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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.

11 Solid Months Of Home Sales Increases!

Sales of homes and luxury condos in the Palm Springs area real estate market increased again in May, making for the 11th consecutive month of year-over-year sales increases. Our number crunchers recently ran sales reports community by community for the six month period of January 1 through June 30th of 2012 compared with the same period of 2011. Luxury communities above $500,000 showed the largest sales increases overall.

Largest Sales Gains by Community During The Last Six Months:

While the stats above were for home and/or condo sales, Madison Club in La Quinta also showed big sales gains of 40% for custom lot sales during the same six month period.

My team and I have community stats for most of our popular golf and non-golf communities and we use these stats when we help buyers and sellers compare communities. Remember that real estate is local and we always take that down to the community level.

Summer Real Estate Sales Warmer Than You Might Think!

Summer Real Estate Sales Warmer Than You Might Think!

Poolside in La Quinta

You might be surprised to learn that the Palm Springs area real estate market is actually very active year-round. People coming to look at property during the summer are usually on a mission to find a home or luxury condo before the coming winter.

700 Home Sales Monthly

On average about 700 homes and condos are sold each month in our seven primary desert cities. Sales peak at just over 900 homes sold each month from February through March compared to about 600 homes during each of the summer and fall months.

Sales so far in 2012 are outpacing 2011 so we may hit 1,000 home sales per month by sometime next winter.

Data Source: Desert Area MLS data compiled by Sheri Dettman & Associates for home and condo sales within the cities of Indian Wells, Indio, La Quinta, Palm Desert, Palm Springs, Rancho Mirage and Cathedral City.

Desert Area Home Sales Increase 10 Months In A Row!

Desert Area Home Sales Increase 10 Months In A Row!

Desert home sales in the Coachella Valley increased 7.1% in April compared to April of 2011. This is the 10th consecutive month of year-over-year sales increases.

Desert Home Sales By Month

  • April: 1,107 sales, +7.1%
  • March: 1,152 sales, +3.3 %
  • February: 876 sales, +2.9 %
  • January: 784 sales, +5.4 %
  • December: 990 sales, +11.5 %
  • November: 739 sales, +0.4 %
  • October: 735 sales, +1.9 %
  • September: 823 sales, +9.4 %
  • August: 883 sales, +20.8 %
  • July: 828 sales, +0.6 %
  • June: 1,072 sales, -1.0 %
  • May: 1,087 sales, +6.0 %
  • April: 1,027 sales, -0.5 %

Dining Around The Desert: Jackalope Ranch, Indio

Jackalope Ranch Is Big, Really Big!

Jackalope Ranch is the largest restaurant/bar in the desert, by far. It spans 6.5 acres, which can be a positive or negative, depending on what you’re looking for. Restaurant reviewers on Tripadvisor.com gave Jackalope Ranch an average rating of 3.5 out of a possible 5 stars. I completely agree. Jackalope does have several positives and a few areas it could improve upon such as improved service during peak hours. To me, a real attribute of Jackalope Ranch is its atmosphere and outdoor patio setting.

$30 Million Investment

Don Callender, founder of the Marie Callender’s restaurant chain, is said to have invested over $30 million into Jackalope Ranch, and it shows both inside and out. This was to be Don’s flagship restaurant and he truly loved the place; he also built Babe’s in Rancho Mirage at The River. Sadly, Don passed away just before Jackalope’s completion. Jackalope Ranch is now operated by the Kaiser Restaurant Group which also owns the Hog’s Breath Inn, Chop House, Grind Burger Bar, and, of course, the Kaiser Grille.

Jackalope features an indoor saloon, outdoor palapa bar and patio, and evening entertainment including ‘Two Step Tuesday’. My husband, Bill, and I visited the restaurant for Happy Hour one recent evening. The joint was jumping (to say the least) and service was somewhat hit and miss. We sampled four small plates that were very tasty including a BBQ pulled chicken sandwich, Spicy Ahi tuna tacos, fresh guacamole with chips and, of course, their margaritas; one was great and one was not.

Tamale Festival Winner

Jackalope Ranch features fresh tamales daily, including their Pulled Chicken Verde and Pulled Pork tamales. In fact, Jackalope’s tamales are so tasty that they took first place in 2010 and 2011 at the well-known Indio International Tamale Festival.

If you’re looking for a fun place to enjoy some drinks while you munch on BBQ or small plates, give Jackalope Ranch a try. Jackalope is what it is and that seems to be fine with most of the regulars.

Jackalope Ranch is located at 80400 Highway 111 in Indio, just west of Jefferson Street. (760) 342-1999

Andalusia La Quinta, Plan-4 Luxury Golf Home

Just Re-Listed! Andalusia at Coral Mountain, La Quinta

This home just fell out of escrow and likely won't last long on the market. What a great location! The elevated location above the golf course offers amazing views of the twin lakes, double fairways and of course both the Coral Mountains and Santa Rosa Mountains. Even better, this home is priced below market!

  • 58475 Carmona, La Quinta
  • Premium Location Offers Spectacular Views
  • 3,993 SQ. FT. / 4 BR - 5 BA with Attached Guest Suite
  • Furnished and ready to enjoy!
  • Nothing Like It For The Price!
  • Offered At $1,399,000

Palm Springs Area Home Sales Increase Again In May

Home sales in the Palm Springs real estate market increased again in May, making for the 11th consecutive month of year-over-year sales increases for the Coachella Valley.

The bulk of distressed property sales including foreclosures and short sales continue to be at sales prices under $200,000 and the foreclosure median price during the last six months for properties sold above $50,000 was just $155,750. During the last six months there were only 21 foreclosure properties sold above $750,000.

Inventory continues to be tight in several price segments as the market looks to be continuing to heal and buyer interest continues to grow.

Enjoying Our Nearby Beaches And Mountains

One of the great things about living in the Palm Sprigns area is the great proximity to a many popular destinations. You could literally be in the mountains in the morning and then enjoying southern California’s beaches that same evening.

Surf And Sand Resort Laguna Beach

Just yesterday (Sunday) my husband Bill and I took a leisurely drive to the beaches of Southern California. We drove from the desert to Long Beach and we followed Pacific Coast Highway all the way from Long Beach where we saw the Mexico Cruise ships getting ready to sail down south to Laguna Beach.

Lunch On The Beach In Laguna

We stopped in Laguna Beach where we enjoyed a nice lunch literally on the beach at the Surf And Sand Resort before heading back to the desert on Sunday evening.

The previous Sunday we drove up to Big Bear Lake at an elevation of around 7,000 feet and spent some time driving around the lake and exploring Big Bear. We drove up to Big Bear via what locals refer to as ‘the back way’ through Yucca Valley and highway 247. Coming back later that day we took the front way down from the mountains via highway 18.

Our next mini trip will likely be San Diego.

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