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Sheri’s Palm Springs Area Blog

Whether it be real estate updates, restaurant reviews, events, or highlights of unique homes in Palm Springs, follow Sheri as she covers all that Palm Springs and the surrounding area has to offer.

Dining Around The Desert: The Bistro At Fantasy Springs

Several of our local casinos offer some great choices for dining. That said I usually avoid dining in them because usually I have to walk through a smoky casino floor to get to them.

My husband Bill suggested we try The Bistro at Fantasy Springs Casino in Indio. The online reviews were very good so I agreed to take a chance on casino dining. The ambiance of The Bistro is a little old school. You’ll find a dark square shaped bar near the entry where some people also choose to eat. A large open kitchen area and a sushi bar fill one side of the dining room.

Extensive Menu Choices At The Bistro

Bill and I were seated at a comfortable four top table and the service was both friendly and punctual. The Bistro menu is rather extensive offering sushi, steaks, fish, chops, salads and a number of appetizers. Normally when I find sushi in a non-sushi restaurant I pass, but our server Adrienne informed us that their sushi was flown in fresh from Hawaii almost daily and was very good.

Before we ordered our food, I enjoyed a Slim-Tini cocktail with coconut vodka, pineapple, agave nectar, fresh lemon and toasted coconut on the rim. Simply divine! Bill chose a glass of Fume Blanc from the Bistro wine list.

Sampling The Starters

For starters I ordered the seared scallop-tempura shrimp roll from the sushi menu. Bill chose a vine ripe tomato with buffalo mozzarella salad that included imported Speck ham, EVOO, balsamic syrup and fresh basil. We sampled each other’s choices and enjoyed them both.

Choosing an entrée was a little difficult because of all the choices. Adrienne helped me choose the Chicken and Crab Fontina with an organic chicken breast, lump crab, asparagus, mushroom risotto and a fontina glaze. I recommend this entrée, but you’ll likely be taking half home with you.

Bill asked Adrienne to surprise him as he was torn between the lamb chops and a seared pork mignon. The double cut Colorado lamp chops made the cut and were cooked perfectly. A mild Khadrawi date curry sauce was listed on the menu but Bill didn’t detect any curry, which he really enjoys.

We Didn't Miss Out On Dessert

Adrienne suggested we next sample a little date bread pudding. And while I wouldn’t really call this bread pudding, Bill and I made fast work of the delicious dessert with caramelized walnuts, vanilla ice cream, Grand Mariner anglaise with toffee sauce.

We came to discover that our server’s husband is the food and beverage manager at Andalusia At Coral Mountain in La Quinta. I’m in Andalusia on a regular basis working with buyer and seller clients so I’ll make it a point to say hello on my next visit. And kudos to her for offering great service.

The Bistro is a good choice for discovering a menu filled with lots of variety in a comfortable old school setting. From sushi to fish to big juicy steaks, everyone in your party will likely find something to enjoy.

Bistro Dining Tip: Enter through the hotel entrance to avoid having to walk through the smoke filled casino.

You'll find the Bistro located at 84-245 Indio Springs Parkway in Indio, just off the 10 Freeway. (760) 342-5000.

From Sheri Dettman
In Dining Around The Desert, Sheri's Palm Springs Area Blog

Early Snow Hits The Palm Springs Area Mountain Tops

Palm Springs nearby Mount San Jacinto received an early dusting of snow this Wednesday as a brief low-pressure weather system moved down the West Coast, dragging cold air down from our Canadian neighbors to the North.

The cold air dropped our desert temps into the 70’s for one brief day, which was about 15 to 20 degrees below normal. Palm Springs area temps get back to normal today with a sunny high of 81 (27.2º C) predicted.

Visitors to the Palm Springs Arial Tram were surprised to see snowflakes falling as they exited the tram at the top of Mount San Jacinto as the snow line fell as low as 5,550 feet elevation. This brief storm brought a soft rain to parts of Palm Springs in the eastern end of the Coachella Valley yesterday, but here at our offices in the City of La Quinta we didn’t see a drop.

Palm Springs Aerial Tramway Turns 50 Offering Big Improvements

If you’ve never experienced the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway you’re missing out on a great ride. The ten-minute ride begins at the Valley Station – elevation 2,643 ft. and ends up top at the Mountain Station – elevation 8,516 ft.

The last time I road the tram was prior to the 2000 installation of new tramcars–now the world’s largest rotating tramcars. The ride up is spectacular and the change in weather is pretty stunning, often 30 to 40 degrees cooler than the desert floor below.

Snowbirds missing the white stuff back home can often go up the mountain and get reacquainted. And no, you won’t find any Palm Springs area homes or luxury condos atop Mount San Jacinto, but you can experience the valley’s highest elevation restaurant!

You can read about the history of the tram on the official Palm Springs Aerial Tramway Website which also offers information on hiking, dining and other activities.

From Sheri Dettman
In Lifestyles & Things To Do, Sheri's Palm Springs Area Blog

Palms Golf Club, La Quinta Offers Fastest Play In U.S.

The 8th Green At The Palm Golf Club

GolfWeek.com’s James Achenbach writes, “The Palms is the fastest-play golf course on a day-to-day basis in the United States.” James and another GolfWeek writer played as a walking twosome and they said they enjoyed a “leisurely round without rushing, and finished in two hours and 55 minutes.”

No Tee Times & No Waiting On Tee Boxes

My husband Bill was a Palms Golf Club member for many years and the fast play is one of the things he really appreciated about the Palms. “After playing at The Palms, I no longer have the patience for slow rounds, or standing around waiting on tee boxes,” Bill said.

Palms play averages just 3-1/2 hours according to Palms co-founder J.D. Ebersberger, the former director of golf for the Mauna Kea Resort on the Big Island of Hawaii.

The Palms Real Estate Is Unique Too

As great as fast play is, The Palms Golf Club is also known both as one of the better golf courses in the Palm Springs area, and as one of the most unique real estate developments in the Palm Springs area. Homes for sale at The Palms are only located around the outside perimeter of the golf course–not along most of the fairways like many golf developments.

More Palms Information Now Online

We've recently update our exclusive Palms Golf Club Website to include more information about real estate opportunities at The Palms including information on Golf Villas, Semi-custom homes, custom homes and custom golf course lots.

From Sheri Dettman
In Golf Communities, Sheri's Palm Springs Area Blog

La Quinta Leads The Palm Springs Real Estate Market In Million Dollar Home Sales

Andalusia At Coral Mountain, La Quinta

The Palm Springs area offers some great real estate choices when it comes to homes in luxury golf and country club communities. Here in the desert, homes that sell for $1 million and higher are classified as Luxury Homes by the Desert Area MLS. During the past twelve months the city of La Quinta again led the way in sales of luxury homes selling for $1 million and greater.

Palm Springs Area Million Dollar Home Sales Listed By City

La Quinta / 92253 - 134 Homes
Indian Wells / 92210 – 76 Homes
Rancho Mirage / 92270 – 69 Homes
Palm Springs / 92264 – 36 Homes
Palm Springs / 92262 – 35 Homes
Palm Desert / 92211 – 10 Homes

Recent Million Dollar Home Sales In La Quinta By Community

While the majority of luxury homes sales where located in La Quinta, what La Quinta gated communities are producing the most luxury sales recently?

Hideaway Golf Club, La Quinta: 26
Andalusia at Coral Mountain, La Quinta: 25
PGA West, La Quinta: 19
Tradition Golf Club, La Quinta: 17
Rancho La Quinta Country Club: 11
Mountain View Country Club, La Quinta: 10
Citrus Golf Club, La Quinta: 8
The Quarry At La Quinta: 5
Madison Club, La Quinta: 4
Estancias At Rancho La Quinta: 3

Top La Quinta Home Sales Price At $7 Million Recently

The top sale price for a La Quinta home during the last 12 months was $7 million for the former La Quinta estate of the late Merv Griffin located adjacent to Griffin Ranch. Sales from $4 to 6.2 million were recorded in Madison Club, Hideaway Golf Club and Tradition Golf Club.

Data Source: California Desert Association of Realtors®

From Sheri Dettman
In Golf Communities, Real Estate Market Updates, Sheri's Palm Springs Area Blog

Just Listed In The Palm Springs Colony Neighborhood

One of our favorite Palm Springs neighborhoods is The Palm Springs Colony. Owners get the benefit of being close to downtown Palm Springs and mountain views, but there are no HOA dues, and you own the land (not located on Indian leased land).

1421 Sabita Way, Palm Springs
3 Bedrooms / 3 Baths in 2,449 Sq. Ft.
Private Pool/Spa with mountain views
10,019 Sq. Ft. Private Lot on Cul-de-sac
Offered at $549,500

From Sheri Dettman
In Featured Properties, Sheri's Palm Springs Area Blog

La Quinta Real Estate Teamwork As 4 Homes Sell Concurrently

A big part of my job is making sure that our client’s real estate transactions flow as smooth as possible. We recently helped a La Quinta real estate client invest in a new construction home. And, at the same time we were asked to market and sell the current La Quinta home they were living in.

Well it wasn’t long before we brought our client an offer for their existing home which they accepted. That purchase offer however was contingent upon those buyers also selling their own home, on which they had accepted a purchase offer pending as well.

Buyers Need To Sell Their Homes Also

To complicate matters further, the people buying this other home also–you guessed it–needed to sell their own home too. This home was located in another part of California, and they had an accepted purchase offer as well, so let the transactions begin!

The good news here is that we had several very experienced agents working together every step of the way to get these four homes sold almost concurrently. One home at a time we worked together along with our Escrow and Title teams to get these transactions completed and all four transactions closed on time and within 24 hours each other. Everyone’s moving trucks were all lined up and ready to roll and I’m happy to report that all the moves went pretty much as planned.

This Was A New Real Estate Experience

I’ve completed hundreds of transactions here in the Palm Springs area real estate market, but this is my first contingent, upon contingent, upon contingent, upon contingent real estate transaction. Add to that the fact that each of these buyers were moving into their new La Quinta homes as their new primary residence–not a vacation home. That meant that everyone needed things to go according to schedule. Looking back now these concurrent transactions were challenging but fun and satisfying.

From Sheri Dettman
In Real Estate Market Updates, Sheri's Palm Springs Area Blog

Exclusive New Luxury Home Listing At Andalusia, La Quinta

This newly finished luxury home represents La Quinta resort lifestyle living at it’s best! This premium Andalusia view location features an elevated and oversized south facing lot. Enjoy the sweeping daytime and evening views over the lush Andalusia golf course and beyond to the nearby Coral and Santa Rosa Mountains. This exclusive listing is not on the Desert Area MLS and is shown by appointment.

81343 Andalusia Drive, La Quinta
3,890 SQ. FT.
16,375 Sq. Ft. Premium Location South Facing Lot
4 Bedrooms & 5 Baths / Very Private Pool/Spa
Offered Furnished At $1,595,000

From Sheri Dettman
In Featured Properties, Sheri's Palm Springs Area Blog

Sheri Dettman & Associates Named To Real Trends 500

Here in California 231,000 real estate agents have let their California Department of Real Estate (DRE) licenses expire, or had them revoked since the peak of the market in ’07 figures from DRE show.

Since then, just over 100,000 agents have been issued new real estate licenses so we now seem to have about 418,000 agents in California. That’s down from the ’07 peak of 550,00 agents. And back to that first number–100,000 agents are brand new!

Top 500 Teams In California

Sheri Dettman & Associates was recently recognized by Real Trends, Inc., a leading source of information on the residential brokerage and housing industry, as one of “America’s Best Real Estate Teams 2013 – Top 500 In California.” Click here to read the press release.

Kudos to my Sheri Dettman & Associates team members and of course my husband Bill, our Director of Sales and Marketing.

Keller Williams Dominates Real Trends 500, & Our La Quinta Office Now #1 In Desert Sales

Sheri Dettman & Associates is associated with Keller Williams Real Estate International. According to Real Trends, Keller Williams Realty offices significantly outpaced the industry both in sales volume per office and transactions per office. Here in La Quinta, our Keller Williams office was the number one producing real estate office in sales volume for the entire Palm Springs area.

Information For Choosing Your Real Estate Agent

From Sheri Dettman
In Sheri Dettman & Associates, Sheri's Palm Springs Area Blog

7 Properties Sold This Week by Sheri Dettman & Associates

New Plan-5 Home At Stonefield Estates

It's been another busy week and we have seven more happy homeowners / families set to enjoy our resort lifestyle living here in the desert!

58170 Aracena, La Quinta - Andalusia At Coral Mountain - Priced at $1,375,000
71 Via Santo Tomas, Rancho Mirage - Santo Tomas - Priced at $500,000
79612 Mission Drive East, La Quinta - Rancho La Quinta Country Club - Priced at $998,000
80913 Rockhurst Drive, Indio - Stonefield Estates At Santa Rosa - Priced at $895,000
80859 Rockhurst Drive, Indio - Stonefield Estates At Santa Rosa - Priced at $840,000
837 Arrowhead Drive, Palm Desert - Indian Ridge Country Club - Priced at $898,000
180 Desert Falls Drive East, Palm Desert - Desert Falls Country Club - Priced at $235,000

From Sheri Dettman
In Recent Sales, Sheri's Palm Springs Area Blog

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