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.
Sweeping South Facing Views Offering Indoor/Outdoor Living
3,409 SQ. FT. / 3 BR - 3.5 BA
Offered At: $799,000
Working with a busy and experienced real estate agent can benefit both buyers and sellers. Top agents have the distinct advantage of having experience negotiating hundreds of transactions for clients from around the world. Top agents also visit more properties, in more communities on a regular basis thereby knowing the market and the latest market trends.
Top agents generally complete 50 or more transactions per year. But did you know that the average real estate agent completes only 12 transactions per year? And here in the Palm Springs area about 24% of agents did not complete a single transaction last year?
Before choosing a Palm Springs area real estate agent to represent you, consider asking them to print out a list of their transactions from the MLS for the last 12 months. You'll want to look at home many transactions the agent completed, how much those homes sold for, and where they were located. Some agents provide this information on their websites under "recent transactions."
By doing your homework before agreeing to work with an agent, you can be assured that someone billed as a 'top producer' really has the track record and experience to back the claim.
Sheri Dettman is the principle Realtor at Sheri Dettman & Associates and is affiliated with Luxury Homes by Keller Williams International in La Quinta, California. Sheri and her team serve the Palm Springs Real Estate Market including the cities of La Quinta, Palm Desert, Indian Wells, Rancho Mirage, Indio and Palm Springs.
The Hideaway Clubhouse
Hideaway Golf Club home sales continue to track well above 2011. Year to date 20 Hideaway homes have sold compared to 14 sold during the same January through August 15th period of time in 2011. The average list price of sold homes so far this year at Hideaway is $2.5 million.
Sales of Hideaway custom lots have also increased with 15 sales year-to-date compared to just 9 during the same period of 2011. The average sale price for a Hideaway lot also increased from $287,000 in 2011 to $425,000 for the first eight months of this year.
This Charming Palms Golf Villa at 56528 Palms Drive, La Quinta was recently updated throughout and is offered furnished at only $579,000.
The more I know, the better I can serve both buyer and seller clients. I learn something most everyday and many days I’m researching answers and facts to new questions and situations that come up.
What I’m speaking to here is that the more I know about local market knowledge, communication, technical knowledge, listening and problem solving, the better I can serve our buyer and seller clients.
I’ve mentioned before that the average Realtor completes just seven real estate transactions each year. That’s seven times to practice your profession annually. Here in the desert about 24% of agents did not complete one transaction last year! That translates into zero times to practice their jobs.
Of the over 2,400 licensed agents here in the desert less than a dozen complete over 50 transactions per year. And in my opinion it’s hard to stay on top of the changing real estate market if you only work at it part-time. You aren’t as familiar with as many communities and properties and you certainly don’t have much experience negotiating transactions of behalf of your clients.
If you are considering buying or selling a home or luxury condo my suggestion is to do a little research before hiring an agent. How many transactions did they complete last year and in what price ranges? Do they work regularly in the communities that interest you most? Do they have a good reputation with their peers?
I welcome the opportunity to serve your real estate needs. If not me, you’ll want to choose an agent that is busy, successful and experienced. Personally I choose my tax advisor, doctor and dentist the same way!
News and information from Sheri's blog is often referred to or referenced by real estate and news information publishers both nationally and internationally.
Sheri's recent blog entry reporting 11 consecutive months of Palm Springs area home sales increases was recently published on WorldPropertyChannel.com, which is currently ranked by Google as the #1 most visited International Real Estate News site.
The significant drop in the supply for Palm Springs area resale home inventory has builders starting to build new homes again in the desert. Local Desert Sun Newspaper reporter Mike Perrault called to interview me last week about this trend and the article was published on July 1st.
Major Points of the Desert Sun Real Estate Article
In June, the inventory of existing single-family houses for sale in the valley fell to 2,023, with another 1,023 condos available, the California Desert Association of Realtors reported. That's down from about 6,200 in February 2011.
“I think (builders) recognize, and they're telling me, that they believe was are finally at the bottom,” said Bill Blankenship of the building Industry Association of Southern California.
For giant home builder Lennar, customer traffic and sales have doubled at its communities over the past four months, said Greg McGuff, president of homebuilder Lennar's division that encompasses Riverside, San Bernardino, Los Angeles and Ventura counties. After selling out its mid-century modern homes at the Motif at Escena community in Palm Springs, Lennar has introduced new models at the Skylar and Avant areas within Escena. “We're selling well into the future and raising prices in all of our communities,” McGuff said.
Sheri's Comments In The Desert Sun
Sheri Dettman, a Realtor with Sheri Dettman & Associates, affiliated with Luxury Homes by Keller Williams Realty in La Quinta, received an invitation last week to help market Lennar's homes Toll Brothers Luxury Homes.
Dettman said builders have seen that valley home prices are rising, inventory is tight and new homes are again on buyers' radars.
Half a dozen new-home developments that stalled have been revitalized by new owners, and other builders are stepping in with smaller developments of 20, 30 or 40 homes.
Dettman is communicating with about 600 interested buyers, and one challenge she is seeing is that there aren't a lot of active new-home developments.
Pamilla Lake Front Home at 79750 Via Sin Cuidado, La Quinta
To offer full disclosure, my husband Bill and I don’t usually gravitate towards chain restaurants for dinner. That said, we were recently in the mood to try something different and were curious how The Old Spaghetti Factory remodeled (to the tune of $500,000 we were told) the beautiful space formerly occupied by Bing Crosby’s Restaurant, which was one of our favorites until Bing’s closed.
Newly opened in March as the chain’s 41st location, we went on a Friday night in late June and were surprised to see about 20 people waiting for tables in the dining room. Since there were two spots at the handsome long bar in the lounge, we chose to dine there instead, which turned out to be a good choice.
Ribbon Cutting At The Grand Opening
Truth be told, we haven’t eaten at any of The Old Spaghetti Factory restaurants in about 15 years. We went with no expectations and were pleasantly surprised. The Old Spaghetti Factory is what it is–very busy, lots of families, and a good value.
Cherry Limeade Cocktail
I started the evening with a cherry limeade cocktail that was refreshing and low-cal while Bill enjoyed a glass of house red wine. For dinner I ordered angel hair pomodoro and Bill ordered classic pasta with Italian sausage and meat sauce. Both entrées included soup or salad, piping hot bread and a choice of vanilla or spumoni ice cream for dessert. Had we not chosen to enjoy a cocktail and wine, a selection of non-alcoholic drinks would have been included gratis with our meals. No wonder the joint was jumping!
The Old Spaghetti factory will be the first to admit that their pasta is American style, but hey, the food was actually pretty good and the service was friendly and efficient. The atmosphere in the lounge area gets high marks whereas the main dining area can be a little busy with families. That said, the main dining area is attractive, as well.
All Inclusive Dining
Considering our dinners were all-inclusive (except cocktails as we mentioned earlier) and priced from $8.99 to $11.59 this place is a bargain if you’re not looking for fine dining or authentic Italian cuisine. They even offer a gluten-free menu and the atmosphere is top notch.
The Old Spaghetti Factory is located across from The River Shopping Center at 71743 Highway 111 in Rancho Mirage. Reservations are accepted. (760) 341-5600.