaging.com for a complete range of staging solutions from low cost consultation to full home staging programs.

The whole idea of staging is to present a home such that potential buyers can see how they would be comfortable in the home.

Call Becky today at  530-414-4680 or rlabelle@ltol.com for a consultation – here is her website – www.truckeehomestaging.com

Martis Camp – Truckee’s Family Friendly Resort

Second homes: Market growing for family-friendly resorts

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Enlarge Northstar-at-Tahoe Now playing: Movie nights are popular at family-friendly resorts. This one is at the ice skating rink in the Village at Northstar, part of the renovation of the Northstar-at-Tahoe ski resort in California. FAMILY-ORIENTED COMMUNITIES Best for: Families who enjoy diverse activities or have a particular passion, such as golf or skiing. Advantages: Access to different sport and entertainment activities, and an instant community of like-minded, second-home owners. Drawbacks: Often more expensive than similar properties that lack the family focus. The resale market tends to be other families. More information: Though not specific to real estate, Parents Magazine (parents.com) and BestKidFriendlyTravel.com frequently compile lists of top family-friendly destinations by theme, including beach, snow and golf resorts.

“Family-friendly definitely sells now,” says Steve Adelson, a partner in Discovery Land Co., which develops luxury second-home communities with a family focus. “In today’s market, the speculators are gone, and our buyers are real users. For people to be able to afford these kinds of homes, they usually have worked hard, spent a lot of time in the office, and on vacation they really want quality time with their families.”

Indicative of the appeal: Discovery has sold over $600 million worth of real estate this year, despite the economy.

The best family-centric communities have extensive supervised programs for kids, clubhouses and sports, activities and classes. Facilities and programs tend to be elaborate:

•At California‘s Martis Camp, near Lake Tahoe, the “Family Barn” has a bowling alley, movie theater, soda fountain and stage. An outdoor sports complex offers croquet, lawn bowling, basketball courts, a soccer field, softball diamond and barbecue area. A separate “folk school” offers classes in photography and pottery.

•Colorado’s Snowmass resort has a multilevel, ski-in and ski-out “Treehouse Kids’ Adventure Center.”

•In addition to 35 miles of bike paths, a kids’ camp, three golf courses, equestrian and fly-fishing, Oregon’s Sunriver Resort has a domed astronomical observatory with a retractable roof and 13 telescopes. In summer, educational programs and viewings are conducted daily.

•Colorado’s Beaver Creek ski resort built a gondola for its kids’ ski school, has a skating rink, performing arts area and free cookies for skiers.

•At Idaho’s Gozzer Ranch, children make their own movie that’s “screened” for parents, complete with a red carpet and popcorn.

Most communities also offer simpler activities, which Adelson calls “Norman Rockwellian,” such as bingo nights and campfire steak cookouts. The best have put a summer camp twist on second-home ownership.

A look at three family-friendly second-home options

• Ski resorts. Some resorts focus more on family activities than others. Among the most popular amenities is a slope-side “village center” that offers skating, dining, rentals, ski school and kids’ club in one convenient location. Beaver Creek, Colo.; Whistler, British Columbia, Canada; Northstar, Calif.; Stowe, Vt.; and several other resorts have them. Beaver Creek’s elaborate system of escalators in its village is frequently cited by parents of ski-boot-wearing children as their favorite feature. Beaver Creek and Colorado’s Snowmass, with its huge “Kids’ Treehouse,” were ranked in the top five family-friendly resorts by Ski Magazine. Beaver Creek is one of the priciest areas. Snowmass offerings start at $500,000-plus and run into seven figures. More-affordable options: California’s Northstar-at-Tahoe ski resort has a new village center with ice rink and “Mommy, Daddy and Me” ski school packages. Condos in the Village at Northstar start just under $300,000.

• Golf communities. Combining multiple high-quality golf courses with impressive children’s facilities is a new twist at golf communities. Florida’s 2,400-acre Sandestin is a leading golf resort in its own right with four top courses. But it also boasts family attractions such as several stocked lakes for kids to learn to fish, a resort village with family-friendly restaurants, and entertainment that includes a zip line, a water park, seasonal ice rink and nightly entertainment. Family-friendly Sunriver in Oregon, with astronomy and fly-fishing, is home to three of the premier golf courses in the Northwest. These non-gated communities tend to be more affordable. The majority of the properties at Sandestin are in the $250,000-$600,000 range, with condos from the low $100,000s. Some of the world’s premier theme park and historic destinations, such as Walt Disney World in Orlando, Hershey, Pa., and Williamsburg, Va., are popular second-home locales with multiple top-ranked golf courses.

• Private club communities. Many family-friendly ski and golf resorts have hotels, and they welcome day visitors. That’s not the case at private and often-gated communities such as the Discovery Land Co.’s Gozzer Ranch in Idaho, Iron Horse in Montana, and 13 other beach and mountain communities in the continental USA, Hawaii, Mexico and the Bahamas. The communities typically feature at least one golf course, other sports and extensive family facilities. Similar communities include California’s Martis Camp, Talisker Deer Valley, Utah,and The Club at Spanish Peaks, Mont. They combine golf and numerous other activities with private access to skiing. These appeal strongly to those who want to let their children be unsupervised, while still under the security that private communities offer. They also tend to be the most expensive options. Empty lots at Discovery communities start around $500,000, homes reach past $1 million, and many cost much more.

Truckee Real Estate – Coyote Moon Golf Special – Free Hat and Beers!

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