Palm Springs Real Estate Blog

Things are falling into place for the fabulous 2008 Bob Hope Chrysler Classic. In fact, the PGA has just announced its entire tour. Golfing venues have been chosen for this year’s rotation, the 2008 Classic Girls have been chosen and George Lopez will be the official host. As usual, there is a sense of excitement and anticipation in the Desert Cities of La Quinta and Palm Desert as the world famous charity event moves to its opening on January 17^th. But, for some, the excitement is not just based on being spectators watching a popular sport, but on participating in an event that launch their careers and change their lives.

The young ladies chosen to act as goodwill ambassadors for an event that has become a tradition in this area are Emily Harrison now called “Hope”, Colie Cullen, newly named “Chrysler” and Kelsey Peterson, whose ambassadorial title is “Classic,” are all young aspiring performers. This event may very well open doors to them that happens when you are in an event that will be seen by many tourists and visitors but also broadcast throughout the world.

They will help support the hosting activities of George Lopez, the famous Mexican comedian. George is now a household word but he was somewhat like Emilie, Colie and Kelsey, an unknown quantity. In fact, his initial career was built on self-depreciating stand-up comedy which was originally embraced by the Latino community. Much of his material was drawn from his own very Traditional Mexican-American background. Lopez’ popularity was not based on projecting himself as rich and famous but as somewhat vulnerable, complex and a little dense at times. This image has served him in his work in the George Lopez Show, the most successful longest running situation comedy featuring a Latino actor. The first was I Love Lucy so it is obviously a formidable achievement. But George, like so many others, started somewhat lower than Top Banana.

What’s great about the Valley is that it provides all kinds of surprise opportunities for local people. (more…)

The new run of statistics from the California Association of Realtors show an interesting upturn in monthly home purchases in Coachella Valley but the overall national and downturn in sales is still significant since last year. But, to be honest, we realtors in Palm Springs Real Estate and the rest of Coachella Valley are not crying. We see vista after vista of opportunity for us and for our clients now and in the near future.

And, why not? There is a certain style of life here in the Desert that is fulfilling way beyond the vacillations of price of a house. It is so many perfect days, punctuated of course by a blazing, hot summer that drives many away. It is spectacular nights, speckled with stars; long hikes up mountains or in deserts teeming with life; the flicker of nostalgia when passing celebrity homes, street signs or stars on a pavement; some of the best traditional and boldly adventurous restaurants you can find anywhere, black tie charity affairs, film festivals and memorable, unique desert homes. It’s casual formal. And formal casual.

Still, we who dabble in Palm Springs Real Estate can thank our lucky stars that our market is unique.  In most markets these days, a monthly home sales jump for 16.4 per cent as unveiled for the entire Coachella Valley the other day, would be greeted with a profound “Hoo-Ha,” a couple of extra dry martinis and a passel of expectations for a truly exciting few months to come.

But here, our spoiled realtors yawn slightly, though smiling- and, say, “I guess the slump is not really over.” They have been still been a tiny bit more busy “selling” during the entire slump, (more…)

-An Oz-like Visitation in the Colorado Desert During the Christmas Holidays-

“Lions and tigers and bears,” said Dorothy. “I won’t find any of these in this silly old desert- or anything else worth bothering about,’ smiling as she drove her hybrid SUV into the wiles of Coachella Valley- and piled out with the Tin Woodsman and Scarecrow into the parking lot of the Living Desert. The Cowardly Lion heard there weren’t any lions and was handling a Munchkin revolt in the North of Oz anyway. Toto held the fort back at the Esmeralda Renaissance Resort at Indian Wells. Dorothy had told him that she didn’t expect to see any lions, but now she regretted it. She had thought the Desert only had a few lizards and scorpions. But when Dorothy saw all the Living Desert animals on display in exhibits that highlighted their natural environment, her eyes were now opened. “Well, I guess I see a Mountain Lion, after all. No tigers but I do see a bobcat running around. Oops, there’s a cheetah. I guess we’re doing OK in the big cats area, but a bear would be so exciting! Well, come to think of it, the Mexican wolf and coyotes kind of make up for it.”

Dorothy wasn’t alone in her surprise. As she began to understand the amazing richness of the desert ecosystem, Dorothy began to fully participate in the stated mission of part of the Living Desert’s agenda. After all the purpose of this part zoo/part conservation program/part botanical garden/part museum/part school for those who value wildlife and ecology was to waken people to the unexpected wealth of desert life. In fact, the Living Desert,set in the Colorado Desert in Coachella Valley, was really a celebration of the flora and fauna of all the amazing deserts of the world.

The Living Desert is an amazing, multi-faced celebration of wildlife set strategically close to the growing sophistication of the affluent Palm Desert shopping centers; art galleries and (more…)

A Great Romance and A Great American Balloon Company

Erick Moore, Founder of the Great American Balloon Company runs a very strict, safe ballooning enterprise with pilots with their FAA Lighter-Than-Air training, having trained with the proper quotient of chaperoned and solo hours in a LTA aircraft. I mentioned that I had called Erick because of the seemingly romantic nature of ballooning and how this was one of the great assets of the Palm Springs area.

In today’s world of violent video games, distasteful films and meaningless Internet distractions, ballooning is one of the truly romantic pastimes that you can have, Erick Moore said, speaking about the mainstay of his company, the Great American Balloon Company. I know better than anyway- because, in a sense, my life began over after taking my first balloon ride. (more…)

Sometimes it seems that way, and certainly that’s been the case over the past few years. We’ve had quite a dry spell, a drought even. But surprise surprise! if the beautiful Coachella Valley didn’t get more rain in one day (this past week) than it the past two years combined!

I’ve written before on this blog about how the aquifier underneath our desert floor provides us with much of our water, and how this makes us less dependant on the Colorado River and other sources California’s water comes from. That’s great for pragmatic water uses, yes. But nothing beats that fresh smell after a desert rain.

Many folks believe the smell comes from Desert Sage but it’s mainly the Creosote Bush (which covers much of the Sonoran Desert, where the Coachella Valley sits on the extreme western edge). These plants are more moisture-driven than most desert plants, so they have (more…)

- A Fabulous Film Festival Magnificently Slouches Towards Palm Springs in January-

Glamorous stars, creative directors and Hollywood moguls congregate in luscious Palm Springs sunshine at the Palm Springs International Film festival.

Why is that?

Forget the films, the panels, the chance to meet the stars- while you’re in the middle of all that, stand outside a little apart from the crowd and look up. You will see and feel the natural opulence, the breathtaking presence of a star-studded a Palm Springs evening. The star-studded jewels in the sky and the jewelry-studded Hollywood stars on the Red Carpet are (more…)