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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.

Mid-Year 2011 Palm Springs Area Real Estate Update

Palmilla waterfront homes in La Quinta

90% Year-To-Date Sales Increase Over 2010
With our mid-year date of June 30th about a week away we (Sheri Dettman & Associates) are experiencing a whopping 90% increase in sales volume year-to-date versus the same period of 2010. We’ve noticed that many of our buyers this year actually started their property searches with us in ‘08 or ‘09. They had been watching and waiting and are now taking advantage of some great real estate opportunities that our team helped them to discover.

Contrary to many of the national real estate stories, I will again go on record as saying that real estate is indeed local. And our real estate gets even more locally-dependent based on the price segment, the city, the gated community and even each individual property. These are just a few of the things we consider for each of our clients.

Palm Springs Area Inventory Improving From The Bottom Up

Inventory levels here in the desert continue to improve from the bottom up with some gated communities reporting supplies lasting just a few months. And so far this year we have also recorded a 300% increase in our home luxury sales (over $1 million) over the same period of 2010.

Buyers in increasing numbers from all over the world continue to have our Palm Springs area on their radar and don’t seem to be the least bit interested in being cold or wet again next winter. Many people are surprised to hear that our summer sales typically only decrease 7% from winter, so 2011 looks to be a stellar year for us proving once again that real estate is local.

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

Dining Around The Desert: The Venue Sushi Bar, Palm Desert

The patio entry to The Venue - Photos: Bill Dettman

Please see our update at the bottom of this article.....
Don't Miss The Venue Sushi Bar & Saki Lounge, Palm Desert

I enjoy discovering new dining experiences in the Palm Springs area many times via recommendations from friends and associates. Before going to a new place I’ll usually take a quick look at online reviews on Yelp. If things look positive and/or interesting we are a go!

We discovered The Venue Sushi Bar & Sake Lounge from our friend Eric Brooks at Land Rover, Rancho Mirage. My husband Bill was out ‘kicking tires’ and had mentioned to Eric that we were going out for sushi that night. Eric recommended the newly opened “The Venue”. The Yelp reviews looked positive so off we went.

Tucked Away Amongst The Shops of El Paseo

The Venue has been open about four months and is tucked away just off El Paseo. A small patio out front is set back from El Paseo. The inside space is both stylish and sleek. From the moment we walked in we felt welcomed and very looked after by owner Engin Onural and his staff.

We sampled three sushi dishes; Bosphorus (shrimp tempura with crab meat, avocado, cucumber and gobo); The Venue (spicy tuna topped with seared salmon, spicy mayo, teriyaki sauce, micro greens and tobiko); and The Spider (crab meat, deep fried soft shell crab and avocado with spicy mayo). The verdict? All three were wonderful! In fact we re-upped on a second order of “The Venue.”

Most of the sushi we enjoyed was topped with a small piece of fresh fruit chosen to compliment each item. What a wonderful and refreshing idea! The Venue features an awesome staff and attentive service, a hip lounge style atmosphere and we plan to return a second time later this week. And please let us know what you think about The Venue or other suggested Palm Springs area dining via our "Post A Comment" button up top.

The Venue is open for lunch and dinner Monday through Saturday and is located at 73-111 El Paseo, Suite 103 in Palm Desert. Reservations suggested. (760) 346-1500

> View ALL Desert Dining Suggestions Here

Update on 2013-04-29 17:14 by Sheri Dettman

We are sorry to say that numerous friends and clients have told us that the Venue Sushi Bar of today is not the Venue many of us came to enjoy last year. My husband Bill and I recently dined there after hearing this, and the food and service was below par. Dissapointing.

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

Palm Springs Area Luxury Home Sales Update

Golf cart bridge at Madison Club La Quinta

Luxury Real Estate in the Palm Springs real estate market generally refers to homes for sale priced over $1 million. In the last 12 months 314 homes and luxury condos sold for $1 million or more in the Palm Springs area cities of La Quinta, Rancho Mirage, Indian Wells, Palm Desert and Indio.

La Quinta Tops Recent Super-Luxury Real Estate Sales

Luxury Real Estate Sales During The Last Six Months by City:

  • La Quinta: 58 luxury homes sold. Top luxury sale $7.6 million.
  • Rancho Mirage: 42 luxury homes sold. High sale was $4.25 million
  • Indian Wells: 30 luxury homes sold. High sale was $6.9 million
  • Palm Springs: 28 luxury homes sold. High sale was $4.9 million
  • Palm Desert: 25 luxury homes sold. High Palm Desert sale was $5.1 million

Top Sale Last 6 Months at $7.6 million in La Quinta

The highest price most recent sale was a new custom estate home that sold for $7,600,000 at The Madison Club in La Quinta. Home sales over $2 million are also common at Hideaway Golf Club and Tradition Golf Club (La Quinta), Vintage Club and The Reserve (Indian Wells) and Bighorn Golf Club (Palm Desert).

Source: Palms Springs market sales data from the Desert Area MLS

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

Dining Around The Desert: Mama Gina’s, Palm Desert

Sampling Small Plates At The Enoteca Bar at Mama Ginas

Small plates are popular in today’s restaurant scene. And while Mama Gina’s offers a traditional dining room and menu, we prefer to head for Mama’s Enoteca Bar for the wide variety of small plates on the Happy Hour menu.

The best part is that Happy Hour at Mama Gina’s runs from 4PM until closing every day; rather than call it Happy Hour we call it a Small Plate Opportunity! The bar menu offers a wide variety of small plates with most priced at only $5 and none more than $8.

First we munched on a nice basket of bread with rosemary focaccia and tangy olive tapenade. Next up was the Insalata “Elegante” with mixed greens, beets and goat cheese. I highly recommend Mama’s Gnocchi Gorgonzola – little pillows of heaven for $5!

Small Plate Varieties And Value
The Enoteca Bar small plate menu is quite extensive which can make sampling the variety of dishes a lot of fun. Happy Hour wine is $5 with pints of beer at $3.50. You’ll find a small patio out front.

We recommend that you come for the gnocchi and risotto and stay for desert. You can walk around El Paseo afterwards to burn it all off with a little window-shopping. Note that the Enoteca Bar is quite busy on Friday and Saturday nights. Mama Gina’s is located at 73705 El Paseo, Palm Desert, (760) 568-9898.

> View ALL Desert Dining Suggestions Here

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

Palms Golf Club Custom Lot Reduced to $155,000!

81777 Couples Court, La Quinta

Couples Court is named for Palms Golf Club designer and member, Freddie Couples. Lot 9 is a wonderful, West facing private lot at the end of a cul-de-sac on the Palms private golf course. Lot 9 is one of the few remaining custom lots, where only 101 homes line the perimeter of the course with unbeatable views. Even better, lot 9 is reduced to $155,000 and is the best value at The Palms!

From Sheri Dettman
In Sheri's Palm Springs Area Blog
Buyers Tip #12: ‘Woulda, Coulda, Shoulda’!

Buyers Tip #12: ‘Woulda, Coulda, Shoulda’!


We all know that past experience can offer valuable lessons. One lesson in Palm Springs area real estate we see with buyer clients once or twice a month is the ‘Woulda, Coulda, Shoulda’ experience.

‘Woulda, Coulda, Shoulda’ usually happens when a prospective buyer finds a property that’s really just right for him/her. The home or condo has all of the potential buyer’s preferred features, a great location, and appears to be a solid value. Even when many of these prospective buyers believe that they have found the perfect home, they decide to take a few days to think it over. Makes sense doesn’t it? Not always.

On a regular basis under this scenario another buyer discovers the same dream property, acts on it quickly, and makes an offer, which is then accepted. A couple of days later, the first potential buyer decides that it really is the perfect home and shares what is sure to be great news with family and friends only to find out that another offer was accepted and the property is no longer available.

Avoiding ‘Woulda, Coulda, Shoulda’
There’s a simple and secure way to avoid this potential mistake that many savvy buyers take advantage of. When our buyers make an offer on a property we include a contingent period in the purchase contract that is usually 17 days. If and when the seller accepts the offer, our potential buyer has those 17-days locked in from the accepted offer date to complete due diligence and ultimately move forward or decline.

The due diligence period during escrow is known as the contingent period. Most of our buyers will ask us to order a property inspection, inspect any included inventory (if fully or partially furnished), and receive documents from the HOA for their review during this timeframe. At any time during the contingent period, and for any reason, a buyer can decide to pull the plug without penalty or obligation. The client’s earnest money deposit is returned and he/she is free to move on to another property.

While we don’t encourage offers on just any property, if we find a property that feels right, fits your budget and looks like a great value, consider making an offer ASAP to avoid kicking yourself later on. The property that looks best to you usually looks just right to other buyers too!

From Sheri Dettman
In Buying - Info For Buyers, Buying – Info For Canadian Buyers, Sheri's Palm Springs Area Blog
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