Want Proof that the Fed Rate Hikes are Slowing the Economy? Visit Tahoe.

Reading the Fed's Tea Leaves

I read an interesting op-ed piece recently. An economist on a cross country flight from NY was sitting next to a homemaker (he didn't exactly call her that, but that's what he meant), and when she realized what he does for a living, she peppered him with questions about Jerome Powell and the direction of the Federal Reserve. He didn't mind talking about it; that's what he does for a living. But he marveled at the fact that an average American was so studied in the politics of the Federal Reserve; that spoke volumes.

Beyond knowing the names of the past Fed Chairs, I can't say that I gave it much thought before now either. But 2022 changed all that.  Like a lot of Americans, I'm now hanging on Powell's every word because…

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Will the Tahoe Truckee Real Estate Market Cool this Fall?

As we move into Fall, I keep hearing one question from my clients: Is the real estate market cooling down yet?

On the heels of last year’s pandemic shutdowns, the value of Tahoe/Truckee real estate skyrocketed. The volume of sales tripled in some markets, and the median sales price rose for the first time ever to more than $1 million in most of our markets.

What goes up must come down. That’s what my clients keep telling me.

But that’s not what the data shows … at least not so far.

We are not seeing the sort of panic buying we did amid the Covid shutdowns last year. Anecdotally, there are definitely fewer buyers in town than we saw earlier this summer. Schools are back to live learning in many of our Bay Area feeder markets, parents are…

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Tahoe Real Estate in 2020: Can it Continue?

2020: A Banner Year for Tahoe Real Estate

Almost $3 billion worth of real estate changed hands in Tahoe/Truckee & Incline/Crystal Bay last year. For single-family homes, that’s a whopping 87 increase in volume over 2019 – a staggering jump that no one has seen in recent memory, and more than double the gains we saw in 2012, when bargain buying fueled a recovering market.

But there were almost no bargains to be found last year.  Homes that were priced right and showed well received multiple offers and often sold for well over asking. 

A Year for Luxury

The highest demand was for homes priced under $1 million, but luxury sales also soared in 2020. Close to half (45 percent) of the homes that sold in North Tahoe and Truckee last year closed for…

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Tahoe Donner 2020 Market Forecast

In the 15 years since home prices began to slide toward recessionary lows, many Tahoe & Reno neighborhoods have seen significant gains.

This week’s focus is on Tahoe Donner, a resort community of some 6,000 homes in the hills above Truckee.

Tahoe Donner remains a relatively affordable option for Bay Area residents looking for a vacation home with nice amenities. With a terrific fitness center, several swimming pools, golf, tennis, and one of North America’s best Cross Country Ski Areas, Tahoe Donner is one-stop vacation destination. (Click here for additional info)

The majority of single-family homes here sell for under $1 million (84 percent last year). And many of these can be rented as furnished vacation properties when owners are not in…

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Home Buyers can find Bargains in Truckee this Fall

With supply overflowing in most of Truckee's micro-markets, this Fall promises to be a great time for home buyers looking for bargains. 

With cooler days, and fewer crowds, the Fall can be an excellent time for buyers looking to snatch up a vacation home before the snow flies. And, with a few exceptions, many of Truckee's higher end neighborhoods are strongly favoring buyers right now, with a year or more worth of supply in some areas.

"Supply" is a real estate term that refers to standing inventory. If 5 homes sell in a particular neighborhood over the course of the past year, and 5 are currently for sale, that equals a year's worth of supply. A balanced market, favoring neither buyers nor sellers, is considered to be 6 months of supply. So having…

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Lake Tahoe Real Estate: Sales are Down and Prices are Up

What happens now?

Home sales at Lake Tahoe are down 20 percent over last year at this time. But the median sales price inched up 2 percent, continuing a trend that has sustained upward pricing momentum since 2013, when overall home values began rebounding from recession-era pricing. 

While that might signal that the market is in for a correction, we’ve seen similar numbers at the lake in past years without a drop in value.  The mid-year numbers in 2014, for example, looked a lot like today. Sales were down 18 percent from the year before, but the median sales price was up 3 percent.  Prices might have been expected to cool, but on the contrary, the median sales price shot up 13 percent the following year, and 2016 was a banner year, with home values…

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