I haven’t said it until now, but … it appears the bottom of the market is behind us. I say that with some apprehension because I have no crystal ball. However, there’s just too much evidence suggesting a market turnaround in South Lake Tahoe. Here are some quick snippets. There are currently 157 homes in escrow. Twelve months ago there were 84. Demand has clearly increased. There are currently 210 homes actively listed for sale. Twelve months ago there were 300. Supply has clearly decreased. I had clients ask to see property two weekends ago. They sent me a property list on a Wednesday. Of the four properties they could see, three of them were in escrow by Thursday evening. The fourth had an offer on it. Historically, home sales spike during the summer in Tahoe. If homes are selling so ... 05/25/2012

Greater Percentage of South Lake Tahoe, CA distressed sales this year than last… while housing demand continues up… and home values decline. (Lake Tahoe Real Estate Blog / May 13, 2012 / Richard Bolen) ere at the middle of the second quarter in 2012, lets take a look at current South Lake Tahoe, CA real estate home sales trends. The goal is to see if anything new has emerged since we last looked closely at the end of Q1. We'll look at demand and median sold prices first, then look closely at the incidence and characteristics of South Lake Tahoe, CA distressed sales, which as you know are those that are either bank owned (REOs) or short sales.  Demand is Up : Over the last 365-days, we're seen an increase in South Lake Tahoe, CA home sales, over last year and the year prior. Here's the n... 05/15/2012

Median Sold Prices continue to decline in South Lake Tahoe, CA… and that's great news for home buyers. (Lake Tahoe Real Estate Blog / April 19, 2012 / Richard Bolen) We've been tracking median sold prices on this blog since we started this blog in February, 2007. Much more so than looking at average home prices, which can be more skewed by sales at either end of the price range spectrum, median sold prices are the best general indicator of home values available. Remember, in math the median is the middle number in a list of numbers. That is true when looking at the prices of real estate home sales as well. The chart below indicates the South Lake Tahoe, CA median price of homes sold since April, 2007. Note that this chart does not include home sales in the Tahoe Keys, a singularly uniqu... 04/21/2012

Demand Up, Prices Down, Distressed Property Sales and Sales under $300,000 Increasing. (Lake Tahoe Real Estate Blog / April 18, 2012 / Richard Bolen) This is the bottom line for the first quarter 2012 for the South Lake Tahoe, CA housing market: housing demand is up by 9 home sales over this same time period last year; home values are down by 9.5% from what they were at the beginning of the year; the percentage of distressed properties sold has increased by 28% over what they were in Q1 of last year, and the percentage of properties sold under $300,000 increased by 3%. The charts below are the source materials for this report. Now for the details:   Number Homes Sold : More homes sold in South Lake Tahoe in 2011 than in 2010. Total Q1 2012 sales: 125 Q1 2011 sales: 116 Number homes sold... 04/21/2012

Appetite continues increasing for South Lake Tahoe, CA homes for sale. (Lake Tahoe Real Estate Blog / April 17, 2012 / Richard Bolen) Lets take time to review South Lake Tahoe, CA housing demand for the last decade. Here we'll look more closely at the number of annual sales, but one of the charts below will also give you a month-to-month look at sales volume as well. What this study tells us is South Lake Tahoe, CA housing demand is higher now than at any time in the last 6 years, and the first quarter of this year is on a pace greater than it was last year. This simply means that more people are buying more South Lake Tahoe houses these days. The factors causing a steady increase in South Lake Tahoe home sales since 2008 are basically this:   a decrease in home prices historically low... 04/19/2012

South Lake Tahoe luxury home neighborhoods: The Tahoe Keys home values $41,500 lower in the last 365-days. (Lake Tahoe Real Estate Blog / April 16, 2012 / Richard Bolen) Lets track South Lake Tahoe, CA neighborhood home values by year since 2003. As the chart below indicates, here are the median sold prices for The Tahoe Keys neighborhood for the last decade.  The Tahoe Keys Housing Values : Median home values in the Tahoe Keys declined by $84,000 from 2010 to 2011. In the last 365-days, the median sold value has declined by $41,500, or almost half of the total decline since 2010. In addition to lower Tahoe Keys prices, even better news for home buyers are today's historic low interest rates. Since the market high of 2005,  Tahoe Keys median sold home values are $580,000 lower. There ha... 04/18/2012

Various Positive Factors, plus an unseasonably warm first quarter encourages US Home Buyers (Lake Tahoe Real Estate Blog / April 15, 2012 / Richard Bolen) We found today's Associated Press article interesting, and we certainly like any news that points to a long awaited housing recovery. The article says reduced prices, historic low mortgage interest rates and an improving jobs market are inspiring many home buyers. It cites that open houses are being heavily attended, and a new wave of foreclosures will lead investors to housing opportunities. Here's a few more points in the article (full version here): Many feel that prices won't drop much further. In some areas, prices have begun to tick up. Consumer confidence is up and that sales will move slowly but steadily higher. A warm January... 04/18/2012

Why Hire a Lake Tahoe Property Manager? A majority of Lake Tahoe property owners live some distance from their investment and even though they may be handy and don't mind spending considerable time maintaining their property an experienced Property Manager can, and will maximize your investment. Here's why: 1) Setting the Correct Rental RateMany homeowners browse the newspapers and other media to try and determine a ballpark rental rate for their property where a professional property manager suxh as Tahoe Property Management (TPM) will perform a complete market analysis for rents in that particular area and therefore maximize a harmonious balance between maximizing homeowner income and not setting the rent too high which would induce "downtime" 2) Marketing and Advertising Your Proper... 04/15/2012

  South Lake Tahoe Investment Properties-For Sale The time may be at hand for smart and savvy investors to make the move back into Lake Tahoe investment property. Prices are now at a point where the rent/purchase price may make serious economic sense. Search all South Lake Tahoe investment properties for sale now  With “cap rates” averaging in the 7-11 range the numbers begin to work with respect to a positive cash flow perspective. There are still sellers…banks included….who have not “seen the light” as of yet but as the market begins to reflect where cap rates should be and where the investor/purchaser is heading then the trend should be for all future listed properties to see the “correct valuations” attached to them. Indeed, finding a property not currently under contract with a cap... 04/15/2012

Tahoe Property Management has several long term rental currently available from small one bedroom aprtments to executive homes. You can view our entire inventory at www.tahoepropertymanagement.net or see below for current offerings: 773 Mule Deer Circle-$2,000888.988.1964 Wonderful nearly new executive home featuring a huge greatroom, gourmet kitchen, large 2-car garage, huge mountain views and all day sun. Two large bedrooms and a very small office compliment this beautiful Tahoe Paradise home. This home would be perfect for the youg professional couple or a small family. AVAILABLE 4/10/2012 *2 Bedrooms*2 Baths*2 Car Garage*1,934 Square Feet*Huge Great Room-Fireplace*Gourmet Kitchen*Small Office Apply OnlineMore InformationContact Us 1111 Nottaway-$1,850888.988.1964 Wonderful newer and... 04/15/2012

    Back in the bad old days circa 2005-06 I remember looking at some duplex units with an investor client of mine and him asking me whether I thought these were "Good Deals" or not. Putting pencil to paper I did some quick math and came up with an average "Cap Rate” of around 4...meaning the prices on these properties at the time just did make any financial sense even though at the time they were being snapped up as if they did. When looking at duplexes priced at nearly $500,000 and the NOI being around $20,000 I told my client to hold off and wait to see what happens next. One of my few great calls during the run-up!  The same investor contacted me last spring and we started looking into multi-family properties again. This time all was very different. The first property the investor a... 04/14/2012

Home Sales, Values and Distressed Frequencies by South Lake Tahoe, CA Neighborhood (Lake Tahoe Real Estate Blog / March 30, 2012 / Richard Bolen) As we approach the end of the first quarter of 2012, we thought it would be helpful to review the South Lake Tahoe, CA real estate market from the point of view of its various neighborhoods. For this study lets look at the top three South Lake Tahoe, CA neighborhoods in the following categories, and below that is the source materials for the information herein.   Highest Median Sold Price : The top three South Lake Tahoe, CA neighborhoods with the highest median sold price in the last 365-days are:   The Tahoe Keys ($556,500) Montgomery Estates ($397,875) Heavenly Valley ($375,000)  Lowest Median Sold Price : The top three South Lake Tahoe, CA... 04/01/2012

Open House April 6-8 for 2347 Cold Creek in South Lake Tahoe, CA in Montgomery Estates area Open House dates and times: April 6, 2pm to 6pm April 7, 2pm to 6pm April 8, 2pm to 6pm Please drop by our Open House for 2347 Cold Creek in South Lake Tahoe.  This is the house of views that offers views from most rooms. Brand new construction built in 2012.  You will love the gorgeous panoramic views! This beautiful home is located in highly desirable area of Montgomery Estates. Very close to Heavenly Ski Resort, the Lake, and Stateline casinos.  This is the perfect location for anyone who loves to be close to all the convenience of South Lake Tahoe, but you're in beautiful mountain setting in Montgomery Estates area.  Come see for yourself.                 2347 Cold Creek amenities: 2012 built... 03/31/2012

Open House April 6-8 for 1921 Celio in South Lake Tahoe, CA in Tahoe Paradise area Open House dates and times: April 6, 2pm to 6pm April 7, 2pm to 6pm April 8, 11am to 4pm Please drop by our Open House for 1921 Celio in South Lake Tahoe.  This is a beautiful artisan house that was built in 2006 with high end amenities.  You will love the beautiful mountain views this wonderfully appointed home has to offer. This gorgeous home is located in Tahoe Paradise with 2 golf courses nearby. You're also about 10 minutes to Heavenly Ski Resort and about 15 minutes to Sierra at Tahoe Ski Resort.  This is truely a perfect location for anyone who loves outdoor activities.  Come see for yourself.            1921 Celio amenities: 2,992 square feet 5 bedrooms3 bathrooms 3 car garage 3 gas fireplaces2 de... 03/31/2012

 Number South Lake Tahoe, CA Homes in Escrow… not much different now than it was two years ago. (Lake Tahoe Real Estate Blog / March 27, 2012 / Richard Bolen) The number of Americans who signed contracts to buy U.S. homes dipped in February from nearly a two-year high. According to today's Associated Press article, this is a mixed signal ahead of the spring home-buying season. The question is, how does this relate to South Lake Tahoe? Home signed contracts are another means of describing homes that are in escrow. First a few bullet points from today's article (in full here): According to the National Association of Realtors (NAR), their index of home sales agreements declined 0.5 percent last month to a reading of 96.5. This is a half point lower than January's reading of 97, which was ... 03/29/2012

The South Lake Tahoe, CA house is bigger, newer, less costly and a much better deal for resort home buyers today. (Lake Tahoe Real Estate Blog / March 22, 2012 / Richard Bolen) We are working with two different buyers right now who are looking for a South Lake Tahoe, CA house in the $600,000 – $650,000 price range. One of the things that is very real about today's market is one gets a truly spectacular house in this price range. It's much newer, bigger and costs about 40% less per square foot than it did in our 2005 market high. Lets look at, and compare key house characteristics in this $600,000 price range, then and now.  Age : Today's house in this price range is on average 19 years newer than it was in 2006. Of all homes sold in the last 365-days, the average year built is the year ... 03/24/2012

 More Jobs for Returning Veterans is good for us all. (Lake Tahoe Real Estate Blog / March 16, 2012 / Richard Bolen) Being the sons of a retired US Army infantry colonel, army brats we are, this is a particularly nice report for us to pass along. Anything that is good for those who serve us is always joyful for us. Today's report about veterans and civilian jobs comes from CNNMoney.com. The news is more veterans are coming back from war and getting back to work in the civilian job force, thanks to efforts by both employers and the government, as well as the improving economy. Here's a few more bullet points: The jobless rate for Iraq and Afghanistan veterans has fallen to 7.6%. This is more than a half-point below the overall U.S. unemployment rate of 8.3%. This is nearly five percentag... 03/18/2012

 An increase in US hiring whets every home buyer's appetite. (Lake Tahoe Real Estate Blog / March 15, 2012 / Richard Bolen) We're seeing this often these days, and here's today's take on the weekly US report: "fewer people sought U.S. unemployment benefits last week, adding to signs that the job market is strengthening." Like everywhere, this is certainly good news for South Lake Tahoe too. More hiring means more jobs and more folks working, and that's fundamental to a quicker return to a full functioning, healthy housing market, both across the country, and here in South Lake Tahoe. Here's a few bullet points from today's Associated Press article: Another good sign for the economy is wholesale inflation is manageable outside of higher gas prices. Applications for unemployment matches a... 03/18/2012

I have been trying to get some business from FSBO's and keep hearing, "I don't want to pay for a Realtor".  Honestly, are sellers being successful selling their own homes in this market?  How are they getting the exposure?   Here in South Lake Tahoe most sellers just hang up signs in their yard and they seem to share this look:  small yard sign usually barely standing with a phone number that is so faded by the sun that I have to get out my binoculars.  Maybe these signs are effective and I should adapt our office signs?  As with any business yes their are slackers but alot (I took out most) Realtors work really hard and 7 days a week.  Hmmmm any thoughts? 03/13/2012

The following are bank-owned properties in South Lake Tahoe, California, and nearby areas. Property details and pictures can be accessed by clicking on property addresses. If you’re interested in receiving Tahoe bank-owned property lists by e-mail, please let me know at drew@southtahoehouses.com. If you are interested in property on this list or any property in Lake Tahoe, e-mail me or call me at (530) 545-1831. Property Address - Price - Beds/Baths/Garage Spaces 750 Angora Creek Dr. - $49,900 - vacant land 2567 Bertha Ave. - $74,900 - 3/1/0 2616 Armstrong Ave. - $99,000 - 3/1/0 477 Ala Wai Dr. #82 - $99,000 - 0/1/0 condo 2538 Armstrong Ave. - $105,000 - 2/1/0 1900 Delta St. - $105,000 - 3/1/0 2580 Alma Ave. - $115,000 - 2/1/0 516 Emerald Bay Rd. #323 - $134,900 - 2/1/0 2219 Blitzen Rd.... 02/28/2012