by Sheri Dettman, Resort Lifestyle Realtor
If you’ve never visited the desert, or haven’t visited it for many years you may just call the area Palm Springs. Actually, The City of Palm Springs is only the westernmost city of The Coachella Valley. The Valley also includes the popular Palm Springs area cities of La Quinta, Indian Wells, Palm Desert, Rancho Mirage and Indio. Each city offers community features that appeal to both seasonal and year round residents.
Palm Springs Golf And Country Club Real Estate
The Palm Springs real estate market has many popular resort style communities. Many offer world-class golf (over 150 golf courses and country clubs), tennis, fitness facilities, social activities and more. With lots of great choices you’ll want to spend some time thinking about what is most important to you and what you really want in a community. Define the kind of lifestyle you desire and the important features you want in your new desert home. You might start by exploring our Palm Springs Area Golf Communities.
Early Development Started In Palm Springs
Early development in the Valley was centered in the Palm Springs area and then spread eastward. In general you’ll find most newer communities and homes in the La Quinta area which is forecast to be the upcoming center of the Valley.
City demographics also peg La Quinta, Palm Desert and Indio as three of the youngest cities in the desert. Palms Springs has seen a lot of redevelopment over the last decade, led to a large extent by Palm Springs gay community, which is the largest per capita in the United States.
Palm Springs Area Golf Or Non-Golf Community?
Not everyone wants to live within a Palm Springs golf or country club community. There are also many wonderful non-golf communities that offer other options and amenities, yet are in proximity to golf courses or country clubs. Keep in mind, also, that many Palm Springs golf and country club communities offer social (dining, spa and club house privileges) and/or sports (tennis and/or fitness) memberships for non-golfers.
Buying A New Or Resale Palm Springs Area Home?
In terms of value in today’s market, re-sale homes and condos generally present the best real estate opportunities here in the Palm Springs real estate market. If however you are considering a new construction home keep in mind that your realtor can assist you with most any onsite sales office. It costs you nothing and you get the added benefit of extensive and unbiased local real estate knowledge.
My team and assist buyers on a regular basis in comparing new home inventories to resale opportunities, and keep in mind that like shopping for a new car, almost everything is negotiable, and not everyone pays the same price. To take advantage of this value added service we simply must accompany you on your first visit to the new home community. We regularly help buyers with new construction homes in dozens of Palm Springs are communities.
Palm Springs Real Estate Taxes
Annual property taxes in Riverside County are set at a rate of 1.25% of the appraised value of the property. The new appraised value will be set at your purchase price, even if the previous value was higher. Annual property taxes are divided into two payments and paid semi-annually (due 12/10 & 4/10). If you are purchasing a property via a loan you can request that your lender add the property taxes to your loan amount each month (called impounding taxes) with the lender then paying the property taxes for you twice annually. You can also pay your property taxes on line via this link to the Riverside County Property Tax Portal.
Some communities in the desert may also add a supplemental tax called Mello-Roos which funds new infrastructure for the communities. Your Realtor can tell you if a property is located in a Mello-Roos area.
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