Median Sales Price: $1.67M
If the start of 2025 is a harbinger of what's to come, Tahoe Donner real estate is poised to set a new record for high-end home sales.
By mid-February, 17 homes had changed hands in Tahoe Donner, two-thirds of them for more then $1 million. Fueled by a handful of sales in the $2-3M range, the median sales price rose to an unprecedented $1,670,000. This continues a trend that emerged in 2021, when the pace of homes priced over $1M eclipsed the broader market in Tahoe Donner.
Custom Homes & High-End Spec Homes
From humble beginnings with the gambrels of the 1980s, the architecture of custom homes in Tahoe Donner has continued to push the envelope over the years, with the priciest home sales here offering not just creative designs, but terrific views, and unique locations. The most expensive home to sell here was an MWA-designed Lodge-style home near the top of Skislope with views of the Martis Valley, and the Tahoe Donner Ski Hill.
MWA-designed Tahoe Donner home sold for $3,850,000 in November, 2022
At close to $4M, that Skislope sale is an impressive number for Tahoe Donner, but at just $732 per square foot, it pales in comparison to what a similar design of the same size would fetch in say, Lahontan. For that reason, spec builders in Tahoe Donner have stayed close to variations of a popular floor plan incorporating a trussed roof design with an upstairs great room flanked by one to three bedrooms.
It's a design that has served Tahoe Donner well over the years because a normal winter can easily add up to 10 or 20 feet of snow piled up around a home here. And the second story living ensures you might still see out of your windows all season long.
A variation on this theme is a split level with the garage at ground level, and an exterior stairs leading up to an entry that takes you upstairs to the main living area, or downstairs to additional bedroom (and sometimes a second den). You will see a number of these homes throughout Tahoe Donner, with newer construction offering high end finishes like hardwood floors and a chef's kitchen.
This 4-bedroom Brand New Home on the Tahoe Donner Golf Course closed for $2.3M in just 10 days on the market in January.
Winter 2025 is a Seller's Market
With 20 homes for sale in Tahoe Donner, there are more homes to chose from this February than we saw last year at this time. But that's just a little over one month's supply, suggesting that today's market strongly favors sellers. (In real estate, a balanced market is one in which you have 6 months of supply. Fewer than that favors sellers, and greater than 6 months represents more of a buyer's market).
We can expect that number to rise as we move toward Summer. Prior to the start of summer, a normal inventory for Tahoe Donner would be somewhere in the range of 35 to 50 homes for sale.
Homes for Sale Tahoe Donner
Interest rates didn't seem to have a dampening effect on Tahoe Donner sales last year, and we expect to see that trend continue into 2025. Tahoe Donner's popularity is largely driven by its amenities, and its year-round recreational opportunities, which include a Beach Club/Marina at Donner Lake, one of North America's best Cross Country Ski Areas, year-round swimming and fitness facilities, and more. (Click here for details on HOA fees & amenities)
With 210 homes sold in Tahoe Donner last year, the pace of sales was stronger than what we saw in 2023. The median sales price for Tahoe Donner also rose $60,000 last year to $1,175,000.
Brand new homes continue to fetch the highest prices per square foot. Among the older homes sold recently, buyer preference leaned heavily toward those offering four bedrooms (preferably two of them en-suite), or three bedroom homes with both a Great Room and an additional den or rec room. Those types of homes -- even those built 20 years ago -- have been selling for prices approaching $600/SF.
Posted by Jackie Ginley on
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