About Truckee's Tahoe Donner

Tahoe Donner Torchlight Parade, Truckee, California, December 31, 2011

It’s that time of year when we’re ready to say good-bye to 2011, and welcome in 2012. Everyone has their own way of bringing in the New Year, and one local Tahoe favorite is to start the evening off by watching the annual Tahoe Donner Torchlight Parade in Truckee, California on New Year’s Eve, December 31, 2011 at 6pm.

The parade will begin at 6 p.m., but it doesn’t hurt to get there early to get a good spot to watch the skiers carrying their torches down the hill. Dress warmly as the forecast is for cold, but clear weather.

The photo in this blog is from the Squaw Valley Torchlight Parade that just happened on December 24, 2011, so you'll have an idea of how spectacular this event can be.

If you’d like to be one of the skiers in the parade there will be an open sign-up at the Base Lodge from 4:30 p.m. to 5:45 p.m. You must be 10 years of age, or older, and you must be an intermediate, or advanced skier who is comfortable skiing in the dark on a race course.

Plan on coming out and getting ready to bring in the New Year – Tahoe style at the Tahoe Donner Torchlight Parade in Truckee, California!

Thinking about having your own place here in Tahoe? It's never been a better time to buy a vacation-resort second home, or condo here in the Truckee - Tahoe City area. If you'd like to know what is for sale in the different neighborhoods, click on the links below and you can see and search what is currently available.

Tahoe Donner, Truckee, California

Truckee, California

Northstar, Truckee, California

Squaw Valley, Olympic Valley, California

Alpine Meadows, California

Tahoe City, California

Dollar Point, Tahoe City, California

Carnelian Bay, California

Agate Bay, California

Homewood, California

Chamberlands (Chambers Landing), Homewood, California

Tahoma, California

Meeks Bay and Rubicon Bay, California

Tahoe Vista, California

Kings Beach, California

Lake Tahoe, California Lakefronts

North Shore, Lake Tahoe, California

West Shore, Lake Tahoe, California

For all of your Tahoe real estate needs - Laura Allen, Broker Associate, REALTOR®, CRS, ABR®, RSPS, ePRO, Previews Property Specialist, DRE# 01473598, 530.414.1260, www.TahoeLauraLuxuryHomes.com Laura@TahoeLaura.com, Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage, Tahoe City, California.

Artist Blacksmith in Truckee CA

In the past a blacksmith wore many hats. He can be a tool maker, a farrier, a weapon maker and last but not least an artist. An artist blacksmith hammers hot iron on an anvil and creates beautiful artistic pieces that are either decorative in nature or practical works such as railings, furniture,etc...

Artist Blacksmith Jude Goodpaster resides in Truckee CA. Originally he is a carpenter by trade & built many custom homes in the Tahoe Truckee area but after getting inspired by some iron railings commissioned for his own personal home...he went on to take many courses & training to become an artist blacksmith. His dedication and passion for the craft have resulted in many one-of-a-kind furniture pieces, whimsical garden art as well as practical railings, handrail & gates.

Hand forged Iron lattice railing

Below are some works that Jude had created for a high end custom home in Tahoe Donner:

View Jude's other artistic ironworks at his website http://www.gmetalcraft.com

Customers are always amazed at the intricacies & details on the pieces that an artist blacksmith can create. From elegant furniture to practical range hood, railings...one can find many examples of beautiful artwork that can compliment any decor. Especially for a mountain home, the combination of ironwork & wood just brings out a luxurious yet intimate and inviting feel to the home.

If you have been looking for that special touches for your home, please give Jude a call at 530-448-1086. He also welcomes inquiries for custom work and can design to your specifications or work from your design.

The following Figure shows Tahoe Donner Single Family Home activity from Jan 2008 through April ‘10.

Figure 1. Tahoe Donner Single Family Home Sales - Note seasonality of sales

Single Family home sales in April '10 continue to outpace the last 2 year's sales for April. This is significant since sales in Tahoe Donner are extremely seasonal. The net-net is that for a true picture of the market activity one must look at seasonality throughout the year. So, based on seasonality one can expect that sales will continue to rise through the fall - assuming we have enough inventory to sell!

Inventory (# of listings) is still very low. The very strong sales late last year reduced the number of available homes for sale and the remaining inventory has really been picked over. Low inventory and strong demand will obviously help to put some upward bias on home pricing.

Inventory is low at 89 homes on the market, up from 73 last month. When you consider we have over 5100 homes in Tahoe Donner this is approximately 1.7 % of the homes in TD. Based on historical data we could expect the inventory to climb as we get into the summer and fall selling season. Inventory typically rises this time of year because of the Ski Lease properties coming off lease and some owners deciding to list their properties.

Average Days on market (DOM) increased significantly to 128 from 86 days - which looking at theBo above graph seems slightly above average for the last few years.

Single family home sales were 22 homes, up from 13 last month. As mentioned previously, based on seasonality data for the last couple years we can expect to see home sales rising through the summer and fall. Be aware that quarter-to-quarter sales comparisons may not make a lot of sense due to the seasonality of home sales in Tahe Donner.

I would expect to see the home builders start to come out of hibernation due to the low inventory. A consequence of this is that demand for buildable lots should show an increase now as we enter the spring building season.

Figure 2. Tahoe Donner Single Family Home Median and Average Home Price

One important change that started in Jan of '09 is that Average and Median prices had a significant downturn - see Figure 2. However, one can see that the average and median prices have stayed fairly constant since Jul of ‘09. This is a good trend and could be construed as a sign that the Tahoe Donner single family home market is healthy.

One factor that affects this price curve is that we have a dearth of high end new home construction activity in Tahoe Donner. This will tend to keep SF home pricing a bit lower until we get some additional high end construction activity.

I hope this data, presented in this form was useful to you. For an instant update, or a discussion about condos/townhomes, please call me and I'll be pleased to provide you with the most recent data available. MLS data is available and I encourage the buyer or seller to study the data and arrive at their own conclusions before making a buy or sell decision. Contact me if you would like to see the "raw" data. I also have sold price vs. listed price data - this is very helpful if you are considering selling or buying a home - call me for a copy of this data.

Gary LaBelle, Realtor

www.truckeehome411.com

TruckeeRealEstate@Gmail.com

(530) 448-1100

DRE #01495906

They just had to do it! Conditions at the ski hill are some of the best we've seen in years! The website shows over 5' of base. We've had seasons where dirt was showing through by this time of the year. It's official, the hill will be open Friday April 16-Sunday, April 18 instead of closing this weekend. Yeah!

They will be offering free tubing with a downhill lift ticket purchase. You can visit www.SkiTahoeDonner.com for more details.

And don't miss the Downhill Dummy and Boxing Match on Sunday, April 11. There will be a DJ, food, tubing, bounce house, rail jam and more. Start time 10am and the Rail Jam starts at 1pm. Don't miss out on the fun. Again, check www.SkiTahoeDonner.com for more info. Enjoy!

Tamara Perlman Coldwell Banker Donner Pass, 12068 Donner Pass Rd., Truckee, CA. Tamara represents buyers and sellers in Lake Tahoe, Truckee, and Napa CA. Please call: 530-550-1299 or email Tamara at tperlman@coldwellbanker.com for more information on either market or general real estate inquiries. Search listings at www.TamaraPerlman.com

This is a beautiful mountain vacation home offered for $599,000. Tahoe Donner has a fantastic amenity package, which services a second homeowner for their own personal use as well as for their guests. At Pacific Crest Properties, located in the heart of Tahoe Donner we have years of experience, working with second homeowners, who have been buyers and are now sellers.

This property has so much to offer! The level entry to the garage is a wonderful bonus, especially appreciated during the winter! The main entry level offers a kitchen, laundry room, dining area and living room. You will feel like you are in a tree house as you sit on the back deck or just look out of the living room windows. Downstairs is a master suite, two guest bedrooms, a guest bath and a large family room. This spot is great for the kids to play games, watch television and stay warm by the wood burning stove. An added benefit is the wood storage closet making access to the fuel easy and convenient.

Additionally, this home is so close to the Tahoe Donner amenities. Right near by is the Member Clubhouse aned eleven tennis courts and family pool. Up the street is the Trout Creek workout center and another large family pool. A short distance away from that is the 18 hole Championship Golf Course. This is such a convenient location, a view of this home shouldn't be missed.

Working with a local realtor has incredible benefits! This is a high snow resort area. I can help you figure out the pros and the cons of many properties. For this property, I can say that it is a great value for $599,000. Contact me for more information about this house and/or the Truckee, CA area.

Dinny Evans, Realtor/Owner

Pacific Crest Properties, Truckee, California

http://myradicalrealtor.com

radical: departing markedly from the usual or customary