We had to fire a Seller today. Though it rarely happens, it’s always excruciating when it does.The original bond for this listing was with the lady of the house. She actually bought it. We met through one of our real estate seminars. Trust was established with her there. She was a FSBO at the time.As a FSBO her home was overpriced. There were no showings. The priced was dropped by $200K when we were asked to help after our seminar. We thought the price was high, but not so much so that it wouldn’t be productive. There were two showings at first, and as our market continued to decline in both demand and price, the showings stopped.We consistently provided stats, charts and market updates. Our Lake Tahoe Real Estate Blog provides all of this data 24/7, and we also always update all Seller... 06/15/2007

(LAKE TAHOE REAL ESTATE BLOG) We’ve just updated Country Club Estates. Please click the link “Country Club Estates, CA” found in our left sidebar. This will lead one to all current Country Club Estates listings, current escrow and all sales in 2007. Also included are all Country Club Estates sales for 2006, 2005 and 2004.About Country Club Estates: (Number homes: 536 plus ) Country Club Estates is an upscale hillside neighborhood. Homes range from the $400K’s to large, newer estates overlooking the Lake Tahoe Airport. From time to time, small, older homes are available in the $300K’s. Features include forest, hillside settings, tall trees, some large lots and mountain views. Well priced homes sell quickly here.Also found on each spreadsheet page for Country Club Estates are statistics ... 06/11/2007

Christmas Valley - South Lake Tahoe, CA Neighborhood Updated. (LAKE TAHOE REAL ESTATE BLOG) We’ve just updated Christmas Valley. Please click the link “Christmas Valley, CA” found in our left sidebar. This will lead one to all current Christmas Valley listings, current escrow and all sales in 2007. Also included are all Christmas Valley sales for 2006, 2005 and 2004.About Christmas Valley: (Number homes: 583 plus) Nestled along majestic mountains, Christmas Valley is one of our sought after neighborhoods. Homes generally range from the low $400K’s to the $800K’s, and then more. Small, older homes are sometimes available in the low $300K’s. Features include some large lots, seculsion, incredible mountain views and the feel of living both in the mountains and in a country setting. Also fo... 06/11/2007

Bijou - South Lake Tahoe, CA Neighborhood Updated. (LAKE TAHOE REAL ESTATE BLOG) We’ve just updated Bijou. Please click the link “Bijou, CA” found in our left sidebar. This will lead one to all current Bijou listings, current escrow and all sales in 2007. Also included are all Bijou sales for 2006, 2005 and 2004. About Bijou: (Number homes: 1,372 plus) Bijou is also one of South Lake Tahoe’s oldest neighborhoods. It is also perhaps its most centrally located. Homes range from small, entry-level starters, to large remodels and some new homes. Some duplexes are also found throughout. Neighborhood features are location to shopping, recreation and entertainment, tall trees and some mountain, meadow, and forest views. Prices range from small, older homes in original condition in the $200K’s ... 06/11/2007

(LAKE TAHOE REAL ESTATE BLOG) We’ve just updated Al Tahoe. Please click the link “Al Tahoe, CA” found in our left sidebar. This will lead one to all current Al Tahoe listings, current escrow and all sales in 2007. Also included are all Al Tahoe sales for 2006, 2005 and 2004.About Al Tahoe: (Number of homes: a few more than 900) Highly desirable Al Tahoe is one of South Lake Tahoe’s oldest neighborhoods. Known for having some of the first cabins on the Lake, Al Tahoe features lake fronts, newly remodeled homes and homes and cabins in original condition, many of which represent significant updating and value increasing opportunities. Al Tahoe experienced high demand and meaningful value increases throughout 2004 and 2005. One reason for this activity is Al Tahoe’s close proximity to the ... 06/11/2007

The Tahoe Keys - South Lake Tahoe, CA Neighborhood Updated. (LAKE TAHOE REAL ESTATE BLOG) We’ve just updated The Tahoe Keys. Please click the link “The Tahoe Keys, CA” found in our left sidebar. This will lead one to all current The Tahoe Keys listings, current escrow and all sales in 2007. Also included are all The Tahoe Keys sales for 2006, 2005 and 2004.About Tahoe Keys (Number homes: 856) Featuring lake front homes, canals, back-yard docks, and boat access to the Lake, the Tahoe Keys is one of our most desirable and most real-estate active neighborhoods. Value ranges from homes without boat docks in the high $400K’s to high-end lake front estates. Homes priced less than $1M can sell quickly. There will be older home remodel opportunities and new remodels to choose from. Many Keys ho... 06/10/2007

(LAKE TAHOE REAL ESTATE BLOG) We’ve just updated Montgomery Estates. Please click the link “Montgomery Estates, CA” found in our left sidebar. This will lead one to all current Montgomery Estates listings, current escrow and all sales in 2007. Also included are all Montgomery Estates sales for 2006, 2005 and 2004.About Montgomery Estates: (Number homes: a few more than 900) One of our most active and desirable neighborhoods. Features may include mountain forest settings, views, towering trees and close proximity to schools and everything good about Lake Tahoe. Homes range from mid-market to high-end. Some fixers also become available from time to time. Values basically range from the $500K’s to large, recently done estates at $1M and more. Many homes here are luxurious vacation homes. ... 06/10/2007

Information is King, and the Resource for Gaining Trust. We just read an interesting comment from another real estate agent about people who really need to start gathering information from a real estate agent, but are “hesitant” to do so. Most of the time this hesitancy is fear, and it makes sense as we think about it. Many people think they will be hustled by an over eager agent as soon as they establish contact. It’s a need-to-approach, but want-to-avoid dilemma (more, click the "read the rest of this entry" link below). It is out of our understanding of this initial approach-avoidance conflict that our key information delivery systems have evolved. The key to a successful client - agent relationship is trust. Most of the time when we have earned trust, we have become a friend. And th... 06/07/2007

How I Miss Real Estate School Debates.One of the things I really liked about real estate school, my brother and I took it at our Carson City Junior College, was debating real estate questions and real estate law with our professors and classmates. It was good spirited fun, these debates, and a great learning tool for us all.A few moments ago I read a featured post from a new agent in North Carolina that sparked what would have been a terrific classroom debate. I thought I'd ask the question to us all. It has to do with moving a house.Back then in our classes about personal and real property, and partucularly as it related to fixtures, one of the key determinants to knowing the difference was portability. If it moves easily it's not a fixture, and therefore it's personal property. Both e... 06/05/2007

Rainbow Trout and Eggs for Breakfast - Courtesy of Blue Lakes, Alpine County, California.(LAKE TAHOE REAL ESTATE BLOG) We broke down and took a necessary day off on the Sunday before Memorial Day. To do so, though, we took a client with us. That made it a much more meaningful, guilt-free day away from our real estate practice. (See the post below about how hard it is for us to do this.)One of the many nice things about our Lake Tahoe lifestyle is trout fishing on the Blue Lakes in Alpine County, California. Here’s what I know about Blue Lakes, which came off a website from somebody who is a fisherman.“Blue Lakes consists of Upper and Lower Blue lakes, which are connected by a small stream. Located at 8200 feet, these lakes feature a variety of trout, including brookies, rainbows and Lah... 06/05/2007

Our Clients, our Practice and this Blog is Always There.(LAKE TAHOE REAL ESTATE BLOG) One of the more difficult things we face as real estate agents is taking time off... and not feeling guilty about it. There is always something to do, and we’re always on call. That is the nature of our business. In addition, we’re also sole proprietors of our own “start-up”, which in this case means we’re still very much building our business, even after five years of success and experience in so doing. Like most professional agents, we are independent contractors with state licenses that are hung with a brokerage, in our case with Dickson Realty, the largest real estate brokerage in our area by far. Our practice is our own entity, our own “brand”, so to speak. We are basically sole proprietors of our... 06/05/2007

Decline in Demand and Increase in Inventory creates Excellent Buying Opportunities. (LAKE TAHOE REAL ESTATE BLOG) We’ve just updated the Absorption Rates for our South Lake Tahoe, CA real estate market. We are still experiencing changes in our market, with a slight decline in demand and median sold prices. At present the market offers opportunity for Buyers, and for Sellers too who price their home within our current real estate market reality. Here’s a bullet-point summary followed by a brief review about what this latest update reveals: Summary: In the last 365 days, our South Lake Tahoe, CA market has sold an average of 34 homes a month.In the last 6 months, the monthly average has dropped to an average of 29 sales per month.This is a decline of a little... 06/04/2007

My Tahoe360.com has jumped leaps and bounds with the help of the Active Rain Community.  We are not just selling Real Estate but educating the online community of what Lake Tahoe has to offer...We are so excited to see how our new site http://www.tahoe360.com/ is being used by the public and how we can improve on many areas of what people desire to see.  We want to have that one-stop shop for the Lake Tahoe/Reno areas.... Take a look at our links below to see the beauty of Lake Tahoe...For a complete tour of Lake Tahoe try this linkhttp://www.tahoe360.com/flashmaps2/virtualtours.phpFor a sample of what Emerald Bay looks like click the following link...http://www.tahoe360.com/flashmaps2/MediumVR.php?id=2475&idvr=2 Try the beaches of Incline Village click the following link....http://www.... 06/01/2007

Tahoe Mountain Biking - PowerlineI've got to say it again; the trails right now at Lake Tahoe are in great condition. I was on Powerline again today, and this time I went good and early...Man, it's nice to have summer here, even if it's just for for a while. If you've never been on this one, it's pretty much the Tahoe standard; lots of people know about it, so on any given day quite a few take advantage of it (wouldn't call it crowded, though...I saw 3 people this morning), some on bikes, some on foot. It's not that long, or very steep, and it's by no means "technical." It's just damn fun. So many ups and downs, well maintained, banked turns and a new view of Tallac around each bend.The best thing about this particular trail though, is all the options. Powerline is part of a network of ... 06/01/2007

More listings means more competition, more choices and more opportunities for Buyers. (LAKE TAHOE REAL ESTATE BLOG) We see it every year here in our South Lake Tahoe real estate market. It’s the perception among area home Sellers that there is a “selling” season. See the post below for further discussion and market facts about this perception. More often than not, more home sales are produced after labor day each year, and sometimes in March and April. Since most homeowners don’t live here, those that want to sell their home would rather put it on the market after the snow melts. That makes sense, it’s easier! But it’s also to a Buyer’s advantage. And since Buyers drive every real estate market, this is good news!The sudden glut in the market that we see at this time every year creates ... 05/26/2007

Any time is a great time to Sell or Buy a reasonably priced home.(LAKE TAHOE REAL ESTATE BLOG) One of the questions we’re most frequently asked is, “when is the best time to list a house?” The same question in different forms that we hear is, “what is the selling season”, and “when are the most buyers around.” Coming from a Seller, the sub-text of this question is when can I get the most for my house, and from a Buyer, it’s when can I buy a house for the least?The truth is there is no selling or buying season in our South Lake Tahoe real estate market. There is no particular time that one can necessarily get more for a house than another, nor is there a specific time when a Buyer can pay less than another. There are economic principles, however that should be considered, and it applies ... 05/26/2007

The Same Market - with a State Line running through it.Our South Shore Lake Tahoe market has a state line running through it. It's one real estate market with some 40+ neighborhoods. There are about five times as many homes on the California side of our market. As such, there is always more inventory here. The median sold price for the last calendar year (365 days) is about $450,000. In our current market it takes an average of 144 days to sell a house.With significantly fewer homes, the Nevada side of our market always has less inventory and fewer choices, especially in the market entry and mid market sectors. The median sold p rice for the last calendar year (365 days) is about $760,000. It takes an average of 188 days to sell a house here.In terms of total number of homes sold, both ... 05/26/2007

A slight decline in demand, a slight decline in price creates further excellent Buying opportunities. (LAKE TAHOE REAL ESTATE BLOG) For the second time this month, we’ve updated all South Lake Tahoe, CA sales information, with charts and statistics indicating real estate market forces and conditions for the last 365 days, the last 180 days, the last 90 days and the last 30 days. What it all means is we're still Lake Tahoe, stunning past description, with a lifestyle ruled by tranquil beauty, and it's easier for Home Buyers to find great opportunity than in a very long time. Lets see what the numbers tell us below.  (See complete maket sales update) Summary: Median Sold Price (see actual data below) For the last 365 days of market sales activity, Median Sold Price has remained stable. In... 05/25/2007

What does “An Interview of a Lifetime” have to do with Pete Townshend, Thomas Friedman and the Lake Tahoe real estate business? (LAKE TAHOE REAL ESTATE BLOG, posted previously by my partner on our Lake Tahoe Blog)  We’ve been thinking for some time about how, or if we should post things about us that seemingly have little to do with real estate in Lake Tahoe. I guess the recent article in the Tahoe Daily Tribune about my wife’s son’s recent interview with Pete Townshend is about as good a place as any to start. The practice of real estate is a relationship business, one whose very foundation is based on trust. Trust comes from knowing someone; it’s source is character. Sometimes we think we might trust someone we don’t know. The cause of that is information... 05/24/2007

TAHOE360.COM PUTS SCENIC VIRTUAL TOURS ONLINE Cutting-Edge Lake Tahoe Website Brings the Hi-Res Virutal Experience to a Map-Based Visitor Guide Lake Tahoe, CA --- Enthusiasts and potential visitors of Tahoe can now get an immersive view of the area's impressive scenery with shoreline Virtual Tours now viewable on Tahoe360.com. The site, which offers detailed information on the entire Reno / Lake Tahoe region, specializes in the more visual online experience, using custom interactive map technology, web cams and 360? virtual tours. Tahoe360 hosts a number of the QuickTime VR tours of the Tahoe region, in the viewer's choice of sizes. Web visitors select from "small" format, for slower internet connections, ?medium,? or "full-screen," for a high-tech, high-resolution view. More than 25 lo... 05/23/2007