Photo Credit Constellation Residences at Northstar

Have you heard the buzz about Northstar California™ Resort? Are you looking for a vacation home at a family-friendly mountain with endless activities for the little ones and adults alike? Then look no further for fantastic real estate opportunities, as I am intimately familiar with all that Northstar offers.

Constellation Residences at Northstar is truly Lake Tahoe’s only ski-in/ski-out mid-mountain residences. Located mid-mountain Constellation Residences at Northstar is a boutique collection of only 17 two-, three- and four-bedroom fully furnished mountain residences, offering exceptional amenities and services.

Photo Credit Constellation Residences at Northstar

Connected via a sky bridge to The Ritz-Carlton, Lake Tahoe, owners can enjoy Manzanita — the Ritz-Carlton signature restaurant, a 17,000 square foot spa and fitness center, Ritz ski valet, Ritz kids programs, mountain-side heated swimming pool, fire pit, and hot tubs, and, access to the Village at Northstar via a direct-access gondola.

Photo Credit Constellation Residences at Northstar

Also new to the mountain is Northstar Mountainside Residences, providing an array of real estate options. It includes Home Run: 16 luxury town homes that connect directly to on-mountain ski runs, and The Glades: an intimate division of 25 custom homesites located above the Village at Northstar, and near The Ritz-Carlton, Lake Tahoe. The homesites range from .89 to 1.42 acres and will include advanced ski infrastructure: specially designed ski ways, bridges and tunnels allowing direct access from the slopes to each home.

Northstar-at-Tahoe, built in 1972 on what was originally called “Timber Farm,” is a year-round destination resort attracting hundreds of thousands of ski/snowboard and mountain biking buffs each year. It is home to the largest snowmaking system on the north shore of Lake Tahoe, the largest mountain bike park in Northern California and in 2011 became ‘home mountain’ to two-time Olympic gold medalist, Shaun White.

Northstar offers almost every kind of real estate option, from golf course estate homes to mid-mountain ski-in/ski-out condominiums; from town homes set right in the heart of the Village at Northstar, to luxury mountain homes sprawling slope side.  In late 2010 Vail Resorts® acquired Northstar-at-Tahoe and by the summer of 2011 $30 million in capital improvements were implemented for the winter season. This included a 17,000 square foot on-mountain lodge, the addition of Promised Land Express Lift, and other snow making and grooming expansion.

The growth at Northstar, from the family-friendly village shopping and dining options to terrain expansion, makes this the prime mountain for your next vacation home. With the variety of real estate choices, it is hard pressed to find a residence that would not fit your mountain-going needs. Whether you desire a full-service ski/in-ski/out experience or the comfort of your own slope side mountain home, Northstar abounds with real estate options.

Let’s chat soon, and tour the new developments!

For further information about Northstar real estate, contact Alison Elder at 530.582.8103 or email Tahoe@AlisonElder.com.

Truckee’s real estate sales in 2011 soared in the under $500,000 market with a whopping 373 transactions and a volume increase of 2%.  Overall, prices softened in 2011 with the average price of a Truckee home at $562,811 and a median price of $438,166.

Both the average and median price points experienced a 10% reduction. The luxury market, with over $1MM sales, softened by 13% with 55 units sold in our resort and acreage communities. And, click here to see Truckee communities and Tahoe Donner real estate market results for 2011, with information on number of home sales, average and median pricing. It’s clearly a great time to purchase real estate here in Truckee!

Contact Alison Elder at 530.582.8103 or email Tahoe@AlisonElder.com for further information on Truckee and Tahoe Donner real estate.

The median price of a home in Lake Tahoe is $370,500, down ten percent from the third quarter of 2010. The average home price fell 11 percent to $630,984. The National Association of Realtors recently reported that the median price of a home in the West ($189,400) is down 13 percent from a year ago.

While sales and prices were down around the lake overall, East Shore saw a seven-percent increase in median home price ($575,000) and 51-percent jump in average price ($1,408,018). Volume sold was up 32 percent, while units sold were down nine percent.

“We are starting to see the return of the high-end buyer with especially the East Shore experiencing some substantial high-end sales,” said Sue Lowe, corporate vice president for Chase International. “With the increase of high-end sales, we are anticipating a boost in end-of-year numbers.”

Truckee experienced some stabilization from this time last year, seeing a 16-percent increase in units sold and a 21-percent bump in units sold for less than a million. The median price of a home in Truckee is $435,000 (down 12 percent) and the average price is $554,744 (also down 12 percent).

The condominium market fared somewhat better around Lake Tahoe with a four-percent rise in units sold and 43-percent increase in units sold for more than $500,000. Tahoe City experienced the biggest jump in sales, with a 35-percent rise in units sold and up 52-percent in units sold for less than $500,000. South Lake Tahoe saw a 32-percent increase in overall volume sold, with median and average prices rising 36 and 32 percent, respectively. The median price of a condo in Lake Tahoe is $274,400 (down five percent) and the average price is $353,136 (down four percent).

For more information or assistance with purchasing Lake Tahoe or Truckee area real estate, contact Alison Elder (hot link to my site) at Tahoe@AlisonElder.com or 530-582-8103.

North Lake Tahoe, West Shore, Tahoe City and Truckee home sales have all posted slightly higher unit sales for the first half of 2011 as compared to 2010. The Lake Tahoe area is up 2% and Truckee 4% over 2010 unit counts.

Prices softened in Truckee (Truckee Statistics) by 13% on average with sales adjusting by -14% from $614,786 to $534,313. Fewer homes sold over the million dollar range – 18 units, representing a 33% decrease in luxury sales.

In combined areas of the West and North Shores plus Tahoe City, the average price fell 15% from $804,135 to $681,634 (LINK HERE FOR LAKE ONE). However, $1MM+ home sales at the Lake increased 7% by unit count with 92 sales recorded as compared to 86 units in 2010.

For more information and specific neighborhood information, contact Alison Elder, Elder Group Tahoe Real Estate at 530-582-8103 or Tahoe@AlisonElder.com

Spring is “almost” in full bloom here in Truckee-Tahoe after a glorious winter! While real estate inventory is still tight, Elder Group expects a solid amount of new inventory coming to market over the next six weeks. I wanted to share with you a beautiful new luxury listing – Stony Creek Lodge – in Sugar Pine Estates in Truckee. Custom designed by MWA, Inc. and built by Cotton Construction, the Lodge is truly one of the nicest luxury properties with acreage in Truckee. Nestled above Alder Creek, this 8.53 acre estate offers 5,006 square feet of luxury, five en-suite bedrooms, two powder rooms, two offices, wine room, butler’s pantry and an open great room and bistro kitchen that will simply knock your socks off! Down the sweeping driveway is a multi-purpose Barn and paddock – truly plenty of room to store your pet’s necessities, seasonal “toys” and of course, a tack room. Enjoy a virtual tour of this home at www.StonyCreekLodge.com  and please feel free to contact me to schedule a private showing of this mountain beauty. Welcome home to Stony Creek Lodge – you’ve arrived.

In the luxury real estate market, we experienced a 20% increase in homes sold under $1MM and a 67% decrease for homes sold over $1MM. Why? The value of $1MM+ home sales has decreased substantially over the last three years. Home buyers can now secure a lovely home that is under the $1MM mark.

Clearly, now is the time to buy your Truckee-Tahoe vacation retreat, second home or simply, move on up to the mountains as pricing appears to have stabilized. In several recent Q2, 2011 sales, I am seeing an uptick in square footage prices. Please feel free to call or email me for further information and discuss the neighborhood you are interested in following.  For more statistical information, click here for Elder Group Tahoe/Chase International Q1 Truckee Sales Statistics.

And, Tahoe Donner has fabulous inventory available at excellent price points. Visit Tahoe Donner Neighborhood to view all Tahoe Donner properties for sale. The snow is coming next week – come on up, do a little skiing or snowboarding and contact me to view properties!

“This is a remarkable improvement from 2009,” said Susan Lowe, corporate broker and senior vice president for Chase International. “These numbers show the regional market stabilizing.”

Tahoe City showed the largest increase in sales with a 40 percent increase in total volume (dollars) and 17 percent rise in units sold. Incline Village saw a 27 percent jump in both units and volume. The median price of a home in Incline Village is $827,000, the highest in the basin, despite a ten percent drop from 2009. The median price of homes sold along Tahoe’s East Shore is $570,000, up five percent over 2009 and for South Shore, the median price remained steady compared to 2009 at $317,000. The overall median price of homes sold in Lake Tahoe is $541,000, down six percent, while the average price remained stable (with a one percent increase) at $897,173.

The National Association of Realtors notes that historically high housing affordability is boosting sales activity across the nation, indicating a gradual recovery into 2011.

“In addition to exceptional affordability conditions, steady improvements in the economy are helping bring buyers into the market,” said Lawrence Yun, chief economist for NAR. “But further gains are needed to reach normal levels of sales activity.”

The sales of condominiums around the lake are also up substantially with a 48 percent rise in sales volume and 46 percent jump in units sold.

Truckee condos were up 46 percent in both sales and volume. Home sales in Truckee remained relatively flat, with little movement in volume and a five percent increase in number of units sold. The average price of a home in Truckee is $627,093 (down four percent) and the median is $490,000 (down eight percent).

A complete breakdown of Chase International’s year-end sales report can be viewed by clicking the following links:

2010 Year End Stats Lake Tahoe
2010 Year End Stats Truckee
2010 Tahoe Donner Market Review Statistics

Prices:  Elder Group Tahoe Real Estate reported in March that we are “at the bottom” and prices have stabilized through Q1 2010 and we were right on target. Truckee prices declined 6% as compared to the 4^th quarter, 17% lower than one year ago and appear to be holding and in some areas, increasing in others.  Donner Lake and Glenshire are good examples with a 44% and 13% closed sale price increases, respectively. Donner Lake increased to $625,000 from $435,000, a significant 44% due to several luxury sales. 

Home Sales:  Overall, Truckee area home sales increased 34% from a year ago with Northstar and Glenshire (133%) providing large swings over historical results.  Northstar’s price points dropped 49% and moved to an incredible $800,000 versus its prior $1,565,000. Tahoe Donner remained stable with 38 homes sold – a 12% increase and a 10% price decline versus one year ago. Tahoe Donner’s single family homes closed at an average of $502,000 versus $557,500 and days on the market dropped 24% from 130 to 106 days. Throughout Truckee’s local neighborhoods, pricing dropped 24% from $586,500 to $447,250. 

Tahoe Real Estate:  The defined “Tahoe” market includes Alpine Meadows, North Shore, Squaw Valley, Tahoe City and the West Shore. Prices increased 9% in the fourth quarter to $550,797 from $503,379 yet are down 11% from a year ago.  The North Shore home sales increased 200% with 26 homes sold in Q1 versus one year ago with 12 and prices declined a modest 5%.  Prices were hit hard on the West Shore and declined 33% from $660,500 to $445,000. 

Bank Owned and Short Sale Property Inventories:  Varying slightly day-by-day, we continue to have approximately 150 properties listed as short sales or REO’s (bank owned) with 2/3 categorized as short sales and 1/3 categorized as REO’s.  Today, Truckee has 59 short sales or REO’s listed with 22% under contract.  In the North Shore, Tahoe City, Westshore areas, there are 16 active with 19% under contract.  We are trending back to conventional sales, which may well create price increases over the summer.