Local Story

Ferris Wheel at the Coachella Music Festival!

Coachella Festival is ON!  When  you are a local, you dread the festival weekends, but you also LOVE the festival weekends.  Dread..well, the traffic, the grocery stores are jammed, lines everywhere, traffic circles that get stuck, just lots and lots of people and movement.  The great side is that most everyone is happy, or looking happy as they hang out with their friends in fantastic outfits, phones buzzing, singing and laughing, and I mean on the streets..not just festival grounds!  I also LOVE the energy created for our sleep little desert.  I always advise my real estate clients to skip looking at properties or open houses during the 2 festival weekends due to traffic, but it sure does generate feelings and desire to be in the Coachella valley.  If you are looking to buy or sell in any of the desert cities, give local realtor, Kim Kelly, a call at 760-285-3578.

For a recap of Day 1, (yesterday, Friday) at the festival, this is an entertaining and precise read on the musical acts.  The weather is always suspicious at this time of year.  The temperatures are usually lovely..normally not too much over 100, and that’s true this year, but the winds can be treacherous, and that seems true in 2024.  The Coachella Music Festival as everyone who knows anything at all about music knows, is held annually at the former Empire Polo Club.  There is no longer polo played on the fields..they are strictly for the festival and also events such as weddings, or corporate do’s.  The first weekend, there is actually grass underfoot, but by weekend 2 and then the Stagecoach Festival, forget it!  No grass anywhere, just dust.  What’s so amazing is that once the festivals wrap up, water and sand are dumped onto the fields and BAM..grass starts peeking back up in about 2 weeks.  It is incredible!

This incredible 2 acre estate with a ranch style 60’s pool home and a 6400 sf warehouse is offered for sale at $1,299,000.  Take the tour below..

This 6400 sf warehouse is chock FULL of unique and fascinating items for sale!

Estate Sale at 59105 Lincoln St., Thermal, CA.  What you might find at this 3 day estate sale is unbelievable!  Event Business dispersal, and the warehouse is full of interesting and eclectic things!  The Warehouse is 6400 sf and it’s FULL!  Family business in corporate events, so there are all kinds of fascinating items.  The Sale will begin on March 22 and run for 3 days from 9-3pm each day.  Come on out and find your treasure.  And by the way..this gorgeous home and warehouse on 2 acres is FOR SALE for just $1,299,000.  Click here for more information on the estate sale, and be sure to take the tour of the property below!

If you are looking to buy or sell your Coachella Valley property, give local realtor, Kim Kelly a call at 760-285-3578.

Land and farms are being developed here in the Coachella Valley.

Coachella Valley’s upcoming developments..quite a few new ideas and planned developments are hitting our quiet desert valley.  Progress is always a good thing, but just how BIG are we looking to become??  Part of the charm of our desert is the QUIET, less traffic, starry nights, a quieter lifestyle.  As a local resident for the past 35+ years, and realtor for over 20, I try to be open minded and hear both sides.  Looking to buy or sell..give me a call at 760-285-3578.

The Coachella Valley already has 3 wave parks, but apparently, there’s a new one on the way.  It’s not had final approval due to the surrounding residents push back, and it sure is hard to understand why we need more wave parks and huge water usage in our desert, but there you go.  On the 300+ acres on the Southwest corner of Madison and 58th, which is a spectacularly beautiful location, is where it is planned.  Let’s see if it goes in.

Then there’s the new private golf club, the Jeule Ranch Club, which is way East Valley on Van Buren and 70th Ave.  Very exclusive, very private, very chic.  I suppose players will fly into Jacqueline Cochran, perhaps stop at The Thermal Club to race a few laps, then head out to golf.  I think we have enough courses, and again, the water use.  Hmmm…but if you’re looking to buy land near this golf club, take a look at this 20 acre site.  A great value at $1,775,000.

Horses bloom in the Coachella Valley summer heat.

Do horses like the desert heat?  I get this question often from both my equestrian clients and new potential desert residents as we drive by pastures with horses.  My answer?  An emphatic YES!  There are always exceptions, such as senior horses, babies, or sick ones, but most horses love the heat and get really bloomy in the summers.  If you’re looking to buy or sell land, ranches or residential, give Kim Kelly a call at 760-285-3578.

Coachella Valley summer heat is time to look at farms for sale!

Believe it or not, the coachella valley is very busy with clients looking to buy and sell their desert properties in the heat of the summer.  We commonly have 110 degrees and up during June, July and August and sometimes into September!  What do the horses do?  I’ve found the horses often are lying down in the direct sun on the hot sand even when they have shade covers!

Always have plenty of fresh water, trace mineral blocks for free access, electrolytes daily.  If you exercise them in the heat and sometimes humidity, be sure they can recover fully.  We play summer polo early in the morning, but it’s still hard on them.  Tie them in the shade, let them drink as much water as soon as they want, and once they are cool and breathing comfortably, hose them off.  Put fans in their stalls.  Be smart and your horses will love their summers in the desert.  Take a tour of this great farm for sale! 

Coachella Valley Real Estate Update:  

Private Pools are popular in the Coachella Valley

What’s Selling?  Here in the Coachella Valley, our normal cycle of real estate sales, would see us heading into the slow season.  As the summer heats up, we generally see less activity.  However, with the COVID virus, it seems that people are streaming into the desert!  They want the heat, the space, the lower density, just less stress I guess.  In general, our inventory is low.  I was out showing properties for between 4 and $600,000 in Palm Desert or La Quinta.  No HOA was mandatory.  We looked at 6 or 7 homes over a couple weekends, and each one went into escrow!  We finally wrote on one in South PD, and got it.  This is not unusual.  Call Kim Kelly for your FREE consultation on Value for your Home or info. on a community in the Coachella Valley.  760-285-3578.

How About the Entry Level Homes?  The Entry level home in the Coachella Valley are priced between $250,000 to approx. $350,000..and they are hard to find!  If you are ok with a Condo, there are options, but if you want a single family home, the choices are limited.  If a home comes on the market and it’s in good condition, in this price point, it won’t sit more than a couple weeks max.  Lots of people looking, and not much out there.

What’s happening with Prices?  Stable is the game right now.  Not increasing or decreasing.  We have not seen a run up on prices, nor have we seen huge reductions.  If you price your property fairly, it’s in good condition, has a view and a good floorplan, it will sell.  Each community within each City is unique, but overall, things are steady as they go.

What about Loans?  Wow..a great time to get a loan!!  Less than 3% for a conventional 30 year fixed, and even better for a 15 year.  I am finding that jumbo loans are a bit more finicky to obtain, so have your docs in order.  Be pre-approved with a local Lender as product is selling fast, and there are alot of cash buyers as your competition.  Local Lenders & Appraisers hold some sway with Sellers as they know the market.

Overall, it’s looking to be a very active summer season here in the Coachella Valley.  Land and Farms are also moving, and residential units do NOT sit long, so if you see something you like, go after it!  Take this walk tour of 81647 Andalusia at the Andalusia CC in La Quinta.  Offered at $1,199,000. 

Are wave parks going to be added to the current water features in the Coachella Valley?

Wave Parks in Coachella Valley?  When you think of the Coachella Valley, I’m pretty sure you don’t immediately think “what a great spot for a wave park!”  Desert however, DOES mean sand and heat, so I guess if you focus on that, then a Wave park starts to make sense.  Looks like there are several Wave Parks being proposed for the Desert Valley, so maybe we’re going to be catchin waves out here soon…local Realtor, Kim Kelly, can help with your Real Estate questions at 760-285-3578.

Summer in the desert means seeking water out!!

Summer in the Desert.  The Coachella Valley desert’s summer can be brutal with extreme heat ranging during the day from 110-115.  Everyone that works outdoors changes their schedule to accommodate early and late working hours with quiet time (naps?) in the heat of the mid days.  Local Equestrians ride early in the morning, and local Realtors, show properties pretty much all day..no  matter what!!