Civic Center Park, A Palm Desert Gem!

The Civic Center Park in Palm Desert is truly a gem to behold. It is one of the largest parks you can visit with 70 acres and is home to a ton of amenities including, are you ready, 4 baseball fields, 6 tennis courts, 4 volleyball courts, 3 basketball courts, 5 picnic pavilions, and Amphitheater, skate park, tot lot, the all important dog park and a concession and restroom building. In addition, the park contains a spectacular collection of public art including the Holocaust Memorial, the Peace Memorial and the Dreamer. The park is beautifully landscaped with lawns, paths, lake and plenty of places to sit back and relax or recreate to your heart's content with every member of your family. It is THE place to go for public activities including a variety of musical concerts, Fourth of July celebrations and a host of special events. Take the time to visit. You will love it. For more information regarding points of interest in Palm Desert, please email me at mcgeary@earthlink.net or visit my website at my company website at http://www.windermeresocal.com or at http://www.DanMcGeary.com

Palm Desert Condo Sales Heating Up!

It used to be way back six months ago that condo sales in all of Palm Desert were selling at a leisurely rate of 49 units per month. Recently, I began to notice on the daily hot sheet that there were a lot more condos selling. So I ran a study on the multiple listing service which confirms that sales are up to a whopping 75 units per month since about March 1st. The Market Action Index chart that heads this post is confirmation of that. This is the index that monitors buyers' level of activity. While we are still in a buyers market, this increased activity is music to sellers' ears. In the past six months, the height of our selling season, 294 units sold, and 185 of them since March 1st. Prices range from $36,000 in the International Lodge to $900,000 at The Lakes Country Club. Then there is the occasional sale at Ironwood Country Club for $1,350,000 that also occured during the period. This is continued evidence that there is a property for everyone in Palm Desert, California. If you would like more information about real estate in Palm Desert, please email me at mcgeary@earthlink.net or visit my website at my company http://www.windermeresocal.com/ which can also be accessed directly at http://www.danmcgeary.com/.

Building Safety Month 2011

May is International Building Safety Month which raises public awareness of safety issues that affect everyone on the planet. The staff at Palm Desert's Building and Safety Department think about the safe and proper construction of buildings every day. The Department ensures that all homes and buildings in the City are safe and up to City codes and standards. Throughout May, Palm Desert's Building and Safety Department is promoting the use, enforcement and understanding of building safety and fire prevention codes to protect lives and property. This is probably not on the top of your mind when you enter a building but you can thank the City and it's dedicated staff for helping to ensure your safety every day. When you enter that dream home you are looking for, know that the City has your best interest at heart. And to look for that next home, please feel free to email me at mcgeary@earthlink.net or visit http://www.danmcgeary.com/. I can also be found through my affiliation with Windermere Real Estate at http://www.windermeresocal.com/.

How Long Will It Take to Sell My House?

The second most asked question, besides price, is 'How long will it take to sell my house in Palm Desert?' And the answer to date this year is 4.8 months. Since January 1st, 192 single family homes show as having sold in the multiple listing service taking almost five months to do so. We are now seeing that time lengthening to six months. The current inventory of homes on the market is now just over 180 days. That is the result of more inventory coming on the market in the wake of a balancing of prices this year. Sellers who wanted and needed to sell since 2008 are now actually selling their homes which leads to others coming on the market. So inventory and days-on-the-market are trending higher recently. However, the increase in buyer activity will temper that trend which continues into the summer months. The attached chart shows the trend of days-on-the-market for the current inventory of single family homes in Palm Desert. If you would like to know what your house is worth in today's market and how long I think it will take to sell, please email me at mcgeary@earthlink.net or visit my website as http://www.danmcgeary.com/.

"Standard" Sales are 87% of Total Sales

The Board of Real Estate reports that eighty-seven percent of all real estate transactions in the Coachella Valley are standard sales. The remaining 13 percent of sales are foreclosures, auction sales or short sales. Short sales occur when the market value of a property is less than the loans on it. In that case, the property sells 'short' of the amount of the loan. I started tracking foreclosure activity for all of Palm Desert in October, 2009. Since then, the numbers of foreclosures, notices of default filed and auction sales have declined by 18.05 percent, calculated on a monthly basis. As of today, for the two zip codes 92211 and 92260, there are a total of 749 properties in distress. In October 2009, the monthly totals were 914. The improvement is slow but steady and will continue for a while. But this area seems to be pulling through the tough times. The tax assessor's office provides us with the statistics which helps us help you to know what's going on in this segment. For guidance through the maze of real estate, please email me on mcgeary@earthlink.net or visit http://www.danmcgeary.com/.

Luxury Home Sales in Palm Desert Up This Season Over Last

The definition of "Season" is the time when most people are residing in and enjoying the desert lifestyle. That period is from the middle of October to the middle of April. People with summer homes go away and leave us worker bees to keep things going. The so-called 'season' is a barometer of real estate activity year after year.

During this season which is nearing its end right now, luxury home sales (defined as property $1,000,000 and above) were up 33 percent over last season. The number sold this year in Palm Desert is 24, up from 18 last season. Those are just the sales reported through the multiple listing service and do not include private sales. Bighorn Golf Club, Indian Ridge Country Club and Ironwood Country Club lead the way with luxury home sales. Then there is the occasional house on a "regular" street that sells for over one million dollars. Cahuilla Hills is a community also noted for its million dollar mansions where people tend to stay put. The exception to that is the estate featured in this photo which is available for a remarkable $2,800,000. It is brand new construction and never been occupied. It will only sell to the buyer who is looking a really, really good deal. For a list of homes available in Cahuilla Hills and Bighorn Golf Club, please visit http://www.cahuillahills.com/. You can also email me at mcgeary@earthlink.net.

Median Price on the Rise in South Palm Desert

The median price for a single family home is South Palm Desert is on the rise according to statistics pulled from the multiple listing service by Altos Research. The chart shows the proof and the amount of increase in the past six month. It goes to show that all real estate is local. Palm Desert enjoys location with proximity to services and shopping which people are willing to pay for. Not that this is earth shaking news! But it is good to see some balance back in the market place.

If you would like to know what your house is worth in today's market, please email me at mcgeary@earthlink.net or call me on 760-413-2549.