Please e-mail Don with your questions or comments.  

Daily Real Estate Market Updates for the Incline Village MLS 

February 29 - March 1st, 2008
I have been very busy working on a couple of new listing agreements along with showing homes and condos for sale in Incline Village the past few days. Check back later today or tomorrow for more information about my newest listing located at 341 Pine Place. This is a very rare property where you have just won house on the entire cul-de-sac. Buffered by national forest service lands to one side and a seasonal Creek, this perfectly level street at low elevation affords one of the best locations in all of Incline Village. Featuring three bedrooms, two baths, a one car garage, over 1800 ft.² of living space inside a completely remodeled home, the asking price of $989,000 makes this an eye catcher.

The activity has been rather light the past couple of days, so I only have one new listing and two price reductions to report for Friday's Incline Village real estate update. The new listing is a tear down located in one of the more unique settings at 1690 Pinecone Circle. This quiet little U-shaped street has a semiprivate beach for property owners and the asking price of $2,095,000 reflects the premium for enjoying this level of privacy. Anyone who would prefer to avoid the regular beach crowds in the summertime will enjoy this pleasant little strip of sand and the spectacular panoramic Lakeviews that accompany it. Just to be clear, there is no view from the house, you will need to walk down the street to the beach to enjoy that gorgeous Lakeview.

Both price reductions on the Incline Village MLS are for quality properties at low elevation. I cannot show you a more beautifully remodeled condo under $375,000 than the elegant little number at #59 Incline Manor. With two bedrooms plus a full bath crammed into 756 ft.², this little gem has a carport right outside the front door and is an end unit within walking distance of the Village Shopping Center. The new asking price of $364,900 should put this on the radar screen for anyone seeking a low elevation two bedroom property in Incline Village.

#195 McCloud was slashed $25,000 down to $610,000. This two bedroom, two bath, 1111 ft.² upper unit on the Incline Way side of the complex has been partially updated and tastefully furnished. Featuring a one car detached garage and within walking distance of the Incline Village Recreation Center and the beach, McCloud shoppers will want to put this one under the microscope for a closer look.

February 26-28, 2008
I hit the ground running this morning, or at least as fast as I could go since I'm still battling the tail end of this flu bug. I had a client in town from the Midwest who came to look at a variety of Incline Village properties for sale and the beautiful sunny skies with a few wispy clouds floating above Lake Tahoe set the perfect backdrop for the day.

The Incline Village MLS brings us five price reductions, one property going into escrow and the cute house at 919 Michael Court closing escrow. I think this three bedroom, 2.5 bath, 1965 ft.² home that was built in 1992 came in darn close to my original target price with the final sale at $770,500. I hope the buyer is thrilled that they picked up what I consider to be one of the best values at high elevation and located on a pleasant little cul-de-sac.

The condo for sale going into escrow today is #85 Royal Pines. Beautifully remodeled and reasonably priced at $598,000, this is just another example that condo buyers in the Incline Village real estate market are looking for quality properties at low elevation. My compliments to the listing agent who has a great reputation for pricing properties fairly in an effort to generate interest and a timely sale.

Checking out the price reductions, the only one that is really worthy of comment this evening is the tastefully designed and decorated freestanding condo just one block from the golf course at 972 Fairway Park Drive. Similar in design to the Country Club Villas across the street from the Hyatt hotel and casino, this three bedroom, 2.5 bath, 2166 ft.² property originally came on the market in August at $1,200,000. After getting a haircut in November down to $1,150,000 the seller has now increased their level of motivation on paper as reflected in the new asking price of $1,099,000. If you like this style of freestanding condo I recommend taking a look at this one now that the price is more attractive.


February 22-25, 2008
It was an absolutely spectacular day at Lake Tahoe with gorgeous blue skies and sunshine in contrast to the intensely stormy weekend. I guess everyone must've been enjoying the new snow, because our Incline Village real estate news consists of price reductions for two properties that I find equally unexciting. Enjoy the update from the weekend which is below.

As a fitness buff, organic food fanatic and generally one of the healthier Incline Village real estate agents, I have been down with some flu type of illness the past four days. I guess that I picked a good time to get sick for the first time in three years ( if you don't count that bout of food poisoning I suffered back over Thanksgiving weekend) since we had a total of three new listings (one was a repeat), one price reduction and two properties closing escrow over the past few days. I will try to be as coherent and brief as possible since sleep deprivation does very little for my cognitive thought process.

I was very pleased to see the gorgeous piece of new construction at 591 Village Blvd. close escrow at the very fair price of $3,225,000. My congratulations to the agents on both sides of the transaction, they are two of the harder working people in Incline Village and I'm sure the buyer will love their beautiful new home.

The one price reduction on the Incline Village MLS does not get me too excited so let's move ahead and enjoy the two actual new listings. #42 Cedar Crest is a remodeled two bedroom, two bath, 1536 ft.² freestanding condo located 2 blocks from the Championship golf course. Even though this unit does not have a garage, the asking price of $489,000 tells me the seller is motivated. There is a loft area on the second floor that in most of these units has been turned into a third bedroom. I hope this property will be on the weekly Tuesday tour so that I can give you a more detailed report.

It looks like the competition is starting to heat up among the two bedroom units in McCloud. #25 came on the market on Friday and the asking price of $579,000 reflects the updating that has been performed in this condo. I am anxious to see this property on the Village Blvd. side of the complex to see how it compares with my listing at #74 and the newly listed #92.

With a very busy week ahead, since I have three buyers coming into Incline and 2 listing presentations to work on (along with all of my normal duties) I hope that I will be physically able to strap on the skis for at least a few runs in the powder. Over 2 feet of snow has fallen at my house which is located just below 6800 feet and it looks like there could be between three and 4 feet of new snow up at Mt. Rose where I have my pass. I may not be in top form to ski the Chutes or do my usual tree skiing, but a few runs in the deep powder would be a pleasant diversion and would help to relieve the cabin fever of the past few days.

I don't normally digress too much from the Incline Village real estate scene in this column, but the latest headlines in the local news are almost begging for my commentary. It seems like almost every week this winter at Lake Tahoe we are hearing about someone being rescued. Either they have skied out of bounds and gotten lost, or headed out into the backcountry when a storm is approaching and could not find their way back to the car. This weekend was no exception and it is absolutely amazing that a teenage snowboarder from northern California was rescued around 10:30 p.m. on Saturday night during the height of the blizzard. There is absolutely no excuse for skiing or riding out of bounds, and it's even more ludicrous that a person would take chances in the severe weather conditions that we experienced here this weekend. I think it's time to send a message to the entire skiing and snowboarding community that this type of irresponsible behavior will not be tolerated.

I would like to see a mandatory $10,000 fine, 500 hours of community service, plus search and rescue costs imposed in both California and Nevada anytime someone has to be rescued either out of bounds or when lost in the back country. It is unconscionable that anyone would go out of bounds and put search and rescue personnel in a position where they are risking their lives during a blizzard in an attempt to locate a missing person. People would be a lot less careless if they knew stiff penalties would be imposed 100% of the time for their reckless behavior. As Clint Eastwood is famous for saying; "A man has to know his limitations", and that is never more true than when you are tackling winter time in the High Sierra.

February 21, 2008
We have a very brief update for the Incline Village real estate scene today. With one new listing that is a repeat and one price reduction for a house that is a fixer-upper/tear down, I had a much busier day than the market would indicate. I spent this morning showing property to one of my new buyer clients and this afternoon was a continuing education class, since my real estate license comes up for renewal at the end of April. Now I get to play catch up in the evening...

The price reduction today is for the dome style home located at 610 - Second Creek. After seeing the owner or someone they know shoveling several feet of snow out of the driveway in the recent past, that tells me they really would like to get people in the door to see this place. Personally, I'd like to see the Forest Service purchase this parcel, remove the structures and turn the land back into nature due to the proximity to the year-round Creek that feeds the Lake. It's unlikely that will happen as long as the current executive director of the TRPA remains in his position because he has made no effort to go after federal money to acquire these sensitive lands. That's it for today, the Incline Village MLS update for Wednesday can be found below.

It was a busy day for me both on and off the slopes as we have three new listings  
and four price reductions to contemplate on the daily Incline Village real estate update. I would like to thank all of the readers of this column for their great comments and help with reviewing what is the most comprehensive website about Incline Village real estate. Over the next several months, this website will continue to evolve to provide you with the best format and most user-friendly experience. I will continue to provide you with daily commentary on the Incline Village MLS and give you the inside information on the homes and condos for sale.

Leading off the headlines today is the $20,000 price reduction for my listing at 868 Donna Drive. My client is very motivated to sell this property and wanted to send a clear message to the real estate community with a significant price adjustment. I can't show you a more beautifully remodeled home at low elevation in this price range.
Shortly after putting the price reduction on the MLS, 2 agents contacted me about showing the property. The new asking price is only $835,000 for this three bedroom, two bath home in the Woods subdivision on a large and nearly level lot. If you go to the real estate information menu and click on current listings you'll find a link to the virtual tour and more information about the property.

It's not every day that we have a new listing on the Incline Village real estate market that is both at the end of a cul-de-sac and backing up to the Mountain Golf Course, but that's exactly the special type of property that came on the MLS today. 721 Bunker Court is a four bedroom, three bath, 2848 ft.² home priced at $1,250,000. I was hoping to preview the property today, but the seller is still making preparations and the earliest I can see it will be Friday or Saturday. There are very few homes in this price range with anywhere near this amount of privacy, plus it has a level driveway and easy access all year round. From the eight pictures on the MLS it looks like it could use some updating. Let me know if you would like me to shoot pictures of the interior and I will make an effort to do so as soon as I can get in the door.

The other really big news today is that the condo at #45 McCloud got a drastic price reduction today all the way down to $795,000. This is a very rare three bedroom, three bath, 1789 square-foot property on the Village Boulevard side of the complex. It's my guess that the seller is now extremely motivated and wants to sell this condo which is located just one block from Incline beach, as soon as possible.


Incline Village Real Estate MLS New Listings of Homes, Condos and Other Incline Village Property for Sale on February 20, 2008

February 18-19, 2008
It was another spectacular day at Lake Tahoe with springlike weather to greet us before the onslaught of storms arrive later this week. This Incline Village real estate agent was busy showing property, doing open house at #74 McCloud and catching up on dozens of e-mails from regular readers of this column. I greatly appreciate all of your comments and suggestions for improvements to the new website, please keep them coming. Your input regarding the format and content is greatly valued. I want to make the site as user friendly as possible and provide you with the information that you need to make the best buying and selling decisions.

We've got two new listings, (one of which is a repeat), one fabulous price reduction and one property going into escrow today on the Incline Village real estate update. 910 Tyner Way, the new construction featuring over 3700 ft.² of living space to go with four bedrooms, 3.5 baths, a two car attached garage plus filtered Lake and mountain views comes with an asking price of $1,950,000. This is one parcel I would like to have seen the National Forest Service purchase along with the adjacent 3 pieces of land using SNLPMA funds from the sale of land down in the Las Vegas area. Oh well, at least the contractor is known for his high quality work and hopefully the new owners will be good stewards of the land and surrounding area.

It might be the third paragraph of today's commentary but our really big headline is the $47,000 price reduction at #11 White Pines. Finally at the target price of $450,000 that I originally projected when this property first came on the market in December 2006, I say run, don't walk to take a look at this place (just be careful you don't slip on the ice and sue me, it's winter time). Four bedrooms, 3.5 baths, 1752 ft.² a one car attached garage and walking distance to the Village Shopping Center, you can't beat the price or location for this part of town.

Checking out the new listings on the Incline Village MLS we've got one repeat at a new lower price and with a new agent for #2 - 21 Forest Pines. Tastefully remodeled and located just one block from the beach, the seller has even paid half of the assessment. I think the new asking price of $598,000 makes this one of the better values among the three bedroom condos at low elevation. If you have been waiting around for a walk to the beach property that has been nicely updated this one should be on your shortlist.

The new listing at #14 Mt. Rose Chalets is clearly priced to sell at $348,000. This little three bedroom, two bath, 1120 ft.² cabin is in pretty much original condition and the asking price reflects that very clearly. I'm glad to see the seller is not overpricing their property and is sending a message to buyers to come and take a look. My compliments to the listing agent for bringing this on the Incline Village MLS at a reasonable price.

I received an interesting e-mail from the listing agent of #92 McCloud questioning my description of the property even though I had two qualifiers in the same sentence. I felt the need to go preview the condo today and I must say the upgrades which include new tile in the entry, kitchen and baths to go along with the new stove and microwave are very nice touches. From the deck and living room (and if you look at the right angle from the kitchen sink) you catch some mountain views. (I shot pictures of the view, let me know if you want to see them). The deck is very close to the neighbors deck at #86. So, if you make friends with the owners you can probably chat back and forth, while enjoying the evening sunsets. The asking price of $575,000 is very reasonable.

My listing at #74 does have a more private deck area giving you seclusion from the neighbors and the view has more nature and fewer signs of civilization within sight. The mountain views are similar, yet different, if you want me to send you pics I'll let you be the judge. #74 is a lower unit, while #92 is an upper unit. Both are in the same grouping within one block of Incline beach. I say, if you're searching for a two bedroom, two bath condo in McCloud, give both of these properties a look since the prices are right in line with the most recent sales. Each has their own attributes and being on the Village Boulevard side and very close to the beach makes them quite appealing.

Last up on the agenda today is my quick synopsis of the Nuisance Ordinance town meeting that we had on Saturday at the Château. I was able to attend the first two hours before I had to go out and show property and I can tell you that it was great to see a couple of hundred members of the community participating in the workshop discussion groups. We talked about 10 general different areas including noise, animal control, blight, endless construction projects and one of my favorites, signage. I think it's very important that all of the real estate agents show some consideration for the environment and not create visual blight in this beautiful mountain community.

With every right goes a responsibility, so along with the right to advertise and promote properties for sale we have a responsibility to market these properties in a way that does not decrease the visual appeal of Incline Village. We have general standards that our MLS has put in place over the years. I would like to ask all of my fellow agents to engage in the use of small window signs and post signs, conforming sandwich boards for open houses (not signs that are 5 feet or 6 feet tall), and avoid the use of banners and other oversized placards regardless of what Washoe County rules may permit. Let's do our part to blend in with the scenery while promoting our sellers properties and our services in the classiest way possible. This is Incline Village, the nicest community at Lake Tahoe and I'd like to see all of us engage in practices that do not detract from the beauty of our mountain environment.

Incline Village Real Estate MLS New Listings of Homes, Condos and Other Incline Village Property for Sale on February 18, 2008

February 16-17, 2008 The only action reported on the Incline Village MLS on this holiday Saturday (and it must have happened on Friday since the County Recorder's Office is not open today) is the escrow that closed for the condo at 680 Titlist Drive.  Priced at 545K and selling for 525K, I felt this little gem would be the next condo to sell in the neighborhood, acing out the neighbor down the street.  Price 'em right and sell 'em fast is my motto, so congrats to Ann the listing agent for her sharp work in pricing this listing fairly.  You don't want to scare away the real estate agents in Incline Village on the weekly MLS tour with a ridiculous asking price.  This listing attracted a lot of positive comments when it came on the market in November.  That's it for today, Friday's update is below.   

The Incline Village real estate market brings us five new listings and one property closing escrow on an absolutely spectacular Friday at Lake Tahoe.  The holiday crowds will surely enjoy the gorgeous weather over the next few days.  I just hope there are not too many collisions on the ski slopes since most people are incapable of skiing down the fall line.  A lot of ski accidents occur on the slopes and trails where people are in over their head and forced to traverse.  Growing up in New England you learn very quickly to either ski down the fall line or select an easier run.  It's basically a matter of self-preservation.

Checking out the new listings on the Incline Village MLS we have 3 repeats and 2 actual new listings for me to comment on.  Our highlight of the day is the new listing in the rarely available Lodgepole Park Complex.  Built in 1996 and located just two blocks from the beach, #13 is a three bedroom, 2.5 bath, 2632 ft.² freestanding condo.  These units feature high-quality materials throughout and excellent construction.  When you combine that with the fabulous low elevation walk to anywhere location you can see why these units change hands very infrequently.  The asking price of $1,250,000 is right in line with the most recent sales and I anticipate this property will draw a lot of interest over the holiday weekend.  If you like the Country Club Villas across the street from the Hyatt, then I would urge you to take a look at this new listing sooner rather than later.  I can't show you a finer freestanding condo at low elevation.

It looks like I have a little bit of competition in McCloud as #92 came on the market with an asking price of $575,000.  This is an upper unit that has a few upgrades which I'll have to check out in person.  I don't think the location or the view will be quite as nice as my listing at #74 McCloud, but I have to confirm this with a visit to the property.

The home for sale in Incline Village that closed escrow today is the beautifully remodeled property located at 639 Tyner Way.  The final sale price of $1,900,000 is pretty darn close to the original target I set when this property came on the market nearly 1 1/2 years ago.  Contained inside of 3149 ft.² of living space you will find three bedrooms, 3.5 baths, a family room and some of the nicest interior decorating and upgrades anywhere in Incline Village.  The property is located next to Forest Service land with the ever present sounds of Second Creek running along the border of the property.

Incline Village Real Estate MLS New Listings of Homes, Condos and Other Incline Village Property for Sale on February 14, 2008
  

February 15, 2008
It was rather windy and choppy up at Lake Tahoe today and the Incline Village real estate market is pretty much the same way on this chilly Thursday evening.  We've got two new listings, one price reduction and one property going into escrow on the MLS today.

The home for sale that went into escrow is the tastefully remodeled property located at 1079 Flume.  Priced at just a hair under $1 million, this low elevation three bedroom, two bath property in the Mill Creek subdivision is one of the more attractive values within walking distance of Lakeshore.  

Our only price change today is a very necessary $30,000 reduction for the cute little refurbished home at 502 Jensen Circle.  Now priced at $699,000 and with over 1700 ft.² of living space, I anticipate this property will start to get a few closer looks.

Both of the new listings today offer you some type of a Lake view.  The recently remodeled home at 538 Dale Drive is back on the market with a new agent and a new asking price of $1,595,000.  I was in this property several times while the contractor had the place ripped apart doing the major remodel.  Now that the work is finished, I will have to take another spin through to see the end result.  If you like skateboarding, you'll love this driveway!

The other new listing on the Incline Village MLS today is for a remodeled home at 889 Tyner.  With an asking price of $1,279,000, this three bedroom, two bath, 2088 ft.² home comes with a filtered Lake view and a three car attached garage.  Located in the upper nosebleed section of Tyner Way, I'm going to try to preview this property sometime over the weekend.  Let me know if you would like to see more pictures and I'll make sure to bring along the camera.
Incline Village Real Estate MLS New Listings of Homes, Condos and Other Incline Village Property for Sale on February 14, 2008

February 12 - 14, 2008
It's a little bit difficult to decipher the action on the Incline Village real estate scene today.  We have one price reduction for the condo at 41 Northwood Estates and it appears that a free standing condo in Incline Creek Estates went into escrow today.  The confusion stems from the fact that the status change showing a contingent sale appears in both the new listing and status change categories.  For now, I'll give Ryan the benefit of the doubt and assume that his listing in ICE got an accepted offer.  Sorry that I don't have more news for you, maybe everyone is taking a breather to prepare for Valentine's Day. 

We've got 4 aces today greeting us on the Incline Village real estate market.  One in each category across the board so let's get started with the property that closed escrow at 1357 Carinthia.  This is a perfect example of a property selling for exactly fair market value after coming on at an asking price that in my opinion was clearly just testing the waters.  The final sale price of $450,000 which is equal to the final asking price is dead on in my opinion for this tastefully remodeled three bedroom, two bath, 1200 ft.² chalet without a garage.  It's pretty hard to get over $400 per square foot in upper Tyrolian Village if you don't have a garage, even if you do have a nice Mountain View.

The property that went into escrow today is the Super Deal Alert that was given a very high profile here just a few days ago at #49 McCloud.  The offer is under what we call a Reserve Clause, which means that the buyer has to remove the contingency on the sale of their property prior to consummating the purchase of #49.  So, if any of you are still interested in this short sale opportunity, please contact me and we'll see if we can write an offer that is not contingent on the sale of any property.  All cash is preferred for these types of situations if you really want to get the lender to make any kind of a concession.

With only one rather unexciting price change on the Incline Village MLS, that leaves us with one new listing to peruse.  Oddly enough, the new listing is a slightly larger version of the property that closed escrow today.  1390 Tirol Drive comes with an asking price of $679,000 to go along with 1616 ft.², three bedrooms, 2.5 baths and again, no garage.  The chalet has been partially updated and I would love to see some interior pictures so I can give you a better analysis. 

I don't generally recommend that people come up during holiday periods since it tends to be rather crowded, but this Presidents' Day weekend I am making an exception.  It could be some of the most spectacular weather that we experience anytime in the early spring.  With the excellent snowpack to go along with this gorgeous weather, the skiing conditions and the scenery will both be woderful.  If you have the luxury of taking time off during the week, then a journey up on Friday or next Tuesday should still provide you with the same incredible weather and ski conditions.
Incline Village Real Estate MLS New Listings of Homes, Condos and Other Incline Village Property for Sale on February 11, 2008

February 11, 2008
I awoke to blue skies and sunshine up here in Incline Village this morning.  Quite a change from one week ago when it was a raging blizzard outside.  Looking past the remaining giant piles of snow I was able to find one new listing and 4 price changes on the Incline Village real estate market today.

The new listing greets me with both anticipation and trepidation as I am trying to understand the price tag of $1,795,000. The house located at 964 - 4th Green changed hands a little the less than two years ago at $1,550,000.  With three bedrooms, three baths, a four car attached garage and over 200 feet of frontage on the Championship Golf Course this one really piques my interest.  So, I'm curious to see if the buyer got a fabulous deal at that time or if they have done something with the interior.

I don't generally discuss price increases and today is not going to be an exception.  So let's move right along and see what else the MLS has for us. The biggest move of the day is the $235,000 redeployment for the home at 746 Mays Blvd..  Now priced at $1,550,000, this five bedroom, 4.5 bath, 4360 ft.² home with a three-car attached garage situated on a .443 acre lot is now very reasonably priced.  Anyone looking for a spacious low elevation home within walking distance of the Village Shopping Center and Burnt Cedar Beach will want to put this one on their short list.

Last up on the Incline Village real estate news today is another price slashing for the mixed-use property mentioned here just a few days ago.  #3 at 120 Country Club Mall got a $25,000 haircut and is now fetching an asking price of $525,000.  This front-row, mixed-use condo is right on Country Club Drive and directly across the street from the Hyatt Hotel and Casino.  Something tells me the seller is getting seriously motivated having cut the price $75,000 in the past week.
Incline Village Real Estate MLS New Listings of Homes, Condos and Other Incline Village Property for Sale on February 11, 2008

February 9 - 10, 2008
   (There was no activity on Sunday, the update below is from Saturday)
We have some wildly diverse offerings for you on today's Incline Village real estate update.  With two new listings, two price reductions, one property closing escrow and prices ranging from $373,000 to over $2 million there is pretty much something for everyone.

The condo that closed escrow today is #21 High Sierra at the very reasonable price of $373,000.  This formerly three bedroom but now two bedroom, 2.5 bath, 1368 ft.² property with a one car garage is located at 861 Southwood Blvd within walking distance of the beach, Raley's shopping center and the Village Shopping Center.  This will likely be one of the few properties under $400,000 with a garage that you'll find if you're shopping for Incline Village real estate.

The price reductions take precedence over the new listings today as we are seeing a couple of big moves for two completely different Lakeview properties.  If you're looking for a contemporary home that is over 4000 ft.² and don't mind dropping in a bundle of cash to update the place, then the spectacular piece of architecture at 898 Tyner Way might be just for you.  I am glad to see the seller has finally priced this property where I felt it should have been a year ago as the new asking price is $1,995,000.  The recent drop of $355,000 shows me the seller is now very serious about wanting to get an offer for this panoramic Lakeview home in Incline Village. 

On a completely different note, down near the water in Crystal Bay located at 485 Gonowabie is a panoramic Lakeview home with a more rustic and mountain feel.  You'll find just under 3200 ft.² of living space that is situated on a .174 acre lot and divided into three bedrooms, 2.5 baths and views everywhere you turn.  Approved plans for a garage, elevator and studio come along with the new asking price of $1,750,000. 

One of our new listings today is a repeat and the other one is a rather intriguing little number at 941 Miners Ridge.  Quite possibly in the nicest setting among all the condos for sale in Incline Village under $500,000, this three-bedroom, 2.5 bath, 1750 ft.² property sits next to a creek and Forest Service land.  This property is being offered furnished at the $499,000 asking price.  With easy access to Country Club Drive and the Mt. Rose Highway, I think this property will get a lot of interest when it hits our weekly MLS tour.
Incline Village Real Estate MLS New Listings of Homes, Condos and Other Incline Village Property for Sale on February 9, 2008

February 8, 2008
It was a rather frenetic day for a Friday in the middle of February for the Incline Village real estate market.  Although three of the four new listings are repeats, we have two price reductions, two properties going into escrow and one transaction closing escrow to contemplate on this beautiful sunny day on the North Shore of Lake Tahoe.

Before we dive into the real estate update I have to tell you that I may have finally found a decent pair of slalom skis after many years of searching.  I was able to squeeze in six runs and 9000 vertical on three different pairs of skis during a brief hour on the slopes this morning.  Weighing only 140 pounds or so, makes it really hard to bend the ski properly unless you're either being incredibly aggressive on very steep pitches, or flying down the mountain at a very high rate of speed while being incredibly aggressive.  The Blizzard Titanium skis I tried on today are unlike anything that I have ever experienced.  And those of you who ski in mogul fields and / or on slopes over 40° know just how important it is to have something very responsive under your feet.  It's probably a good thing that I forgot my helmet today or I might have gotten a little carried away, or been carried away for that matter...

Onto the big news of the day, that would be the Super Deal Alert that you read about above.  I was rather amazed to see the house at 219 Robin sell at the full price asking price of $819,000 and with the listing agent getting both sides of the deal...

The two properties that went into escrow today include the house that I raved about one month ago located at 581 Chico Court.  Priced at only $699,000 this spacious 2538 ft.² home makes up in location and privacy what it lacks in curb appeal.  The new buyer has got themselves a great piece of property in my opinion, and with some interior work this could really be quite a place.  #213 Mountain Shadows received an accepted offer today.  Priced at $419,000 this traditional for the complex three bedroom, 2.5 bath condo in Incline Village has been upgraded to gas heat and a gas fireplace which is a rarity.

The other price reduction today is for #43 Third Creek.  I'm glad to see the seller is moving in the right direction with the new asking price of $725,000.

Our only actual new listing today is for the tastefully updated one bedroom condo at #29 McCloud.  The pictures really do justice to this very nicely furnished 803 square foot unit on the Village Boulevard side of the complex.  Priced at $465,000 this is right in line with recent sales for similarly appointed condos in the McCloud complex.

I'm questioning the integrity of the Incline Village MLS archives when 2 of the 4 new listings today show no history and we all know they are repeats that were on the market for quite some time.  Some agents have been gaming the system by not using the auto-population feature when entering a new listing in the MLS.  I don't know if that is the case this time so I won't make any accusations.   So, here is what you as a buyer or seller need to know.

The auto-pop feature inserts important data such as square footage, assessors parcel number and other critical pieces of information about each property into the listing.  Some agents know that there is a flaw in the way our MLS software functions and by manually overriding the system and not using the auto-pop feature the history for the property will seemingly disappear.  I certainly hope that is not the case with two of today's purported new listings.  I keep track of all the new listings on this web site and I also know various ways to search expired and withdrawn listings to find the old MLS records for any particular property.  

If someone is trying to game the system, they're going to have a pretty hard time putting it past me.  But not every agent is aware of this flaw with how the Incline Village MLS works.  The newer agents can be easily fooled into thinking a home or condo for sale in Incline Village really is a new listing, when the property has been on and off the market several times already.  My broker is the newly elected chairman of our local MLS committee and I will certainly have to bring this and other related incidents to his attention for further investigation.

February 6 - 7, 2008
There is just one tiny bit of news for you on today's real estate commentary for Incline Village.  #33 Coeur-du-Lac was reduced from $649,000 down to $624,900.  This is a three bedroom, two bath, 1200 ft.² condo located one block from the beach.  The property has been refurbished and the interior is actually one of the nicer ones in the complex.  It looks like the seller is getting motivated since they originally came on at $679,000 back in May 2007.  It's getting difficult to find a quality three bedroom condo within walking distance of the beach in this price range, so you low elevation shoppers may want to take a look at this one.  The update from Wednesday is below.

It was a beautiful sunny day in Incline Village and the real estate update brings us three new listings, two price reductions, one property going into escrow and one home closing escrow.  I think the buyer of the property that closed escrow today located at 806 Toni Ct got themselves a very fair deal with the final sale price of $890,000.  This works out to $481 per square foot for this tastefully remodeled home with a partial Lakeview.

The condo at #55 Tahoe Racquet Club with the recently reduced asking price of $349,000 got an accepted offer today.  I had a feeling this property would not be on the market too long after the recent price reduction.  

Checking out the new listings on the Incline Village MLS today, the most intriguing one is for the single family residence located at 678 - 14th Green.  Priced at $1,395,000, this 2500 ft.² home has been tastefully remodeled and has a nice mountain feel.  With three bedrooms, three full baths, a two-car attached garage and a lot that is just under one half acre I anticipate there will be a great deal of interest in this property.

We have two big price reductions on the Incline Village real estate market today.  The beautifully remodeled home at 981 Mica Ct was reduced $300,000 down to the very reasonable price of $2,195,000.  This could very well be the next home in this price range to sell.  It is absolutely gorgeous from top to bottom, super high quality materials were used throughout and it even has a reasonably nice Lake view.

The spectacular home for sale in Incline Village at 469 Fairview Blvd. is now arguably the best value in a Lakeview Lodge style home.  Today's price reduction of $500,000 brings this gorgeous showplace down to $4,495,000.  With just under 8000 ft.² of living space and a panoramic Lake view, this home features five bedrooms, seven full baths, two half baths a three-car attached garage and virtually every interior feature you could possibly imagine.  This home was designed by Doug Eddy and those of you familiar with his work know that he does only the highest quality architecture and construction.  If you are shopping in this price range I would be hard-pressed to show you a better value among all of the properties for sale in Incline Village and Crystal Bay.

The winner of yesterday's price reduction primary is the mixed-use property at 120 Country Club Drive.  I would like to thank everyone who took the time to cast their votes.

Since the only activity on the Incline Village real estate scene on this Super Tuesday is 4 price reductions, I will leave it up to you, the general public to vote on the winning candidate today.  My personal favorite among the price reductions is #3 at 120 Country Club Drive.  Send me an e-mail with a vote for your favorite among the price reductions of the day and I'll tally up the results for tomorrow's column. 

Address:                            Old Price                   New Price

928 Wendy Ln                     $435K                      $420K

120 CC Drive                       $590K                      $550K

172 Tramway Rd                  $649K                      $599K

1043 Tomahawk                   $665K                     $650K

February 2 - 5, 2008
I don't have a lot to offer you for Sunday and Monday on the Incline Village real estate update.  There was no activity on Sunday and Monday brings us one new listing and one property going into escrow.  I would love to tell you something about the new listing, but with only one picture I will have to defer with the details.  Let's just say that the asking price of $675,000 for the house at 420 Winding Way appears rather reasonable on face value.  With three bedrooms, 3.5 baths, a two-car attached garage, a lot just under one half acre and 1691 square feet of living space this low elevation property is on my preview list once there are more pictures of the interior.  The commentary from Saturday is below.

The really big news on the Incline Village real estate market today is that of the three new listings, two of them just happen to be mine.  I am very pleased to point you to the top of this page where you'll find links to the web pages that I built for a great condo at #74 McCloud and beautifully remodeled home at 868 Donna Drive.  There are links to the virtual tours for both properties right at the top of each of their respective web pages.

#74 McCloud is a two bedroom, two bath, 1089 ft.² property located one block from Incline Beach.  Priced at only $575,000, this is the only condo of its type in the complex currently for sale on the Village Boulevard side.  The master bedroom and bath have been freshly painted, there is hard wood flooring in the entryway, and the setting when you walk out the French doors onto the deck is one of the nicest you'll find in the complex.

The home for sale at 868 Donna Drive is a total remodel with high quality finishes from top to bottom.  From the stone tile entry to the hardwood floors, slab granite and stainless steel appliances in the kitchen, gas log fireplace, open beam Cathedral ceilings, remodeled baths, the list goes on and on.  The asking price of $855,000 reflects both the quality of the workmanship and the fact that you also get a two-car attached garage to go with this home situated on over one third of an acre.  Located just one block from Village Blvd. and within walking distance to The Raley's Shopping Center, this is a little gem.

Since the other new listing on the Incline Village MLS was a repeat, we can skip ahead to the property that closed escrow today.  #52 Mountain Shadows which was one of the very rare REOs that we see in Incline Village or Crystal Bay, sold at the eminently reasonable price of $380,000.  This 1360 ft.² unit which had been chopped up into four small bedrooms and 2.5 baths has been tastefully remodeled but did have some flaws.  The deck sits next to the parking lot and you have to go down steps to get to the front door, which can be a bit tricky in the wintertime.  The staircase runs up through the middle of the living room splitting the living and dining areas, which is rather unusual.  I think the buyer got a good deal on the property based on the quality of the remodel and the final sale price.  I would anticipate we will see units of this square footage in Mountain Shadows selling in the $370,000-$450,000 price range depending on the location, view, ease of access and most importantly quality of the interior (i.e. has it been remodeled and how nicely).

Checking out the price reductions among the properties for sale in Incline Village the only one that really catches my eye is the big move of $151,000 for the freestanding condo located at 1314 St. Gallen Ct.  In my opinion the original asking price of $1,299,000 was clearly way too high, but the new price makes this a veritable bargain.  You're not going to find 2800 ft.² with a one car attached garage to go along with spectacular mountain views in a four-bedroom 3.5 bath property anywhere else in town.  With a beautiful kitchen that includes slab granite and tasteful furnishings included in the sale price, the new asking price of $999,000 makes this a great value.  Located Close to the Diamond Peak Ski Area, I can't show you a better value in Upper Tyrolian Village at the present time.

February 1, 2008
The storms cleared over Incline Village and our real estate market today brings us three properties going into escrow, one price reduction and three new listings (two of which are repeats).  Having three properties get accepted offers on a Friday in January is either an anomaly or a sign that buyers are still voting with their dollars that Incline Village real estate is a good investment.  I would like to think the former is the case especially since 89 Mountain Shadows is one of those properties that went into escrow today and my gut feeling tells me the final sale price will not be a giveaway.  My guess is that a sharp investor realized what a great value this is at $449,000, especially when compared to everything else in the complex and the other condos in town in that price range.  

The other properties for sale in Incline Village that got accepted offers are at opposite ends of the spectrum.  The cute little one bedroom in Forest Pines priced at $385,000 and the lakefront condo at 15 Crystal Bay Cove with an asking price of $2,225,000 both went under contract.  Lakefront properties continue to show strength especially if they have covered parking and the truly panoramic lakeview.

The only actual new listing on the Incline Village MLS today is for #143 Third Creek which is a two bedroom, two bath, 1500 plus square-foot unit in a beautiful location backing up to the creek itself.  The asking price of $689,000 reflects the great location on the gated side of this community.   

On Saturday I will have the opportunity to preview the Lakeview home at 571 Dale Drive.  This is the home that I wrote about a few days ago which came on the market at $1,595,000.  I will be shooting pictures of the property and hopefully will get some shots of the Lakeview before the next storm rolls in.  Please contact me via e-mail or phone if you would like to see pictures of the property or get a more detailed description once I get a look at the interior.  

I am working on a prospective new listing that is very close to Lakeshore Drive.  Please send me an e-mail if you would like to learn the inside scoop about this elegant property in Incline Village.  Anticipated asking price is in the $1.6 to $1.7 million range. 
Incline Village Real Estate MLS New Listings of Homes, Condos and Other Incline Village Property for Sale on February 1, 2008