Where were you when "Cant Fight this Feeling" came out?
The legendary American rock band known as REO Speedwagon will hit the stage at The Show inside Agua Caliente Casino Resort Spa this Friday, July 30 at 9 p.m. These ’70s and ’80s hit makers are known for songs such as ’Can’t Fight This Feeling,’ ‘Time For Me To Fly’ and ‘Ridin’ the Storm Out.’ Have you bought your tickets yet? If not, visit The Show Box Office, go online at HotWaterCasino.com/TheShow
or call(800) 585-3737.
If you are looking for a great real estate agent in the Palm Springs area,
Founded in 1959, La Quinta Country Club members enjoy a rich heritage other clubs dream of possessing. Most people are drawn here by golf and quickly fall in love with the beautiful desert ambiance and camaraderie among members. Although the spectacular golf and weather are the initial attraction to our club, genuine respect and interest in each other is the foundation that binds our special membership.
Today, La Quinta Country Club is about to embark on it’s newest chapter, the new Santa Barbara style clubhouse opened the Fall of 2009. The new clubhouse is stately, sophisticated and inviting, qualities that are expressions of who we are as a club.
Come explore LQCC to learn more about our exciting future. We are making history again! Call Kathy Schowe for private showings of homes at La Quinta Country Club!
There was no local television and little local radio in the Coachella Valley. In the early 1960s, visitors and residents went out for entertainment.
Stars and well-to-do guests stayed at Charlie Farrell’s legendary Palm Springs Racquet Club, but they also stayed at newer hotels such as the Riviera, the Spa and Gene Autry’s Holiday Inn, sometimes for months at a time.
Palm Springs doubled in size in the early ’60s, which then-mayor Frank Bogert credited to the development of condominiums and mid-century modern houses built by the father-and-son team of George and Robert Alexander.
Most people still went to the old-school supper clubs, like the Chi Chi, Romanoff’s and the intimate Ruby’s Dunes restaurant, where local residentsFrank Sinatraand Bing Crosby cut their teeth.
But young people also were drawn to Palm Springs.
Autry brought his expansion Los Angeles Angels to Palm Springs for spring training in 1961 and, by ‘63, young players such as pitchers Bo Belinsky and Dean Chance were giving Palm Springs a reputation as a party town. Belinsky dated Ann-Margaret, Connie Stevens and Mamie Van Doren and married Playboy centerfold Jo Collins.
Spring break had been attracting college kids to Palm Springs since the 1950s and, by the early ’60s, local kids were enjoying rock ‘n’ roll. They’d buy records at Patty’s Record Shop on Palm Canyon Drive and R&B discs at Butch Diamond Music on North Indian Avenue.
The Howard Manor, now the Colony Palms Hotel on North Indian Canyon Drive, had long attracted young Hollywood. Elvis dropped by as early as December 1961, often to see ’50s rockabilly star Jody Reynolds. But loud, raucous rock was generally restricted to the outskirts of town, such as the old Farmhouse restaurant in Cathedral City.
Adult contemporary music, reminiscent of the sounds featured in “Palm Springs Weekend,” has pretty much dominated the tourist-driven music scene since the big band era.
“This town has been so influenced by the music of one man, Frank Sinatra, that when (tourists) come down here, they want to hear the music of the Great American Songbook because that is Palm Springs,” said local keyboard artist Marty Steele. “All the snowbirds, they want to hear Sinatra, they want to hear Louis Prima, they want to hear Dean Martin.”
WHERE IT WAS SHOT:
The truth is, most of “Palm Springs Weekend” was shot on a sound stage in Hollywood.
The on-location shooting centered around the Riviera Resort, which was Palm Springs’ ritziest hotel.
When the spoiled rich kid played by Robert Conrad tells Connie Stevens’ character he’s staying at the Riv, she coos, “The Riviera!”
Stevens was staying at a rustic hotel amid a date palm grove, which was probably the complex behind Boomers amusement park in Cathedral City.
If you check out the DVD at a video store or the Palm Springs Library, or order it online, you also may recognize North Indian Avenue off Interstate 10 as the site for the chase scene involving Conrad, Troy Donahue and Ty Hardin.
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La Quinta heirs could benefit in 2010 thanks to a lapse in the estate tax law. Depending on how you look at it, no estate tax could be good news or could be bad news.
Thanks to politics, 2010 is a leap year that the estate tax was allowed to lapse. Back in the President George W. Bush era, the estate tax rate was lowered in 2001 from 55 percent to 45 percent and the amount an individual can pass on without incurring the tax went from $1 million to $3.5 million.
When it was approved, the tax was scheduled to expire at the end of 2009, then resume in 2011 at its previous, higher rate. Lawmakers deadlocked and never agreed on new legislation.
Consequently heirs have received a brief pardon before new legislation begins in 2011. This is the first time in almost 100 years for a lapse in estate taxes. However, 2011 will set estate tax levels even higher than they had been before the cuts.
How do short sales help La Quinta neighborhoods or any neighborhood in the Palm Springs area for that matter? Although short sales are still distressed sales in nature, they actually have many benefits compared to foreclosures.
To start, short sales help retain higher property values. When a La Quinta primary homeowner decides to do a short sale, they are still able to occupy the home during the process and with this are able to better maintain the home as well as the landscaping. Vacant foreclosed homes in La Quinta and the surrounding area attract unwanted vandalism that could further depreciate the property values.
Short sales also allow homeowners a pre-foreclosure transition with support rather than the negative stigma of a foreclosure. It also allows a second chance at homeownership more quickly. La Quinta borrowers may be able to buy again by re-establishing a credit history as soon as 2 years after a short sale versus 4-5 years after foreclosure.
La Quinta primary homeowners have foreclosure alternatives. With the new standardized foreclosure alternative program called The Home Affordable Foreclosure Alternatives or HAFA along with The Home Affordable Modification Program - HAMP - more La Quinta primary homeowners are able to stay in their homes with a loan modification or exit the property without the associated negative impact of foreclosure.
If a loan modification is not an option, the HAFA program will allow the La Quinta homeowner support with the home transition. Two great components of the program for the borrower are that the debt is eliminated and HAFA mandates forgiveness of all liability for repayment of both first and second lien holders. Second, the borrower receives a standard $3000 relocation assistance payment.
Some people swear that the Coachella Valley's dry heat isn't quite as arid as it once was.
In today's Desert Sun, they address the age-old question... about humidity increasing here in the Coachella Valleyl
“I hear this every year,” said Jim Cornett, a desert ecologist who lives in Palm Springs. “They come up to me and say, ‘Jim, it's way more humid than it used to be.'”
But there's a problem with the widely held theory that the arrival of thousands of lawns and
swimming pools and scores of golf courses have made the valley more humid.
It's just not true.
A Desert Sun analysis of partial weather data in Palm Springs found no upward trend in relative humidity since the 1990s.
The information provided by the National Climatic Data Center also shows that the average annual humidity over the past 15 years is close to the average recorded during two years in the 1940s.
Clearly, some years are slightly more humid than others, but over time the trend line is almost flat, and even falling slightly.
From 1995 to 2009, average annual humidity ranged from 26.01 percent to 38.53 percent.
In 1944 and 1945, the only two years for which historic data is readily available, the average humidity in Palm Springs was between 35 percent and 36 percent.
Humidity could not be tracked in other years because dewpoint data was not kept or has yet to be digitized. But even with the gaps in data, weather experts say they are confident the arrival of misters, sprinklers and swimming pools have not made the valley more muggy.
Amid all the discussions in the houseing market is an odd ray of hope on the high end!
Some good news from Diana Olick, CNBC Real Estate Reporter-=-
With little to no fanfare, it appears jumbo loans are not only getting cheaper, they're getting easier to obtain.
After several years of stagnation in high-end housing, thanks to the disappearance of the jumbo market, things are moving yet again.
A quick check on Bankrate.comshows the 30-year fixed jumbo at around 5.50 percent, and Citibank last week reported applications for jumbos up 30 percent just over the last 60 days.
"It is the overall weak economy driving the 10 year lower, which is the proxy for most mortgage loans," says FBR's Paul Miller. "This is still probably the best of the best getting loans at these low rates, but Jumbo activity is still very, very low." Miller says it's good for the market, but only "marginally better," as banks are desperate to find good loans to put on their books.
But how long will it last? Probably only as long as investors remain nervous about the economy.
“Preliminary signs of life in the secondary market are a good indication that the narrower spread between jumbo and conforming loans will stick around," says Bankrate.com's Greg McBride. "However, the level of mortgage rates will hinge more than anything on the demand for Treasuries.”
Bank of America tells me that applications and fundings for jumbo loans rose over 10 percent from May to June. They say they've always been the leader in jumbos, which could be why Citi is getting more aggressive.
"This is still probably the best of the best getting loans at these low rates, but Jumbo activity is still very, very low." Paul Miller FBR
"We've maintained a pretty aggressive stance in jumbos, even as market guidelines have tightened," says Vijay Lala, Bank of America's Product Executive [BAC14.150.41(+2.98%)] . He cites 80 percent LTV's and "going to full documentation underwriting." Obviously the overall market has shrunk, he admits, given the absence of any real secondary market now; banks must therefore keeps these loans in their portfolios.
"We feel comfortable where we're lending today," adds Lala, "and we're looking forward to a secondary market to come back, which will be good for the stabilization of the market."
Lenders did see a bump from the home buyer tax credit, not that the credit ($8000 for first timers and $6500 for move-up buyers) would matter on an expensive home purchase, since there are price and income limits, but it helped some move-up buyers to sell their homes and in turn buy more expensive homes.
The bottom line is that while volume is up in jumbos, it's nowhere near where it was even before the housing boom, and banks are still looking for borrowers with pristine credit and good-sized down payments. Still it's good news for the middle and high end of the housing market, which has been close to dead for the last few years.
In May, sales of $1 million+ homes were up 77 percent from a year ago. Now remember, those homes are still barely 1.7 percent of the total housing market, so that is going to be an extremely volatile number, given the tiny sample, but it's still a good number.
Lala says Bank of America has been talking actively with investors, and he says the quality of jumbos it has originated in the last few years "is second to none." The big barrier is still anxiety over home price stabilization. I asked Lala w
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SELLERS FEEL THE HEAT AS THEY CONTINUE TO SLASH HOME PRICES THIS SUMMER
Down Economy and High Levels of Home Inventory Put Sellers at Disadvantage as Prices Continue to Drop
According to data compiled by Trulia, they announced that 24 percent of listings currently on the market in the United States as of July 1, 2010 experienced at least one price reduction. This represents a nine percent increase from the previous month. The total dollar amount slashed from home prices was $27.3 billion and the average discount for price-reduced homes continued to hold at 10 percent off of the original listing price.
Many of the largest U.S. cities saw significant increases in price reduction levels this month with 22 of the top 50 cities across the U.S. experiencing price reduction levels at 30 percent or more, compared to just 10 cities in the previous month. Minneapolis leads the way with 40 percent of its home listings experiencing at least one price cut. This is the third straight month that Minneapolis has held the top spot and no other city has reached the 40 percent mark since Trulia started tracking home price reductions in April 2009. With an average discount for price-reduced homes at nine percent, the city’s total dollar amount slashed from home prices was $30.1 million.
“Sellers are feeling the heat this summer as the economic recovery simmers down and home inventory levels climb,” says Pete Flint, co-founder and CEO of Trulia. “We’re seeing more and more sellers reduce their home listing prices to attract potential buyers, who definitely have the upper hand in negotiations this season. The slow start to the summer season is a major concern that we are heading towards a double-dip in the second half of this year.”
Western U.S. Leads with Price Reduction Increases
In the first half of 2010, cities in the Western U.S. were experiencing a decrease in reductions.This month, the same cities experienced some of the largest surges in price reductions compared to the previous month.Oakland increased 38 percent month-over-month and San Diego saw reductions increase by 25 percent. Additionally, Honolulu experienced a 21 percent increase from the previous month and Las Vegas increased by 20 percent. Texas cities also saw significant increases in price reductions with San Antonio and El Paso increasing by price 21 percent and 20 percent respectively. The following U.S. cities experienced the biggest increases in price reductions from June 1, 2010 to July 1, 2010:
Price reduction levels for luxury homes (those listed at $2 million and above) continue to provide large discounts with an average of 14 percent off of the original listing price. The average discount for homes priced less than $2 million remains at 9 percent.
The chart above confirms that the Luxury and Resort areas are still reducing prices!
For help finding a Resort, Golf, or Luxury home call Kathy Schowe at The Lori Bowers Group in La Quinta, CA!
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Renting a Celebrity Home in the Palm Springs Area is easy!
The Coachella Valley's reputation as a retreat for Hollywood's elite dates to the days of sunbathing in the 1930s at the El Mirador hotel in Palm Springs.
The desert is dotted with homes where celebrities once lived and played. Today, some property owners are cashing in on that star-studded cachet.
For a price, a tourist can relax poolside like Frank Sinatra once did, lounge in the same space where Elvis and Priscilla Presley honeymooned and puzzle over the hotplate Howard Hughes installed in his bathroom.
“I think her name does create attention,” Rich Valentine says of the Lucille Ball Bungalow at the Ocotillo Lodge in Palm Springs.
He and his wife, Mary, rent the small, tidy apartment for $2,000 a month. It's decked out with portraits and memorabilia of the comedienne and is footsteps from a pool that is so perfectly Palm Springs. And it's already booked for the first three months of next year.
“They get a great return on their investments,” Jesse Garza of Homes Run Inc. said of those who own famous homes and rent them to vacationers.
His rental company's portfolio features many properties designed by mid-century modern architects or owned previously by celebrities.
Take the Frank Sinatra Twin Palms Estate, for example. Garza, portfolio and marketing director, said it is a popular rental for fans of modernism and the crooner alike.
“It captures two different demographics important to Palm Springs,” he said.
Frank Sinatra's Twin Palm Estate
1145 E. Via Colusa You can swing in "rat pack" style for $2,600 per nite!
History: Ol' Blue Eyes in 1947 hired mid-century modern architecture legend E. Stewart Williams to design and build this 4,500-square-foot Palm Springs home for him, wife Nancy and their children.
It has four bedrooms and seven bathrooms. The shower off Frank Junior's room has a head situated fairly low — but appropriate for a child's height.
Sinatra later lived in the home with his second wife, Ava Gardner. The two were said to have had many fights there.
The property is named after two skinny palm trees that loom over the pool, which is shaped like a baby grand piano.
Original to the home: Capitol Records installed a recording unit for Sinatra use while staying in the Palm Springs home. It no longer works but makes for a fun conversation piece in the lush living room.
Cost to rent: $2,600 a night with a three-night minimum stay. It includes a concierge service offered through the rental agency, Homes Run Inc.
I will be featuring more Palm Springs Celebrity Homes to Rent in the next few weeks!
If you are looking for a great real estate agent in the Palm Springs area,
La Quinta, California
Some people swear that the Coachella Valley's dry heat isn't quite as arid as it once was.
