Tahoe Donner HOA Fees Explained

With 6,500 homeowners in the hills above Truckee, Tahoe Donner is one of the nation's largest homeowner associations. It's governed by a 5-member Board of Directors who are elected by the owners. The Board voted recently to increase the annual HOA fee to $2,624 a year. 

Tahoe Donner HOA fee

Everyone who owns in Tahoe Donner (even vacant lot owners) is responsible for the annual HOA fee, which pays for staffing and subsidizes the operation of many Tahoe Donner amenities, some of which rely on the subsidy to pay operational costs. Various Tahoe Donner amenities are open to the public. These include:

  • The Lodge Restaurant & Pub
  • The Downhill & Cross Country Ski Areas (as well as the restaurants & bars at both facilities)
  • Tahoe…

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Want to Retire in Tahoe?

Clients often ask me if Tahoe is a good place to retire, and the answer, honestly, depends on your health, your retirement income, and what you like to do for fun. Here are couple of reasons why Tahoe tops other popular retirement destinations:

  • It's so beautiful here, you won't have any trouble enticing the kids & their families to come visit
  • Taxes, on the Nevada side, are lower
  • Unlike some parts of country, we're not running out of water
  • It's safe here

Natural Beauty of Lake Tahoe

Lake Tahoe is arguably one of the most beautiful places in the world. We get on average 300 days of sunshine, with hot summer days, cool nights, and low humidity.  Here you will find terrific golf courses. 

Beyond…

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Your Guide to Incline Village Real Estate

If you are considering purchasing a home at Lake Tahoe, and would like to look at Incline Village, here are a couple of things to consider:

1.  Sticker Shock

Thanks to Nevada's favorable taxes (no state income tax, no inheritance tax, and favorable treatment for many businesses, including single-member LLCs), the Nevada side Lake Tahoe tends to draw wealthy buyers who are looking for a tax haven.  Think: Well-heeled retirees, venture capitalists, entrepreneurs, and founding CEOs (makes for interesting happy hour conversations at Lone Eagle Grille's lakefront bar). Big money has kept the cost of Incline Village homes higher than those on the California side of the Lake. You will get more house for the…

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Market Favors Buyers

With Fall upon us here in Tahoe Truckee, the golf season is officially about to wind down to a close here in the mountains.  But if you have been dreaming of a golf course home here at one of our beautiful communities, this might well be the BEST time to buy:

  • There are fewer buyers in the market
  • Inventory is strong
  • The Fed's monetary policy has had a downward pressure on pricing

California or Nevada?

Golf is everywhere here in Tahoe Truckee. And in this guide I have not included public (or semi-public) courses like the two excellent golf course in Incline Village, the public course at Brockway (near Kings Beach, CA), Coyote Moon in Truckee, Tahoe Donner (which, while open to the public, also offers nice homes…

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Despite news of inflation and a stock market that's been pummeled by the Fed's unrelenting attack on interest rates, homes in gated golf course communities around Lake Tahoe continue to show strong sales.  As of this writing (Sept 23), 79 homes have sold this year in gated communities from Truckee (home to the Martis Valley trio of Lahontan, Martis Camp & Schaffer's Mill) to the East Shore of the Nevada side of the Lake, where money is consistently flowing into Clear Creek, a gated golf course community off Highway 50 with its own lakefront clubhouse at Tahoe.

Many of these sales are cash, which suggests that luxury real estate continues to be a good investment when the stock market is on wobbly knees.

Here's the quick wrap:

Clear Creek,…

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Taxes or ...?

One question I often get from buyers looking for property at Lake Tahoe: Why is Incline Village so much more expensive than other areas around the Lake?

The easy answer is: Taxes

With no state income tax, no inheritance tax, and favorable treatment for many businesses, the Nevada side of the Lake has a strong pull. For years, I found it perplexing that the the highest median sales price for a Luxury Home in Incline Village/Crystal Bay (1M+, which rules out PUD housing) was 2009. When the rest of the nation's housing prices fell to rock bottom, the median sales price of an Incline home inched over the $2 million mark. Hmm ...?

Then Covid hit, and in the scramble to pick up a place to escape the confines of city life, Incline sales…

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Looking for a Deal in Tahoe?

Meeks Bay Home

What $6 million buys at Lake Tahoe (a small 1950s cabin with a priceless view).

Buyers are back in the driver’s seat in the Tahoe Truckee real estate market.

With more homes to choose from, and fewer buyers leaping at new listings, sharp pricing became key for sellers this summer.  Homes that were strategically underpriced continued to receive multiple offers, but roughly half the homes in any given market lowered their asking prices to make a deal.

In a new twist on the summer market, high-end buyers gravitated away from Lake Tahoe and toward Martis Camp.  The tony gated community at the base of Northstar’s Lookout Mountain saw 11 homes change hands this past summer (more than half of them at or over asking),…

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Music at the park, concerts at the Lake, and live events everywhere ... it feels like the long 2 years of isolation are behind us, as communities all around Tahoe Truckee roll out a series of events, concerts & gatherings for what promises to be a fun-filled Summer!

Lake Tahoe Shakespeare Festival

Here's a quick guide to what's happening:

Incline Village - from Kids Hip Hop classes to Jabber Walkie hikes for the 55+ set, Incline offers something for all age groups this summer. (Click here for class schedules)

Truckee - Music in the Park is back on Wednesday nights at Truckee River Regional Park & downtown will once again be closed on Thursday nights for the popular street faire with food trucks, music, and merchants galore. Visit  truckeethursdays.com for the full schedule…

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Despite rising interest rates, high prices at the pump, and the war in Ukraine, buyer demand for Tahoe Truckee real estate remained strong in the first four months of this year.  Some markets showed impressive gains over last year, and some presented the opportunity to negotiate on price.

Overall, buyers showed a strong preference for the very old (or new meant to look old), and the very new. 

One example of this is a Carnelian Bay lakefront that sold for more than $23 million. With pine paneling and a great room framed by log scissor trusses, it looks like it was built in the 1940s, but it’s actually less than 10 years old.  A Bruce Olson masterpiece, it captures the unique charm of homes built with organic materials like granite and the big…

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Thinking of Spring

The Fairways at Gray's Crossing, like everything now, are covered in snow, but Hey, I can't help dreaming of Spring, when the golf season will be in full swing again.

And speaking of Golf, my wonderful Chase colleague & I will be hosting a Hospitality Tent at the Barracuda Championships at Old Greenwood again this year. 

Great food with open bar service all day long, and front row seats to this fast & fun PGA qualifying tournament.

VIP passes will be limited, so if you think you'd like to join us, shoot me a note!

Here's what's currently for sale at Gray's Crossing, Old Greenwood, Martis Camp, Lahontan, and Shaffer's Mill ...

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