The Cross Trail in Palm Desert offers hikers breathtaking views and a workout
Palm Desert is ripe with hiking opportunities. Many trails are close by and offer breathtaking panoramic views down into Palm Desert and out across the Coachella Valley to the San Andreas Faultline and north mountains beyond. “The Cross” trail, as it’s known to hikers, is exceptional.
PALM DESERT AND THE BEST HIKING IN THE VALLEY
The Cross is especially cool for several reasons. One is that you can bring your dog… some of Palm Desert’s other trails don’t allow them. Horses and Bikes are allowed, but it’s rare to cross paths with them. The trail is steep, gaining over 600 feet in elevation before reaching the large metal Cross (lighted at night) located on a promontory. Once there, you can look down into Stone Eagle Golf Course with its emerald green manicured fairways… a striking juxtaposition to the adjacent rocky landscape. And you just might happen upon Bighorn Sheep, as the area serves as their native habitat.
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It’s good news in Palm Desert that Federal regulations are helping to significantly reduce the amount new homebuyers pay for closing costs. That’s another incentive for prospective buyers – especially those who have been sitting on the sidelines waiting for the right time to jump back into home ownership again.
The average cost of closing on a mortgage has fallen over the past year by 7.4% according to a recent survey by Bankrate.com. As of the end of June, a homebuyer looking to close on a $200,000 mortgage with 20% down paid an average of $3,754 – which was $300 less 12 months earlier.
Included in these costs are origination expenses (such as application fees and the cost of doing credit checks) and third-party fees (such as those paid for title searches and insurance).
Attribute this decline to new regulations that requiring lenders to be more accurate when estimating closing costs for borrowers. The regulation was put into place 2 years ago as part of the Real Estate Settlement Practices Act and requires lenders to provide a “good faith estimate” of third-party fees that is within 10% of the actual amount the buyer will pay.
Third party fees dropping is actually indicates that the lenders are doing a better job at estimating what the actual costs will be.
How refreshing !!!
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I used to live in Silver Spur Ranch, so I guess you could say that’s why I’m partial to this quirky and cool established
Stunning views at Silver Spur Ranch
neighborhood tucked up on a hillside just minutes away from El Paseo. Really, you have the best of all worlds living in Silver Spur and here’s why:
1) Its “under the radar” location adjacent to some of the priciest real estate in Southern California like The Vintage, The Reserve and Ironwood Country Club cannot be matched.
2) Its serene and peaceful setting, directly across the street from The Living Desert (though on occasion, I did hear strange animal noises coming from there . . . but mostly it was the coyotes howling out in the open desert that caught my ear)… stunning down-valley views as well.
3) Being within walking distance of trendy El Paseo with all of its fine restaurants, upscale shopping, boutiques, coffee shops, art galleries and more – it’s a good little jaunt up and down Portola, but so worth it. AND
4) It’s history – the cute little covered wagon that sits at its entrance off of Portola harkens to this neighborhood’s early beginnings in the 50s and 60s when Bing Crosby lived here and was involved in Silver Spur’s development.
Silver Spur offers a range of architectural styles ranging from modest cottages and MidCentury homes to contemporary and Spanish style homes. It is eclectic and every home is unique, no cookie cutter here. What’s not to love about living in Silver Spur Ranch??? Honestly, I can’t think of a thing.
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