Golf – Page 3 – Gallaudet Properties

July 9, 2014

President #44 Plays 9 Holes

Thunderbird Country Club in Rancho Mirage is certainly accustomed to taking care of high profile guests, but none get any higher profile than the President of the United States, and that’s what happened recently when Barack Obama was in town.

President Obama’s love of golf is well known—we hear that he’s somewhere around a 16-18 handicap—so it shouldn’t be any surprise that Air Force One is seen occasionally at Palm Springs International. Reports we saw said he played nine holes of golf at Porcupine Creek, Oracle founder Larry Ellison’s place in Rancho Mirage.

The Valley of the Presidents
I wonder if any single valley in the country has had as many presidential visits and homes as our area. President Eisenhower is, of course, one of our most famous aficionados, but he wasn’t the first to discover the area. Herbert Hoover was here in 1936 and FDR was in La Quinta before WWII. And after his years in the White House, Gerald Ford settled in the area.

And that actually brings me to my topic: Publications like Variety have speculated that President Obama was actually checking out property when he was here with the First Lady. I suspect that if the president does decide to buy a home here, one of his main reasons would be similar to what motivates many of our residents: the number of great golf courses in the area. (I’m going to have to see if anyone from the White House has downloaded our golf course resource guide…)

While you might not find yourself in a foursome with a former president, you will certainly be in good company when you golf in the La Quinta, Indian Wells or the greater Palm Springs area. And, whether you’re looking for a retirement home, second home or just a great place to live, this is a the place to be. Of course, living on or near a golf course is nirvana for many of our residents.

La Quinta Resort Tennis — La Quinta Resort

The Royal Treatment
Even if you haven’t been the most powerful man in the free world, you’ll find that you’re treated like a king at all the local facilities. When you start to scout real estate here, some of your most difficult decisions will be choosing between communities in places such as the La Quinta Resort, with its three courses (2 public, 1 private at the Citrus), tennis courts, and other fine facilities.

Boasting three courses and some 10 different communities tucked in, around and near the golf courses, there is a lot of variety available. Everything from large custom homes at The Enclave to the La Quinta Resort Spa Villas condos make ideal locations for golfers and anyone looking for an active lifestyle.

There are many other communities I should mention, but I’ll leave them for a future post. For now, let me just point out our free golf resource guide download. Who knows, maybe the president has a copy on his laptop right now, so when you push the download “button” you could be in very good company.

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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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April 28, 2014

Narrow Fairways, Broad Real Estate Options

The names Arnold Palmer gave the fifth through tenth holes on the course he designed at PGA West here in La Quinta, speak volumes. They start with “Intimidator” at number five and continue to “Monster” at the tenth.

They certainly present a challenge for most of us amateurs, but even more than that, they represent the wide variety of courses that are available to golfers in La Quinta and the surrounding communities.

You can dial in virtually any “degree of difficulty” that suits your playing level. This diversity gives the homeowner another advantage. If you’re planning to move here, you’ll probably discover fairly quickly that your home will be a popular destination for visitors—your family and close friends.

And if one weekend you have a newbie to the game visiting, you can head to a course that matches that skill level. Next, when you have scratch players come into town, you can set them loose on courses that will test exactly how long and accurate they are.

See your golf options
To get a very detailed overview of your golf options—including both public and private courses—be sure to download our free golf guide. It gives you all the critical information you need and even serves as a general Palm Springs country club membership guide. The link is at the bottom.

PGA West Property — Private Residence at PGA West Stadium

Now let’s tie two of our main interests together—golf and real estate. If you’re a golfer you want to see your numbers go down. If you’re a property owner, you like to see your numbers go up. Rising property values are good for owners and they reflect a healthy market.

Recent reports show a strong market for both new and existing homes in La Quinta, Indian Wells and the general Palm Springs area. Year-to-year figures show that new home sales were up 19 percent in the Coachella Valley in February and median prices rose by about 25 percent for homes and condos.

Explore the communities
Solid figures like these are always reassuring for a community and a positive sign for prospective buyers. Further, with the variety of communities in the La Quinta real estate market, you always have a lot of properties to choose from.

For example, within the gates of La Quinta Resort there are six communities, including The Mountain Estates and The Enclave, both of which feature large custom homes, as well as La Quinta Resort Spa Villas, which are condos near the spa. So, there are properties for virtually every budget and lifestyle.

And if living in a golf course community isn’t critical for you, you’ll want to check out luxury gated communities such as Painted Cove, Puerta Azul, Hidden Canyon, Talante and others.

So download our guide, look it over and give us a call. I think you’ll enjoy our positive and relaxed approach to helping you find the perfect property in La Quinta or the greater Palm Springs area.

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April 18, 2014

Music, Art and Golf, Oh My!

There’s no doubt that La Quinta and the surrounding desert communities are a paradise for people who enjoy sunshine, the outdoors and golf.

PGA West Stadium Course — Hole #17 @ PGA West – Stadium Course

It’s also paradise for folks who like to do a little people watching. If you’re at all familiar with the area, you know that it’s been a hangout for celebrities for generations. The show business glitterati still visit, but today we get a much more diverse group of global celebs.

Athletes, music and more
World class athletes make the pilgrimage here, especially golfers and tennis pros and now with the annual music and arts festival in Coachella, a wide range of top recording artists make the scene. The concert series which wraps up with “Stagecoach” April 27 makes for several great days of people watching. And if one of your favorite recording artists happened to be on the bill, you would have had the time of your life.

Of course, that’s only a couple of weekends a year and while the festival may come and go quickly, the golf and other attractions here are pretty much available 365 days a year. Further, real estate shoppers have a huge range of options.

It certainly ‘ain’t no hound dog’
By the way, Elvis’s Palm Spring “honeymoon house” is on the market. So if you have an extra $10 million dollars and want to buy a great property and piece of pop icon history at the same time, we’ll get the papers going for you.

However, for most of the home shoppers we work with, a great home either on or near one of our beautiful golf courses in La Quinta fits the bill perfectly. And just like concert goers had their choice of artists to see at the recent music festival, golfers here have just about as many choices when they head out to play a round.

The La Quinta Resort has three courses itself. PGA WEST has six courses and many more residential golf communities are just minutes away, including The Hideaway, Rancho La Quinta and Mountain View just to name a few.

There are great courses throughout the valley, as you’ll see when you drive through Palm Springs and over to La Quinta. And to make sorting them out a little easier, we’ve pulled together a very handy Golf Resource Guide. If you want the big picture—as well as a lot of specific details—about Palm Springs area golf clubs, don’t miss this free download.

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March 28, 2014

Luxury Living: Mountain View Country Club in La Quinta

Mountain View Country Club in La Quinta, a Toll Brothers community with 376 detached homes and 50 condos, offers all the best luxuries of Palm Springs living. The elegant community is built around an Arnold Palmer Signature design,18-hole championship golf course. A spectacular design, the par 72 course accommodates multiple levels of play with five sets of tees ranging from 5,300 yards to over 7,400 yards. A set of Family Tees serves the interests and skill development of the club’s youngest members and guests. Mountain View hosts many golfing events each year, including specialty tournaments for ladies, juniors, families, and charity events.

Mountain View Country Club Golf Course — Golf Course

As a Toll Brothers community, the Mountain View Country Club is specifically designed to maximize luxury and foster social connection. In addition to golf, members enjoy tennis, a state of the art fitness facility, world-class dining, a luxurious spa, and swimming. Members also enjoy “clubs within a club,” congregating with other like-minded members. Such member-initiated clubs include groups like Wine Club, Hiking Club, Ladies Bridge, Cigar, and an Investment Club. You really can’t go wrong with Toll Brothers homes. As developers and home builders, they’ve won three highly esteemed awards, including: America’s Best Builder, National Builder of the Year, and the National Housing Quality Award. They’re known to be meticulous in their designs and committed to working with the natural environment.

Mountain View Country Club Clubhouse — Clubhouse

An environmentally-minded design is good news for a community in gorgeous La Quinta. You’ll find a lot of open spaces and uncompromised views of the surrounding Santa Rosa and San Jacinto mountains. The layout incorporates, and in some cases, restores existing hills, trees, and ponds. The developers work closely with conservation groups like the National Wildlife Federation and Audubon International, and are proud of their energy-efficient and environmentally-conscious designs.

We at Gallaudet Properties love this golfing community and think you will, too. For more information about Mountain View or any of the other beautiful communities here in Palm Springs, please contact us.

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March 22, 2014

The Citrus Club in La Quinta is a Paradise on its Own

The Citrus Club in La Quinta is a golf course community located in the heart of La Quinta. It is within walking and/or biking distance to Old Town La Quinta and approximately a mile from the La Quinta Resort. The Citrus offers a private golf course, a lovely Club House, and a state of the art exercise facility. In addition, The Citrus is actually the private club associated with the La Quinta Resort, so if you join the Citrus Club as a golf, social, or sport member, you are automatically a member of the Resort. That adds two golf courses, another club house, an incredible tennis program inclusive of 21 tennis courts, an additional exercise facility, and a gorgeous Spa with a staff that will relax you with many treatments from which to choose. With the membership to the Club comes discounts on the restaurants, golf & tennis shop, and the spa at the Resort. Any of the three Citrus Memberships (golf, social, or sport) is one of the best values in the Desert!

The Citrus Club’s location was once a citrus grove, thus the name. There are still many Citrus trees surrounding the golf course and homes in the community, which make the area picturesque and inviting. The Citrus Club House has a beautiful outdoor patio inclusive of a fire pit (and the best gas fireplace indoors), members enjoy sitting around it after a great day of golf on the Pete Dye 18 hole golf course. The clubhouse’s central dining area and bar are open each day for breakfast and lunch, and three days a week for dinner, showcasing an excellent menu by their accomplished chef. Additionally, breakfast and lunch are served at the club house at the Resort, as well as in the restaurants in that location.

At Gallaudet.com, we are well versed in Citrus Club and other golf communities in La Quinta California, and are happy to discuss prices and differences with you. We enjoy helping our clients find that community that best fits their needs. For information on The Citrus Club, or any other golf course community in the Palm Springs area, please contact us. We are here to help.

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February 28, 2014

PGA West in La Quinta: The largest golf membership in the Palm Springs Valley.

Planning to visit PGA West in La Quinta is a plan to visit one of the most storied golfing locations on the west coast. PGA West is a beautiful location that offers much more than 18 holes of golf and a clubhouse. The beauty and prestige of PGA West makes it one of the most memorable places to play golf in the world.

With 6 golf courses (108 holes), PGA West is the largest golf club in the Palm Springs valley. The La Quinta Resort, which is PGA West’s sister club, and Mission Hills Country Club in Rancho Mirage are tied for the second largest with 3 courses each. 3 of PGA West’s courses are private and 3 are public.

When players tee up on the PGA West courses, the hills and mountains that have created the Palm Springs Valley are right next to the course. Rather than looking out to a beautiful view, golfers are a part of the view as the hills are so close you can touch them in some cases.

The membership at PGA West delivers the biggest golfing selection for your money when compared to any other club in the valley. There is an upfront deposit of $45,000 and the dues are $1,145/month which includes unlimited play on all six courses and access to the member favorite Arnold Palmer and Jack Nicklaus private courses. You can pay a few hundred dollars more per month (with no long term commitment) to include the 3 courses at La Quinta Resort – therefore representing a membership to 9 world class golf courses for under $2,000/month, by far the best bang for your buck in the valley.

Playing in the Palm Springs Valley is about more than just visiting PGA West once. These courses can be played over and over. Plus, the major tournaments, like the Humana Challenge, that are held here make for wonderful weekend escapes for the family to see great golf and enjoy the sunshine and clean air in the valley.

Put PGA West on your list for a golfing adventure of a lifetime. If you have questions about the golf courses themselves or real estate in PGA West, please get in touch with us to discuss what it will take to move you from dreaming of golf heaven to living it.

For more information on PGA West and all of our other beautiful golf courses in the valley please download our Golf Resource Guide below!

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October 22, 2013

La Quinta Is Ready For The Season!

This is one of my favorite times of year in The Desert. All the grasses have been changed from the summer seeding to the winter and they are now coming up green and beautiful. The winter flowers are being planted, everything is looking spectacular, and the weather is perfect. Here in La Quinta, the inventory for homes for sale is still very low. The prices have started to rise, but there are still great values compared to anywhere else this beautiful! What a great time to check it out before everyone else arrives!

February 29, 2012

January 2012 Real Estate 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 through January, 2012.

City of La Quinta home sales by month since January, 2008*

The blue lines represent 2008 data, the orange lines represent 2009 data magenta lines represent 2010, green lines represent 2011 data and the purple lines represent 2012 data.

Open escrows in La Quinta on January 31st increased over the previous month by 17.9%. This increase can be explained by the decrease in unit sales for the month of January over December, increasing the inventory. The number of escrows for the more expensive Golf Properties increased by 10.3% over the previous month while that demographics unit sales decreased. This decrease in sales is allowing the valley’s inventory to grow slightly and helps stabilize the market pricing.

The number of unit sales within the City were less than December but were the strongest “January” since before 2008. This strong January will hopefully be the beginning of a strong season.

The number of “short sales” and “bank owned” properties being offered at reduced prices seem to be remaining at high levels and, athough the banks are very slowly beginning to figure these transactions out, most lenders seem to be dealing more efficiently with the inventory of distressed properties although short sales and/or foreclosures can still be a challenge and they are still affecting the prices in the entire market. Closed home sales in La Quinta in January showed a 25.5% decrease from the month of December. This decrease, as you can see in the charts below, is an annual trend attributed to the beginning of our “season”.

Golf Course home sales in La Quinta.

The sales-volume numbers in the higher-end market (which contains many of the golf properties in the chart above) decreased 32.7% in January over December. The average price per square foot decreased 2.8% in January over December. This shows the affect of fewer short sales and bank owned “deals” that made up a lot of the summer sales.

Overall, we are still seeing positive signs in the market place and the media continues to be encouraged. We are anticipating a strong season and a good year ahead.

The mortgage industry is the best it’s been for conventional loans but the “jumbo” loans, although becoming more available, continue to be a stumbling block in the higher end market.

Coachella Valley Inventory:
On January 31, there were 5,475 active listings (up 0.6% from December), 2,371 units were in escrow (up 14.1% from December) totaling 7,846 units (up 4.4% from December) available for sale which makes 30.22% of the total in Escrow (up 9.3% from December) –This trend is an indicator of increasing home sales for the month of January.

If buying property is something on your list (especially golf property), why not take advantage of the incredible prices and seller incentives now, when sellers will work with you, instead of in the future, when the demand starts to catch up with the supply? Especially if you’re buying and planning to hold for 5+ years.

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

Year	All	LQ Golf Course
2002	1,354	259
2003	1,565	652
2004	1,931	813
2005	1,553	657
2006	1,098	491
2007	935	447
2008	1,063	416
2009	1,155	418
2010	1,355	530
2011	1,446	520
2012 YTD	102	35

* 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.

Source: DesertAreaMLS

January 31, 2012

December 2011 Real Estate 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 through December, 2011.

City of La Quinta home sales by month since January, 2008*

The blue lines represent 2008 data, the orange lines represent 2009 data magenta lines represent 2010 and the green lines represent 2011 data.

Open escrows in La Quinta on December 31st decreased over the previous month by 13.3%. This decrease can be explained by the 50.5% increase in unit sales for the month of December reducing the inventory. The number of escrows for the more expensive Golf Properties decreased by 8.1% over the previous month while that demographics unit sales increased by 62.5%. This increase in sales is depleating the valley’s inventory and stabilizing the market pricing.

The number of unit sales within the City were the strongest since June and were the strongest “December” since before 2008. The unit sales in 2011 are the strongest since 2008 showing a 26.5% increase.

Closed home sales in La Quinta in December showed a 50.5% increase over November. This increase, as you can see in the charts below, is an annual trend attributed to the beginning of our “season”.

Golf Course home sales in La Quinta.

The sales-volume numbers in the higher-end market (which contains many of the golf properties in the chart above) increased 33.3% in December over November. The average price per square foot increased 30.4% in December over November. This shows the affect of fewer short sales and bank owned “deals” that made up a lot of the summer sales.

Overall, we are still seeing positive signs in the market place and even the media seems to be encouraged. We are anticipating a strong season and a good year ahead.

The mortgage industry is the best it’s been for conventional loans but the “jumbo” loans, although becoming more available, continue to be a stumbling block in the higher end market.

Coachella Valley Inventory:
On December 31, there were 5,440 active listings (down 1.4% from November), 2,078 units were in escrow (down 13.5% from November) totaling 7,518 units (down 5.1% from November) available for sale which makes 27.64% of the total in Escrow (down 8.9% from November) –This trend is an indicator of increasing home sales.
If buying property is something on your list (especially golf property), why not take advantage of the incredible prices and seller incentives now, when sellers will work with you, instead of in the future, when the demand starts to catch up with the supply? Especially if you’re buying and planning to hold for 5+ years.

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

Year	All	LQ Golf Course
2002	1,354	259
2003	1,565	652
2004	1,931	813
2005	1,553	657
2006	1,098	491
2007	935	447
2008	1,063	416
2009	1,155	418
2010	1,355	530
2011 YTD	1,446	520

Source: DesertAreaMLS