Here are some great tips to help you save money to purchase some real estate!
For most first-time buyers, a 20 percent down payment is daunting. A home worth $400,000 translates to an $80,000 down payment. For example, those searching Rancho Mirage real estate properties for a three bedroom home could be looking at much more than that. However, keep in mind that the advantage of making a sizeable down payment is that you’ll have instant equity in your home.
For first-time buyers, there are several things you can do to increase the resources available to you. Many short sale realtors work with buyers who borrow against their 401k investment funds to help finance a new home purchase. In addition, some IRA accounts offer a provision for withdrawals for buyers purchasing their first home. Check with your bank or money manager to find out if either of these options might work for you.
If you are currently saving money for that down payment on your dream home, make sure that you’re getting the most bang for your buck. This means putting your money in a high-yield account, such as a money market account. You can also invest your savings into a certificate of deposit (CD), though it may offer less flexibility and liquidity. Look for a high APY and do what you think will be reasonable for your lifestyle in terms of saving and not being able to access those funds without penalty.
Whether you’re searching for Indio real estate properties, another area in the Palm Springs Valley or an entirely different region, it’s important to educate yourself on the best ways to invest your money and how to get the best price on your dream house. Good luck on this life-changing step!
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Indian Wells has so many resident amenities!
Indian Wells Country Club, located in the center of our Palm Springs Valley, is one of our more established country clubs. The entry is right off of 111, HOA’s are low, and there are several gated and non-gated areas within the country club that feature special amenities and architectural styles..such as Manitou Springs.
What they say
“There’s a warm feeling here,” said Dick Hedwall, 81.
Hedwall has lived in the neighborhood for 18 years. Prior to that he was a part-time Rancho Mirage resident.
“We were originally looking in the same area as our old home, but this area immediately became a desirable spot for us,” Hedwall said of Manitou Springs.
The community is self-contained, quiet and very friendly, and the beauty of the night lit mountains is hard to imagine until you’ve seen them! Gorgeous!
Features
The community is small and not gated. There are no homeowner’s association amenities, but the homes have private pools.
As with all Indian Wells residents, Manitou Springs residents receive discounts at city golf courses, resorts and reduced ticket prices for the Living Desert and the Indian Wells Tennis Garden.
Residents also have access to the fitness center at the Hyatt Regency Resort and Spa.
Background
Development of homes in the neighborhood began in the 1960s.
There has been consistent new construction and remodeling of existing homes since.
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Land and Ranches..now’s the time to List!
It just may be the BEST time to list your vacant land, farm or ranch in the Coachella Valley. Thermal, Coachella, Indio, Vista Santa Rosa..the entire East Valley is SELLING! Now, don’t get too excited..the price/acre is nowhere near where it was during the “boom”, but we haven’t seen much land move at all for the past 3 years. But things are starting to pop in our Eastern Palm Springs Valley.
The past 6 months have seen as many parcels SOLD! From small parcels, with and without wells, commercially zoned land way out next to the Kohl Ranch Project, and medium sized farms..there are buyers hovering around. Equestrian zoning is often requested, wells are fantastic, some improvements such as fencing, irrigation and perhaps barns are really increase the price/acre.
Vista Santa Rosa and Thermal land price/acre is settling at approx. $22-30,000/acre. I know that’s still a little depressing for you land owners if you were still remembering the $150-$250,000/acre that land was bringing when the developers were building and building out here! But..at least we know what it’s worth, right? Kind of similar to the low end housing market that had to keep dropping until it hit that “sweet spot” that Buyers were waiting for. Then the decrease stopped..and in fact it’s increased! I suspect our Land is doing just that now
Thinking of listing your land, ranch or equestrian property? Don’t wait too long..season is here!
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Bermuda Dunes is home to some legendary golfing as well as gorgeous real estate!
Another element that makes the area so exciting to prospective buyers of Palm Desert real estate and Palm Springs homes for sale is that world famous celebrities including Clark Gable, NFL running back Casey Merrill and Arnold Palmer have all lived at Bermuda Dunes. The course also attracts a substantial number of professional players from around the world who travel there to enjoy the rolling fairways every year.
In addition to the gorgeous views of fresh water lakes and the San Jacinto Mountains, Bermuda Dunes golf club also distinguishes itself as a “classic” style course, with 27 holes of championship golf available for play and an innovative tee sheet system that ensures you can always get a tee time.
This stunning area boasts miles of riding trails and equestrian friendly areas, as well as lots of opportunities for tennis, swimming, hiking and biking. With 10 other golf clubs and communities within the five mile radius, Bermuda Dunes real estate and properties in the surrounding region offer the perfect sanctuary for golfers and outdoor lovers.
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Making sure your house is neat and tidy is a great step to getting it sold!
Every real estate agent or short sale Realtor will tell you that when they give tours of properties, potential buyers love to open every cabinet, drawer and closet that they can. Naturally, they want to see what kind of space they may be working with if they do purchase the home, but you can also chalk some of that inclination up to good old curiosity. Make sure that everything is clean and organized—you want to convey the image that every single thing in the house has been well taken care of, from little things like drawers to the big things like rooftops and plumbing.
Ways to organize your cabinets is to ensure all dishes are stacked neatly and with their matching accessories, turn the handles on coffee cups the same way, and put any mismatches at the very top, as far out of sight as possible. In your closet, hang like colors and items together and turn hangers to face the same direction. One short sale realtor gave us a great tip—try SlimLine hangers to maximize space in the closet. They’re flocked so that clothing stays in place and their slim design improves the overall aesthetic of the closet—plus, everyone knows that extra room is key. Get racks to organize your shoes and a laundry sorter that is out of view so that potential buyers aren’t looking at your laundry.
Employ these types of tactics in every area of your house and you’ll be well on the way to selling your property!
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The Movie Colony is home to some great historic Palm Springs homes for sale!
Likewise, when owners list Palm Springs homes for sale, often times, they are thrilled to discover that the neighborhood itself boosts their asking price. Studies have shown that home values rise significantly in historic districts, from between 5 and 30 percent per decade. While the posh areas of Coachella Valley offer a wide-ranging selection, from modern options in Palm Desert and La Quinta real estate properties to the country club vibe found in Indian Wells real estate, some find that living in a neighborhood where Marilyn Monroe, Frank Sinatra or Cary Grant once resided holds a special allure.
When a neighborhood is designated as historic, it help ensure that your real estate investment will be protected over time, as there are explicit design limits on demolitions and exterior remodeling that doesn’t fit in with the character of the neighborhood. The goal of the historic designation is to foster an improved image of the community; this extends to protecting the area against specific threats of development that are not in line with this image, while encouraging reinvestment and development that is cohesive with the community as a whole.
When there is reinvestment and positive development in any area, whether it’s among Indian Wells real estate or a historic neighborhood in Palm Springs, this can only have a positive effect on the cumulative value of the properties in the area. So while you may not be searching for a historic designation, make sure to assess the neighborhood as a whole when you’re buying a new property.
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Indio is home to some truly luxury real estate like this!
Another attractive feature of Indio real estate is its proximity to the other dynamic cities of the Coachella Valley: Palm Springs, Palm Desert, Rancho Mirage, La Quinta, Indian Wells and Desert Hot Springs. The charming, sometimes sleepy town is known as the “City of Festivals,” as hundreds of thousands of visitors are exposed to Indio each year, not simply due to its proximity to the extremely popular Coachella and Stagecoach festivals, but for its own diverse slate of events. The International Tamale Festival takes place in Old Town Indio, which includes a parade, carnival and folkloric dancing, is ranked as one of the top 10 “All-American Food Festivals” in the country by the Food Network.
The fully lighted Indio Municipal Golf Course, which offers one of the longest par 3 courses in the country, ranging from 120 to 240 yards, also hosts the Coachella Valley Drive, Chip and Putt Contest, a free event where children ages 7-14, regardless of their skill level, can compete in a fun series of events that helps develop their golf skills. The Empire Polo & Wine Festival offers the perfect blend of sophistication and excitement by pairing world-class with samples of wine from Temecula Valley wineries. There is literally something for everyone in this diverse, growing town.
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The famed Rat Pack loved Palm Springs!
Palm Springs will always be a part of iconic Hollywood—to this day both locals and tourists marvel at the architectural mystique of some of the gorgeous celebrity homes and the historical flavor of some of the town’s hotspots and landmarks, such as the Palm Springs Walk of Stars, the Elvis Honeymoon Hideaway and places that the Rat Pack used to frequent.
Whether you take an organized tour or catch some glimpses while perusing Palm Springs homes for sale, there are plenty of celebrity abodes to be amazed by. Those searching for Rancho Mirage Real Estate often want to get a good look at Frank Sinatra’s lavish property at the base of Tamarisk Country Club. The 8,000 square foot main residence and 4500 square foot guest quarters are flanked by trains that appear both inside and outside the property, a result of Sinatra’s fascination with train cars. Inside there is a barber salon, as well as specially commissioned portraits of many of Sinatra’s cohorts, from Dean Martin and Sammy Davis Jr., to Ronald Reagan, Eva Gabor and Marilyn Monroe.
Once finished looking at Rancho Mirage Real Estate and Sinatra’s home, many are inspired to get a look at Dean Martin’s midcentury modern home. It was one of the last masterpieces created by the renowned father and son architectural team, George and Robert Alexander, who passed away in a plane crash, soon after Martin purchased this gem of a property.
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..still waiting to sell our house…
Listing Agents here in the Palm Springs Valley of California are everywhere! How do you know what to look for when you decide to sell your property? It’s not that difficult to put together a “blow your skirt up” listing presenttion. That simply requires time. It’s much more difficult to put together experience, references, and of course trust.
1. Is your Listing Agent hungry? Some Agents have so many listings that they simply cannot focus enough attention on YOUR property! Other Agents with many listings have a staff set up to manage them, but how badly do they want to sell YOUR property?
2. Does your Listing Agent use the Web? Seriously use the web? Paper ads in the newspaper and Real Estate mags are a supplementary advertisement to their exposure on the web. Where is their Website ranking? Where is their brokerage website ranking?
3. How long has your Agent sold homes in your City? There are so many different developments in each City that you wouldn’t expect an Agent to have sold in all of them. But selling in your particular part of the Valley is pretty important.
The onsite offices are not necessarily the best choice for the Agent to sell your home. They can become pretty laid back about marketing..expecting buyers to walk in. You may very well garner more exposure with an Agent that works the entire City because of their internet precense and social media precense.
Times have changed. The Agents with the most listings ACTIVE, may not be as strong as the Agents with the most listings that are Contingent, Pending, and certainly SOLD!
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Palm Desert has great 55+ communities!
At present, over half of Palm Desert’s population is over 50. Residents over 55 doubled during the 2000s, due to the city’s incredible climate, stellar tennis courts and championship golf courses. With more than 30 golf clubs throughout the town, Palm Desert is known as the “World’s Golf Capital.” In addition, Palm Desert has evolved into a premier shopping destination, with more than 150 upscale boutiques and art galleries. Its main shopping street, El Paseo Drive, is often compared to the Beverly Hills’ posh Rodeo Drive, due to its beautiful, lush landscaping and exquisite retail options.
Palm Desert real estate also appeals to the 55+ set due to the prevalence of properties specifically designed for low maintenance. Many homes are specifically designed to accommodate an aging household with such amenities as safer walkways, fewer steps and wider hallways.
In addition to its vibrant culture and continued growth, Palm Desert also appeals to residents over 50 because of its active community and accessibility to community events, clubs and interest groups. There is literally something for everyone in this beautiful desert city!
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