Whenever a bank-owned home appears on the market in one of La Quinta's luxury country club communities, you can usually count the days until it's snapped up by savvy buyers.

If you are intrigued with La Quinta's luxurious Andalusia at Coral Mountain, here's an opportunity to pounce. This Baena floorplan—the second largest of the six floorplans offered—boasts 3059 square feet, three bedrooms and four baths.

The rectangular great room incorporates a sumptuous granite-slabbed kitchen with high-end appliances (the fridge is still there, rare for an REO) and 15' ceilings with clerestory windows. The formal dining room—with double-sided fireplace—has been wired if you wish to turn it into a media room or office.

A cobblestoned driveway hints at the high-end touches within. Separated garages offer both double-car and golf-cart storage.

Upon entry into the impressive foyer, your eye is immediately drawn through the home to the sweeping vista peeking beyond the floor-to-ceiling stacking sliders.

Once outside on the grand deck—punctuated by flagstone-accented Pebble Tec pool and raised spa—there's a 180° southwest vista encompassing lake, fairway and Santa Rosa Mountains. It's truly breathtaking.

The spacious master suite is accorded the same stellar views and the bath offers up a jetted oval tub mirrored by an oval paned window.

This grand home was originally on the market in 2007 for $2M. It is now bank-owned and priced to sell quickly at $849K ($27/sf). That's a cool 58% reduction in value in just four years.

HOAs at Andalusia are $636 and include clubhouse/fitness/dining amenities. There's no social initiation fee either.

Here's the 180° view from the backyard from left to right:

Read my description of Andalusia at Coral Mountain and let me know if you'd like to explore the possibility of owning a home in this amazing La Quinta country club.

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If you're interested in finding a bank-owned foreclosure in one of La Quinta's country clubs, take a look at these REO bargains in the luxury community of Andalusia at Coral Mountain.

The first, a brand new listing here in the final days of October, is a former model home—the Cordoba floorplan—now priced to sell quickly at $984,800 ($277/sf). The 3710 sq. ft. home originally boasted a Moroccan-themed interior with faux wall treatments and rich colors (seen in these original listing photos).

The old world influence is still evinced in the arched doorways, brick walls, ironwork, distressed wood cabinetry, carved wood columns, and grotto. The master bath boasts an incredible wall mosaic framing the bathtub.

The never-lived-in home features a capacious kitchen with butler's pantry, formal dining room, 24" travertine flooring, custom built-ins, coffered ceilings, and stone counters. There are dual master suites and a separate 2-room casita for indulging guests.

Huge glass sliders open up to a 700 sq. ft. covered veranda for the vaunted Palm Springs indoor/outdoor lifestyle. The home boasts one of the most impressive pools of all six former model homes, and includes in-pool stools and a submerged kitchen area.
The southfacing home has unimpeded views of the golf course, lake and encircling Santa Rosa Mountains.

The original owners paid $2.070M for the home in 2006 and it was on the market earlier this year for $1.7M. It is now lender owned and aggressively priced under $1M for a quick sale to a savvy buyer. That's a cool 52% reduction in price.
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The second bank-owned bargain is down the street and also happens to be a former model home. The Almeria —smallest of the six at 2898 sq. ft.—features a wonderfully livable great room floorplan and sumptuous master bath with prominent tub and dual-entry shower.

There's incredible floor-to-wall stonework in the living space, and lots of curved doorways for architectural interest.
 
The 3B/3b home includes a detached office, a private courtyard entry space, and split 3-car garages.

It, too, has a stellar southfacing orientation overlooking course, lake and mountains.

On the market a few months back at $950M, the home was just reduced this week to $799,900 ($275/sf) and should be snapped up quickly. The original owners paid $1.75M in 2006, a 55% drop in price.

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Andalusia at Coral Mountain debuted in 2006 at the height of the market and was naturally affected by the ensuing downturn. Of the 700 homes planned, about 160 have been built; construction and sales continue. According to the sales manager, three homes priced near $2M sold in the past 90 days, and the high season officially begins next month.

The first of the two Rees Jones-designed courses is in full swing, as is the clubhouse with restaurant, social and fitness fare. This is a truly spectacular development in a unique mountain-embraced setting deep in the La Quinta heartland.

If you're desirous of snagging a home bargain in one of La Quinta's premier gated communities, I'm your gal. I can also find you the perfect home, second home, or investment property in any of the Coachella Valley desert cities—Palm Springs, Palm Desert, Indian Wells or Rancho Mirage.

The man who dent the universe has died. From the ubiquitous tribulations flooding the news, it's clear that Steve Jobs did make a difference in people's lives. That somewhat sententious sentiment befits this man who essentially changed the way we view technology.

Earlier this year, I finally bought my first iPhone—joining millions of users who queued up since the market-changing mobile device first debuted in 2007—and was immediately smitten with its sleek design and tactile interface. With browser, phone and email capabilities, I am no longer tethered to my desktop computer, and have also figured out how to download podcasts of my favorite shows. That's me laughing on the elliptical at the gym, listening to CarTalk through the telltale white earbuds.

I also bought the white keyboard for my home computer. Its low-slung, perfectly proportioned design is a pleasure to type on. Both of these products were packaged beautifully with succinct instructions and a dearth of distracting ink. I was loath to toss the keyboard box—with its virtual expanse of pristine whiteness—and still can't bring myself to part with the iPhone's cunningly crafted container.

Unwrapping an Apple product is just part of the overall sensory experience which begins with compelling adverts, continues through stunning Apple stores, and concludes with satisfying product interaction. It turns out, unsurprisingly, that Steve Jobs' input figured into every facet of the creative process.

When first unveiling his flagship Apple store in New York, Jobs waxed enthusiastic to the editor of PC World about the exact origin of the Italian Carerra marble. A friend who's directed the construction of each Apple store often speaks about the high-end materials and customized fixtures gathered from around the world to create the sleekly contemporary edifices.

Jobs' aesthetic predilections were evinced early on. I can wrap my creative efforts in a plethora of fonts, all because of Job's early insistence that font choice be an integral part of word processing. His love of fontography serendipitously emanated from a college calligraphy class.

I had lunch today in Palm Springs with "my Dutch guys"—Walther Kloet, an Amsterdam architect, and his partner, Robert, who own a mid-century vacation home here in the desert—and the subject of Jobs naturally arose since the world travelers are sophisticated computer users. They were actually shopping in the Santa Monica Apple store when the sad news broke and Jobs' visage appeared simultaneously on every display. The two had visited the company's Convent Garden venue—a cavernous space replete with customers shopping and sampling. Describing the aura of reverence, Walther noted astutely that "it was almost like a church."

My husband, Kirk, and I have long been Apple afficionados, going back to the original Macintosh with its smiley icon and intuitive interface. I was fortunate to work for the company in their Public Relations department, first in the late '80s and then again in the mid '90s. Unfortunately, Jobs had already left the company during my tenure and the organization plodded along under the earnest, but uninspired, leadership of first Sculley (who had been brought on by Jobs himself) and then Spindler. Amelio—with his post-Apple agologia—followed before Jobs was wisely reinstated.

I remember a co-worker describing her one interaction with the acerbic Jobs before he was ignominiously booted out of his own company. "What the hell do you do here?" he barked upon entering the occupied elevator. As an ex-cop, she was unruffled by his abrasiveness and stood her ground. When I recounted that memory to Kirk today, he remarked that it was a good thing I hadn't personally encountered the founder since I would have been completely unnerved. Too right.

Apple made insanely great computers, revenue-per-employee was huge, users were uniformly smitten, but Apple couldn't seem to gain serious market traction in penetrating the vast swath of corporate America. I have never been able to get my head around that dichotomy. It may have been the Apple name and then the prohibitive pricing that derailed mass conversion.

I admit to being one of the slightly supercilious people who pitied those who couldn't, or wouldn't, buy a Mac. To this day, I am still bemused by the fact that too many PC users still don't grasp basic computer concepts and endure file-littered desktops.

Jobs didn't waste time on such disdain. Once back at the helm in 1997, he looked beyond desktop computing to pursue other promising technologies, starting with his passion for music. He created the digital music delivery model with iTunes and the iPod. All of a sudden, everybody wanted an Apple product. With the advent of the iMac, iPhone and iPad, a global audience has implicitly endorsed the Apple operating system as well.

In paying tribute to Jobs' achievements this week, some commentators—including personal favorites Thom Hartmann and Robert Scheer—noted that Steve hadn't invented Apple's compelling products so much as brilliantly marketed them. I mentioned these belittlements while reminiscing with my girlfriend, Stacy Williams, a whip-smart high-tech consultant for the past 20 years who also did a stint at Apple in the early '90s and still writes for the iconic company.

She vividly recalls hearing a visiting Jobs speak at Apple in 1991. He'd heard such disclaimers for years in the '80s, even from his own employees who fretted about being derivative or copy cats. "Creativity is just connecting things," Stacy remembers him saying. "I found that to be such a freeing statement," she adds, and has tried to incorporate his philosophy into her own creative efforts ever since.

Jobs' pithy expression must have distilled a strong belief since he was expounding years later on it in a Wired magazine piece from 1999. Elaborating on the arcane creative process, he said that creative people often feel guilty because "they didn't really do it; they just saw something. It seemed obvious to them after a while. That's because they were able to connect experiences they've had and synthesize new things. And the reason they were able to do that was that they've had more experiences or they have thought more about their experiences than other people."

Eating dinner alfresco these past few days, Kirk and I listened to music courtesy of Pandora and my iPhone. I'm writing this blog with the assistance of my Apple keyboard and trusted Mac Mini (which graciously allows me to keep one foot in the Windows world). The blog photos of a nascent Apple-store shrine to Jobs at the Palm Desert store on El Paseo were snapped with my iPhone.

I know there are lots of Apple products in my future even if I'll never be as wired as Gen X, Y or Z.

So, I thank you, Steve Jobs, for your prescience, perspicacity and persistence!

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Fall is clearly marked on the calender as arriving this Friday. Here in the Coachella Valley, however, summer is tenaciously holding on as September contemplates October.

Ignoring the day's forecasted triple digits, my stalwart hiking companions, Sue and Mary Pat, donned poles and backpacks to join me early this morning on the season's very first hike—a two-hour tromp through our favorite patch of desert, the Coachella Valley Preserve. Watching the sun crest the mountains and spill over the prickly terrain reminded us of the incredible beauty and serenity in store for us this season.

The network of trails here commences with a vertical scale up to the top of Bee-Rock Mesa, a long, narrow ridge with stellar canyon views. At the top, we decide to veer off to the south, dropping down off the mountain top toward Hidden Palms, a hidden oasis of California Palms, the only palm native to the Golden State. The difference in temperature from parched path to cool oasis is always startling, and I'm reminded of the native peoples who learned to thrive in the Palm Springs valley by relying on shady oases and natural water wells.

As we wend through the palm grove—with its mysterious rustling sounds—I spy coyote scat. Although I finally met a coyote face-to-face a few weeks ago while playing golf at Escena Golf Club in Palm Springs, I've yet to encounter one while hiking. We did see a fox here last year; that was a thrill I'd like to repeat.

Trudging up a steep incline, Sue spots something small scurry across the path. The tiny creature turns out to be a baby Horned-Toad Lizard, an exquisite reptile who could be a stand-in for a miniature triceratops. The colorfully mottled lizard blends in so well with his native terrain that Mary Pat has a hard time spotting the hunkered-down baby.

We crest the ridge to descend the one man-made part of the trail. I'm taking one final photo before tackling the formidable stairs. All of a sudden, I notice something odd—a whitish coil of serpent tucked to the side of the path. It's a baby rattler, probably waiting for the sunshine to warm him up. Coiled in a tight bundle, he's only about 5" across. I think the snake's lighter color alerted me to his presence since his camouflage wasn't as spot-on as his lizard counterpart.

"Ladies, guess what I see?" Mary Pat and Sue dutifully clamber back up the path to ooh and aah my discovery. The rattlesnake quietly endures the photo session and no doubt wishes we would scoot.

When I return home and peruse last season's hiking notes, I am started to realize that the first, and last, time we spotted a Western Diamondback rattlesnake was on these same steps one year ago. That specimen was fully grown, in the middle of the path, poised and rattling. During that same hike, Mary Pat had also spotted our first baby Horned-Toad Lizard. I just don't get why a snake would want to be anywhere near a well-trod path in the first place. Surely, the thud of hikers' boots would scare off potential prey.

Resolving to query a Coachella Valley Preserve docent later on, we reluctantly part ways with the snake and marvel at the day's amazing animal encounters. It's a good start to the new hiking season!

Ma Kettle's home in Palm Desert is up for grabs. Marjorie Main—the domineering actress with the strident voice who appeared in numerous movies from Meet Me in St Louis to her iconic role in ten Ma and Pa Kettle movies—built her own Hollywood get-away home here in the Coachella Valley back in 1949. The sprawling hacienda-style home is now bank-owned and a veritable bargain to boot.

Located close to Hwy 111, the 8 bedroom/6 bath one-of-a-kind compound could easily slot into the rustic homes found in the Palm Springs Movie Colony, and exudes Spanish flair with Santa Fe touches. It merely needs some TLC to restore its unique charms. Resting on a huge 19,602 square-foot lot, the red-tile-roofed home boasts stellar views and two capacious casitas, each with its own complete kitchen.

From the circular driveway and panoramic window framing the Santa Rosa Mountains, to the saltillo floors, handcarved pillars and wood ceilings in the primary residence, the home features one distinctive room after another.

The previous owners did major renovations, evinced in the travertine-clad kitchen (with twig-slatted cabinets) and luxurious slate-clad master bath.

Five sets of pine French doors open from the huge great room to the veranda-shaded backyard with its additional buildings, pool/spa, and palapas-covered BBQ kitchen. There is an outdoor bathroom to complement the entertaining-ready area.

Steps from one casita lead up to an expansive skydeck with 360° views of Palm Desert. Each of the casitas is approximately 600-700 square feet and feature some remodeling as well.

I explored the property today with a colleague. Mary Pat and I were incredulous as we explored the warren of rooms and expansive yard.

Two of the vintage bathrooms are replete with tilework as pristine and glossy as the day they were laid. The vibrant color schemes are turquoise and black, and yellow and black.

The 5365 square-foot residence was on the market until earlier this year at $799K. It is now a lender-owned foreclosure (REO) and priced at only $500K ($93/sf). It hasn't been marketed correctly and has been overlooked since it came on the market in July.

This  property awaits the right person and represents an amazing bargain. If you're intrigued with the possibilities, give me a call to take a closer look.

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Formidable views of the surrounding San Jacinto Mountains, azure skies, and golfing on the verdant fairways of Palm Spring's most beautiful course. What could mar this bucolic scene? How about scorching temps of 114° on this end-of-summer outing. But, hey, the off-season play rate was too enticing to pass up so Kirk and I donned our golfwear and headed to Escena Golf Club for a midday round.

Summertime here in the Coachella Valley was pretty tame this year, with desert temps hovering mostly below 100° since May. Mother Nature saved her punch for the final week of August, serving up sizzling triple-digit days all week long. Two days after we golfed, the hottest day of the year was recorded—116°.

Just the day before that, the Desert Sun's headline reported the death by exposure of a young couple visiting nearby Joshua Tree National Park. The Dutch/German couple paid their entry fee at noontime at the park's southern entrance—just 30 miles from our La Quinta home—and were found dead less than seven hours later. The day's high was only 106°.

They did everything wrong. They strayed off the main artery onto a dirt side track, ignored the "4-wheel-drive-only" sign, mired their rental car in the sand five miles in, tried to unlodge it, then decided to trudge back to the road in the blazing sun instead of remaining in the air-conditioned vehicle for rescue or the evening's respite from the heat. His body was discovered one mile from the main road, hers further inland.

I didn't anticipate this couple's tragic death—an ignominious, unnecessary conclusion to a California visit—while happily swinging my golf clubs only a day before in Palm Springs.

Since we're ful-time desert residents, I didn't think anything of the excessive heat inexorably inching upwards—attested to by my iPhone's handy-dandy weather app—as we continuously quaffed water and steered our golf cart along Escena's picturesque holes. I felt strong and invincible. I wonder when the vacationing couple felt uneasiness about their predicament.

On the back nine at Escena, I looked up to see a handsome coyote prowling the perimeter. She and I took each other's measure and then turned her laser gaze back to an oblivious rabbit nibbling the grass. All of a sudden, her nose swung back to me. That's because I'd retrieved a hunk of raw hamburger I'd brought for any hungry roadrunners. Intrigued, the coyote came closer. I tossed the meat toward her; she appreciatively gobbled it down then looked expectantly at me for more.

"Sorry, that's all I brought." She trotted over to watch me tee off at the next hole, then loped behind us the length of the par-4 hole. I felt bad that I didn't have any more treats. She finally veered off to rest in the shade of a tree and I waved goodbye.

 By now, I'm in need of my own shade tree. I'm breathing hard and don't feel up to swinging the driver. I flop down in the grass several times. Kirk gamely plays on. I demur on the last few holes and relinquish the goal of a 18-hole score card.

After watching Kirk putt the 18th, I walk expectantly to the Escena Grill—which serves up the desert's most beautiful vista from its patio—anticipating the reward of an ice tea and some of their amazing homemade chips, only to be told that it had closed five minutes earlier. Oh well. It was a memorable day, we didn't expire in the heat, and we befriended a coyote.

My mother would have turned 93 today. Like Betty Ford, who did live to celebrate her 93^rd earlier this year, Melanie MacGregor spent her remaining years here in the beautiful Coachella Valley desert. My husband and I built a casita for her in our La Quinta backyard where my mother and I shared her graceful final six years.

She almost made it to 90 before succumbing to old age. That was three years ago and I still expect to see her when I enter the guesthouse. I often reflect on her profound influence in my life.

When Palm Springs valley icon Betty Ford died a few weeks ago and the laudatory tributes appeared, I was struck by how much the first lady’s actions also impacted my personal life. Although Melanie and Betty's paths never crossed here in the desert cities, their influence intersected in me.

Two women born the final year of the Great War. Both college educated and classy. Both expecting their children to earn degrees. Both children of the Depression and its long-reaching ramifications. Both artistic. Both peripatetic women who traveled and lived in many states.

While growing up in Santa Barbara, I had my mother on a pedestal. She was different from so many of my friends’ mothers, most of whom were homemakers. I was proud that she ran a business, cooked gourmet meals, prefigured Martha Stewart in her artistic breadth, was gracious and admired by my friends, was beautiful. It was only later as I matured that I reflected deeper on my parents’ strengths and weaknesses.

Sometimes I think of Oscar Wilde’s perspicacious observation: “Children begin by loving their parents; after a time they judge them; rarely, if ever, do they forgive them.”

I have long forgiven my mother’s "faults" and am now both appreciative and bemused by the legacy to her eldest daughter. Born smack in the middle of the post-war Baby Boom, I came of age in the turbulent ‘60s and ‘70s. I had to figure out many things by myself. In the MacGregor household, Melanie was unable to discuss menstruation with me, instead buying me a vaguely-written book on the maturation process. When she had a hysterectomy during my high-school years, the reasons for it were never discussed, even to her dying day. Sex and boys were not discussed. She lucked out in that regard since I didn’t date until college. Anything indelicate or untoward was eschewed. Although we dined together as a family throughout my childhood, incendiary subjects were routinely thwarted. "Oh, look at that tree." was one of her favorite diverting expressions and one which still makes my sister laugh.

Melanie was not a storyteller. Even during her final years with me, queries about her earlier life elicited the same comment, "Oh, I don't remember." I used to tease her that after she was gone, I wasn't going to remonstrate with myself for forgetting to ask questions only she could answer. We both laughed.

Discretion and reticence were hallmarks of Melanie's life.

I imagine things were different in the more permissive Ford household. Susan, Betty’s youngest child and only daughter, is just two years younger than me but experienced a completely different kind of mother.

Betty Ford became first lady in 1974 during my first year of college. She was diagnosed with breast cancer within a month of Gerald Ford’s inauguration. She proceeded to discuss it with the nation. And, then went on to discuss pre-marital sex, marital sex, divorce, abortion, the Equal Rights Amendment, marijuana, addictions, and women’s right to health care. And, don't forget that face lift.

Thirty-five years later, it’s easy to dismiss the import of her candor. But, I distinctly remember the myriad scandalous subjects while growing up. So-and-so married a divorced man. Quelle horreur. Someone else married a non-Catholic. God forbid. Inter-racial marriages didn’t happen in my hometown. If an out-of-wedlock pregnancy arose, I never heard about it. And, none of these issues certainly ever arose on The Donna Reed Show or That Girl.

Pretty tame subjects nowadays. Not so in my formative Wonder Bread years. But, because the distaff side of this particular White House was willing to broach such taboo subjects, the proverbial door was thrown open, forcing and legitimizing a national discussion on life’s thorny subjects. She was a bona fide feminist in the very best sense of the word.

Because of Betty Ford’s unprecedented and fearless focus on women’s issues decades ago, our world is measurably more tolerant. American girls today don’t even question the breadth of lifestyle choices.

As a long-time resident of the desert, I'm very familiar with the iconic Betty Ford Center, a fixture on the Eisenhower Medical Center campus and a noun firmly planted in our self-help lexicon. I was once chagrined to find myself politely invited to leave by two guards when I inadvertently trespassed onto the property to feed the ducks.

So, on the occasion of my mother’s birthday and the recent passing of an accomplished lady, I give a sincere thank you to Melanie and Betty, two formidable women who contributed indelibly to my life and those surrounding them.

We're halfway through summer here in the Palm Springs valley and, although the daytime highs can be daunting and most seasonal visitors have retreated to cooler climes, home sales remain brisk across the price spectrum. My La Quinta office alone continually posts weekly sales of $2M to $4M. However, for those interested in pouncing on a bank-owed foreclosure, the dimished number of homebuyers favors those physically here in the Coachella Valley or willing to return should a home bargain arise.

Here's such a bargain: a La Quinta lender-owned home that will go quickly to someone prepared to act decisively.
Located in Hidden Canyon , this gorgeous home has gone from being a short sale to a bank-owned REO with a grab-it-while-you-can pricetag. Now unencumbered by the arduous and often aborted short-sale process, this luxury home is essentially an easy-peasy straight sale bereft of hidden liens or costs.

Hidden Canyon is a small gated enclave of 169 luxury homes literally tucked into a curve of the Santa Rosa Mountains and just around the corner from the historic La Quinta Resort.

This particular home is a Ridge Gate 2, the fifth largest floorplan of the six. Because the casita option was employed, it boasts five bedrooms and the resultant square footage of 3589 makes it the largest floorplan available.

47805 Wind Spirit Drive has a prime location on the perimeter of the development and mountain views from both front and back yards. Sun warms the home's spacious interior through floor-to-ceiling windows and sliders, and the home has the coveted southern exposure.

Two living areas are demarcated by a dual-sided fireplace, and the greatroom features a huge kitchen space replete with Viking stove and Sub Zero fridge. Upgraded granite graces the countertops.

The southwest backyard has wrap-around in-your-face mountain views and a stunning lap pool and spa accented by a stacked-stone water feature.

Travertine runs throughout the house and a complete wet bar is tucked into a corner of the living room for impressive entertaining.

The homeowners paid $1.2M for the home when the development debuted in 2005. It is now bank priced at $748,300 ($208/sf).

The average price of the 8 homes currently for sale stands at $822K with a price-per-square-foot of $236.Two homes have gone into escrow just this month while 9 have sold within the past six months at a median sales price of $750K.

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If you're desirous of country-club environs without the high HOAs, Hidden Canyon offers a superb alternative with its location near restaurants, shopping and SilverRock golf course, gorgeous homes, gated community, million-dollar vistas, and wonderful common areas. And, low HOAs of only $185.

Give me a call to see how I can make this home yours or if I can find you your own special desert pied a terre!

Here's an unbelievable foreclosure in one of La Quinta's poshest addresses, The Hideaway. If you're desirous of grand living space or perhaps a corporate retreat in a top-drawer La Quinta country club, this property merits immediate attention.

The capacious custom-built spec home has never been occupied and was originally on the market two years ago for $4.2M ($727/sf). It is now a bank-owned home priced at only $1.71M ($296/sf)—a veritable steal in this luxurious enclave. The Tuscan-style villa boasts 5778 square feet, 6 bedrooms and 6.5 bathrooms on a huge 12,632 sf lot overlooking the 9th fairway of the Pete Dye course with formidable northwest views of the nearby Santa Rosa Mountains.

From the stone-clad courtyard entry with outdoor fireplace and fountain to the entertaining-ready back patio with Pebble Tec pool/spa, floating fireplace and fire bowls, this sumptuous beauty is perfect for those desirous of plenty of elegant space to host family and friends.

The huge kitchen features a 6-burner Viking stove, two-tier granite-topped island, cabinets galore, wood-beamed ceiling, and a curved expanse of windows for a rich, light-filled room.

Hardwood and travertine adorn the home's floors while six fireplaces accent indoor and outdoor spaces. A casita affords separate living quarters for guests and two private balconies add a special touch.

The master suite with its spa-like bathroom is a highlight of this magnificent estate.

To put the $1.71M price-tag into perspective, another Hideaway home closed today at $4.9M ($705/sf). This home on Via Chianti has been reduced 60% from its original asking price and is down to only $296/sf. If you have a predilection for The Hideaway or other La Quinta country club homes, I keep abreast of the deals appearing weekly. So, give me a call to discuss your lifestyle preferences!

Here in the Palm Springs desert, the Fourth of July is bringing humid, rainy skies, anticipatory fireworks by overeager celebrants, and even some stellar home bargains. This week's hot deal is a bank-owned home in Hidden Canyon, my very favorite gated community in La Quinta.

The bank foreclosure is a Ridge View 1 floorplan—a 2390 square-foot model with a wonderfully open floorplan and integrated gourmet kitchen. The 3B/3b home boasts slab granite in the kitchen, living-room fireplace, and wonderful separation of the ensuite bedrooms. The master bath features a prominent tub and separate shower. There is a spacious 3-car garage and all models offer a formal dining room.

The south-facing backyard offers a saline Pebble Tech pool/spa with tanning shelf and waterfalls from decorative urns. The nearby Santa Rosa Mountains frame the vista and envelop the entire community which is tucked into a curve of the range.

On the market two years ago for $649K, the home went into the foreclosure process and became an REO priced at $389K ($162/sf). This is a new low for this community of luxurious homes; current home prices range from the $700Ks to $1M.

This amazingly priced home will go quickly to some lucky buyer cognizant of its investment value. If you are looking for a unique upscale community, consider Hidden Canyon. If you are desirous of a La Quinta country club home, I am familiar with the best home bargains that appear on a weekly basis.

77911 Desert Drive