Real Estate Blog

An analysis of 1st Quarter home and condo sales in Tahoe/Truckee reveals that Tahoe Donner posted the strongest gains over this time last year.  From January to March of this year, 73 homes were sold in Tahoe Donner, more than a 50% gain over 2015. The median sales price also rose to $584,000, with the most expensive being a 4-bedroom home on Skislope that sold for $1.3 million cash (more than $200,000 over the asking price).  The "Lodgettes" near the Tahoe Donner ski area remained the most affordable way to dip a toe into the resort market, with prices still below the $80,000 mark for a studio.

Sales at the Lake were down slightly compared to the 1st quarter of 2015, with Tahoe City and the North Shore communities holding a steady pace with last year's sales.  West Shore, one of the tonier addresses at The Lake, saw sales fall off by half compared to Q1 last year.  

With a few notable exceptions, there were still bargains to be had at the West Shore, with most properties selling 2 to 4% below asking. "Bargain," of course, is a relative term on the West Shore, where (snowy beach aside), one lakefront home sold for $7.1 million.

 El Niño seems to have lent a helping hand to sales at area ski resorts, which were up more than 25% over last year at this time. Northstar saw the briskest activity, with 23 properties sold. The resort has grown well beyond its early village imprint into high end properties like the Constellation Residences at the Ritz Carlton and Mountainside, an elegant collection of slope-side homes and estates with prices starting around $2 million. 

And that spread between the old and the new is reflected in this year's prices at Northstar, which ranged from $200,000 for an older studio to $3.65 million for a Craftsman-style home designed by noted Truckee architect Greg Faulkner. 

Please feel free to call or email me with questions about a particular property or the market in general. Spring has arrived in Tahoe, and whether you are looking for next year's ski cabin or the lakefront home of your dreams, terrific opportunities await ...

~ Jackie