I recently sold another home at Sun City Shadow Hills in Indio.  Fantastic deal.  My clients bought a standing inventory home.  Pulte, the builder, is offering incentives to buyers.  They are serious about moving these homes.  I was told that Sun City Shadow Hills is the most successful new home development in California.  Don't know if it is true, but it would not surprise me.

Sun City is located north of the 10, between Jefferson and Monroe.  It is a 55+ golf course community with two clubhouses (one is soon to be under construction, the other is up and running) and a golf course clubhouse.  Their web site says that homes start at $228,000 for a two bedroom home with over 1200 sq. ft.  When I did a web search, I found one for $191,000. No doubt, one of their standing inventory homes. 

I just sold a condo in Quail Lakes Racquet Club, also in Indio.  Check out my web site.  Once the renovations on the condo are complete, this will be available as a vacation rental. Great tennis community with a meandering lake that the patios back up to. I was in Indio today to pick up a lock box.  Had lunch the other day at the new Jackalope Ranch.  So with all this Indio activity, I decided to divide up my blog about this desert city.  This one will be about Sun City Shadow Hills.  My other blog, http://www.callalvin.blogspot.com, will be about the festivals (It is the city of festivals), the amenities, and other great real estate deals. 

Sun City Shadow Hills Indio

Sun City Shadow Hills has 12 model homes.  They range in size from 1,257 to 2,971 sq. ft. two and three bedroom homes.  There are homes on and off the golf course.  The golf course is open to the public, so you don't pay for it.  You do get discounts as a resident.  I have played there.  Loved it.   It is an 18 hole par 71 course. The newest section of the development will feature a second course.  I have seen the signature hole, magnificent.  Fees on the 18 hole course range from $114 in season, down to $39 when it is hot.  Residents pay $59 down to $29.  There are more deals available to residents. 

The 35,000 sq. ft. Montecito Club House contains a premier fitness facility, indoor and outdoor pools, a restaurant, community rooms and loads of classes and clubs.  The classes include Challenge Step, Total Body on Ball, Sun Style 73, Aqua (Arthritis), Balance the Brain, Aqua, Fitness, Core Conditioning, Cardio, Beginners T'ai Chi, Interval Step and Weight Watchers.

The clubs include the following:

Afternoon Social Bridge                     Women's 18-hole Golf                       Women's 18-hole

Billiards Club                                   Opera Club                                       Bridge Club           

Pan Club                                        Community Singers                            Pet Club       

Computer Club                                Performing Arts                                 Concerts 4 U 

Couples Golf                                   Readers Ink                                      RV Club         

Creative Arts                                   Shall We all Dance                             Desert Life

Solos                                             Games Plus                                       Stitch in time     

Happy Tappers                                Table Tennis                                     Tennis                 

Kings and Queens Card Club             Lady Putters                                      That's Entertainment

Ladies 9-Hole Golf                            Topical Discussion                              Lively Liners      

Tutta Bella Vino                                Ukulele                                             Mah Jongg

Strummers                                       Men's Golf                                         Veterans Club      

Oke-dokey Karaoke

In addition to all this, there are organized day trips to locations in Los Angeles, Orange County and San Diego.  Lots to do.

Right now there are quick move in homes.  My clients were able to close on their home within a couple weeks.  The standing inventory includes several Granadas (1,099 sq. ft.), several Canteras (1,257 sq. ft), a couple Cordobas (1,294 sq. ft.), three Valencias (1,652 sq. ft.), five Avalinos (1,763 sq. ft.), five Maderas (1, 854 sq. ft.), two Del Oros (1,880 sq. ft.), three Santiagos (2,076 sq. ft.), a Sorrano (2,115 sq. ft.), four Castellanos (2,230 sq. ft.), three Meridas (2,370 sq. ft.), a Dorado (2,446 sq. ft.) and three La Paz (2,971 sq. ft.).  Prices start under $200,000.  The largest plan on the golf course is listed on Del Webs web site at $584,400.  Availability and pricing are subject to change and prior sale.

There are some great resale deals in Sun City Shadow Hills.  The lowest price is a San Ysidro (1,463 sq. ft.) asking $175,000.  This is a short sale.  All in all, there are 97 resales on the market.  Thirty-Seven of the listings are under $300,000.  Some of the benefits to resales include, window treatments, completed back yards and some have pools and/or spas.  I looked at resales listed around what my client's paid for their new home.  They could have bought a San Benito (2,147 sq. ft.) with a pool and spa or a Madera (1854 sq. ft.) with a firepit on the golf course. Instead they purchased a Dorado (2,446 sq. ft.) at a substantial discount from the listed price. 

It is the perfect time to buy a home in Sun City Shadow Hills.  The interest rates are low.  The builder's incentives are very attractive.  There are great deals on resales.  Give me a call for more information.

I just updated the foreclosure page on my website.  There are some great deals out there, but fewer than I expected.  I came across a few that I particularly like.  Also, in the past week, while showing property, I came across a couple regular sales that I liked.

I found the first due to my contemporary listing at 12240 Skyline Drive in Desert Hot Springs.  I have clients that are very interested in that property, but wanted to see what they could get across the valley.  I took them to see the newly reopened Escena. I really like these homes, but they aren't hard edged contemporary.  They have that developer feel. They have great views and good prices.  I haven't seen views that top the Skyline property,  but Escena's are pretty good. I registered my clients and left them at Escena.  They were there for four hours. 

While they were there, I took other clients to see a couple foreclosures and regular sales. 
The first one was a bust for these clients, but I loved it.  I remember seeing it when they were new.  It is located at  Royal Desert Palms Court in Palm Springs.  Listed for $717,750. It sold for $1,670,000 in July of 2006.  Now I have to admit, I thought they were overpriced.  But I see opportunity at the $717,750 price.  Who knows in this market, but I see upside. I see that there are two offers on the property already. 

Our second property was another contemporary, a little bit dated, but great bones. Normal sale, I think. The property is located on Rim Road in Palm Springs. This is in Araby. It is located down the hill from Bob Hope's famous house. This one is another circular home.  Designed by noted Palm Springs architect, James Cioffi .  The kitchen is the center of this home. Big piece of property. Offered for $859,000. Really interesting home.  Another bust with my clients, but not as big as the first. 

They ending up offering on a Tuscan style in a development in the south Palm Canyon area called Monte Sereno.  It's a short sale.  I'll write another blog about short sales later.  This house is spectacular.  Great views.  Wonderful outdoor kitchen.  Fantastic pool, spa and water feature.  I like any architecture with a point of view.  This home has it. The risk is a development with 1/3 of the homes up or partially up.  Who knows what the future holds?

Back to my first set of clients, I met them at the home on Royal Desert Palms Court.  They loved it, but it is above their price range.  Made the DHS house look like a deal.  We will see where that leads.

Another contemporary that I came across while updating my website was on Birkdale Circle in Stone Ridge Estates, Mission Hills Country Club in Rancho Mirage.  I love this street.  Huge green space in the middle of the street with putting greens.  Contemporary homes on a golf course.  Big mountain views. I just pulled it up on Zillow.com.  Huge price drops in this neighborhood.  Last time I showed there - $1,000,000 and up. Hard to find one valued over a million now. You should look at this neighborhood.

I took a look at my foreclosure lists and couldn't find a Pamilla listing in La Quinta.  Well the problem was I was looking too high in price.  This is my favorite development in the desert.  The style is desert contemporary.  Before I became a realtor and lived in Thousand Oaks, my partner and I came out a dozen times to look at this development.  The market was hot, the staff there was not.  If they had returned our calls, responded to our registration, we would have bought one.  Alas they did not.  Oh well, I guess that was to our advantage, there is a bank owned property there for $564,900.  That's a lower price than when we were looking there 4 years ago. Take a look at the links.  Bottom line, there are deals out there.  They all seem to be getting multiple offers, the market is changing.  Don't miss this opportunity. I have a number of doom and gloom clients, I think the market is passing you by.

Alvin Greenwalt Ca DRE License 01715823

I recently listed 40893 Avenida Solana in La Paloma, Palm Desert for $624,900.  It is one of the largest homes in the neighborhood.  It also has one of the smallest electric bills that I have ever seen.  The one that is displayed by the brochure stand in the home is for just over a dollar for a summer month.  Needless to say this home is equipped with solar cells.

If you live in the Coachella Valley in the summer, you get used to big electric bills.  Today the temperature reached 118.  That is 10 degrees above normal for this time of year, but whether it is 108 or 118 the air conditioner rarely turns off.  My summer electric bill hovers between $600 and $700 a month.   I sold a neighbor's home a couple years ago.  It was a bit smaller than the new listing (3300 sq. ft per the builder's plans).  They liked it in the low 70's during the summer.  Their electric bill ran around $1,200 a month.  So you can see that, depending on how cold you like it, this home will save you some serious cash. 

Palm Desert has a number of "green" initiatives.  My client took advantage of one of those programs to outfit his home with solar cells. The city offers affordable financing plans for solar, energy efficient air conditioners and dual paned windows.  The loan is paid back through the homeowner's property taxes. 

The city has a five year program to reduce its energy consumption by 30%. Palm Desert has installed solar cells on the Civic Center Shade Structure and the Carport site at city hall.  City bus stops are energy self sufficient due to solar cells on the roofs.  Check out the links button at the bottom of the blog for other energy initiatives in Palm Desert.  I've also included a link to Go Solar California.  This site contains information about how to work through the rebate and incentive programs available for installing solar panels. 

Let's talk about this green home. It is a newer custom 4 bedroom, 4 bath.  Great room plan with formal and informal dining.  Spacious gourmet kitchen with granite counters.  Large master suite with a luxurious spa-like master bath with separate dressing areas for his and hers, hers and hers or his and his.  All bedrooms feature en suite baths. Detached casita overlooking the salt water pool and spa. Fantastic outdoor entertaining in the 15' by 20' loggia with retractable awnings and a misting system.

 La Paloma is centrally located. It is minutes away from the El Paseo Shopping District and The River in Rancho Mirage.  Bristol Farms, the gourmet grocery store is a couple blocks away.  If you don't feel like cooking, Sherman's Deli and Bakery is in the same shopping center.  It's a valley institution.  Check out my blog about residents golf programs for information about Desert Willow Golf Resort.

If you are in the area on Friday July 31^ststop by our open house between 3PM and 7PM.  We will be serving Hawaiian Shave Ice and tropical treats. La Paloma is just north of Monterey Country Club off of Hoveley Lane, between Monterey Avenue and Cook Street.  Avenida Solana is on the south side of Hovley Lane.

 The Link Button.

Alvin Greenwalt

CA DRE License #01715823

Think of Palm Springs and what comes to mind, sun, movie stars, vacation - true enough, but for many it's just golf.  I saw an example of this yesterday at about 2 PM in Sun City Shadow Hills.  I was showing a client new and resale homes.  We were in the golf cart viewing new homes - unbelievable deals on the current inventory.  Equally unbelievable, we had to stop for a golf cart with two golfers.  It was 108 in the shade.

There are more than 100 golf courses in the Coachella Valley.  Many are private country clubs.  At least two are attached to private estates and privately owned. There are numerous public and semi private courses scattered throughout the valley.  Several cities here have resident golf programs.  They can be the reason that you buy your home or condo within a particular city limits. 

I wrote my first blog about a last minute showing in Indian Wells.  I picked up two golfers at the Indian Wells Golf Resort.  They only wanted to look at a couple condos in Indian Wells.  Their purpose was to get a resident's card so they could play for $35 a round anytime.  And better yet it is free to Indian Wells homeowners.  Check out the links button to find links to the original blog link and the Indian Wells Property Owners ID card.  I recently played the Celebrity Course.  It is beautiful, my game not so much.  I posted some photos on my facebook page in the mobile uploads album. There are numerous other benefits to the card, including discounts on food and merchandise, also discounts at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden.  It is, in my opinion, the best golf program in the desert. Indian Wells is home to the Indian Wells County Club, Eldorado Country Club, The Vintage, The Reserve, and Toscana Country Club. 

I live in Rancho Mirage.  Beautiful city - fantastic place to live.  Home to two of the oldest private country clubs in the valley, Thunderbird Country Club and Tamarisk County Club. Tamarisk is one of the few areas of the city that is not behind gates.  Great area with wonderful examples of mid century modern and current contemporary architecture.  Another example of this architecture is Magnesia Falls - also not behind gates.  Rancho Mirage is home to Mission Hills Country Club, home of the Kraft Nabisco Tournament and the Dinah Shore Tournament Course.  My favorite LPGA event.  Check out my facebook page for photos of this year's tournament in the mobile uploads album. Rancho Mirage has a great resident's program. It allows owners and renters to benefit.  Register with the city and pay the $75 annual fee.  Then play the Pete Dye Resort Course or the Gary Player Signature Course at Mission Hills Country Club.  The fees range from $35 to $55 depending on the time of year.  There are discounted fees for your guests. Another option for a great deal on golf is Rancho Mirage Country Club.  Check out the links button for more information.  Rancho Mirage is also home to The Springs Country Club, Morningside Country Club, Sunrise Country Club and Rancho Las Palmas Country Club.

Desert Willow Golf Resort is the home of the Palm Desert Resident's Golf Program.  Proof of residency is required and an $8 annual processing fee.  There are two courses. Desert Willow Firecliff and Mountain View.  Check out the links button to find more information on the course.  Residents pay $45 per round.  Guests pay the published fees, ranging from $70 to $175 depending on the time of year.  Palm Desert is home to many country clubs.  In south Palm Desert, there is Bighorn Golf Club, Ironwood Country Club, Marrakesh Country Club, Stone Eagle Golf Club and Shadow Mountain Golf Club. East Palm Desert is home to Avondale Country Club, Desert Falls Country Club, Indian Ridge Country Club, Oasis Country Club, Palm Desert Country Club, Palm Valley Country Club, The Lakes Country Club and Woodhaven Country Club.  North Palm Desert includes Chaparral Country Club, Desert Springs, Monterey Country Club, Portola Country Club and Suncrest Country Club. I am sure that I have missed some.

La Quinta's resident's golf program requires proof of residency and a $15 fee for three years.  In reading the rules of the program, I found it interesting that La Quinta doesn't seem to recognize California's Registered Domestic Partners.  If you are using a utility bill as a second form of identification and it happens to be in your partner's name and it is not the same as yours, you are required to provide a marriage certificate.  Either La Quinta is lobbying for change, looking for a law suit or way behind the times.  Anyway, back to the golf program.  Residents can play at SilverRock Resort.  Current fees for a round are $30.  They seemed to be having server problems, so I can't provide any more rate information.  Click on the links button to find more information about SilverRock Resort and the resident's program. La Quinta is home to Andalusia at Coral Mountain, La Quinta Country Club, Mountain View Country Club, PGA West including the Greg Norman course, the Legends course, the Nicklaus Private and Tournament courses, the Palmer Private course, the Stadium course and the Weiskopf course, Rancho La Quinta Country Club, The Citrus, The Hideaway, The Madison, The Palms, The Quarry, The Tradition and Trilogy.

Check back later for municipal course information in other desert cities. Just a quick update - I sold one of the new homes in Sun City Shadow Hills today to the client that I mentioned at the beginning of this blog!

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Alvin Greenwalt

CA DRE License # 01715823

I have had several listings and sales in Mesquite Ridge in Rancho Mirage over the past few years. It is a small gated community of 12 homes between Peterson Road and Mirage Cove Drive. The homes range in size from 3074 sq. ft. to 4025 sq. ft. There are three floor plans. Several have detached casitas with full baths and walk in closets. Some have gated front yards.

The community has close up mountain views and convenient central location. It is within walking distance of Las Casulas Nuevas, Bankok 5 and Oceans 111 Restaurants. If that isn't enough, you are a few minutes' drive from The River where you will find more restaurants, shopping and theaters.

Mesquite Ridge is a few blocks away from Thunderbird Country Club. As they put it, "one of the most mature 18-hole golf courses in the Coachella Valley." The community is also a golf cart ride away from Morningside Country Club and The Springs Country Club. The city of Rancho Mirage has a resident's golf program. For $75.00 per year, qualified residents can play the Gary Player Signature Course or the Pete Dye Resort Course at Mission Hills for a nominal fee. Another option for golf without a membership is Rancho Mirage Country Club. Other private clubs in the city include Mission Hills Country Club, Tamarisk Country Club, Sunrise Country Club and Rancho Las Palmas Country Club. Many of the private clubs offer social and tennis memberships, if you are not a golfer.

If you are into hiking, there are five official hiking trails in Rancho Mirage. The unofficial trail is the Bump and Grind, claimed by both Rancho Mirage and Palm Desert. The entrance is actually in Palm Desert off Painter's Path. Older entrances that are no longer accessible were in Rancho Mirage. At any rate, it is highly recommended.

For shopping, I mentioned The River - you will find a link on my website. Rancho Mirage has several large consignment stores. J & J Consignment is my favorite and it is only a block away from Mesquite Ridge. If you are a hard core shopper, you will find those 10 minutes away in Palm Desert. First there is the College of the Desert Street Fair on the weekends year round. Next, the mall - Westfield/Palm Desert featuring Macy's. Finally, El Paseo Shopping District with Saks, Ralph Lauren, Tommy Bahama, etc. It's our version of Rodeo Drive or Union Square.

Rancho Mirage is home to the Agua Caliente Casino Resort and Spa. There are a wide variety of gaming options, including slots, gaming tables, poker room and high limit gaming area. There are six restaurants and a cabaret lounge. The casino is also home to "The Show," a premier concert hall. It hosts concerts and boxing events. Upcoming shows include Bradley vs. Campbell WBO junior welterweight championship, Huey Lewis and the News and Diana Krall.

My listing is a 3 bedroom, 3 bath Tuscan style home. The gourmet kitchen is equipped with Viking Professional appliances and slab granite. The master suite features unobstructed mountain views. It has a fireplace and French doors that lead to the 40 pebble tech pool and spa. The luxurious master bath has dual vanities, a soaking tub with views, and a separate shower with two shower heads. The large walk in closet is cedar lined. The home is 3,074 square feet with a 14,810 square foot yard. It was just reduced to $849,900.

Mesquite Ridge is a mix of Tuscan and Desert Contemporary architecture. Great community. Fantastic value. Check it out at: http://www.alvingreenwalt.com/11RidgelineWay.html.

 Alvin Greenwalt

CA DRE License# 01715823

I have a new listing in Rancho Las Palmas.  So needless to say, I have learned quite a bit about Rancho Las Palmas Country Club and the new Rancho Las Palmas Resort and Spa.  Believe it or not, I have other interests than the locations of my listings; I just don't write about them. Except on Facebook.

I have to admit, that I was not a fan of Rancho Las Palmas prior to this listing.  Well, all it takes is a little education and opinions change.  The benefits of living here are fantastic.  The clubhouse is fantastic.  Golf membership is available.  Big benefit - the new Rancho Las Palmas Resort and Spa.  Homeowners enjoy discounts and special benefits.  Check out the link on my website.

Now, my listing - It is a pristine three bedroom, two bath 300 plan.  It is turn-key furnished.  The location is prime.  First of all, Rancho Las Palmas is across Bob Hope Drive from The River in Rancho Mirage.  Great location.  Check my website for a link to The River.  This particular condo is near the Monterey gate. What does this mean?  Well, a lot.  You are a few minutes from College of the Desert and the week end mart.  You are also minutes away from El Paseo. One of the best things about Rancho Mirage is its location.  It is in the middle of the desert cities.  You can go out in Palm Springs or go to the new Jackalope Ranch in Indio and they are both about 11 miles away.  Check out my website for information about the history of Rancho Mirage - originally Eleven Mile Ranch.  It is really interesting.  There are a lot of interesting things in Rancho Mirage - Sunnylands, Porcupine Creek - a 9 hole private golf course and an 18 hole private golf course.  I don't mean country club - I mean owned by a private party.  It is a little bit different out here.  If myth is correct, we are the home to the country club that the Thunderbird automobile was named after.  I don't know if that one is true, but  some things are best left to the imagination. Rancho Mirage - home of the presidents - not countries - corporations.

But back to my listing.  It is furnished, in great condition, in a great location and has a great rental history.  What more do you want?  Offered for $369,000. Take a look at it at http://www.callalvin.com/20PalomasDrive.html

Here are the stats for Rancho Las Palmas Country Club.  There are currently 26 homes on the market, ranging from $249,000 to $579,000.  There are 864 condos in the development. There have been 16 sales in the last six months.  The sale prices range from $250,000 to $386,000.  Prices are great. Interest rates are low.  It is a great time to invest in a country club lifestyle.

I only represent cool desert homes!

I have clients coming into town tomorrow.  They are interested in my listing at 12240 Skyline Drive in Desert Hot Springs. I get lots of calls from my print advertising, from the television show, email ads and all of the web advertising.  These clients worked with another agent out here, but were unhappy with their experience.  The agent didn't appear to have enough time for them. They saw the ad in Lifestyle Properties, called me and we'll see it tomorrow. 

It is interesting, I get lots of showings.  People love the house.  They don't like Desert Hot Springs, or the perception of DHS.  Anyway, my client asked me to find other contemporary newer homes in the valley up to $800,000, so they could see some comparable properties.  I have emailed him quite a few.  We ruled out mid century early on.  So we are left with homes built since 2004, or there abouts.  I was really surprised at what a challenge this was. 

I showed the Skyline Drive property before I had the listing.  The clients loved the property, even though it was 110 degrees and we saw it without air-conditioning.  The home is air conditioned, but the showing agent wouldn't turn it on. I called the listing agent and we came back to see it that evening with AC that evening.  Much nicer! There have been several listing agents on this property. I ended up selling these clients a 1958 contemporary in Palm Desert by architect Walter White.  Spectacular home and it lead me to my listing at Skyline Drive.

Skyline Drive is a unique house with incredible views. I haven't seen a home on either side of the valley with better views.  The home is a clean line contemporary with Metal Corporation doors and windows. It has Bryce Parker glass garage doors.  Lots of straight, clean angles and a pool side pavilion with a fireplace, brought together by Los Angeles designer, Vance Lorenzini.  Impressive career, google him.

Here is the news.  DHS is cleaning up its act.  The streets are being repaved. Skyline Drive just got repaved.  Other actions are cleaning up the issues in DHS. 

Here is what I have found that might meet the clients requirements.  48 at Arenas, Desert Park Estates, Ted Jarvis' and my listing at Dunes Court (more about this contemporary later), Murano ( a favorite of mine), Biltmore Colony, PS Colony,  Enclave at Sunrise (maybe), another favorite - Pamilla and the Palm Springs Modern listing in Rancho Mirage.  I went through 300 homes on the MLS to try to find something that would work.  Not much out there if you want to stay under $800,000 and fairly new.  Now if you want to go over that figure, or look at mid century call me.

Find more information at http://www.alvingreenwalt.com/12240SkylineDrive.html