The Rancho Mirage Chamber of Commerce 4th Annual Winter Home tour will be Sunday, Dec.7, from 1 to 4. The focus of this tour is to feature historical, architectural and celebrity homes in Rancho Mirage.  This unique event provides attendees a glimpse of the past, exceptional design and what makes Rancho Mirage the wonderful oasis of gracious living. This year's tour will feature the Maranz house, located at Tamarisk Country Club, designed by Val Powelson's.  This "gull wing" design is a classic example of mid-century architecture, and is featured on the cover of "Palm Springs Weekend." Additional homes on the tour inclube the Hurd Residence designed by CH Borlund.  In addition, there will be a walking tour through the clubhouse and exteriors of Bing Crosby's 1955 Blue Skies Village. At ... 12/01/2008

The holidays are a time of reflection for me. It is a time to think of where I've been, and where I want to go in the future. Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays. It's a time to give thanks for everything I have, no matter how much or how little. It's a time to celebrate and share your life with the people most important to you. I call this my Season of Gratitude. I celebrate all the wonderful things in my life: friends, family, and health. I am very grateful for everything I have in my life. It's not about how many "toys' I have or how much money has been made, but the peace & serenity that has taken me most of my life to find. Given the current economic climate, it has been difficult for me sometimes to look at the positive side of life. But I have to remember to that there ar... 11/25/2008

Bad economic news is good news for a Palm Springs downtown mall. After years of wrangling and finagling plans to demolish the Desert Fashion Plaza and replace it with an extremely costly lifestyle center that could take 15 years to build, the developer has decided to go with a much less ambitious, yet more well received plan. Proposed is a 50 million dollar plan to put a facelift on the mall that would include the addition of a movie theatre, new street and a facelift possibly reflecting a mid century modern façade. This is considered a much more realistic plan than the original one which would cost 500-600 million dollars and include close to 1,000 condo units and 700 hotel rooms. Many Palm Springs residents were worried about the original project causing a density problem with so many... 11/22/2008

It is a site members and frequent goers never enjoy seeing, but the Palm Springs Racquet Club property is in the final stages of foreclosure.  A place that has been a home to many, it is sad to see the downward spiral of the economy take toll on businesses like this racquet club. Vineyard Bank noted that the racquet club was in default for its $12.4 million deed of trust, which is the reason for the club moving toward foreclosure.  It seems as if the club was just renovated, yet a year and a half later it is approaching the end.  So what all went wrong during this short period of time? Architect Michael Mueller has contacted an attorney to file a petition with the hopes of reorganizing and getting the club back to shape.  The hope is that it will postpone the sale, or at best case compl... 11/14/2008

If you fancy exotic cars, chances are you already know about Keith McCormick and his Palm Springs Exotic Car Auctions held twice a year. Indeed, Keith McCormick is one of the best known and well respected exotic car auction hosts in the country. Since 1985, Keith McCormick has brought his passion, expertise and own personal charm to this iconic Palm Springs, California event. If you are looking for a pristine world class exotic car, you will be sure to find it at the Spa Casino Resort in Palm Springs. This year's November event is scheduled for the 21st to the 23rd and is sure to be even better than past years.Every year Keith McCormick finds ways to make this world re-known event even bigger and better that he had ever dreamed. He is known for his integrity, relentless pursuit of excel... 11/14/2008

November 13th, 2008 at 10am, a massive 7.8 earthquake hits Southern California, and the epicenter is located in Palm Springs. The shaking lasts for nearly 2 minutes. Buildings are falling, roads & bridges collapse, massive fires are engulfing the city. Thousands are feared dead, many more are injured, and there is no end in sight to the devastation. This is the worst case scenario for the Great Southern California Shakeout. The Great Southern California ShakeOut is based on a potential magnitude 7.8 earthquake hitting on the southern San Andreas Fault, located in the Coachella Valley— approximately 5,000 times larger than the magnitude 5.4 earthquake that shook southern California on July 29. Dr. Lucy Jones of the U.S. Geological Survey has led a group of scientists & engineers who hav... 11/13/2008

If you are looking for exclusive Real Estate in the Palm Springs area, then you should look at the homes that Alta has to offer. These homes offer stunning views of the desert, and of the San Jacinto Mountains that are simply breath-taking. Upside down roofs and glass walls are just two features of these homes that have won awards for, and you will find indoor and outdoor living at its finest. These homes range in price from five to twenty million dollars, which is a reachable price for a marvelous dream home. Alta features sixty-seven homes that are contemporary and offer interesting alternatives to traditional architecture. In the real estate market of Palm Springs, CA these Alta homes are some of the most innovative homes in the area. If you are looking for a dream home set beside th... 11/11/2008

If you haven't already heard, millions of southern Californians will take part in the Great Southern California ShakeOut on November 13, 2008. This effort to get people prepared for earthquakes is free and easy to do; all you need to do is register and then Drop, Cover, and Hold On at November 13 at 10 a.m.  Register with me for the ShakeOut today and help raise awareness about earthquake preparedness in southern California. Click Here for more info. We're all in this together, and what we do now, before the next big earthquake, will determine what all our lives will be like after. The Great Southern California ShakeOut is a chance to practice how to protect ourselves when it happens, and getting prepared now will help all of us recover quickly. 11/09/2008

Note the following schedule for the Sustainability Summit in Palm Springs this week. The City of Palm Springs is embarking on an exciting journey toward making Palm Springs a sustainable city.  Our quality of life depends upon our ability to translate this intention into a reality.  The first step is developing a Sustainability Master Plan, which will create a vision for what we are trying to achieve and identify action steps and priorities for moving toward this goal. A number of community events have been planned to kick off the Palm Springs Sustainability plan, beginning Wednesday, Nov 5.  The workshop sessions on Saturday, Nov 8, are an opportunity for you tolearn more and express your ideas.  Dr. David Suzuki's public lecture at4pm on Saturday promises to be a thought provoking and... 11/06/2008

Here's the latest news regarding the future redevelopment of the Desert Fashion Plaza in downtown Palm Springs.  The project has been scaled back significantly, due to the current economic crisis, eliminating the previous plans to include housing as part of the project. The project will include the construction of a theatre complex where the currect Pavilion tent structure is located, behind the mall.  A street will be opened up from Palm Canyon, but it won't fully extende to the Palm Springs Museum, which was part of the previous plan.  Hopes are this plan is more practical, and could possibly be completed within a few years, to start the revitalization of the downtown core. This plan also puts the plans for the demolition of the historic 1948 Town and Country Century located across th... 11/05/2008

What is a realistic offer in this market? Clients come to me all the time and say, "I WANT A DEAL."  The media talks about all the great deals in real estate- and there certainly are bargains to be had! You may find good buys on properties priced 50% below what the property previously sold for  However,  here is the reality: SELLERS ARE NOT ACCEPTING OFFERS 50% BELOW ASKING  Buyers need to be realistic and study the local statistics when making offers. There are numerous issues to consider when making an offer, among them, the days on the market, comps, the condition of the property and location. Do you really want to purchase a property? If so, the buyer's goal should be to make a reasonable offer that a seller will respond to, and that could actually turn into a negotiated acceptance.... 10/29/2008

Palm Springs has abundance of great real estate and any thing you can dream of is here. If you want a fixer upper, they are here, something new, well there is plenty of that too. If you want to live in an active adult community 55 and over on the golf course then the number of choices are endless. Housing sales in the Coachella Valley soared 65% in September from September of last year, the largest jump in 20 years! Over 860 sales match up to a 13% jump from the month of August, according to DataQuick. Inventory of homes is up despite this jump in sales and the last time the Coachella Valley saw this large of a jump was with the 590 sales in January of 1989. We have noticed a lot of the homes that have been sold are distressed sales and properties that are foreclosures. New construction... 10/29/2008

 For years, there has been continued constroversy regarding the redevelopment of the Desert Fashion Plaza in downtown Palm Springs.    Many consider the plans for this site could determine the future of Palm Springs and the downtown village.  The developer and City Council have been at odds for years regarding the plans.  The current opposition has to do with demolishing the 1948 Town and Country Center as part of the redevelopment plan. Many architectural preservationists and local mid-century fans have been fighting hard to preserve this structure. Click here for the PS Mod Com's proposed redevelopment of the Town and Country Center   The following is an article in the Desert Sun regarding the current controversy and the latest status: History may hinder Wessman's new project Report: ... 10/29/2008

Overall home sales rose 65 percent in the Coachella Valley in September, according to DataQuick Information Systems. Largely responsible for the sales were resale single-family homes, which rose 151 percent compared to September 2007. Resale condos were up 16.5 percent, but new homes were down about 17 percent.Drops in median prices helped homebuyers afford the homes. The valley's overall median home price dropped 38 percent in September. The priciest home sold was a $2.49 million single-family home in La Quinta.Nearly every valley city or area saw a larger percentage of homes sell in September compared to the previous year. Coachella led the way, with 1,025 percent more homes selling. Indio, with 111 homes sold, saw a 455 percent uptick.Other large gainers included Desert Hot Springs (... 10/28/2008

Several Coachella Valley community events and festivals have fallen victim to the struggling economy. The Cathedral City Chamber of Commerce would have filled town square with thousands of Oktoberfest revelers this weekend, but canceled the event because of a lack of sponsorship. "All companies are under pressure to plug holes in their dikes," said Steve Morris, president and CEO of the Cathedral City Chamber of Commerce. Community events are especially vulnerable, he said, and may have a tough time securing enough sponsors into the foreseeable future. "With community festivals, you're always expected to have a bank sponsor and now your bank may no longer be in business," he said. Another festival that deflated because of sponsorship was the Red, White and Blue Polo and Balloon Festival... 10/28/2008

The dictionary defines "luck" as "the force, considered the result of chance, that seems to operate for good or ill in a person's life."  But is luck really just the "result of chance," or can we, perchance, take some steps to ensure good luck by doing the following?   Pay attention to your surroundings; you won't spot good luck unless you look for it.   Strike up conversations with strangers.  You might meet the love of your life, or make an important business contact.   After you meet someone interesting, follow up with a note or phone call.   Stay relaxed, even in a pressure situation; it will help you be more aware.   Vary your routine.  Walk on the other side of the street, or try a new lunch spot.   Be aggressive about making changes you want.  Still thinking about moving across t... 10/28/2008

  10/20/2008

Escape Winter this year! More and more buyers are taking advantage of the lower prices for 2nd homes in the Palm Springs area.  Once again it is affordable to own a piece of paradise here in the desert where we have 350 days of sunshine per year on average! Here's a quick glance of statistics Condos sold since 8-08 in Palm Springs:   117 Lowest Price Condo:  $68,000 Highest Price Condo:  $615,000 Average Price:  $225,000 Average selling price % of list price:  94.61% # of sales under $100,000   6 # of sales $100,000 to $200,000  50 # of sales $200,000 to $300,000 42 # of sales $300,000 and above  20 Whether you're looking for a little pied-a-terre downtown, a golf-course condo or private modern townhome with pool, Palm Springs has something for everyone. For more information, email me, ... 10/18/2008

Sales volume continues to thrive as more smart buyers are taking advantage of great prices on real estate here in the Coachella Valley.  Check out the sales below: CLOSINGS FOR SEPTEMBER 2008    2008        RESALES        NEW             2007      RESALES          NEW PALM SPRINGS/CATHEDRAL CITY                                197              12                              111                22 DESERT HOT SPRINGS/NORTH PALM SPRINGS/THOUSAND PALMS                    116              18                                31                11 RANCHO MIRAGE/PALM DESEERT/INDIAN WELLS/LA QUINTA                    221              23                               179                45 INDIO/COACHELL EAST TO THE COLORADO RIVER                    237             100                              58 ... 10/16/2008

Here's the latest and greatest info regarding new properties and renovations that are scheduled for the Palm Springs area: Published on: October 13, 2008 The Palm Springs-Desert Resorts area of California is seeing a slew of new properties and renovations costing a total of nearly $2 billion. From 2007 through 2011, hotels and businesses in each of the desert's cities -- Cathedral City, Desert Hot Springs, Indian Wells, Indio, La Quinta, Palm Desert, Palm Springs and Rancho Mirage -- will have introduced a new hotel, a newly remodeled hotel product, golf courses, restaurants or other amenities. In Cathedral City, the 300-room Sheraton Hotel and Conference Center is scheduled to break ground next spring. The property will include a golf course. In Desert Hot Springs, a major expansion is... 10/13/2008