Construction has now begun for Phase 1 which includes the infrastructure for the entire site. Already some classes for this campus’ curriculum are being held here in rented space. The construction of Phase 1 will bring hundreds of new jobs to Palm Springs, as will the campus itself when it opens at the Phase 1 completion in 2014. In addition, new support services will undoubtedly develop around the campus, and more will come as the remaining three phases are developed. Along with new jobs, the new campus will bring a young demographic, injecting new vitality into the greater Palm Springs area.

West Valley Campus of College of the Desert
The West Valley Campus curriculum will focus on four main disciplines – Hospitality and Tourism, Media and the Arts, Allied Health, and Sustainability Technology. Roughly half of the acreage will be devoted to a GreenPark for sustainable energy-generating systems. The campus is being constructed utilizing green technology to the extent that it will be totally self-sustaining from its inception and will even generate energy surpluses to sell back into the grid. Sustainability needs for our desert environment will only become more important as we move into the future. It’s the aim of Palm Springs leadership to develop a green economy and to attract clean technology companies to our city. The collaboration between the City of Palm Springs and the West Valley Campus of College of the Desert will be a powerful catalyst for future development here in Palm Springs.

In spite of the noise from detractors of Measure J because it is a tax increase, oh my! To them I say, this is government operating at its best. It demonstrates that a local government/private sector partnership has the power to fix a local problem. We can see that some revitalization has already begun with the recent investment in new restaurants, new shops and galleries. Now our Palm Springs politicos have found a way to energize and empower us to go forward with the revitalization process of Palm Springs in a big way. This process has been delayed for years, due to lack of funding. Congratulations to all who have worked to make this important first step a success. For all of us citizens of Palm Springs, we thank you for your efforts!

Now let’s get to work and make our dreams of a Palm Springs revitalization come true!

Trio is approaching its two year anniversary and is fast becoming the place to be for meeting friends for a drink at the bar or having the full dining experience. They serve up a delicious menu they describe as American Modern, with innovative and comfort foods, including, for example, a tasty tower of short ribs. The ambiance is lively with a friendly wait staff all turned out in their signature orange shirts. They offer a 3-course prix fixe menu for early arrivals and are open seven nights a week. Jake’s is another with bistro atmosphere, that opened a short while back and has the bonus of both indoor and outside courtyard seating. They offer lunch and dinner, and also offer a prix fixe option on their fresh, appealing menu. The restaurant is named not after an owner but rather after their doggie! Rick’s newer restaurant, called Rick’s Desert Grill, is located just a few blocks south of the original and serves dinner only. Both Rick’s offer a menu reflecting their favored Cuban flavors. When ordering a selection Cuban style, be sure to try the plantains!

The Most Trendy Neighborhood in Palm Springs
Cheeky’s (like the original Rick’s) serves breakfast and lunch. Cheeky’s is jammed at peak hours and on weekends. As with Trio and Jake’s, there is a very fresh approach at Cheeky’s, with a frequently changing menu. For breakfast they offer bacon cured many different ways and available by the strip, and the brown sugar-cured is to die for. The husband/wife owners  have expanded next door with their brand new Caffe Birba, which, along with cafe style seating, offers a large bar. Caffe Birba opens later and is a good late night destination option. Lastly, just a block over on Indian Canyon, you’ll find The Purple Palm, in the Colony Palms Hotel. The restaurant is a handsome addition to this intimate boutique hotel. They offer valet parking.

For those who are buying homes in the North End of town, there is now a lot to enjoy that’s hip, yet casual within mere steps of Palm Canyon. And for the rest of us, it’s fun for us to be there too, especially on a first Friday night of the month, like tonight, when they’re open late, welcoming all to come enjoy the most trendy neighborhood in Palm Springs.

As “high season” begins here in Palm Springs, the stars are all coming into alignment for Canadians who are looking into buying a home in Palm Springs for a winter retreat or vacation property.  It’s truly a Canadian buyer’s market – with low prices, good inventory levels, and now once again parity or better for the Loonie against the US dollar. Timing is everything, so take advantage and buy your place in the sun this season in beautiful Palm Springs. You’re going to love it! For details on the recent Canadian currency movement, see Canadian Dollar Gains.

Dick Sakowicz is a REALTOR with REMAX Real Estate Consultants who lives in Palm Springs and sells property throughout the greater Palm Springs area.

The reduction in our valley inventory is probably due to a combination of factors – lots of cash investors attracted by low prices, those sellers unwilling to sell at current prices and thus not listing, and sellers pulling their properties off the market. Also, there’s a general suspicion that banks are slowing the introduction of newly foreclosed homes into the inventory. In fact, the article went on to state that the number of bank owned properties for sale today has dropped 39% since one year ago.

Home Prices in Palm Springs May Rise
Where inventories are low, I think it possible that, in selected areas, our home prices in Palm Springs may rise with these shifting conditions. There are two things that drive this – low inventory and desirable location. Thus, the more desirable the location, the more likely this will happen. It’s striking that what’s happening in Palm Springs mirrors what is happening throughout “California and throughout the nation.” Although I am not a fan of gross national averages, the article did state that nationally, the number of listings is presently down to the lowest point since 2007. So we can see that statistics do indicate that something new is going on throughout the nation’s real estate market. It usually follows that inventory drives prices, that is to say:

The more scarce the inventory, the higher the prices.

Knowing that all these factors create a situation in which home prices in Palm Springs may rise, it’s going to be very interesting to track our market conditions in the next few months, as our busy selling season is just beginning. I’ve been saying the same thing for many months, and the Desert Sun article just adds emphasis to my position that, while mortgage loans are at historically low interest rates, and prices are still way down, this remains a great time to be buying a home in Palm Springs! For the entire article, read Fewer Valley Homes for Sale.

Dick Sakowicz is a REALTOR with ReMax Real Estate Consultants who lives in Palm Springs and serves the greater Palm Springs area.

Revitalization of Palm Springs
I do not represent that I am an expert on the subject of urban planning but it seems to me as a citizen of this city, Measure J for the revitalization of Palm Springs represents a pathway to a solution and is a better alternative than doing nothing.  It provides a tangible financial tool for the creation of a credible partnership between business and local government. It provides working capital that our city planners can utilize and, when added to private sector investment, may finally result in a plan that can be implemented. Most importantly, none of the proceeds for Palm Springs revitalization in Measure J will go out of Palm Springs to some other community, nor will any of these funds wind up in State coffers. This will result in LOCAL funding for LOCAL Palm Springs improvements.

Palm Springs Votes on Future Growth
The detractors of Measure J, the “Palm Springs Taxpayers Association”, have raised no real arguments against the measure and are offering no alternatives. We need your support when Palm Springs votes on future growth. Our elected local city officials that we empower to develop, evaluate, and implement our city improvements have struggled with this issue for many years. They are unanimously behind this measure. The business community appears to support it, and it now needs the voters to endorse it.

Vote on Future Growth of Palm Springs
On November 8, 2011 please vote on the future growth of Palm Springs. For more detail read – Vote YES on Measure J.

Dick Sakowicz is a REALTOR with ReMax Real Estate Consultants who lives in Palm Springs and serves the greater Palm Springs area.

While the actual Thanksgiving holiday is on a Monday, Canadians might eat their traditional meal on any day of the three-day weekend, with Sunday or Monday being the most common. This autumnal tradition in Canada corresponds to European Harvest Festivals. It also corresponds to our own US Thanksgiving weekend in November with similar events including parades and football games. Canadian Thanksgiving time includes an Oktoberfest Parade and the Canadian Football League’s doubleheader known as the Thanksgiving Day Classic, all broadcast nationwide. Adding to the holiday spirit of Thanksgiving in both countries are the pumpkins, sheaves of grain, cornucopias, corn, and other harvest symbols used for decorations in businesses, homes, and churches.

Canadian celebrations of harvest had gone on for centuries with the indigenous peoples holding festivals, ceremonial dances and other practices, long before the arrival of Europeans. The more recent history of Thanksgiving in Canada can be traced back to the 1578 voyage of Martin Frobisher from England in search of the Northwest Passage. A few years later French explorers and settlers, led by Samuel de Champlain, arrived in Canada in 1604 and also held huge feasts of thanks.

Today, as on every second Monday in October, the Thanksgiving celebration of harvest time in Canada coincides with Columbus Day in the United States, which honors Christopher Columbus’ arrival here in 1492. Columbus Day is observed throughout most of the states; however, a few have chosen to rename the anniversary for historical or cultural events more closely aligned with their own region and populace; and Alaska doesn’t celebrate Columbus Day at all.

So, in conclusion, whether you are a Canadian celebrating Thanksgiving Day, or a US citizen observing Columbus Day, we hope that it’s a good time for all!

Palm Springs VillageFest, organized more than 20 years ago, is an event to be enjoyed by kids of all ages. It features more than 200 booths with art, handcrafted items, music and lots and lots of food.  Many shops, galleries and restaurants also stay open late on Thursday evenings. Special events at VillageFest already planned for this season include the annual “Halloween Spook-tacular” on Oct. 27 featuring trick-or-treating, a pumpkin patch, and a children’s costume contest.

If you have not attended VillageFest, check it out. It’s one of the reasons Palm Springs is so special. Whether you’re a full time or part-time resident, the Palm Springs VillageFest is just one more local tradition that you’ll love in making Palm Springs your home. For additional information, go to VillageFest.

Low rates on shorter term US mortgages are now being made available for Canadian buyers in Palm Springs. Until recently, it has been very difficult for Canadians to obtain mortgage loans for property in Palm Springs, where they typically are seeking a second home to enjoy in the sun during their own severe weather back home. They are also shopping to find attractive investment properties in Palm Springs. So all in all, this is very good news for Canadian buyers of Palm Springs real estate. The current low mortgage rates on loans available to US citizens have had a positive downward influence on the now historically low rates for Canadian citizens and other foreign nationals.

To check this out I called my local mortgage broker associate at First Bank to find out what impact these historically low rates for US citizens had on low interest loans that are available to Canadian borrowers. He said that some of his portfolio loans available to Canadian borrowers are as low as 2.75%, a super low rate. So the carry home message is, if you are a Canadian buyer interested in buying your winter retreat in Palm Springs, now is the time to act. Our prices continue to remain low, the Canadian dollar is still almost at parity with the US dollar, and we have a great selection of single family homes and condos. Lastly, you now can obtain a mortgage loan at historically low rates to help fund your purchase. Remember winter is just a few weeks away. For more information, call me at 760 861-0952.