Lake Tahoe Real Estate Blog

I don’t know of anyone lately that isn’t feeling on edge, whiny, frustrated and cynical as a result of the daily onslaught of media negativity.  And today, along with stock market, I hit a wall.  ”Enough all ready!”

At about that time, I looked up from the keyboard and out my office window and realized, “it’s BEAUTIFUL.” That was it.  The computer was shut down, girlfriend called, the hubby grabbed and we were off.  Off to breath in the glory of Lake Tahoe.  Our goal was a brisk walk while checking out the Kokanee Salmon feverishly immersed in their annual spawn.  If you haven’t witnessed this event, run don’t walk to South Lake Tahoe and simply ask, “which way to the fish.”  Every year, the Kokanee perform their ritual along Taylor Creek near the Visitor Center.  

Not planned but joyfully received was more eye-candy than one would have ever expected. The vibrant gold of the turning aspens, a late bloom of lupine along the shore, a “Tigger-like” golden lab retrieving sticks, giggling children and stunning blue skies.

It only took an hour.  One simple hour out of the day to be refreshed, re-energized, filled with spirit and optimistic toward that which lie ahead.  There is a reason we live in Lake Tahoe.

 

 

If you, or someone you know, lost a home in the 2007 Angora fire and have not yet begun the process of rebuilding, please know that you are strongly urged to “bank” your existing land coverage and future rights to build by this December.

The Tahoe Regional Planning Agency will provide the application form as well as guidelines to complete the process.  We are told that you may not need to supply all of the information listed within that application, (site plans, verified coverage, etc.) if you are in the burn project.  Perhaps you will only need some information from the tax assessors office. 

If you would like, we will be happy to send you a copy of this application.  Just give us a call at 877.768.3775.  Hang in there, the Angora area is on its way to being an area of beautiful, newer homes.  And if you haven’t been there lately, wait until you see the mountain views.

 

 

For four years now, between Memorial Day and Labor Day, a group of our friends have been meeting every Tuesday evening at one of the many Lake Tahoe beaches.  The initiative for this gathering was the realization during idle conversation that an entire summer had passed and no one had spent any time at the lake.  How can you live in such beauty and not SEE it.  From that point on, the Tuesday night event was underway.  And although some evenings it could feel like a hassle to gather the picnic baskets, assigned meal contributions, chairs, layers of clothing, etc., once settled in, the same exclamations are uttered week after week.  ”Wow, we really live here.”  

Now that Labor Day has passed and we prepare for cooler months ahead, we take with us cherished memories of glorious sunsets, toddlers exploring sand & water, guitar strumming, discoveries of new wines and family recipes highlighting green Jello and belly laughs right here in our own “backyard.”  And best of all, Tuesday Night Beach Dinner now a part of day-to-day living in Lake Tahoe (at least in the summer.)  

Whenever we travel, folks ask us where we live.  When we answer, “Lake Tahoe,” we undoubtedly hear the same response, “Then why are you here?”  And as usual, no matter how glorious the vacation, upon our return, we are always find ourselves wowed that we actually LIVE in Lake Tahoe.  

A couple of years ago, a friend and I were pondering as to which destination we would point our GPS in search of our annual “girls get-a-way.”  And, to both our surprise, we decided to vacation in our backyard - Lake Tahoe.  The weather is pleasant, the recreation endless and the time spent traveling would be minimal and hassle-free.   So, we packed the golf clubs and traveled a full forty minutes to Lake Tahoe’s Squaw Resort.  Great spa, golf, meals and all within our backyard. 

So, if Paradise is in your backyard, why not enhance life one step further by incorporating “vacation benefits” within the typical work week?  Hence, the discovery of “commuter camping.”  For the second year in a row, the owners of Pinnacle Real Estate in South Lake Tahoe rented a cabin on Echo Lake.  The deck of this cabin literally extends over the water.  If you haven’t yet visited Echo Lake, mark it in your “to do” list the next time you are in South Lake Tahoe.  The plan was to open the doors to our team to use as they wished for two weeks.  Any number of us would gather at the cabin in the afternoons, enjoy relaxing dinners, play games, fish, hike … whatever one pleased.  Upon waking, some agents would head in to the office to take care of business while others would stay behind to take a “day off” with their cell phones at hand.  In and out. Just like every other working soul however, our commute was a treat in and of itself.

The results were incredible.  Magnify the benefits of a power nap by 100 fold.  Living and working in Lake Tahoe most certainly blends the values of vocation and avocation in one nice life-style bundle.

There might be Fourth of July celebrations that are as good as South Lake Tahoe’s, but they certainly are not better.  Visually said, the beaches of Lake Tahoe are a scene right out of a Norman Rockwell painting.  The sky was as blue as you could find across the country, the temperature settled into a comfortable low 80 degree range and smiles spread from shore to shore.

For those of you that have never spent a 4th of July in Lake Tahoe, try to imagine a community of 25,000 swelling to approximately 4 times its average population.  And everyone is feeling a festive mood.  Enjoying a reprieve from the daily grind (I personally took a nap, hubby took a bike ride,) the majority of these folks, visitors and locals alike, begin the annual pilgramage of staking out their choice locations from which to view the fireworks.  Beaches, boats, high vantage points, all focusing on one area, the waters near the casinos.  Radios are simulaneously tuned to the one station from whence the upcoming show will be broadcast. And they wait.  They wait for the sun to go down, the stars to rise.  Eyes and ears wait. 

Finally,  THE WORDS, “Ladies and Gentleman ….”  The music commences, voices from every direction join in the singing, applause, cheers, hugs, toasts and flag waving. For a magical 30 minutes, a common pride in what America philisophically stands for reaches a crescendo.  ”From sea to shiny sea” AND especially, the shores of Lake Tahoe.  America the beautiful.

 

The local classic quote for Lake Tahoe weather is, “If you don’t like the weather, just wait a few minutes.” Okay, minutes might be a slight exaggeration, but only slight. Four days ago, we took the top down on the VW to enjoy summer weather at its finest. Off to the beach to soak up the rays, air up the bike tires, ventures to the local golf courses - all in full swing. Lake Tahoe residents were grinning from ear to ear.
However, you can bet there were jackets and scarfs stowed away in trunks and bags. Those of us that have called Lake Tahoe home for a few years no better. And sure enough, we awoke to snow this morning. YES SNOW! Now, I for one was somewhat delighted as I had been experiencing pangs of envy toward parents of the area’s current Little League baseball teams. How many games did we sit through huddled under down blankets and toting propane heaters to the bleachers? After all, this is how we locals historically prepare for our roles as Little League parents. Yet, this 2008 season saw Lake Tahoe Little League parents boasting sun burns. That’s just not right!
Alas, justice is here and as I watch over the office this Memorial Day weekend, I will remind my office peers to pack their layers of clothing and have a great time. Yes, the Boys of Summer are back.

FREEZE BACK PREVENTION

Just yesterday, we received calls from three of our past clients. Two more had called on the previous day. Another today. The perplexed callers all had the same questions. “There is water coming in through the roof/window/floor (the locations varied). What do I do, who do I call?

So… what do you do and who do you call? Most of the roofers have headed south for the winter. If “freeze back” is the cause (and in all five of the previous cases, it was) the first thing you need to do is remove some of the snow and ice that has accumulated over the edges of your roofline, usually on the North side of th house. It is generally recommended to remove close to 5 feet in width.

Here’s the general problem - roofs with inadequate ventilation ice up in snowy conditions. This can lead to ice dams at the roof edge which prevents melting water from the upper section of the roof from flowing off the roof. This water then ponds at the ice dam and leaks under the shingles. These leaks can travel through the roof structure and can cause considerable water damage. Prevention can be aided by installing heating cables on roofs (especially the north side of the house) and in gutters. Further advice is to check to see that pine needles have not accumulated throughout valleys within the roof design. These nests of pine needles will also assist in the creation of ice dams.

Since it is difficult to install heating cables with the current 4 - 6 feet of snow on our roofs and even more difficult to remove pine needles, you may have to work in stages. Most importantly, begin the removal of the snow and ice at the edges. Our best suggestion at this time is to call some folks associated with snow removal, and/or a general contractor. If you are at a loss for names and numbers, give Don a call. He has been handing out these numbers the past few days and probably has them memorized by now.

Once the work is done - go skiing. It’s fabulous.

It’s rather delightful to spend the last day of 07 in the office, looking out at the blue skies and listening to the holiday chatter of our co-workers. Sensing a rather upbeat mood, I was curious as to the year’s overall production levels within the Tahoe area. Something told me that the outcome was going to be better than expected. And, although there is one more day of recording in front of us, the preliminary news was, YES . . . better than we expected.

A quick peek showed the following: The median home price was $435,000, slightly down (approximately 8.5%) from $474,500 in 2006 and $460,000 in 2005. Considering that 2005 and half of 2006 were record breaking years AND in light of the continual doom and gloom heard every night on the news, we are pleased and remain confident that the Lake Tahoe real estate market will always be a choice destination for investors.

This morning, we awoke to our morning ritual of the day’s first light dancing on the face of Mt. Tallac - an absolutely gorgeous way to start the day. A hot cup of coffee, silence as we watch the “festival of lights,” and a glow from the fireplace added the final touch to a magical morning. Yes, we live in Paradise. Alas, the reality of a work day made its way through our foggy brains and we realized we should take out the garbage. As the door opened, our hearts stopped. Have you ever tasted frigid air? Okay - one more cup of coffee and a quick check of the weather. It took a moment to sink in but yes, weather.com reported a brisk zero degrees. ZERO in capital letters.

By the time we arrived at the office, the vacation rental phones were ringing with reports of “the shower is not working,” “how do you turn on the fireplace” and my favorite, “can you make it warmer outside.” Yes, winter is here in all its glorious wonder and Lake Tahoe’s real estate market is buzzing - at least the phones are!

And more is coming. Today’s weather report is calling for a cold northerly flow keeping the temperatures in the 20’s throughout the day. Good news - snow fall during the next couple of days should be adding another 6 - 12 inches above 7,000 ft. and 6 inches at lake level. Bring out the cocoa - this is what we have all been waiting for.

Whether you live in Lake Tahoe, have a second home or are preparing for a fabulous winter vacation, it’s never too late to prepare for our unpredictable weather.

IDENTIFY YOUR DRIVEWAY
Clear today . . . snow tomorrow. Shortly thereafter, the snowplows will be performing their magic. Don’t wait until the last moment to identify the parameters of your Lake Tahoe driveway. Firmly install tall poles with reflector lights (for night snow removal) on the outside of your driveway edges. This will help the snow plow operator to know where not to deposit snow build-up. And definitely - DO NOT PARK IN THE STREET during snow removal.

ICE (IN CASE OF EMERGENCY)
We all carry our mobile phones with names & numbers stored in its memory but nobody, other than ourselves, knows which of these numbers belong to our closest family or friends.
If we were to be involved in an accident or were taken ill, the people attending us would have our mobile phone but wouldn’t know who to call.
Yes, there are hundreds of numbers stored but which one is the contact person in case of an emergency? Hence this “ICE” (In Case of Emergency)Campaign
The concept of “ICE” is catching on quickly. It is a method of contact during emergency situations. As cell phones are carried by the majority of the population, all you n need to do is store the number of a contact person or persons who should be contacted during emergency under the name “ICE” (In Case Of Emergency).
The idea was thought up by a paramedic who found that when he went to the scenes of accidents, there were always mobile phones with patients, but they didn’t know which number to call. He therefore thought that it would be a good idea if there was a nationally recognized name for this purpose.
In an emergency situation, Emergency Service personnel and hospital Staff would be able to quickly contact the right person by simply dialing the number you have stored as “ICE”.
For more than one contact name simply enter ICE1, ICE2 and ICE3 etc.
Be sure it’s in your kid’s cell phones also…..