June 2014 – Gallaudet Properties

June 13, 2014

More than Hawks Soar the Desert Sky

Compared to most regions of Southern California, the Palm Springs area, Coachella Valley—including communities such as La Quinta, Indio and Palm Desert—doesn’t have a very large population.

However, it’s not the quantity of people that make a place to live special, it’s the diversity of the people, and that’s something that makes this place unique. We have world-class events here unlike any other place on earth this size.

Sometimes we have events that no other place on the planet has, period. And I just read about one I’m looking forward to in the fall: the Parade of Planes.

Each year there’s an aviation summit in Palm Springs and as part of the festivities, private pilots fly into the airport there and then parade down East Alejo Road and North Avenida Caballeros to the convention center.

Please drop us a note or make a comment below if you know about any other annual parade where aircraft are the “floats.”

An aviation legacy
The California desert has long been a favorite place for aviators and as well as the international airport in Palm Springs, our area also boasts the Bermuda Dunes Airport, which is very near La Quinta, Indio and Palm Desert, and the Jacqueline Cochran Regional Airport, located just down the highway in Thermal.

For private aviation buffs, real estate in La Quinta and the neighboring communities can be the ideal location. We haven’t mentioned Indian Wells real estate recently on these pages, but its proximity to the Bermuda Dunes Airport makes it an excellent choice for pilots who also have a penchant for a good round of golf.

The Cove Course at the Indian Wells Country Club was home to the Bob Hope Desert Classic for more than 40 years. A lot of great moments in the game happened on that course. The homes there are just as notable and definitely worth touring when you come to our area.

A Weiskopf course
Also nearby is The Reserve Country Club. The Reserve Country Club course is designed by Tom Weiskopf and Jay Morrish. Weiskopf, with 16 PGA tour wins to his credit, including the 1973 US Open, brings some real cachet to The Reserve.

Of course, even if you don’t fly a plane or swing a golf club, there’s still a lot to do when you live in a place like the Indian Wells Country Club or the Reserve Country Club. Pools, spas and fitness gyms are in the mix. And if you visit the Reserve, you’ll see that it backs right up to the Santa Rosa-San Jacinto Mountains. A quick drive up the road will take you to the Randall Henderson Trail if you want to stretch your legs and look for some desert wildlife in its natural habitat.

Okay, have I taken this far enough? I started out talking about an airplane parade and managed to bring it around to trail hiking in the mountains. What more can I include? Oh yeah, I haven’t mentioned our free golf resource guide. Hit that big button and download a copy for yourself.

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June 9, 2014

Spring 2014 Sales Analysis

Here are the latest sales numbers for all homes sold within the City of La Quinta as well as all Golf Course homes in La Quinta from January, 2008 throughApril, 2014.

The inventory of “Active Listings” in the Coachella Valley increased slightly from January through March but then slowed slightly in April as we approached the end of the “season”. The number of Sold units rose even more making the real estate market in La Quinta move to a normal market status of a 6 month supply. One of the reasons was that although the sales increase in February was lower than expected, the increase in March was higher than expected and fell off slightly in April. The pace at which real estate prices increased in the October to January period seemed to slow to a more normal rate in February and March. The price rise slowed while the home sales increased. The activity in the million dollar+ market seems to have picked up but prices have not increased as much as they have for the under a million homes.

Below is the chart depicting the “bubble” in sales versus the historical 4.5% annual appreciation. As predicted by the National Association of Realtors back in 2005. It will be interesting to see how close the actual sales prices stay to the “Normal Appreciation” line in the coming months. One of the reasons for the recent price increases is that we have seen more American buyers in the market than in the past few years which is a sign that our economic outlook seems to be improving.

Here are some yearly sales figures (units) for the City of La Quinta from 2002:

Year	All	LQ Golf Course
2002	1,356	259
2003	1,572	640
2004	1,938	785
2005	1,563	638
2006	1,118	483
2007	942	444
2008	1,076	405
2009	1,202	409
2010	1,360	518
2011	1,446	510
2012	1,532	587
2013	1537	567
2014 YTD	514	262

* Remember that the sales numbers represent “Closed” escrows. Since the average escrow is between 45 and 60 days, the decision to purchase the homes that closed in June was probably made in March to early April.

For more information about the Coachella Valley Real Estate market, Please call us at (760) 203-2621!
Source: DesertAreaMLS
CATEGORIES: BUSINESS OF REAL ESTATE, FORECLOSURES, LA QUINTA COMMUNITIES, LA QUINTA HOME FOR SALE, MONTHLY SALES REPORTS, PRICE ANALYSIS, SHORTSALES
TAGS: CHRISTIES INTERNATIONAL REAL ESTATE, CITY OF LA QUINTA, COACHELLA VALLEY GOLF, GALLAUDET PROPERTIES, HK LANE REAL ESTATE, LA QUINTA, LA QUINTA GOLF, LA QUINTA GOLF PROPERTY, LA QUINTA HOME SALES, LA QUINTA REAL ESTATE, SALE REPORT

June 2, 2014

Old Town La Quinta: A Unique Desert Oasis

Southern California is famous for a lot of things, but something that is in short supply here is the unique and cute downtown area, especially in smaller communities. I’m not sure, but I think maybe the concept of the “strip mall” was invented in California.

This is one attribute that makes La Quinta stand out from many of the neighboring communities. Visitors are always impressed by Old Town La Quinta and local residents are grateful to have such a diverse group of shops, restaurants and services all centered in one picturesque setting.

Fittingly, Main Street runs through the heart of Old Town La Quinta. Brick sidewalks, palm trees, the Spanish architecture and bougainvillea create an “Old California” feel. And with the mountains framing the entire scene, it’s really a drop-dead gorgeous setting.

Great shopping, fine dining
But it’s probably the boutiques, restaurants, salons and spas that are really the draw. It seems more difficult than ever to find one-of-a-kind items when you’re out shopping today. That’s not the case in Old Town La Quinta. You’ll discover things here that you’ll never see in the big mall stores.

In a similar way, the restaurants all do something a little different. There are none of those homogenized national brands where you get the same menu if you’re in Tampa or Toledo.

Proximity to golf
If you’re a golfer, whether you’re playing the Tradition, Rancho La Quinta, PGA West or virtually any of the others in the area, you’re only about five to 10 minutes from Old Town La Quinta.

The La Quinta Resort has three of its own courses, the Mountain and Dunes which are public, and the Citrus which is private. Home shoppers have 10 gated residential communities to explore and compare there as well as several communities and courses that basically surround the La Quinta Resort.

If you’re like many of the folks who settle in our area, you’re looking for a lifestyle that doesn’t put you behind the wheel of your car for hours each day. That’s why having your home, your recreation and a prime commercial district such as Old Town La Quinta all nestled in with each other makes such a positive impact on the lifestyle here.

With not having to drive miles between home, golf and shopping, people suddenly find that there are more hours in the day to do the things they want to do.

You can’t put a price tag on that. However, we have put a price tag on our area golf guide: it’s free. Hit the button below and download it today so you can have your own copy.

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