Well, it’s called fearlessness . . . ‘the quality of mind enabling one to face danger or hardship resolutely.’ That is the dictionary’s definition and that pretty much sums up what my friend Kim Kelly is all about. This is a guest blog and I am writing about Kimberley Joy Kelly – realtor for HK Lane Real Estate in La Quinta AND longtime pro on the polo circuit and trainer of polo ponies.
In this month’s issue (April) of Palm Springs Life, there is an excellent article entitled “Chicks With Sticks,” spotlighting Kim and another local female equestrian and their careers in the male dominated sport of polo. I can’t talk intelligently about the game of polo, as I haven’t spent a lot of time around horses and have only observed the game as a spectator. All I know is that from knowing Kim personally, the fearlessness she displays in her facility as a polo player, a game with obvious risks and dangers, is the same fearlessness she displays when running her real estate business. No challenge is insurmountable to her, short sales don’t daunt her in the least (she’s had five years of experience in short sales with an excellent track record – and she knows how to deal with the banks !!! nuff said). She amazes me, her level of commitment and focus to whatever she puts her sights on.
I know what I’m talking about because I speak from personal experience – Kim represented me and my fiance when we bought our home last year. She was on top of everything, making sure we got the best price and that the confusing whirlwind of escrow, loan procurement, etc. went as easily and smoothly as possible. She took amazing care of us, treating us every bit as well as she treats her horses. And that’s saying something, because she LOVES her horses and intuitively knows and responds to their needs.
Okay, here’s your answer to the question “What does a polo player and a real estate agent have in common?” And the answer is . . . Kimberley Joy Kelly.
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When it comes to sleeping during the music festival..watch out! Any idea is a good idea. Everyone’s renting out their homes or their bedrooms, or whatever they can come up with. Then there are the temporary accomadations right at the fields! These “sleeping tipis” are all the rage. Rows and rows of white tipis with colorful extra large tipis for the Executives. Check it out…
coachella music festival sleeping tipis
Luxury sleeping at the Coachella Music Festival
Thermal is the site for future development of a high end country club and racetrack for wealthy car lovers. What a score for this Desert community located on the east end of the Palm Springs Valley !!! Developers planned to break ground today on this exciting project that’s been in the making for years.
Coined as the “Rich Man’s Playground,” the Thermal Club’s developers claim they will succeed because there just aren’t many other places like this in the entire world – even though economic times are tough around the globe. A project of this type is not a new idea in our desert, there has been talk of building something like it here since the late 1980s.
The race course has been in the design stages for the past two years by Alan Wilson, a well-known track designer out of Salt Lake City. It will feature 3 independent circuits with the flexibility of running 19 different configurations.
Discovery Land Company is the Scottsdale based development company which is handling development, sales and operations at the club. They also developed The Madison Club and The Hideaway luxury country clubs in La Quinta. Memberships to the non-equity private club start at $85,000, corporate memberships of $200,000 include up to 4 designees. Club members must purchase lots starting at $200,000.
Approximately 40 people have joined the Thermal Club so far, most of them having homes in the Palm Springs Valley, Los Angeles, Orange County and San Diego. Some members are from Texas, New York and Montana.
The Thermal Club project is expected to generate hundreds of jobs locally in construction, with about 60 permanent positions. What a boon for our desert here and for the city of Thermal !!! It will be exciting to see how this project develops !!!
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Cities have Birthdays too !!! Happy Birthday, La Quinta !!!
This beautiful springtime month will bring celebration of the City of La Quinta’s 30 years of incorporation. For being such a relatively “young” city, La Quinta is surely rich with culture and its own unique history.
La Quinta invites everyone to join in as they celebrate this special occasion during their annual City Picnic & Birthday Party which is taking place on Saturday, April 28.
The party starts at 10am at the Fritz Burns Park, corner of Calle Sinaloa (Ave. 52) and Avenida Bermudas. It will be a fun family event with lots of entertainment – activities for children, hot dogs, muffins, cold drinks and giveaways !!! You won’t want to miss it . . . and it’s FREE !!!
Don’t miss La Quinta’s Birthday bash, put it on your calendar now !!! For more info, call 760-777-7090 or visit www.la-quinta.org/communityservices
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Last week was the first week that I received this comment from potential La Quinta home buyers..not once, but twice. Is that ubiquitous bottom, behind us?
I have no way to know for sure if we are at the bottom..in any price point. If you run into a Realtor that swears they DO know..I would suggest running. We Realtors are out in the streets daily, looking at homes, studying the inventory of available homes, looking at numbers of foreclosures that may be coming down the pike. We do have a better feel for the “bottom” than the average bear, but we do NOT have a crystal ball that predicts the future. So..are we at the bottom?
In many developments in La Quinta, Indian Wells, Rancho Mirage and Palm Desert..as well as Palm Springs proper, it appears we may be. Why? There are more Buyers looking for the same properties than there are those properties. What is everyone looking for in the desert?
- Sun orientation. South means more hours of sun. West is setting sun.
- Views. We have a unique situation in that we are a desert with mountain ranges and Buyers want to see them!
- Lot size. Large or small, Buyers want something in particular
- Water? Many Buyers demand water views or proximity
- Fairway location: HUGE here in the desert.
So..as you can surmise. If you are a buyer looking for a home with 3 of the 5 criteria above, your Inventory is very limited..no matter the price point. However, there are plenty of homes WITH the above mentioned criteria. They just are no longer only selling if they are short sales or foreclosures. Equity homes (standard sales) are now becoming more and more normal.
Buyers are still demanding a good value, just not a “steal.” The Steals are now much fewer and further in between. But, hey, look at it this way. Now you KNOW you are buying into a desirable area, right? There is nothing more comforting when you buy ANYTHING than knowing that lots of other Buyers desire exactly the same thing. Value is rising.
Views, location, sun..Buyers are paying for these!
If you’re a La Quinta “Covian,” or even if you’re not, you may very well have never heard of or noticed this amazing little enclave of luxury homes located west of South La Quinta’s Yucatan Cove on Avenida Montezuma. Tucked into a corner of the cove and nestled up right next to the breathtaking Santa Rosa Mountains, these 19 custom estate residences form the community called Flores De Montanas.
Flores De Montanas is exclusive and gated for utmost privacy. These multi-million dollar estates are situated on a 9 prime acres of La Quinta Cove, with access to the 4.75 mile hiking path that starts on the corner of Eisenhower and Calle Tampico and travels south toward the Fred Wolff Nature Preserve and the Cove Oasis Trailhead. Where else in the valley can you find a hiking/biking trail practically at your back doorstep?
Located in the heart of La Quinta near Old Town, you can walk or ride your bike to its wonderful shops, restaurants, Coffee Shop, Farmers Market and Art Festivals . . . and the same with the La Quinta Resort & Hotel located just down the street on Eisenhower Dr.
Flores De Montanas is a great place to live for anyone wanting to live in one of the most exclusive, small and private developments in La Quinta. If you’re looking to build your desert dream home, the “Covian” lifestyle may just be the perfect fit for you.
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The Palm Springs Valley seems to have grabbed the attention of a residential development firm called Alta Verde Group out of Beverly Hills. The firm recently acquired 3 new master planned communities in our desert to the tune of approximately 300 lots located in Alta Verde Coral Mountain in La Quinta, Monte Sereno in South Palm Springs and Escena Resort in Palm Springs.
The Alta Verde Group, led by Andrew Adler, is an award-winning firm led with a history of successful large scale, award-winning real estate endeavors ranging from urban projects to gated communities, from Texas all the way to California. Alta Verde is designing its new developments in the Palm Springs Valley to accomodate the emerging next wave of second home and retiring baby-boomers looking for something different from the cookie cutter McMansions of the last 20 years. The firm’s driving motto is “Where Design Matters” … and they have teamed up with a leading international architect in LA to create these new developments which will focus on open space and contemporary elegance.
This firm is also environmentally savvy, designing homes that have flat roof designs which are pre-set for solar, car-charging electrical wiring, as well as other energy efficient designs that result in savings for the homeowners.
Adler says about his company’s projects in the Palm Springs Valley, “It’s rare when this level of style, features and location come toether at the price points we have created . . . We’ve taken the kind of spectacular architecture you would only find in vastly more expensive homes, and brought it down to scale, so that it is within reach of a larger populace base.”
Sounds like a new generation of residential development in the Palm Springs Valley is about to get underway !!!
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Old Town Coffee Company in Old Town La Quinta feels like that comfy pair of slippers you can’t wait to put on after a long day’s work . . . it’s casual, it’s cozy and the people who work there know your name (if you’re a regular like me). The coffee is yummy, very important at a coffeeshop, though I’m always amazed at the number of people who still flock to drink the swill at Starbucks (always tastes burned to me) . . . but, to each his own.
The hardwood floors and overstuffed furniture inside of Old Town Coffee Company make this the perfect place to meet up with friends or family for early coffee, brekkie, yummy lunch . . . or frankly, just about any time of day. There are an assortment of outdoor tables (some with umbrellas), nooks and crannies to settle into while enjoying your cappucino or latte or americano and something delicious to go with it . . . like incredible muffins, fancied up bagels, frittatas, smoothies, sandwiches and more. I’ve never eaten anything there that was less than scrumptious.
Situated on a prime corner in Old Town La Quinta, the OTCC is the perfect gathering place. There always seem to be bevies of bikers, adorable doggies, children, people dressed up, people dressed down, young, old . . . you name it, you’ll see it there. During events like the weekly Farmer’s Market on Sunday mornings, Art Under The Umbrellas, just to name a few, the Old Town Coffee Company is packed to the gills. There is spirited conversation and laughter floating in the air, a general good vibration all around. Wi-fi is available if you want to bring your laptop and surf the net.
So, if you haven’t made it over yet to Old Town Coffee Company yet, you should call up a friend and plan a rendezvous soon !!!
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Madison Estates is making a come back !!! This sprawling gated community located at Avenue 49 and Madison Street, one block east of Jefferson Street in the Vista Santa Rosa area of Indio, was originally designed to be a highly sought after address in our desert area. Construction began on nine well-appointed luxury homes, then going for $1,200,000 to $1,600.000. When the real estate market tanked and the development was stalled, these beautifully designed and well-thought out homes sat idle.
Ridgeback Partners, a real estate brokerage and management team, now own Madison Estates and are getting this upscale community back on its feet. The current owners recognize the value of the community’s location and original intent . . . and also that the market has changed since it first broke ground. Ridgeback Partners selected Family Development as the building team to finish out the nine original custom-quality homes. . . . and they’re priced at half of what they originally went for, starting at $600,000. Family Development has purchased 46 unfinished lots at Madison Estates, so there will be more grand homes to come.
Madison Estates’ homes are built in Tuscan, Spanish, Colonial and Mission styles, with each residence featuring more than 4,000sf of living space on half acre lots. There are many custom amenities and ugrades, including full landscaping, pool and spa are also included with these homes.
The downturn of the economy has an upturn . . . the luxurious and upscale homes in Madison Estates are now offering “Twice the Luxury at Half the Price.”
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Point Happy Estates, a community conveniently located close to the intersection of Highway 111 and Washington St. in La Quinta, may be getting ready to be Revived ! Family Development, a Palm Desert-based real estate development company, has purchased 15 unfinished foreclosed homes and 23 lots here and this resurgence of interest and energy can only be good for the builders and buyers alike.
Point Happy Estates is named after Point Happy, a lovely little little cove area nestled up next to the Santa Rosa Mountains. It gets its name from early settler Norman “Happy” Lundbeck, who tended a small store there. Later on, the property was purchased by philanthropist Chauncey Clarke, who grew the first Deglet Noor dates in California there and also raised purebred horses at his Point Happy Ranch.
When built out, Point Happy Estates will feature 69 semi-custom luxury homes with average lot sizes of 10,500sf – all situated on 22 acres of prime La Quinta real estate with a secluded mountain escape. Many world class amenities are in close proximity, such as adjacent Point Happy shopping center, fine restaurants, Indian Wells Tennis Gardens, Old Town La Quinta, La Quinta Hotel & Resort . . . and much more. Stay tuned as the best kept secret of Point Happy Estates becomes the buzz of the town as its vision comes to fruition.
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