Full Moon Snowshoe Hike, Sugar Pine Point Park, Tahoma, California, February 4, 2012

February 2, 2012 By Laura Allen, Broker Associate, Tahoe Real Estate Agent, CA RE 01473598 | 530-414-1260

Full Moon Snowshoe Hike, Sugar Pine Point Park, Tahoma, California, February 4, 2012

Lake Tahoe has snow, and on Saturday, February 4, 2012, there will be a full moon snowshoe hike at Sugar Pine Point Park in Tahoma, California.

This is a great way to experience winter at Lake Tahoe. The Snowshoe hike takes place at the Ed Z’berg Sugar Pine Point California State Park on the lakeside (Day Use Area) of the park. Tour includes hiking around the Hellman-Ehrman Mansion and other historic areas in the park.

If you’ve never been on a snowshoe hike and have always wanted to try this fun sport, this is a great way to get started. See the West Shore of Lake Tahoe by moonlight!

This is a guided tour by park rangers. There will be a beginner’s snowshoe clinic at 6:30 p.m. sponsored by West Shore Sports. The full moon hike begins at 7 p.m. and will last approximately 1 ½ hours. Dress warmly with layered clothing, gloves, wear waterproof shoes, and bring a flashlight.

The cost is $20 for adults and $5 for children. The fee does include snowshoe rentals from West Shore Sports and parking. Space is limited and reservations are required by calling 530.525.9920.

Full Moon Snowshoe Hike, Sugar Pine Point Park, Tahoma, California, February 4, 2012, 6:30 p.m. Beginners Clinic, 7:00 p.m. Snowshoe Hike. Reservations: 530.525.9920

Ready to make Tahoma your second home? Check out what is for sale here:

For all of your Tahoe real estate needs –

Laura A. Allen | 530.414.1260 | Laura@TahoeLaura.com
BROKER ASSOCIATE, Tahoe Real Estate Agent
CalRE# 01473598
Coldwell Banker, Tahoe City, CA CalRE#01908304

All information is deemed reliable, but is subject to change, and/or correction without notice.

Full Moon Snowshoe Hike, Sugar Pine Point Park, Tahoma, California, February 4, 2012

Northstar (Truckee), California Homes Real Estate Market Report – Year End Review 2011

January 30, 2012 By Laura Allen, Broker Associate, Tahoe Real Estate Agent, CA RE 01473598 | 530-414-1260

Northstar (Truckee), California Homes Real Estate Market Report – Year End Review 2011

The Northstar neighborhood of Truckee is located approximately six (6) miles south downtown historic Truckee, California, or six and one-half (6.5) miles north of Kings Beach, Lake Tahoe, California.

The Northstar neighborhood is a premium ski resort location. This resort area is very desirable for many reasons. Property owners find the close proximity to the Ritz Carlton at Tahoe resort and the Village at Northstar, with all of its amenities such as shopping, restaurants, ski lifts, ice skating, and the special events that the Northstar organizers put on a real plus.

They also find the close proximity to Truckee, California and Lake Tahoe recreational activities such as boating, hiking, biking, tennis, golf, skiing, shopping, and restaurants makes the Northstar area a great community to live in.

In addition to all of the great area amenities that the region offers, the Northstar property owners also have access to the Northstar home owners club, which includes a seasonal swimming pool, and tennis courts, and the area has a golf course in the community.

The Northstar area is known for its easy year-around access, the larger lot sizes, and the nice wide streets. It’s an easy neighborhood to get to on a year-around basis, and winter vacation rentals in the area are very desirable.

The Northstar neighborhood has some smaller, older Tahoe cabins and homes, but the area also has a nice selection of larger, newer, luxury mountain homes. Northstar has approximately 569 parcels. Some of the properties are ski-in and ski-out. Many are golf course properties that back to the Northstar 18-hole golf course. Some have a view of Martis Valley, and lastly all have access to the Northstar shuttle bus system which makes getting to everything east. Check out some of the fun in this video at Northstar:

Northstar (Truckee), Lake Tahoe, California – Sold Single Family Homes:

The Northstar (Truckee), Lake Tahoe, California ski resort area single family home prices have dropped -34% since 2006, reflecting the overall decline and market correction that seems to have hit most markets.

Second home buyers have taken advantage of this price correction in 2011, which is seen in the increase in home sales volume, which is up 61% over 2010 volume sales.

Cash sale transactions were at 48% of the Northstar home market, which is above the regional average of 35%, again showing us that investors found value in this market and a good place to invest their dollars.

The current absorption rate for the Northstar neighborhood is at 8.7 months. Anything above 7 months of inventory is considered a Buyers’ market. Getting an absorption rate below 7 months is the first step to turning around a declining market is reducing the current inventory.

Distress sales (bank foreclosures- real estate owned (REO’s) and short sales) accounted for 17% of all homes sold in 2011, which is a slight decrease over last year. While most sellers are not distressed sellers, having REO’s or short sales in their neighborhood puts pricing pressure on regular sellers as these distressed sales are helping to set the sales price for all sellers in a neighborhood. The second step to turning a declining market around is to work through the short sales and foreclosures.

There were 23 Active – available homes for sale in the Northstar area as of 01/29/2012. They ranged in price from $485,500 to $3,250,000. Of the 23 homes offered for sale there were no bank foreclosures zero (0) REO listings, but two (2) short sales, which made up making up 9% of the available inventory. There are five (5) pending sales in this exclusive vacation-resort second home market ranging in listed price from $419,950 to $1,165,000, one of these sales is an REO listing.

See all Northstar (Truckee), California mountain homes and cabins for sale here.

See all Northstar (Truckee), California condos and townhouses for sale here.

There may not be short sales or Bank Foreclosures (REO’s) for sale at this time. If there are not current listings, and you’d like to know when a new listing does come on the market, call Laura 530-414-1260 to see if there are any properties for sale that fit this classification.

Northstar (Truckee), Lake Tahoe, California,

Real Estate Summary for Sold Single Family Homes

Year	Homes Sold	Median Average Sales Price	Lowest Price Sold	Highest Price Sold	% Cash Transactions	Absorption Rate < 5 months Sellers Mkt 5-7 months balanced >7 months Buyers’ Mkt	% Distressed Sales	Breakdown of distressed Sales
2011*	29	$765,000	$452,500	$3,200,000	48%	8.7 months Buyers’ Market	17%	4 REO’s 1 Short Sales
2010	18	$1,454,250	$396,000	$3,000,000	44%	NA	21%	1 REO’s 3 Short Sale
2009	20	$937,500	$585,000	$2,950,000	50%	NA	5%	0 REO’s 1 Short Sales
2008	11	$1,195,000	$699,000	$5,500,000	54%	NA	0%	0 REO’s 0 Short Sales
2007	21	$1,210,000	$785,000	$5,050,000	38%	NA	0%	0 REO’s 0 Short Sales
2006	18	$1,162,500	$935,000	$2,399,000	33%	NA	0%	0REO’s 0 Short Sales

*YTD period is 01/01/2011 – 12/31/2011. Absorption rate is based on 30 day period as of 01/29/2012.

If you’re thinking of selling and would like to get a current market valuation for your Tahoe property, click here.

Note: Year-to-date summaries are based on information from the Tahoe Sierra Board of Realtors (TSMLS). Due to TSMLS reporting methods and allowable reporting policy, this data is only informational and may not be completely accurate. Therefore, Laura Allen, or Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage does not guarantee the data’s accuracy. Data maintained by the TMLS’s may not reflect all real estate activity in the market. All information is deemed to be reliable, but is subject to change and/or correction without prior notice. Data Source – Tahoe Sierra Multiple Listing Service (TSMLS). If your property is currently listed for sale, or you have an active Buyer Representation Agreement, this is not intended as a solicitation.

For all of your Tahoe real estate needs –

Laura A. Allen | 530.414.1260 | Laura@TahoeLaura.com
BROKER ASSOCIATE, Tahoe Real Estate Agent
CalRE# 01473598
Coldwell Banker, Tahoe City, CA CalRE#01908304

All information is deemed reliable, but is subject to change, and/or correction without notice.

Northstar (Truckee), California Homes Real Estate Market Report – Year End Review 2011

Short Sales in Lake Tahoe, California – Short Sale Buyer Tips

January 26, 2012 By Laura Allen, Broker Associate, Tahoe Real Estate Agent, CA RE 01473598 | 530-414-1260

Short Sales in Lake Tahoe, California – Short Sale Buyer Tips

Everyone wants a deal these days, and one way to do that is to buy a short sale, or bank foreclosure (REO – Real Estate Owned ) home, or condo in Lake Tahoe, California.

So here are some Quick Facts and Short Sale Buyer Tips for you.

North Shore, Tahoe City, West Shore, Lake Tahoe California (TSMLS Areas 1-5) Homes Sold in 2011:

Total Homes Sold – 257

Short Sales Homes – 34 (13%)

REO (Bank Foreclosures) Homes – 39 (15%)

Total Short Sale and REO Sales for Homes Sold in 2011 were 73, or 28% of the homes sold were distressed sales. That works out to 1 out of every 4 homes sold last year.

Short sale listings in the Lake Tahoe area (TSMLS Areas 1-5) that were listed in 2011 had a 67% closure rate with the first accepted offer.

Short Sale Buyer Tip #1: Be the First Accepted Offer. There is an advantage to being the first buyer that can work out a deal with the short sale seller. Working with a local Tahoe REALTOR® that has short sale experience can help you figure out the right negotiation strategy for you.

Short Sale Buyer Tip #2: Know the Fair Market Value (FMV) of the property. It doesn’t matter what the listed price is on a short sale home. The listed price may be too high, or too low. It’s all about Fair Market Value (FMV).

The short sale lender is all about their policies and procedures, which means the sales price needs to be close to the FMV. Contrary to popular opinion, this isn’t a game of negotiating with the lender on price, or playing the percentages based on a book you’ve read, or a seminar you’ve been to. Real estate is a local market, and you have to know where that market is at so you can present an offer that will appraise for that property.

An experienced short sale Buyers’ Agent understands how FMV is established in the Tahoe market and how the short sale process works. They can help you step-by-step. Knowing how a Broker Price Opinion (BPO), or how an appraiser will view comps in the area is important to understanding where the FMV will potentially be for a short sale property. The FMV is a critical step in getting a great deal, and getting the lender to agree to participate in the sale.

Short Sale Buyer Tip #3: Short Sale Listings with more than one loan – Talk to your REALTOR®. If there is more than one loan involved in the short sale, talk to your REALTOR® as to what to expect and what type of negotiation you will need to do. The pricing process can be different when there is more than one lender involved.

Short Sale Buyer Tip #4: Only focus on “Active” short sale listings – skip over “Active Contingent” listings. “Active Contingent” status means the short sale seller has already accepted another buyers offer, but the lender hasn’t given their approval to participate in the short sale. With only a 33% cancellation rate, your time will be better spent on short sale listings that are available.

Short Sale Buyer Tip #5: Be prepared to wait. Once you have an accepted offer, expect the short sale escrow process to take some time. Do check in every week with your agent, and make sure your agent is checking in with the listing agent.

Short Sale Buyer Tip #6: Be prepared to act quickly. The short sale process is all about the seller and the sellers’ lender and accommodating their time schedule and their demands. It may be a buyers’ market, but a short sale is still all about the seller and that’s how you’ll get a great deal if you can play by their rules.

Ready to buy a short sale Lake Tahoe home? Want to know what short sale properties are currently for sale?

Short Sale Lake Tahoe Condos for Sale:

Short Sale Lake Tahoe Homes for Sale:

Not all area may have short sale listings. If none are available the search link will come back with zero results. If you’d like to be notified of new short sale listings in an area, let me know and I will set you up to be notified immediately.

Here is what is currently for sale (all property statuses, not just short sales):

If you’re thinking of selling and would like to get a current market valuation for your Tahoe property, click here.

If you’d like more Lake Tahoe – Truckee, California real estate information, read Tahoe Laura’s Luxury Homes most recent real estate newsletter.

For all of your Tahoe real estate needs –

Laura A. Allen | 530.414.1260 | Laura@TahoeLaura.com
BROKER ASSOCIATE, Tahoe Real Estate Agent
CalRE# 01473598
Coldwell Banker, Tahoe City, CA CalRE#01908304

All information is deemed reliable, but is subject to change, and/or correction without notice.

Short Sale in Lake Tahoe, California – Short Sale Buyer Tips

Meeks Bay, California, West Shore, Lake Tahoe, Real Estate Market Report – Year End Review 2011

January 25, 2012 By Laura Allen, Broker Associate, Tahoe Real Estate Agent, CA RE 01473598 | 530-414-1260

Meeks Bay, California, West Shore, Lake Tahoe, Real Estate Market Report – Year End Review 2011

The Meeks Bay, California area starts approximately 11 miles south of the “Y” in Tahoe City on the West Shore of Lake Tahoe.

The Meeks Bay area is a small, West Shore community that is next to Rubicon Bay just south of Tahoma, California. This neighborhood overlooks both the Meeks Bay and the Rubicon Bay areas of Lake Tahoe.

Meeks Bay is known for their white sandy beaches and those amazing blues, teals, and green colors that make Lake Tahoe so beautiful. Lakefront homes and lake view homes in this area are very desirable and are considered one of Tahoe’s best kept secrets.

The Meeks Bay neighborhood is a mix of smaller, older, Tahoe cabins, along with larger, newer luxury mountain homes. This area has both lake-side and mountain-side subdivisions.

One reason this area is so desirable is the number of non-lakefront, lakeside (homes located on the lakeside of California Highway 89 South) mountain homes and cabins. A lakeside location means that you are short walk to the beach without having to cross the highway.

The upside for mountain homes and cabins on the mountain-side subdivisions are the stunning lake views. Most properties have access to one of the private home owner associations, or they go to the Meeks Bay Resort area for beach and pier access.

This vacation-resort, second home neighborhood is accessible on a year-around basis, even though many owners only use their places here in the summer.

Sold Single Family Homes in the Meeks Bay, California neighborhood West Shore, Lake Tahoe:

In the Meeks Bay area, mountain home and cabin prices averaged $500,000. With only 1 large lakefront estate sale occurring in 2010, it’s hard to make any real trend direction conclusions from 2011 over 2010, but comparing 2011 with 2009, there has been a -27% decline in single family home values in the Meeks Bay area in the past 2 years. The numbers of sales are up this year when compared to 2010 and 2009.

Of the 9 sales that took place in the Meeks Bay area, 3 were lakefronts, ranging in sold price from $975,000, $1,200,000, and $2,400,000. The sale at $975,000 was the least expensive lakefront sale for both the North Shore and the West Shore area this year and the sale at $1,200,000 was the least expensive lakefront sale with a pier this past year.

Cash sale transactions for the Meeks Bay area are up over 2010, and running at the same level as 2009, which is well above the Lake Tahoe – Truckee, California regional trend of 34%.

The current absorption rate for this neighborhood is at 4 months. Anything below 5 months of inventory is considered a Sellers’ market. The absorption rate can change quickly as the absorption rate on 12/03/2011 was 7.5 months, or a Buyers’ market. If the current level of transactions continues, and the absorption rate stays below 5 months, the Meeks Bay area may have put in a bottom.

There were no distress sales (bank foreclosures- real estate owned (REO’s) and short sales) in 2011, which is an improvement over 2009, where 16.7% of all homes and cabins sold were REO sales in this neighborhood.

There were 8 Active – available homes, cabins, and lakefronts for sale in the Meeks Bay, California, West Shore, Lake Tahoe, area as of 01/23/2012. They ranged in price from $650,000 to $3,500,000. Of the 8 homes offered for sale none were REO, or short sale listings, which is a very positive signal for this neighborhood. There are no pending sales in the Meeks Bay, California area as of 01/23/2012.

Thinking about making the Meeks Bay area your second home? Here are the homes for sale in Meeks Bay:

Meeks Bay, California West Shore, Lake Tahoe, California, Real Estate Summary

Sold Single Family Homes

Year	Homes Sold	Median Average Sales Price	Lowest Price Sold	Highest Price Sold	% Cash Transactions	Absorption Rate < 5 months Sellers Mkt 5-7 months balanced Mkt >7 months Buyer’s Mkt	% Distressed Sales	Breakdown of distressed Sales
2011*	9	$500,000	$359,000	$2,400,000 3 Lakefronts	56%	4 Months Sellers’ Market	0%	0 REO’s 0 Short Sales
2010	1	$12,400,000	$12,400,000	$12,400,000 1 Lakefronts	0%	NA	0%	0 REO’s 0 Short Sales
2009	6	$684,500	$510,000	$1,280,000 0 Lakefronts	66.7%	NA	16.7%	1REO 0 Short Sales
2008	3	$2,425,000	$2,350,000	$3,550,000 2 Lakefronts	33%	NA	0%	0 REO 0 Short Sales
2007	2	$2,512,500	$2,350,000	$2,675,000 2 Lakefronts	100%	NA	0%	0 REO 0 Short Sales
2006	0	NA	NA	NA	NA	NA	NA	NA

*YTD period is 01/01/2011 – 12/31/2011. Data Source: Tahoe Sierra Multiple Listing Service. Absorption rate based on 30 day period of time as of 01/23/2012.

Use caution when only a handful of sales are available in a neighborhood. The increase and decrease in the percent changes can be significant. Numbers are easily moved. When reviewing neighborhood data, I recommend reviewing the overall Lake Tahoe, California area, or the entire Lake Tahoe – Truckee Region to confirm market trends and direction, rather than only relying on just the neighborhood sales.

If you’re thinking of selling and would like to get a current market valuation for your Tahoe property, click here.

For all of your Tahoe real estate needs –

Laura A. Allen | 530.414.1260 | Laura@TahoeLaura.com
BROKER ASSOCIATE, Tahoe Real Estate Agent
CalRE# 01473598
Coldwell Banker, Tahoe City, CA CalRE#01908304

All information is deemed reliable, but is subject to change, and/or correction without notice.

Meeks Bay, California, West Shore, Lake Tahoe, Real Estate Market Report – Year End Review 2011

Snow in Lake Tahoe, January 22, 2012 Tahoe City, California

January 23, 2012 By Laura Allen, Broker Associate, Tahoe Real Estate Agent, CA RE 01473598 | 530-414-1260

Snow in Lake Tahoe, January 22, 2012 Tahoe City, California

The January snow drought is over! After weeks of thinking that we’d be getting our big winter storms and then getting nothing; the string of sunny, dry days came to an end.

On Thursday evening, we had a good snow storm, but that was short-lived, as Friday turned out to be a day of heavy rain. It’s hard to imagine just how hard it was raining up here in Tahoe, but our dogs (Irish Wolfhounds) wouldn’t go outside. I also wondered what would happen to our local ski resorts that had made snow. While it may have been snowing at the higher elevations, at the lower elevations, the rain had to be causing problems.On Saturday morning, to my surprise, the rain had turned to snow. On the West Shore of Lake Tahoe we have more than 6 inches of snow and as of Sunday evening, it was still snowing!Hopefully, this is not just another teaser storm, but rather the beginning of a number of winter storms that will hit our area and leave behind a lot of snow. This has to be good news for our local ski resorts and the greater Tahoe area.For those that have been following my blog, you’ll remember my post from earlier this week, where I shared the experience I had at the Olympic Heritage Closing Ceremony where the Eagle Wings Dance Group performed their sacred snow dance, last Sunday, January, 15, 2012. Is this snow a result of their dance? The timing of the two events seems more than just a coincidence. I’d like to think the two are connected, so for now I’m a believer, and I’m enjoying the new snow that’s just outside my front door!

So get out those snow boots, skis, snowshoes, sleds, and anything else that you can use to play in the snow and make your plans to get to Lake Tahoe.

Don’t forget the 31^st Annual Winter Carnival, in Lake Tahoe – SnowFest 2012 will start in just 42 days, so think snow!

Thinking about having your own place here in Tahoe? It’s never been a better time to buy a vacation second home, lakefront, or condo here in the Truckee – Tahoe City area. If you’d like to know what is for sale in the different neighborhoods, click on the links below and you can see and search what is currently available for sale.

Lake Tahoe, California Lakefronts homes for sale

North Shore, Lake Tahoe, California homes for sale

West Shore, Lake Tahoe, California homes for sale

Tahoe City, California homes for sale

For all of your Tahoe real estate needs –

Laura A. Allen | 530.414.1260 | Laura@TahoeLaura.com
BROKER ASSOCIATE, Tahoe Real Estate Agent
CalRE# 01473598
Coldwell Banker, Tahoe City, CA CalRE#01908304

All information is deemed reliable, but is subject to change, and/or correction without notice.

Snow in Lake Tahoe, January 22, 2012 Tahoe City, California