It has been said that Palm Springs is the golf capital of the world, but did you know that Palm Springs has several other world-class attractions as well?
With the San Jacinto Mountains as a backdrop, the view alone is enough to keep some people entertained. Whether you are a long-term owner of Palm Springs real estate, or just passing through, there is truly something for everyone.
Shopping
El Paseo is a shopping district that can meet the needs of even the most discerning shoppers. There you will find over 300 specialty shops with items ranging from fashion to furniture to art. In addition to that, look to Palm Canyon Drive for a more artsy area including galleries, pubs, and any shop you can imagine.
Palm Canyon is also the home of the Palm Springs Walk of Stars, which is a tribute to over 300 stars who have lived or played in the Palm Springs area. On Thursday nights, Palm Canyon Drive is closed to cars and the ‘art walk’ feel takes over.
Performing Arts
Speaking of art, Palm Springs is home to the Annenberg Theater, which is housed inside the Palm Springs Art Museum. The Annenberg is an intimate state-of-the-art theater with nearly perfect acoustics and has hosted performances ranging from jazz to classical, contemporary, and dance.
Also, The McCallum Theatre for the Performing Arts in Palm Desert has hosted some big performers, including; Tony Bennett, Sheryl Crow, David Copperfield, and Art Garfunkel. Slightly larger than the Annenberg, it has been said that between the superb acoustics and state-of-the-art sound system, music performed at the McCallum sounds like nowhere else.
Gambling
No need to go to Vegas! In recent years, several new beautiful casinos have popped up all over Palm Springs and the Coachella Valley. Some that warrant a look are the Spa Resort Casino in Palm Springs, Fantasy Springs Casino, Casino Morongo, Agua Caliente Casino, and Spotlight 29 Casino.
Nature
Whether you are looking for a spa treatment complete with natural minerals or you enjoy hiking, Palm Springs is overflowing with ways to enjoy nature. A short distance from downtown, in the foothills, is the Desert Hot Springs. Said to contain healing properties, this is the only aquifer of thermal-mineral spring water in southern California. Several resorts offer day passes to enjoy the pools. For a great hike, Palm Canyon is 15 miles long and boasts a natural landscape that is unlike any other.
There you will find a trading post for hiking maps, jewelry, refreshments, and Indian artifacts. Nearby in Twenty Nine Palms, there is Joshua Tree National Park. With over 800,000 acres, this is home to some of the most intriguing geologic displays in the world including granites, arroyos, playas, alluvial fans, desert varnish, aplite, and gneiss.
With a trip to Living Desert, you will be free to stroll, shop, hike, or eat amongst 1200 acres of exhibits and scenic trails and live animals. Finally, the Moorten Botanical Garden showcases thousands of examples of desert plants and cacti grouped by geographic location.
That is a pretty extensive list, and golf isn’t even mentioned. So, whether you are new to town, just passing through, or considering your own Palm Springs real estate, this is a great place to spend some time. The art culture is prevalent and lends itself to a charming atmosphere for all types of patrons.
With fantastic dining, outstanding shopping, nature based activities for all, and Palm Springs is a true destination for more than those looking for the finest golf in the world!
image: perryscanlon.com
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The Golf Capital of the World! The Mecca of Golf! With over 125 gorgeous golf courses in a 40-mile radius, Palm Springs has earned and deserves all the accolades it boasts as the top golf destination. The only thing harder than maintaining your handicap is deciding where to play. Steeped in tradition from the likes of Frank Sinatra and the Ratpack to all the major tournaments played here, the golf in Palm Springs truly lives up to it’s reputation.
Depending on when you will be playing in Palm Springs, there are a couple things to keep in mind. From December to February, you will not see temperatures as high as the 80s, so be prepared with a light jacket. The mornings can be especially chilly. As you can imagine, the summer is scorching hot. Take all precautions with sunscreen, lots of water, a hat, and breathable clothes. In the fall, several courses close for a couple weeks to do annual maintenance aerating and overseeding. The courses don’t all close at the same time, so there is always good golf to be played, but make sure you call ahead to check dates.
For accommodations, you have even more options than actual courses. There are lavish spa resorts, hotels, condos, and homes for rent. Oftentimes when buyers are coming to town to view Palm Springs homes for sale, they will try and find a short-term rental within the neighborhood where they are considering buying. They are generally easy to find as several people choose to rent out their properties while they are not using them. This strategy can often turn second home ownership into a scratch game – pardon the pun!
For a time, all new building was happening outside of Palm Springs in outlying communities like La Quinta, Rancho Mirage, and Indio among others. More recently, building and rehabbing have begun in Palm Springs proper as is evidenced by the creation of Escena in the mid-2000s, following the trend of people once again wanting to live in more urban areas.
If you have never been to Palm Springs, prepare yourself for a major juxtaposition between the lush, green beauty of all the golfcourses and the stark desert terrain of the mountains behind. It is easy to see why for decades, Palm Springs has been a draw to big name celebrities as well as average Joes. To help you break it down a little bit, let’s look at which courses are located where. For the most part these are public courses, so this is by no means an all-inclusive list, but should get you started.
Palm Springs
Palm Desert
Cathedral City
Indian Wells
Rancho Mirage
La Quinta
Indio
Truly there is not one ‘must play’ or ‘must see’ course. They all offer mind-boggling views and a range of playing styles. The Palms Springs area is known for being pricey, but with as many courses as there are in the area, they do compete with one another on green fees. Some courses are lined with Palm Springs real estate, while others keep it natural. Whatever choices you make as far as where to play and stay, you will not be disappointed. Palm Springs lives up to all the hype!
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What do Buyer’s really react to when they are seeking property in the Palm Springs area? What are their primary concerns, wishes, wants..what are they willing to pay a premium for???
The Palm Springs Valley is a resort area, which encompasses many different areas, and many different cities. Known for it’s sublime weather first, Golf Courses, and extreme views, a Buyer can find pretty much whatever they want. We are a desert, but you sure wouldn’t know it looking around. Palm Trees sway, green belts roll in and around housing developments, that snuggle in various coves in the surrounding mountain range. It really IS extreme beauty.
What price this weather, the golf, the proximity to LA, the custom homes, the VIEWS?
First off, year round residents pay more for exactly the opposite of what seasonal buyers prefer! Those of us that live here year round tend to want our back yard areas with LESS sun, not more. So, we choose Northern or perhaps Eastern exposure and give up the Western mountain views for less beating sunshine. The Deset summers can cook you!
Seasonal Residents will almost always prefer South. Most sun time. Makes sense. They’re here during the winter and Canadians, people from Northern California, the beaches, midwest states..all of them are here seeking sunshine. The Southern orientation commands top dollar.
If you can throw in some Western Mountain range view WITH the Southern sun, add another premium! Sunshine with purple mountains to look at? Sweet! Now, throw in the rolling greens, sand traps and TRIPLE PREMIUM..water, and you’re looking at the MOST desirable location.
Let’s recap what TRULY captures a Buyers imagination and potentially a higher purchase price.
- Southern exposure for sun.
- Western Mountain range views.
- Fairway location.
- WATER anywhere around the property..
Remember that if you can live without even ONE of these requirements in this resort area, your price/sf will drop accordingly. Know what you want, but also know what you can live without.
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When most people think of the Palm Springs Valley, they think of Sunshine and Golf. People with horses know if for entirely different reasons, but equally important and impressive. The Eastern end of the Palm Springs Valley encompasses the cities of La Quinta, Indio, Bermuda Dunes, Coachella, Thermal and Vista Santa Rosa. Each is home to many horse ranchettes, small horse estates, actual working ranches and producing date and citrus farms.
Indio has become famous for it’s two International Polo Clubs, The Empire Polo Club and the Eldorado Polo Club. Eldorado is celebrating it’s 55th year of life in 2012! Eldorado moved to it’s current site in the 1980’s and is the largest Polo Club in the United States. Florida with it’s many private clubs as well as the Palm Beach Polo Club is it’s only rival. There are 13 polo fields, and each season welcomes approximately 1,000 horses and 150 players. Sunday games are open to everyone, with tailgate parties, jumpy gym for the kids, hot dog stands and more formal dining at the Clubhouse if preferred. Entry is $5/car..pretty reasonable for an afternoon of fun. Sunday’s Finals are played at 12 pm and 2 pm from January through April.
The neighboring Empire Polo Club is on the map for different reasons entirely. Polo is played throughout the season with 5 fields and games 5 days a week, as well as a summer polo pony training haven. Empire Polo is geared more to Events, with it’s varied event sites including Medjhol Lake, the Famous Rose Gardens with it’s life size bronzes scattered throughout, a regulation size Indoor Polo Arena under lights for those night games, as well as wedding and celebration sites. But the BIG EVENT at Empire is the Coachella Music and Arts Festival in April. 2012 will be 10 years here in the Valley and it has become an international success, bringing visitors from all over the world. 2012 will see 3 weekends of the Music Festival.
If you travel a little further East, you enter the town of Vista Santa Rosa. An unincorported, gorgeous, rural area of date palms and ranches, it is home to Deer Creek Polo Farm and many other polo pony training facilities. Adjacent to VSR is the very rural city of Thermal. Thermal was put on the map when The Jacqueline Cochran Airport opened, but it has become very famous amongst equestrians over the past years as home to the HITS (Horseshow in The Sun) competitions. This internationally ranked “A” rated horseshow has riders from all over the US and Canada competing for BIG cash prizes. Saturday and Sundays from January through April hosts day and night jumping events that will take your breath away. A small fee at the gate and you can stay all day. Equestrian shopping is unbeatable, the food is varied and the events go from children’s classes to Olympic level.
La Quinta also sports riding trails from it’s Eastern side to the more central areas. It is planed that the trails (which are also great for walking!) will eventually go all the way to the La Quinta Cove foothills. It is not unusual to see riders as you drive your car around La Quinta.
So..come on out for the sunshine and golf, but add a few Equestrian flavored events to your schedule. You’ll be glad you did!
image: la-quinta.org
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If you have been perusing Palm Springs homes for sale on the internet and are now ready to look at some in person, you have a very important decision to make, namely, who will you choose to represent you. The following are a couple important questions to ask when looking for the perfect Palm Springs real estate agent to help with your home purchase.
What areas do they focus on?
You want a Palm Springs real estate expert, so make sure that is what you are getting. If you talk to someone whose primary focus is somewhere else, it doesn’t mean they will be unable to handle your transaction, but someone who is familiar with this area will be more in-tune with prices, appreciation, neighborhoods, schools, and demand. An experienced Palm Springs agent will also be familiar with, or at least able to get their hands on deed restrictions and other pertinent community information.
Is real estate their full-time job?
Make sure your prospective agent sells real estate full-time. It is fine if they volunteer at the homeless shelter a couple times per month, but their primary employment focus needs to be on Palm Springs real estate. Selling real estate is tough, from the hours to the inconsistent pay. Many people get into real estate sales thinking that it will be easy, flexible, and fun. Your agent needs to have a proven track record of success.
Beyond what an agent will share with you, the internet can help you determine what they have achieved, generally with customer satisfaction scores and home sales data. At the very least, you can access their licensure information and see if there have ever been any complaints filed against them. If an agent is doing real estate as their part-time gig, you will have to work around their schedule rather than vice versa.
Do they work alone or are they part of a team?
As agents build their business, often they reach a point where they need an assistant. In a real estate business, a knowledgeable assistant is irreplaceable. For the consumer, having an additional point of contact can be very valuable. Eventually, in addition to an assistant, a busy agent may hire on a buyer’s agent.
Ask your prospective agent how their business is structured. There is a fine line between a busy agent who manages their time wisely and an agent who outsources most of their buyer work. Working with buyers is generally more time-consuming, so that is where busy agents need more help. This is fine if the person helping them is experienced and trained. But it can be a disaster if they have a newbie driving you around.
How do they like to work?
Beyond all the statistical data you can gather, you also just have to simply be able to work with the agent you select. Ask if they have certain hours or days they prefer to work. Also, talk about communication preferences, talk versus text or e-mail, etc. If you can match up for the most part in these areas (they should accommodate you), and you feel they are competent, it will likely be a successful working relationship.
If you are like most buyers, your purchase of Palm Springs real estate will be your largest personal investment. To make sure the process goes off without a hitch, ask the right questions, check references, and trust your gut. Your Palm Springs real estate agent should be the best. Use the tips above as conversation starters you should be well on your way to a wonderfully successful partnership!
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