Lake Tahoe - Truckee, CA Real Estate for Sale

Tahoe Real Estate

What does it mean Furnishings Negotiable in the Tahoe Market?

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What does it mean Furnishings Negotiable in the Tahoe Market?

What does it mean Furnishings Negotiable in the Tahoe Market?Tahoe Buyers often asked me what does it mean Furnishings Negotiable in the Tahoe Market?

The greater Tahoe City, North Lake Tahoe, and Truckee area is dominated by second home owners.  As a result you will often find our home and condo listings that are for sale as Negotiable, Partially, or Mostly Furnished.

They will appear in our Tahoe Sierra Multiple Listing Service (TSMLS) as one of the following:

  • Furnished | Mostly Furnished
  • Furnished | Partially Furnished
  • Furnished | Negotiable
  • Furnished | None

What does it mean Furnishings Negotiable in the Tahoe Market?What does this mean as a buyer?  It means that you are more likely to find a Tahoe Seller that wants to include some, if not all furnishings in the sale of there property.

Last year in 2016 for the greater North Lake Tahoe – Truckee area we had over 56% (Mostly, Partially and Negotiable), or 1 out of every 2 homes sold in our area was offered with either furnishings, or the seller was negotiable on the item of furnishings!  Here was the break-down in sales:

  • 16% Mostly Furnished
  • 5% Partially Furnished
  • 35% Negotiable
  • 44% None (Not Furnished)

If you are looking to buy a home in the greater Tahoe City area – North Shore (Carnelian Bay, Tahoe Vista, and Kings Beach), and the West Shore (Homewood, Tahoma, Meeks Bay and Rubicon Bay) and you want it to come with furnishing, your chances are even better.

Homes sold in this area in 2016 were over 65%! Here was the break-down of sales:

  • 20% Mostly Furnished
  • 11% Partially Furnished
  • 34% Negotiable
  • 35% None (Not Furnished)

Some Tahoe Sellers may go as far as to offer their property as “Turn-Key” ready because the property may have been on a vacation rental program and they have little to no attachment to any of the items on the property, or the just don’t want the additional items.

  • What does “Turn-Key” ready mean? It means that everything will be left behind for the new owner.  Dishes, pots, pans, small appliances, large appliances, towels, bed linens, TV’s, furniture, deck furniture, even cleaning supplies, snow shovels, and toilet paper.

The seller will leave behind everything that was in/on the property for the next owner so the Buyer/new owner will literally turn the key in the door and walk-into a property that you can live in on your first night in your property without moving an item!

  • “Mostly Furnished” can mean “Turn-Key” ready, or it can mean just the furniture, or perhaps just a few items are excluded. Your Tahoe Agent will need to ask, what is intended by the Seller so you’ll know how to best position your offer.
  • “Partially Furnished” typically means just furniture and not a complete house-hold. The seller may have already moved the items they wanted leaving only a few items, or they may have a list of items they are willing to leave for the Buyer.
  • “Negotiable” now that can mean anything. Often local listing agents will list the property with furnishings as “Negotiable” knowing that the home may be “Turn-Key” ready, fully furnished with no exclusions, to only including just a few items to be agreed upon by the Buyer and Seller as staying.

The main reason for Sellers/Sellers’ Agent to note a property with Furnishings as “Negotiable” rather than using one of the other three options is to avoid potential problems with appraisers and/or a Buyer that may be getting a loan.

What does it mean Furnishings Negotiable in the Tahoe Market?It is also a way for the Sellers to have more control over how the inclusion of furnishings are handled – part of the contract, or in a separate Bill of Sale.

As a Tahoe City – Truckee real estate agent, when I prepare to show homes for my second home Buyers I contact each Sellers’ agent and ask them a number of questions about the property.  One of those questions is to get as much information on how the Seller intends to handle furnishings as some second home buyers want them, while others don’t.

Buyer Tip:  Furnishings are negotiable in our market so remember to:

  • Ask for the furnishing if you want them. You can use a separate bill of sale to address the items if you are getting a loan, or you can ask for them directly in the purchase contract if you are a cash buyer.
  • If you don’t want any furnishings, be sure to let your agent know so your offer doesn’t accidently include them.
  • Room-by-Room List: If you want to make sure there are no misunderstandings between you and the other side of the negotiation, you can prepare a room-by-room list of what you want and anything not on that list will be removed.  The best time to do that is when you are looking at the home, take photos and make up your list at that time.
  • Allow the Seller to provide you with a written list of any personal/excluded items with in the first seven days after acceptance. It’s a nice way to make sure a piece of art, or an item that has sentimental value isn’t accidently included with the sale.

Buying a home with furnishing can be a big convenience for both Buyers and Sellers, so make sure you don’t over-look this important item when it comes time to buy in the greater Tahoe City – Truckee second home market!

If you have more Tahoe second home buyer questions, you can email me at Laura@TahoeLaura.com, or call me 530.414.1260, I can help you too!

Thinking about making Lake Tahoe, California your second home? Check out the homes that are for sale here:

Want to see what condos are for sale in Lake Tahoe? Here are the current listings:

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.

What does it mean Furnishings Negotiable in the Tahoe Market?

North Lake Tahoe – Truckee Real Estate May 2017

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North Lake Tahoe – Truckee Real Estate May 2017

It’s been a historic winter, with record breaking snow storms, and with over 700 inches of total snow reported at Squaw Valley (North Lake Tahoe – Truckee area), the winter of 2017 was epic!

Like many of my Tahoe City – Truckee area buyers, you’ve been on the side-lines for several months waiting for the snow to melt enough so you can find the right property to buy and now is the time to re-start your searches.

For most of you, warmer weather has been with you for some time, but here in the North Lake Tahoe – Truckee area, we are still melting out and our spring flowers are just blooming.  Today our temperatures were in the mid 60’s,with a lot of sunshine and blues skies.  It finally feels like our seasons have really changed!

We’ve had enough snow melt that we can now inspect the roofs, decks, and get a better feel for the properties that are for sale!  It’s also time to get those bikes out and take a nice long walk (with out snowshoes : )).

When everything is said and done, you’ll now find Lake Tahoe has filled up, there are no dry-docks or piers out of water, and the California drought is quickly becoming a distant memory.

I had clients that were ready to buy and sell in January February, March and April, and it’s been a very busy few months, but I’ll admit, it was tough working around the snow piles, storms, and power outages!

It was hard to keep up with everything, and while I have really enjoyed helping my Tahoe Second home buyers and sellers (yes, we’ve had a lot of real estate activity despite the weather), I just dropped the ball on my local Lake Tahoe – Truckee real estate blog, but I’m back!

What can I say, other than my time management plan when out the door on the extra time needed for the extra work our winter weather and storms brought to the area.

We’ve gone from this

to this!

Now that the huge snow piles have really begun to shrink, and melt away, along with visible signs of the bike path re-appearing on the West Shore, I’m getting back on my old schedule and you’ll start to see regular blog posts on my websites again!

If there are real estate topics you’d like to address and provide more information on, email at Laura@TahoeLaura.com , or call me at 530.414.1260 and I’ll do my best to work those suggested topics into my upcoming calendar of Lake Tahoe activities, events, and real estate topics!

Things to look forward to as we move to into our next season:

  • Farmers’ Markets – Tahoe City and Truckee
  • Free outdoor music concerts:
    • Tuesdays | Bluesdays – Village at Squaw Valley|
    • Tuesdays | Gray’s Crossing Live Music Series
    • Thursdays | Truckee Thursdays
    • Fridays | Kings Beach
    • Sundays | Tahoe City
  • Wine and Beer Tasting Events, Fundraisers, and local festivals and fairs
  • Free Outdoor Movies:
    • Wednesdays | Commons Beach in Downtown Tahoe City
    • Thursdays |  Village at Squaw Valley

Not to mention the Annual Tahoe City Downtown Wine Walk in Tahoe City, Truckee, Tahoe City and Kings Beach June, 4th of July events, Labor Day fireworks in Carnelian Bay, and the Annual Truckee Wine Walk closing out the season in October!

The North Lake Tahoe – Truckee area has so much to do, and with so many fun events to attend over the next few months, it will be hard to do it all, but it will be fun to try!

Thinking about making Lake Tahoe, California your second home? Check out the homes that are for sale here:

Want to see what condos are for sale in Lake Tahoe? Here are the current listings:

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.

North Lake Tahoe – Truckee Real Estate Blog May 2017

What is a Gambrel style home in Lake Tahoe?

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What is a Gambrel style home in Lake Tahoe?

What is a Gambrel style home in Lake Tahoe?There are many different types of mountain home and cabin styles and designs in the Lake Tahoe area.

One mountain cabin home style design that was very popular in Lake Tahoe in the 1960’s, 1970’s and even into the early 1980’s was the Gambrel.

Modified A-Frame (Gambrel) Homes for Sale in North Lake Tahoe

Modified A-Frame (Gambrel) Homes for Sale in Truckee

A traditional Gambrel style home typically features a gambrel roof, which is commonly found on barns.

In Lake Tahoe you will find both Gambrel style mountain homes, and modified Gambrel style homes.

A modified Gambrel style home in Lake Tahoe is where the top of the roof is flat, not pitched and that is why it is known as a modified Gambrel style home in our area.

What is a Gambrel style home in Lake Tahoe?Locally, in the Lake Tahoe area many refer to the modified Gambrel style home as a modified A-Frame style home, as the shape is very similar to an A-Frame, but the top of the A has been cut off and the top of the roof is flat.

Like A-Frame homes the walls are slanted, and the interior style is very mountain-like with wood ceilings, and often wood, or paneled walls.

The Gambrel style home in Lake Tahoe offers a good use of space.

Almost all Gambrel style homes are two-levels, often offering an open, great room floor plan with a vaulted ceiling area in the living room, along with a wall of large windows at the front of the home.

In addition to being a two-level building, the floor plan also offered an open loft area that over-looked the living room space, along with more bedrooms on the second level making the most of the space.

Most Gambrel style homes have fireplaces in them and with the living room, dining and kitchen areas all located on the main level.

Along with the living area, you will most likely find at least one bedroom and bathroom on the ground floor, providing the option of single-floor living for at least one occupant.

In the Lake Tahoe area, you’ll find the Gambrel style mountain home in almost every neighborhood and you’ll find that this style of home has a lot to offer.

The Gambrel style home in Lake Tahoe is a great option for mountain living and enjoying the Tahoe lifestyle. 

Another popular option to the Modified A-Frame is the A-Frame style home.  Unlike the modified version, the walls of the home come to a point at the top, creating the “A” outline.

Want to see if there are any A-Frame Homes for sale in North Lake Tahoe?

How about the Truckee area?  A-Frame homes for sale in the greater Truckee area:

Thinking about making Lake Tahoe, California your second home? Want more home buying options? Check out all of the homes that are for sale here:

Search all North Lake Tahoe – Truckee Properties (homes, condos, and lots) by Map 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 – Truckee, CA

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

What is a Gambrel style home in Lake Tahoe?

Tahoe Real Estate, Homes Sold, June 2012

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Tahoe Real Estate, Homes Sold, June 2012

West Shore Lake Tahoe View from Talmont, Tahoe City, CAThe greater Lake Tahoe – Truckee region is known for its amazing outdoor lifestyle, quality of life, small town living, and raw beauty.

In the Tahoe real estate market you’ll find tiny, old Tahoe cabins that are nearly 100 years old, along with multi-million dollar luxury lakefront estates, ski-in ski-out luxury mountain homes, lake view and mountain view estates that define the ultimate in mountain luxury living.  You’ll also find bank foreclosures, fixers, and wonderful mountain homes.

Tahoe Homes for Sale:

The Tahoe – Truckee region covers a large area.  This report is made up of many communities including all of the Tahoe City area, Carnelian Bay, Tahoe Vista, Kings Beach, Homewood, Tahoma, North Lake Tahoe, West Lake Tahoe, Alpine Meadows, Olympic Valley, Northstar, Truckee, Glenshire, Tahoe Donner, Soda Springs, the Truckee River corridor, Tahoe Donner Summit area, and the outlying areas that surround the Truckee, California area.   

Tahoe Real Estate Sold Single Family Homes:

In the Tahoe – Truckee, California, lakefronts, mountain homes, and cabin prices averaged $400,000, which is a price decrease of 5.99% from 2011.  We would expect the average median sales price for the rest of the year to move higher as new home listings replaces older listings that have sold, which have been distressed sales.  Since the market peak in 2006, the average median home sales price in the Tahoe – Truckee market dropped -41%. 

Tahoe Real Estate, Homes Sold, June 2012 There were 385 single family homes sold for the first 5 months in 2012.  Of those sales, 11 were lakefronts ranging in sold price from $400,000 to $11 million.  Lakefront sales included Glenshire Pond, Donner Lake, and Lake Tahoe.  Tahoe – Truckee luxury lakefront sales were 3% of the market.  Homes sold up to $499,999 represented 68% of the market, or approximately 2 out of every 3 homes sold.          

Cash sale transactions for Tahoe – Truckee area dropped slightly to 32%, which is approximately 1 out of every 3 homes sold.   

The current absorption rate for Tahoe – Truckee area as of 06/10/2012 is at 8.65 months.  Anything above 7 months of inventory is considered a Buyers’ market, 5-7 months is a balanced market, and below 5 months is a sellers’ market.  If the inventory levels continue to drop, the Tahoe – Truckee market will become a balanced market.        

There were 157 distressed sales (bank foreclosures- real estate owned (REO’s), short sales, and court approval sales), or 41% of the market was a distressed sale for the first five months of 2012.  As of 06/01/2012 only 13% of the active homes available for sale were distressed sellers, which is a significant improvement, and may be signaling a fundamental change in market conditions.  

There were 701 Active – available houses, cabins, and lakefronts for sale in the Tahoe-Truckee region as of 06/10/2012.   Houses, cabins, and lakefront properties ranged in price from $39,900 to $20 million.  Of the 701 houses offered for sale there were 17 REO listings, 75 Short Sales listings, and 2 Court Approval listing, which now only represents 13% of the market as distressed sellers, which is a 28% improvement over the 2012 YTD distressed seller rate of 41%.  There were 140 pending sales in the Tahoe – Truckee region ranging in listed price from $43,000 to $3,149,000 as of 06/10/2012.

Given the tight housing inventory situation for the Tahoe-Truckee region, and the significant reduction in distressed sellers, the next step for the Tahoe – Truckee market will be price stabilization and price improvement.

Tahoe Real Estate Sold Homes Summary:

 

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

2012*

385

$400,000

$47,500

$11,000,000

32%

8.65 Months

Buyers’ Market

41%

80  REO’s

74 Short Sales

3 Trustee Sales

2011

964

$425,500

$9,900

$6,450,00

35%

NA

32%

3 Court Approval

167  REO’s

142 Short Sales

2010

866

$461,074

$37,000

$12,400,000

31%

NA

30%

5 Court Approval

151 REO’s

108 Short Sale

2009

792

$510,000

$33,000

$6,288,000

29%

NA

20%

2 Court Approval 128 REO’s

87 Short Sales

 

2008

665

$590,000

$40,000

$20,000,000

21%

NA

0%

8 REO’s

0 Short Sales

2007

715

$645,000

$145,400

$12,400,000

17%

NA

0%

0 REO’s

0 Short Sales

2006

807

$680,000

$107,500

$16,700,000

15%

NA

0%

0 REO’s

0 Short Sales

*YTD period is 01/01/2012 – 05/31/2012.  Absorption rate as of 06/10/2012.  Data Source:  Tahoe Sierra Multiple Listing Service (TSMLS) and is subject to change and/or correction without notice.

Thinking about making Tahoe City, California your second home? Check out the homes that are for sale in Tahoe City here:

Want to see what condos are for sale in Tahoe City? Here are the current listings:

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.

Tahoe Real Estate, Homes Sold June 2012 

Tahoe Real Estate: What determines the value of a Lakefront Property?

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Tahoe Real Estate: What determines Lakefront Property Value?

West Lake Tahoe LakefrontIn every market there are always those properties that people always say “If I had the money….”  In the Tahoe market that comment is almost always said about a Tahoe lakefront property. 

Even in the most elite group of Tahoe lakefront properties some are more desirable than others.  A common question I’m asked by Tahoe home buyers is “What factors create a Tahoe Lakefront Propertys’ Value?” 

Tahoe Real Estate: What determines the value of a Lakefront Property?  

Here are some of the lakefront/waterfront features that help determine the value of a Tahoe lakefront property:

Condition of the House – A luxury lakefront house will always add value over the tear-down, smaller, older Tahoe home that needs a lot of work and is lacking the new-home finishing features and details Lake Tahoe home buyers are looking to buy.

Lakefront footage:  How many feet of Lake Tahoe shoreline come with the property?  A property with only 25’ of Lake Tahoe frontage most likely will not be as valuable as one with 150’.  Lakefront footage can often determine what lakefront amenities (permitted) a property owner can have on it. 

Caution: Some Tahoe properties appear to be lakefront in their setting when in fact they are not.  Often these lakefront appearing properties front a paper street (a public street that was never developed)/public land. 

These properties have the lakefront setting, but are often not entitled to the lakefront amenities that a true lakefront owner can have and are known as “Beachfront Homes”.   

Size of the lot:  Size does matter.  In the Tahoe market, the size of a lot can have a significant impact on how big of a home can be on the property.  A smaller 0.25 acre lot most likely will not be as valuable as a 1.5 acre lot, or a 7 acre estate.

Location:  Location, location, location will always influence value!  A large, one-of-a-kind lakefront estate with acreage compared to a lakefront home on the main road can mean the difference in tens of millions of dollars. 

West Shore or North Shore:  Do you want to be on the North Shore of Lake Tahoe, or the West Shore of Lake Tahoe?  Does the driving distance to the local ski resorts matter to you? 

Where you want to be is the place to be, but an experienced Tahoe real estate agent knows what neighborhoods carry that extra market premium and which ones do not.  They also know that if you want to ski at Northstar being located down on the West Shore is probably not the best match for you.  

West Lake Tahoe Lakefront PierDistance to the Shoreline of Lake Tahoe – Some Lake Tahoe lakefronts are perched on a cliff-like setting with a number of steps to get down to the beach/lake area.  Depending on the buyers’ preference, properties with fewer steps to Lake Tahoe tend to carry a market premium.

Shallow or Deep Water – Depending on the location of the property, some Lake Tahoe piers will become dry-docks in low-water years.  A deep water pier offers the best opportunity for continued use despite lake water levels.  This feature adds value.

Lakefront Amenities – Pier & Buoys:  A Tahoe lakefront property that has an existing pier, private pier, shared pier, buoy(s), boathouse, lifts/hoists, or swim platform that have been permitted with California State Lands and the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency (TRPA) will add significant value to the property. Each one of these features, or not having them, can add, or take value away significant value from a lakefront property.

Determining the value of a Tahoe lakefront property is a combination of key property features, lakefront home condition, waterfront amenities, along with the location, current market demand, and current market conditions.    

The value of a Tahoe Lakefront property is more than just the condition of the house it is a combination of many important factors.

Check out what lakefront properties are for sale here:

 

Need more help in trying to figure out your Lake Tahoe – Truckee home/condo buying options? 

Do you want to learn more about the different neighborhoods, locations, developments and their amenities, HOA fees and the ones that will best meet your needs? 

Call me at 530.414.1260 and I can help you find the right place to buy!

Overview and summary completed by:
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.
Buyers and Sellers should investigate and verify all information to their own satisfaction.

Tahoe Real Estate: What determines Lakefront Property Value?