South Lake Tahoe Real Estate - (530) 541-2465 -

Lake Tahoe Homes for Sale on the Rise?

Paula — Fri, 17 May 2013 18:00:39 +0000

If you took a look at the first 12 days of May you might have thought so. Between May 1 and May 12, 2013 there were 47 newly listed homes for sale on the California side of Lake Tahoe. This may seem like a lot, especially since there have been under 160 homes for sale on the South Shore at any one time over the last year. During the first 12 days of April, there were 36 listed, so a bit of a difference and of those 36 homes, 16 are already in escrow and 3 have sold! Of the 47 homes listed in the first 12 days of May, 9 are already in escrow and 1 was sold before distribution. If the current trend holds true, by June 12 we’ll see 24 of the homes listed during the last 12 days be either in escrow or sold.

Homes for sale in Lake Tahoe selling at fast rate

In the month of April the average number of days on the market until sold was 161, much more than what the recent numbers are showing. The average of the last 12 months was 148 days, the lowest we’ve seen since early 2007. With the increasing number of people looking to buy a home in Lake Tahoe, I believe we’ll see homes being grabbed up before a buyer’s competition can make a bid. Of the 78 homes listed for sale in the month of April, 4 have sold and 33 are in escrow. If you look at home sales in Lake Tahoe over the last year you’ll see that they climbed 16%, so the activity of sales in April and May isn’t unusual.

What are the hottest neighborhoods?

In April, the homes in escrow and closed escrows were distributed across many neighborhoods. There were 3 in the Tahoe Keys, 4 in Al Tahoe, 4 in Bijou and 4 in the Upper Truckee neighborhoods. The busiest neighborhoods for sale were the Pioneer Trail and Sierra Tract areas, each with 5 homes going into escrow. Of the 9 sales so far in May, 2 were in Tahoe Island Park neighborhood, with single sales in the remaining 7 areas.

If you want to buy or sell, you should contact me now because I have some inside tracks on the market. Contact me by phone at 530-541-2465 or by email and I’ll help you beat out the competition.

Lake Tahoe Neighborhood Highlight: Highland Woods

Dan Spano — Thu, 16 May 2013 18:00:33 +0000

Highland Woods is a small neighborhood in South Lake Tahoe nestled in between Highway 50 and the lake. It is one of the area’s newest neighborhoods, having been developed in the 1970′s. Wide streets and underground utilities, level lots and easy access make it a popular neighborhood for locals and visitors alike. Even though there is commercial properties along the area’s Highway 50 edge, the neighborhood is quiet and off the beaten path, making it a great one for families and those that enjoy walking and biking near their home.

There are about 210 homes in Highland Woods with an average of 1,500 square feet, 3 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms. You’ll find Tudor style homes here as well as larger, newer homes bordering the meadow and coming with lake views.

Lake Tahoe Real Estate sales in the Highland Woods neighborhood

Very few homes come up for sale in Highland Woods, which makes the rare home on the market very popular among buyers. Over the last 12 months there were 17 homes sold here and there are just 4 currently for sale. On the South Lake Tahoe MLS there are actually 2 neighborhoods that make up this area: Highland Woods and Highland Woods PUD. The average price of the 9 homes sold between May 2012 and April 2013 in Highland Woods was $315,000, up 8.7% from the prior year. On the Highland Woods PUD side of things, the average selling price of the 6 homes sold was $171,500, up 9.6% the same period from last year. To put this in perspective, the average selling price of the 777 homes that sold in the South Lake Tahoe area was $265,000.

The 4 bedroom home pictured here just sold this week for $435,000. It’s listing price was $449,000.

The Highland Woods Neighborhood

Want to know more?

I would be happy to help you in your search of a Lake Tahoe home in Highland Woods or any of the other Lake Tahoe neighborhoods. This is a very nice place to own a home with good resale value. Contact me by email or phone at 530-541-2465.

Lake Tahoe Neighborhood Highlight: The Bijou Neighborhood

Dan Spano — Sun, 12 May 2013 19:00:42 +0000

The Bijou Neighborhood of South Lake Tahoe, California is one of the oldest neighborhoods and is very well located in town to give easy access to a lot of activities. Skiing at Heavenly Valley is just blocks away, there is a 9 hole municipal golf course here and the lake is at the northern border of the neighborhood. The meadows around the golf course are great for biking, hiking and also cross country skiing and snowshoeing. There is even a new dog park located off of Al Tahoe Blvd.

The History of the Bijou Neighborood

Bijou’s neighborhood formation came in 1929 when William Bliss (son of D.L. Bliss of Tahoe’s lumber industry) developed Bijou Pines. 50′ x 100′ lots were available for $250 which you could buy for $25 a year with interest deferred payments. Check out the sales brochure that was distributed at that time:

“Bring your children to your own cabin site for the summer in the Great Tahoe out-of-doors, where they learn every flower, every tree, every rock, every mountain peak, every stream and every clod has a story to tell of a great orderly universe; where they learn “big muscle activities” which lay the foundation for a vigorous adult life’ where they learn to be dependent for their amusements on themselves, where the parent does not hear the youngster’s continual plea “What can I do next?” There is always something to do that will give your children an experience which will bring them rich rewards in health, happiness and character building.”

The first town on the south shore was the town of Rowlands, formed where the Al Tahoe neighborhood now lies. When roads came into the area and followed what is now Highway 50,the town closed up and moved to Bijou where their services could better be used by travelers who didn’t want to detour to their town. Homes started to appear and then the Bijou Pines neighborhood was formed.

Lake Tahoe Real Estate Sales in the Bijou Neighborhood

There are consistently more home sales in the Bijou area than any other neighborhood in South Lake Tahoe. For real estate purposes the neighborhood is divided into two parts: Bijou 1 and Bijou 2. The median sales price of homes in Bijou 1 was $226,000 over the past 12 months with 60 homes sold. In Bijou 2 there were 29 sales with $260,000 as the median. Between the two Bijou areas there are currently 22 homes for sale, 13 of which are single family homes and 9 are condos.

The inventory of homes for sale in Bijou has dropped just as in the other South Lake Tahoe neighborhoods. Bijou 1 experienced a 46% drop in homes for sale over the last 12 months while Bijou 2 saw a drop of just 17%. While single family homes on the market in Bijou 2 dropped, condos listed rose 8.5%, a rare occurrence in the Lake Tahoe (there are more condos and townhomes for sale in Bijou 2 than single family homes).

The Bijou Neighborhood

Watch this video review of the area:

Want to Know More?

I would be happy to help you in your search of a Lake Tahoe home in any of the Lake Tahoe neighborhoods. This is a very nice place to own a home with good resale value and vacation home rental income prospects. Contact me by email or phone at 530-541-2465.

Lake Tahoe Real Estate Market Review for April

Dan Spano — Sat, 11 May 2013 19:35:36 +0000

Median price of homes sold continues to increase

The median sales prices for homes sold in April of 2013 rose 48% from April of 2012 to $334,500. When analyzing the figures in more detail, you see some interesting things. I have set up four price ranges for South Lake Tahoe Real Estate Sales: 1) homes priced under $299,887, 2) homes priced @299,888 to $434,999, 3) $435,000 to $649,999 and 4) $650,000 and above. The median sales price of homes in the lowest range rose 34.5% from a year ago and the highest range also rose a bit, by 5.7%. The other 2 ranges actually had a very slight drop in the median. Is this any cause to worry about the market? No. Since there is such a small range in prices in each range there really isn’t much room for them to change.

Closed sales rise

There were 58 closed sales in April of this year, up 18.4% over April of last year. Over the last 12 months there were 775 closed sales in South Lake Tahoe which was also up from the previous 12 month period by 15.7%. When breaking down this category by the price ranges mentioned above, again we see some interesting aspects. During the month all prices ranges except for the lowest had increased sales. The lowest priced group actually saw a drop of 31.3%. This has been actually expected as I’ve been talking about for months. We don’t have much inventory of homes priced under $300,000 so sooner or later sales in that range will drop off. The second range of homes saw a 80% increase, the third range up 400% and the upper range up 60% over April in 2012.

Inventory of homes for sale in Lake Tahoe

Across the United States there is a drastically reduced number of homes for sale. I’ve discussed many reasons why and I don’t see this scenario changing any time soon. In April there were 232 homes for sale in South Lake Tahoe, CA. which is a 41.7% drop from April of 2012. If you look at the last 12 months, the number of homes for sale is 38.8% lower than the previous 12 months. When looking at the price ranges all 4 of them had large decreases in inventory. The biggest drop was the second range which saw 50% fewer homes for sale than April of 2012 and the lowest range was not far behind with a 49.4% drop. We haven’t seen any evidence that this trend will change any time soon. New listings of homes for sale continued their downward trend over the past 12 months with 900 new listings. In 2007 we had almost 1,500 so you can see the big drop. In April we actually had a one month increase so we’ll watch for May to see if this trend is changing.

Lake Tahoe Real Estate

As I wrote recently, 4 of the 5 hottest real estate markets in which to sell a home are within a 2 hour drive from Lake Tahoe. They are all seeing homes on the market for only a couple of weeks. That isn’t the case in our mountain town with an average of 148 days on the market over the last 12 months. In fact, April’s 164 days was an increase of 16.7 % from April of 2012. Over the last 6 years we’ve had a low of 137 days and a high of 175 days on the market. This variable isn’t a big predictor of the Lake Tahoe real estate market unless it starts to drop drastically. I can’t imagine what things will look like if we had an average of 14 days on the market with our reducing inventory and increasing sales.

Keep on top of things

Here are my 3 helpful hints on how to stay informed and stay on top of the Lake Tahoe real estate market:

Sign up for email notifications of the Lake Tahoe MLS new home listings. You will be notified of homes coming on the market the moment they are listed. You will know as soon as the agents know.
Another way to find out about the Lake Tahoe real estate market is to sign up to receive my blogs via email.
Receive my monthly newsletter.

Request more information on real estate in Lake Tahoe by contacting Dan Spano directly.

Waterfront investment opportunity in South Lake Tahoe – Lake Tahoe condos for sale

Dan Spano — Wed, 08 May 2013 19:24:51 +0000

Sit on one of the decks of this Lake Tahoe condo, overlooking the boat docks and enjoy your waterfront life by living in Lake Tahoe.

This condo for sale is actually 2 units for the price of 1! You can live in both, live in one and rent out the other or however you want to use it. The Tahoe Keys neighborhood is consistently one of the best neighborhoods for vacation rentals.

This great opportunity won’t be around long.

Review Preview of a waterfront condo for sale at 497 Lake Tahoe Blvd #17

Listing Agent’s Notes on the Home

2 for the price of 1! 2 separate units and 2 boat slips. This duplex style keys condo has both an A and B unit. Enter through the mudroom and you will find the downstairs studio Unit B with full bath and unit A – 2bd 1.5 ba. upstairs. Both offer gorgeous views of the water and surrounding mountains. Each features full kitchen, fireplace, decks and furnishings. Keep one for yourself and rent the other. Great for multi-generational family members. There is a single car garage as well.

Dan’s Condo Rating: 4.5 (vacation rental)

Dan’s Neighborhood Rating 5

Lake Tahoe Real Estate News

Want to keep up on the currents trends? Looking to buy a home in Lake Tahoe? In this very hectic real estate market you’ll need to act very quickly! I have told buyers to follow these 4 steps to gain the upper hand in their home search in Lake Tahoe:

Sign up for email notifications of the Lake Tahoe MLS new home listings. You will be notified of homes coming on the market the moment they are listed. You will know as soon as the agents know.
Another way to find out about the Lake Tahoe real estate market is to sign up to receive my blogs via email.
Receive my monthly newsletter.
Be prepared with cash or a pre-qualification letter from your mortgage broker or bank to write an offer. I will move quickly for you to avoid being beat out by the heavy competition.

Request more information on real estate in Lake Tahoe by contacting Dan Spano directly.

Lake Tahoe Real Estate Newsletter for April, 2013

Dan Spano — Tue, 07 May 2013 17:06:33 +0000

Real Estate in Lake Tahoe continues to amaze me. We have an increasing interest from buyers who want to own a home in Lake Tahoe on both sides of the state line. It would be great if we could find a home for everyone looking, but that’s not the case. Our inventory of homes for sale is at an all time low.This has created a market where there are a lot of cash offers and many multiple offers. Those that don’t get the home they want the first time around are hanging in there and watching my “instant notification system“closely so they can make an offer quickly and be in the game.

In order to accommodate everyone I am going to soon add search tools for the Carson Valley on my website. In the meantime, if you’re interested in real estate located down in the valley (Reno, Carson City, Minden, Gardnerville), I will set you up to receive new listing notifications there too.

There continues to be more activity on the higher end market of homes for sale. In March there were 17 home sales on the Nevada side. The median selling price was $940,000 since the lowest price was $249,000 and the highest was $3,675,000. In fact, just about half of the homes sold were over $1,000,000! On the California side we saw more sales (56) with the median price of $349,000.

Current Lake Tahoe Real Estate Figures for California Side

Lake Tahoe Neighborhoods

I will continue to update our neighborhood pages and stories in order to give our readers and home buyers the information they need about each area. As mentioned last month, I created video reviews on each neighborhood and I am now highlighting neighborhoods in my weekly blogs. This gives you better insight into the area with information and sales figures.

You can view them in two places: neighborhood description page and neighborhood video page .

My latest neighborhood reviews: Heavenly Valley, Tahoe Keys, Montgomery Estates and Kingsbury Grade.

My Favorite Lake Tahoe Business of the Month

My favorite business isn’t actually a business, it’s the Lake Tahoe Business Referral Network. This is a group of local business owners who’s goal is to build trust and relationships so that they’ll know the businesses they can then refer their friends and clients to. The group has a commitment to the highest level of integrity and customer service.

How does this help you? You can use their list of businesses when in Lake Tahoe so that you’ll know who to know and trust when getting appliances repaired, buying a car, getting glass and doors, where to buy meat and seafood and chocolates and much more.

I also have a business directory on my website.

Dan’s Preview-Review of Tahoe Homes for Sale

I am continuing to offer the “Dan’s Preview Review” service for my clients. If you find a Tahoe home for sale that you’re interested in, contact me and I’ll provide a video review with narration…it will be like you’re there touring the house yourself! Many buyers are looking for a 2nd home and aren’t in town to actually view it themselves. They are finding this service quite helpful in their search of real estate in South Lake Tahoe.

Pending home sales through the roof

Dan Spano — Wed, 01 May 2013 16:25:50 +0000

There was a story in today’s USA Today that caught my interest and made me research facts here in Lake Tahoe. The article said that the number of signed contracts to buy homes in the U.S. rose in March to the highest level in 3 years.

Lake Tahoe closed sales

115 homes are currently in escrow on the California side of Lake Tahoe and 37 homes are in this status on the Nevada side. The Lake Tahoe California figures are 10% higher than last year at this time and the Lake Tahoe Nevada figures are up 60%!

Combine the 115 pending home sales on the California side of the lake with the 8 multi-family units, 3 commercial properties and 15 lots and you’ll see why I keep saying that the Lake Tahoe real estate market is hot, hot, hot!

Home sales have been climbing, in Lake Tahoe since a low in May of 2009. Please keep in mind that the medium price has not started to climb until about 10 months ago. We’ve leveled off over the last 4 months because of one major factor: lack of inventory(homes for sale).

Closed sales across the nation

According to the USA Today article, signed contracts are higher in the US by 7% over the same month last year. They say steady jobs and near-record low mortgage rates have helped to drive up homes sales. Rising demand and reducing supply of homes for sale are fueling home construction elsewhere. With a low number of building permits being issued in South Lake Tahoe (130 for the whole basin) we don’t have the increase in construction that will increase the supply.

Will home sales drop in Lake Tahoe?

With almost 40% fewer homes for sale in Lake Tahoe and increasing number of home sales we should hit a point soon where the Lake Tahoe homes sales will start to drop. One factor that may affect this is if the median sales price continues to rise, this would prompt more sellers to enter the market.

I can answer any questions you may have about Lake Tahoe real estate. Contact me by email or by phone by calling 530-541-2465.

Quiet country setting for this Lake Tahoe home for sale

Dan Spano — Sat, 27 Apr 2013 18:00:54 +0000

We have a new listing for a home in the much sought after Montgomery Estates neighborhood. This Lake Tahoe home for sale has 4 bedrooms, 2.5 baths and great sun exposure on the decks and interior rooms.

If you like quiet, a country setting and a ready to move in home, then this might be for you. There aren’t many homes for sale in Lake Tahoe so a home as well cared for as this one will probably get some quick offers.

The home is located at 2457 Bernice and is listed for $469,000.

Preview-Review of Lake Tahoe home for sale at 2457 Bernice

Listing Agent’s Notes on the Home

Beautifully maintained home in one of Tahoe’s most exclusive and sought after neighborhoods. With amazing mountain views and access to thousands of acres of hiking and biking trails. Brand new 50 year comp roof, freshly sealed driveway and newly stained siding make this home gorgeous and ready for it’s new owner. The extra large lot with natural landscaping invite your landscaping ideas or love of low maintenance . Vacant lot next door creates a large, peaceful & quiet setting. 4 bdrms ,3 baths , a great office space and newer furnace with TONS of storage would make for great second home or primary residence. Includes the snow blower!

Dan’s Home Rating 4

Dan’s Neighborhood Rating 4.5

Lake Tahoe Real Estate News

Sign up for email notifications of the Lake Tahoe MLS new home listings. You will be notified of homes coming on the market the moment they are listed. You will know as soon as the agents know.
Another way to find out about the Lake Tahoe real estate market is to sign up to receive my blogs via email.
Receive my monthly newsletter.
Be prepared with cash or a pre-qualification letter from your mortgage broker or bank to write an offer. I will move quickly for you to avoid being beat out by the heavy competition.

Request more information on real estate in Lake Tahoe by contacting Dan Spano directly.

Forest and meadow setting for this Lake Tahoe home for sale

Dan Spano — Fri, 26 Apr 2013 18:00:03 +0000

Lake Tahoe real estate is moving like hot cakes, and this one just joined the Active Pending status! This home is bordered by meadows and trees, and with the glass ceiling and walls in the dining room you’ll be sure to be able to enjoy both.

This Lake Tahoe home is located in the Highland Woods neighborhood, has 4 bedrooms and 3.5 bathrooms and is just over 2,500 square feet.

Preview-Review of Lake Tahoe home for sale at 952 Silverwood

Listing Agent’s Notes on the Home

Regular Sale home on a gorgeous lot in Highland Woods. It backs the meadow and sits on 2 lots for plenty of room in between neighbors. Large newly built Trex decking in back and recently remodeled upgraded kitchen with Gen-Air multipurpose down draft range. Lots of windows with remote controlled awnings and screens. There are 2 Master bedrooms and one is located on downstairs level. The exterior of home was recently oiled and there is a large dog run and plenty of storage underneath house with the 2 finished basements.

Dan’s Home Rating 4

This home has a four+ star rating because it’s located in a very nice pocket of a sleeper neighborhood.

Dan’s Neighborhood Rating 3.5

Lake Tahoe Real Estate News

Sign up for email notifications of the Lake Tahoe MLS new home listings. You will be notified of homes coming on the market the moment they are listed. You will know as soon as the agents know.
Another way to find out about the Lake Tahoe real estate market is to sign up to receive my blogs via email.
Receive my monthly newsletter.
Be prepared with cash or a pre-qualification letter from your mortgage broker or bank to write an offer. I will move quickly for you to avoid being beat out by the heavy competition.

Request more information on real estate in Lake Tahoe by contacting Dan Spano directly.

Lake Tahoe Foreclosure for sale in Montgomery Estates

Dan Spano — Thu, 25 Apr 2013 05:38:34 +0000

There aren’t many foreclosures for sale in Lake Tahoe so this new listing is in the much sought after Montgomery Estates neighborhood and is sure to attract attention.

This Lake Tahoe foreclosure for sale has 3 bedrooms, 2 baths and is spread out over 3 levels with several decks accenting the outside space. There is even a water feature to greet you as you enter the home.

The home is at 1766 Gentian Circle and is listed for $449,900.

Preview-Review of Lake Tahoe foreclosure for sale at 1766 Gentian Circle

Listing Agent’s Notes on the Home

This spacious family home presents a delightful opportunity to invest in one of South Shore’s most desirable neighborhoods. Best of all, it is priced considerably lower than surrounding homes while the setting is one to surely be envied. Hickory floors and a granite boulder fireplace are the focal point of the roomy living and dining areas with direct access to a large deck overlooking a forested (and some mountain) views. Also located on the main floor are the kitchen, master bedroom and full bath. The middle floor features an inviting family/game room (with access to the side yard) as well as two guest bedrooms and the second full bath. There are also some bonus storage areas offering a variety of opportunities. Redwood siding adds extra value to the exterior of the home along with an extra large lot, water feature and storage shed. Outdoor recreation lovers will be thrilled with the nearby miles of forested trails ideal for biking, hiking or cross-country skiing.

Dan’s Home Rating 4

Dan’s Neighborhood Rating 4.5

Lake Tahoe Real Estate News

Sign up for email notifications of the Lake Tahoe MLS new home listings. You will be notified of homes coming on the market the moment they are listed. You will know as soon as the agents know.
Another way to find out about the Lake Tahoe real estate market is to sign up to receive my blogs via email.
Receive my monthly newsletter.
Be prepared with cash or a pre-qualification letter from your mortgage broker or bank to write an offer. I will move quickly for you to avoid being beat out by the heavy competition.

Request more information on real estate in Lake Tahoe by contacting Dan Spano directly.