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

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!

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

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.

Keep this link handy to see new Truckee Real estate Listings over the last 24, 48 and 72 hours.  http://www.truckeehome411.com/truckee-real-estate/

The new listings include Residential and Land.

Let me know if you want more information or want to view any of these properties.

Gary, 530-448-1100, TruckeeRealEstate@gmail.com

Truckee, Calif. on Donner Lake

This year, skip Lake Tahoe and head 16 miles south to Donner Lake’s warmer water temperatures and small-town atmosphere. Originally an Old West town (you can still visit the original 1875 jailhouse), Truckee is a great base for exploring the lake’s many outdoor activities—lately, stand-up paddleboarding is the sport of choice. Truckee also has a growing local art scene—a slew of new galleries has opened recently, including Riverside Studios, which sells pottery, jewelry, and clothing made by a collective of area artists, and Carmel Gallery, home to Olof and Elizabeth Carmel’s impressionistic prints and photographs. Whatever your plans, carb up first with the All Day Addiction, a concoction of hash browns, avocado, Canadian bacon, and two eggs, at 1940s-style diner Jax at the Tracks. Later, you can relive your adventures over a Base Camp Golden Ale at Fifty Fifty Brewing Co., where all the beers are brewed in-house, and watch the sun set over the water from the redwood deck at Loch Leven Lodge.

Click here to read the full article about the top 8 summer towns in the US.

It depends on where the home is ….

In my opinion, if the home is in Tahoe Donner, the answer is yes!  There are over 5200 homes in Tahoe Donner of which roughly 20% are permanent resident homes. The other 80% are part time or renters. So,  in addition to weekend activity visitors, there are renters, visitors of the part time residents and people coming up to look for winter ski leases who may consider buying a home.  So there is a lot of traffic in Tahoe Donner on the weekends and holidays that includes potential buyers. The net-net is that there are 100′s if not 1000′s of potential buyers driving around that may stop and see open house on an impulse. It’s also time efficient for our visitors -  they can quickly view several homes and get an idea of what the market is like up here.

The best location for an open house  is on a busy street like Northwoods, Alder Creek or Skislope or within a few “turns” off  one of these streets where it is easy for the visitors to “pop-in” and look at the home. If they have to turn more than 4 turns they may quickly lose interest or miss a sign.

There is a lot of discussion about whether open houses make sense or not. Obviously when we have a large influx of visitors on the weekend it’s a great time to promote your home. If this makes sense to you, this should be considered when you pick your agent.

Contact Gary at TruckeeRealEstate@gmail.com – I am interested in your opinion and would love to list your home!

Truckee Commercial Row

This month could be strong to hot in sales of single family homes in Tahoe Donner.  I just ran the sales statistics as of Aug 21st  and there are 12 single family home sales so far this month vs. 13 for June and 13 for July. It certainly appears that we will see considerably more than 13 sales this month since there are 6 pending and 30 contingent in escrow. We also have a week and 1/2 to go. Assuming the pending close and maybe 25% or so of the contingent we could be looking at more than 20 single family home sales for August.  According to past seasonality data, Sept. Nov and Dec should also be stronger than this month.

Call if you have any questions. Gary at 530-448-1100 or Truckee RealEstate@gmail.com

Neither a camera nor an adjective can begin to capture it

Located midway between historic Truckee, California and the north shore of Lake Tahoe, Martis Camp’s splendor unfolds across 2,177 pristine forested acres high in the Martis Valley. More than a mile above sea level, this mountain paradise stands out above all others with the immense blue waters of Lake Tahoe, the quiet majesty of the Sierra Nevada and four seasons of recreation and adventure. Martis Camp is the ultimate year-round Tahoe retreat where the life you’ve always wanted becomes the life you actually live. Where the routine is exchanged for the memorable. And where fast friendships can be forged, common interests enjoyed, and passionate hobbies pursued. Martis Camp brilliantly and seamlessly blends nature and nurture to stir the soul, kindle the sense of adventure, and bring family, friends and neighbors closer than ever. Quite simply, at Martis Camp it’s easy to say YES to the things that matter most.

Club Membership

Equally unique to the Martis Camp community is our multi-generational club membership structure. Unlike so many private clubs, Martis Camp welcomes the immediate family of club members to enjoy the club as family guests. And memberships can be passed on to future heirs, as well, generation after generation. These unique membership attributes are just two more ways for the family-centered culture of Martis Camp to thrive.

Click here for more information or call or email Gary at 530-448-1100, TruckeeRealEstate@gmail.com