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Buying – Info For Buyers

“Match.com” For Real Estate. Or How Not To Find A Realtor

“Match.com” For Real Estate. Or How Not To Find A Realtor

Waterfront Homes At Palmilla, La Quinta

Our local Palm Springs area paper today ran a story about a new Internet real estate startup. Seems Jon the founder was bummed that he didn’t have much in common to discuss while driving around with his real estate agent. Jon is into mountain biking and the agent he was working with wasn’t. Bummer!

Now I have no idea who Jon’s non-mountain biking agent was, but was Jon missing the point? Was Jon looking for someone to hang with or did he really want to find the best-qualified person to help him with what would likely be one of the largest financial transactions in his lifetime?

Palm Springs Real Estate Can Be Fun!

Now don’t get me wrong. Spending time with a boring realtor who’s not really a people person would not be enjoyable. My team and I are all people persons (as any really successful agent is), but we are also successful at combining our service and professionalism with making the buying or selling process a little fun.

So I ask this question. Should people be looking to work with a realtor base their choice upon what Jon says are mutual likes, preferences and areas of interest? Or should homebuyers and sellers look for the best-qualified agent(s) that they also enjoy working with?

Busy, Successful & Experienced Works For Me

My recommendation is to choose a Palm Springs area real estate agent that is busy, successful and experienced. Personally I choose my tax adviser, doctor and dentist the same way. And for me, our common interests include me getting the best advice, care and results possible. What do you think?

Photo: Waterfront homes at Palmilla, La Quinta

From Sheri Dettman
In Sheri's Palm Springs Area Blog, Buying - Info For Buyers, Info For Sellers
New Home Construction At Stonefield Estates

New Home Construction At Stonefield Estates

Three new luxury homes are currently under construction at Stonefield Estates at Santa Rosa in Southwest Indio. Each of these La Quinta adjacent homes are being customized to the tastes of the soon to be new owners, who have reserved these homes. Completion of these three homes is scheduled for August.

Three additional homes in phase-two will start construction soon including an Adobe Ranch Plan-1, a Spanish Colonial Plan-3 and an Andalusian Plan-3 home. Prices and plans for the additional new homes in phase-3 will be announced soon.

Our onsite showcase model home is open Saturday and Sunday 11 AM to 3 PM and by appointment.

From Sheri Dettman
In Sheri's Palm Springs Area Blog, Buying - Info For Buyers, Real Estate Market Updates
Let The Sun Shine, Please Let The Sun Shine!

Let The Sun Shine, Please Let The Sun Shine!

Andalusia Model Home, La Quinta

If you’re like me you likely appreciate our mostly year-round sunshine here in the desert. On a regular basis I’m told by dozens of clients that they just want to be warm and dry. Being able to get up almost every day and choose your choice of outdoor pursuits is a good thing.

These thoughts hit home for my husband Bill and I as we took a working-vacation road trip to the Pacific Northwest recently. Bill was actually looking forward to experiencing some rain, which might seem odd unless you live full time in the desert.

A Change Of Scenery And Weather

Bill certainly got his wish for a change of weather! Once we hit Northern California and Southern Oregon we drove in rain while seeing snow falling on the nearby mountains in late June!

After five days of on and off again rain in the Pacific Northwest, and with temps a full 50 degrees cooler than they are back home in the desert right now, Bill joins me in looking forward to our eventual return to our warm desert environment.

Trips like this reinforce many of the reasons why we chose to live and work in the Palm Springs area. While it’s always nice to get away for a while, it’s also good to return home to warm sunny skies.

From Sheri Dettman
In Sheri's Palm Springs Area Blog, Buying - Info For Buyers, Buying – Info For Canadian Buyers
What Do We All Have In Common?

What Do We All Have In Common?

Golf Home At PGA West, La Quinta

Some of you reading this may already be enjoying ownership of a home or luxury condo here in the desert. Some of you have been considering it, or even dreaming about for a number of years. Some of you may just be starting out considering a vacation home, or even a full time residence here in the desert.

But I know that there’s something you, me, and every other person reading this post likely has in common: We enjoy many of the resort lifestyle opportunities that the Palm Springs area offers us.

Year-Round Outdoor Activities

My husband Bill takes a brisk two-mile walk most mornings. During the warmer summer months Bill walks earlier in the day before jumping into our pool. During the winter months Bill sometimes chooses to walk later in the day. But the important thing is Bill can take advantage of walking year-round, and ninety percent of the time he’s in shorts. That’s part of the resort lifestyle here.

For me, tennis is my game once or twice a week. My group usually plays around 9AM in the winter months. During the summer we usually play at 8AM to take advantage of the cooler morning hours, then I’ll usually hit the gym later in the day.

Golf, Hiking, Biking & More...

Golfers, hikers, bikers and others can enjoy our resort lifestyle living year-round by simply making similar adjustments to their schedules. But the cool thing is we have options. The hardest part of desert living for some people is actually deciding what activity to enjoy next. And yes, just chilling by the pool is a popular option too.

As I show property to prospective buyers this week, there’s one thing we’ll all have in common. We will all be appreciating the opportunity to live, play and enjoy the Palm Springs area.

From Sheri Dettman
In Sheri's Palm Springs Area Blog, Buying - Info For Buyers, Buying – Info For Canadian Buyers
Not Exactly The Right Price

Not Exactly The Right Price

Trulia's® Estimate

People that know me know that I complete a lot of real estate transactions. Not bragging here, just the way it is. So I’m kind of like a doctor at a cocktail party. People usually have questions about real estate and I do my best to respond to them on a regular basis.

Recently a local homeowner mentioned that he had just looked up his Palm Springs area home value as posted on Zillow®. Oh-boy I thought, this should be interesting. Anyway, he asked for my opinion so let's take a look together shall we?

$515,000 Or $999,540 - What's The Correct Price?

Zillow's® Estimate For The Same Home

Trulia® estimated that his desert home is worth $515,000. But rival mega real estate site Zillow came in with their Zestamite® of $999,540! So which site is right? It turns out neither one.

Now I happen to have sold the majority of homes in his neighborhood over the last couple of years, so I have a pretty good handle on values. Regardless I ran the numbers and I would set the value of his home at $825,000. And if I were buying or selling this home for myself I’d be right around that number.

Too Many Variables For A Robot

So how did Trulia® and Zillow® go so wrong in their estimates? Many times a computer program can’t ‘see’ the difference between one neighborhood and another. In the case of Trulia, it looks like they compared values for a luxury-gated community to those in a nearby but entirely separate non-gated entry-level community where homes were selling at around $200,000. Zillow appears to have been looking at nearby new construction homes, which typically are valued by banks and mortgage companies at a ten to fifteen percent premium over resale homes.

Now for anyone who believed in Zillow’s $996,571 price for this home, the website conveniently displayed three “expert real estate agents” that you could contact to help you buy it. Keep this thought in mind when browsing national real estate sites; Their main purpose is to sell advertising, and mostly to agents who need clients.

I’ll keep a print out of these estimated values in my office should should you like to view them. And I have many more where these came from.

From Sheri Dettman
In Sheri's Palm Springs Area Blog, Buying - Info For Buyers, Buying – Info For Canadian Buyers, Real Estate Market Updates, Selling - Info For Sellers
A Little Advice Before You Hire Any Agent (Including Me)

A Little Advice Before You Hire Any Agent (Including Me)

If you plan on buying or selling real estate in the future, not just here in the Palm Springs area but almost anywhere, this information could very well benefit you. First some background.

Last month I was interviewed during a one-hour segment on the local Bloomberg financial news radio outlet. The host, Ron Siegel and I talked about our local real estate market and the fact that my team and I are busy enough that we don’t have to depend on the next transaction in order to make ends meet.

Looking Out For Your Best Interests

“If a real estate agent, or any financial professional for that matter, is not busy and successful they just might need to convince a client to buy or sell with them when in fact they should really be telling you to wait.” Ron said.

Now let me say right now that I believe that most agents are looking out for the better good of their clients. But what Ron said on the show made sense; “What if an agent’s mortgage payment is coming due and they haven’t sold a property in a while? What if they really need your sale to make ends meet this month?” Ron said.

This got me to thinking about all the times that I’ve been able to advise clients not to buy or sell a property at a particular time because it really wasn’t in their best interest to act then. And I’m certainly blessed to be able to do that.

Here's How You Can Benefit

So here’s the information that I promised to share earlier that could benefit you in buying or selling your next home. It’s quite simple really. Be sure to check out each prospective agent’s references and their recent sales transactions. Ask them for a list of their sales transaction over the last twelve months.

Here in the desert, 24% of local agents did not complete a single sales transaction last year. And in the U.S., the average agent completes just seven sales transactions per year. In my opinion, it’s hard to stay on top of the Palm Springs area real estate market if you only work at it part-time. You wouldn’t be as familiar with as many communities and properties, and you certainly wouldn’t have much experience negotiating transactions on behalf of your clients.

So before you walk into that open house and buy a home from the nice agent sitting behind the desk, or list your home with an agent who is a friend of a friend, please consider doing your homework. Past results don’t guarantee future success, but what else do you have to go on?

From Sheri Dettman
In Sheri's Palm Springs Area Blog, Buying - Info For Buyers, Buying – Info For Canadian Buyers, Info For Sellers
Living On The Green In La Quinta

Living On The Green In La Quinta

On most days my client, Genni, stays busy from morning to night. From her morning round of golf or friendly game of tennis to dinner at the clubhouse with friends, Genni and her husband Jeff live the good life on the green. Living on the green in this case translates into their golf course home location, which happens to be on the seventh green of one of La Quinta’s luxury golf course communities.

95 Private Golf & Country Clubs In The Palm Springs Area

Genni and Jeff represent a growing segment of Palm Springs homebuyers who enjoy life at one of ninety-five private residential golf and country club communities–two decades ago there were less than half that number. Today there are also dozens of popular public golf communities to choose from, each offering numerous amenities to buyers.

Palm Springs area golf and country clubs have become a staple of desert life. Homeowners and their guests can choose to be active morning to night like Genni, or they can choose to enjoy a laidback resort lifestyle. Either way of life is encouraged and accepted in our golf and country club communities, as well as provided for.

What Golf & Country Club Amenities Are Important To You

If you're considering life on the green here in the Palm Springs area, you'll want to spend some time thinking about what is most important to you and what you really want in a community. Define the kind of lifestyle you desire and the important features you want in your new desert home and the amenities you like to enjoy in your community.

My team and I developed this Palm Springs area real estate website as your online guide to desert real estate because an informed buyer usually makes the best choices. Each of our community profiles offers an overview of the community, including recent home values, club membership, HOA information, photos, maps and more. Each profile also includes active listings of homes, luxury condos and even custom lots for sale within each community, making the viewing of available properties a lot simpler than trudging through the entire Palm Springs Area MLS.

Your Palm Springs Real Estate Newsletter

Consider, also, signing up for my monthly desert newsletter. Once a month you find valuable information in your inbox on the Palm Springs area real estate scene, including real estate market updates, new listings, dining around the desert, and much more.

From Sheri Dettman
In Sheri's Palm Springs Area Blog, Buying - Info For Buyers, Buying – Info For Canadian Buyers, Golf Communities
Buying Palm Springs Real Estate: How To Gain A Slight Advantage

Buying Palm Springs Real Estate: How To Gain A Slight Advantage

Here’s a question for you: where will you be spending time next winter?

Time does fly, and before we know it summer will have turned into fall and then comes that faithful friend–old man winter! People that are here looking at properties in the Palm Springs area now are likely on a mission. We see this every summer; summer buyers can be the most determined, the most serious, and the most prepared buyers because they want to be enjoying their new home or luxury condo here in the Palm Springs area next winter. They’re on a mission, and being here at this time just might give them a slight advantage.

With Fewer Summer Buyers In Town, You Can Gain An Advantage

La Quinta Golf Home Master Suite

Let’s imagine that you’ve discovered a home that interests you. OK, it really interests you, and you can imagine your family and friends enjoying the resort lifestyle in that home throughout the coming winter. Here’s your advantage: there are fewer buyers in town today. So, instead of two or three other buyers interested in that same home you like, right now it’s just you and say one other buyer who’s phoning it in from out of state.

Even if buyer number two submits an offer for the home from out of state (which happens more often than most buyers think it does), all things being equal, the seller will likely give more attention to the offer from the buyer who is in town. That’s a clear advantage.

Summer Brings Our Most Serious Buyers To Palm Springs

I often tell my Palm Springs area home sellers this time of year that the buyers who are here now and during the summer are the most serious buyers we see all year. They are determined, and many say they won’t leave until they’ve found their new Palm Springs area home.

Since the inventory of Palm Springs homes for sale continues to tighten, every advantage you can give yourself as a buyer is worth considering. And it’s our job to give you as a buyer every potential advantage we can.

May looks to be another record-breaking month for our Sheri Dettman & Associates real estate team as buyers continue to take advantage of great Palm Springs area real estate opportunities. Can we help you find your place in the desert sun before next winter? We’re here to help when the time is right for you.

From Sheri Dettman
In Sheri's Palm Springs Area Blog, Buying - Info For Buyers, Buying – Info For Canadian Buyers
What’s Your Reason For Not Buying This Year?

What’s Your Reason For Not Buying This Year?

Palm Desert Golf Homes

My team and I have helped hundreds of buyer clients find their dream home in the Palm Springs area over the last few years, so believe me when I say I’ve heard countless reasons from people getting in their own way of buying and enjoying the desert home they’ve been thinking and dreaming about. Here are some top excuses:

  • “I’m waiting for Palm Springs real estate prices to go back down.”
  • “I’ll think about buying next winter.”
  • “The economy might decline again.”
  • “I have trouble making big decisions so I’ll rent for another year.”

What Recent Buyers Are Saying

We follow-up with our buyer clients on a regular basis to ensure they’re happy and that we’ve done the best job possible. We ask questions like: Are you enjoying your home? Are your family and friends happy with your purchase decision? Are you glad you invested in the Palm Springs real estate market?

These clients often tell me their stress levels have come down a few notches as they now have a desert home to escape to! Whether they’re getting away from winter or gloom, or just simply knowing they have a place to get away from it all with family or friends, all that stress just seems to dissolve as soon as they step into their new home.

So What Are You Waiting For?

So what are you waiting for? Contact us today and we'll be happy to help you find the perfect home for you. We’ll match you with the right community, the right lifestyle, and the right home and hopefully have some fun doing it together.

From Sheri Dettman
In Sheri's Palm Springs Area Blog, Buying - Info For Buyers, Buying – Info For Canadian Buyers
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