Editor's Note: California real estate expert David Gemme talks latest on the real estate market trends in the Lake Tahoe, CA. To contact him, click on "Learn More" above.
Photo Credit: Kurt Williams, Photo-Tecture
What do you ask clients to not have displayed when showing their home for sale?
Decluttering is a really big piece to pre-listing a home. Many of us enjoy having photos of our family all over the house and small trinkets of fond memories. By removing your personal effects, you allow the buyer the opportunity to see themselves in the home and visualize where they will put the trinkets from their history.
In addition, we always try to neutralize all of the bedding and lose as many patterns in the house because when you photograph a home, and you have, for example, a paisley bedspread, the buyer's natural eye moves away from the photo of the room and focuses on the pattern.
Photo Credit: Kurt Williams, Photo-Tecture
How did the second quarter of 2020 real estate perform in your market?
The second quarter got a slow start, but now there is not enough inventory to meet the demand. In addition, the luxury city consumer is really seeking properties that will enhance their lifestyle first, and families second. The fit has to be right, and they are perched and ready to pounce upon any property that meets 80-85% of their needs.
Photo Credit: Kurt Williams, Photo-Tecture
Is it currently a buyer or seller’s market in the Lake Tahoe market?
Currently, it is a seller’s market in the Lake Tahoe area.
Photo Credit: Kurt Williams, Photo-Tecture
What do you love about the housing market in your market?
Housing for us is mostly second homes. Over the past two months, we have seen a mass exodus from the urban centers and are having conversations with our buyers now about moving here full time. I was told recently that new applications to our high school were up 25% from where they were in the fall [of 2019]. That’s good news for our community, as we are so based on tourist dollars to generate income six months a year. The more full-time residents that live here, the better the odds are that our local businesses will not be struggling the other six months of the year, and the more normalized our economy will become.
