TRUCKEE, Calif. — Truckee Police Chief Adam McGill’s powerful call to stop local youth alcohol consumption has found support among community members. In a statement last Thursday, McGill highlighted the high use of alcohol and drugs among area youth and the dangers that poses to their safety and others, especially when getting behind the wheel. The chief pointed specifically to a car wreck — in which no one was hurt — that occurred after an outdoor party last Wednesday night attended by local high school-age students who were drinking alcohol. Authorities also found an unattended bonfire at the party scene, …

INCLINE VILLAGE, Nev. — Federal officials are seeking public input on a proposal to remove the dam at Incline Lake and restore the area north of Lake Tahoe impacted by it. The U.S. Forest Service purchased the 777-acre parcel located north of Incline Village off the Mt. Rose Highway in a much-publicized private-to-public deal from Incline Lake Corp, according to previous reports. The parcel contains Incline Lake, a meandering Third Creek with tributaries and a host of wildflowers emblazoned on the mountain slopes which creep up gradually to the Mt. Rose Wilderness area. During the acquisition process, a site investigation …

INCLINE VILLAGE, Nev. — Bronze sculptures of a life-sized mule deer and stellar jay perched on a three-foot pine tree and a Public Art Recognition Plaque were installed at Incline Gateway on Friday, June 13. Artist June Towill Brown was joined by Don Kanare and Jim Nowlin of the Incline Gateway Committee and members of the Incline Rotary’s morning and afternoon organizations. Representatives from Adonis Bronze and F.W. Carson helped install the public art at the traffic roundabout at the intersection of state highways 431 and 28. Several Incline residents donated funds needed for the public art project to cover …

TRUCKEE, Calif. — On Monday, June 24, Tahoe Yoga and Wellness Center will kick off the summer season by celebrating their 10-year anniversary under the light of the full moon. The celebration will coincide with the conclusion of the studio’s seasonal cleanse, a comprehensive 30-day holistic cleanse that incorporates yoga and ayurveda. Founded in 2003 by Dr. Walter Lightner, TYWC is a long-running yoga studio in the greater Truckee area. They have an outstanding team of local teachers, many who have decades of yoga experience. Several have been with the studio since it’s doors first opened, including Bill Folkmann, Shari …

TAHOE/TRUCKEE, Calif. — Content for briefs is selected from e-mail submissions to Community Editor Amy Edgett at aedgett@sierrasun.com. E-mail for print submissions may be 150 words. Items published in the print edition news space permitting. Sacred Music at Center for Spiritual Living Dr. Hari Haran is slated to perform sacred Indian music during the Center for Spiritual Living, Tahoe Truckee Sunday service, June 16, 10-11 a.m. All are welcome. After the service, 12:15-4:15 p.m., Dr. Haran will offer a Music Therapy Workshop and a Kirtan Concert for $ 25. Also, on Sunday, from 5 to 8 p.m., Dr. Haran will offer …

KINGS BEACH, Calif. — This summer, Placer County will focus on Kings Beach as part of efforts to update its Community/General Plans in the Lake Tahoe Basin. The county will conduct a Vision Charrette — a three-day public workshop — in July. The charrette will focus on the beach and commercial core area behind it, according to a press release, and information gathered will be integrated into the policy document. Elements that may be considered include: environmental restoration, prosperity, connectivity, recreation, quality of life and opportunities with the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency’s Regional Plan Update and the Kings Beach Commercial …

TAHOE CITY, Calif. — On the cusp of the next phase in their lives, North Tahoe High School graduates this week heard words reflecting on their young careers and what the future holds. “As a class, you have many amazing achievements in academics, the arts and athletes,” the school’s principal, Joanna Mitchell, told the 73 graduates before family, friends and teachers Tuesday afternoon at Laker Stadium. “You include nationally ranked skiers, state champions and all-state and honor band musicians, but most importantly you’ve proven yourselves to be socially conscious community members, mature communicators and college and career ready.” Graduation isn’t …

TRUCKEE, Calif. — Truckee Police Chief Adam McGill issued a sternly worded and eye-opening statement Thursday afternoon, challenging parents and residents to take action in light of recent incidences of alcohol and drug use and abuse by area youth. This week, a near-fatal car wreck occurred after an outdoor party Wednesday night attended by local high school-age students who were drinking alcohol, according to the statement. Authorities also found an unattended bonfire at the party scene, presenting a wildfire danger due to high winds this week. Further, other parties this week have featured area youth smoking marijuana. “This community has …

Lorien Powers’ ring covers the width of three fingers. The stone is watermelon tourmeline, a deep pink gem outlined in green. Her silver and gold necklace is delicate, but defined. She wears her leather cowgirl boots with dresses and has the tangled crazy unkempt hair of an artist. On a given day you can find her — a piece of walking art herself — at her studio on Bridge Street, sometimes accompanied by an apprentice, and always accompanied by her daschunds, Barnaby and Hanna. This May, Powers celebrated one year at her new location in downtown Truckee. Next to the …

Residential Properties – Single Family Homes and Condominiums

Week of:  June 3rd to June 9th

Active Inventory Summary:

Active Listings: The current inventory of residential properties went up 2% from the previous week to 784 residential properties for sale; 589 single family homes and 195 condominiums for sale.  Coldwell Banker has over 15% of the active listings in the market and continues to be the market leader for listings.

REO-Short Sale Active Listings:  Of the active listings, there are only 4 properties listed as short sales in Truckee, (0.5%) and 7 properties listed as Lake Tahoe Cabin foreclosure sales, (1%).

Months of Inventory:  Based on the current active inventory and sales for the previous 30-day period, the market has just over 7-months of inventory available.

Sales Summary:  Year-To-Date

Total Sales 2013 Vs. 2012:

Total Sales:  For 2013, there have been 539 residential properties sold in the market which slightly higher than the 506 properties sold in 2012 for the same period.  Of the total sales in the market this year, 422 have been single family homes, while 117 or 22% of the sales are condominiums.  In 2012 for the same period, condominiums represented almost 25% of the sales.

REO & Short Sales:  Distressed property sales are down significantly for the year with 35 REO sales, (6%), and 69 Short Sales, (13%) which results in 19% of the properties sold being distressed properties.  In 2012 for the same period, there were 97 REO sales and 95 short sales or 38% of the total sales being distressed properties.

Sales by Price Range:  In 2013, there have been 316 residential properties sold priced below $500,000, 142 properties sold between $500,000 and $1,000,000 and 66 properties sold over $1,000,000.

Median and Average Sales Prices:  The median sales price for properties sold year to date is $437,000 while the average sales price is $664,116. For the same period in 2012, the median sales price was $380,000 and the average sales price was $534,681 which is an increase of 15% in median sales price and an increase of 24% in average sales price.

Last Week’s Sales:  For the week of June 3rd a total of 16 properties sold which was down significantly from the prior week’s sales of 24 properties.  Of the properties sold last week only 1 property sold at a price above $1,000,000.

Pending Sales:  Currently there are 243 pending residential sales in the market which is up 4% from the previous week’s pending sales.  Of the pending properties, 21% are distressed properties with 41 being short sales and 12 being REO’s.

Market Activity Summary:

Residential sales activity for 2013 has been very favorable as we continue to see the market outpace 2012 for residential sales.  Thus far, 539 residential properties have sold year to date which is up 5% from the 506 sales for the same period last year.  We are continuing to see significant buyer interest for the Tahoe-Truckee market with multiple offer situations occurring more frequently than what we experienced last year.  June has gotten off to a slower start this year as compared to last year with 17 sales month to date as compared to 24 a year ago.  However, we are still seeing solid activity by interested Buyers.

Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage for 2013 is #1 in the entire market in terms of both unit sides sold, (253 sales) and sales volume sold, ($107 million).

The median sales price for residential properties reached 437,000 last week which is up 15% from the median sales price of $380,000 in 2012.  Similarly the average sales price has gone up a whopping 24% to $664,116 as compared to last year’s average sales price of $534,681 due in large part to the higher number of luxury sales in the market since the beginning of the new year.

The segment of the market with the highest level of activity continues to be homes priced under $500,000 as 58% of the sales or 316 properties have sold in this price range which is similar to 2012 where over 64% of sales or 327 properties sold in this price range.

Luxury home sales, homes priced above $1,000,000, have gone up 78% from 2012 with 66 luxury properties selling since the beginning of the year as compared to only 37 luxury properties sold for the same period in 2012.  Luxury properties sold represent over 12% of sales thus far this year.  The median sales price for luxury properties in 2013 is $1,745,000 as compared to a median price of $1,300,000 in 2012 which is up 34%.  The average sales price of luxury homes in 2013 is $2,262,831 as compared to $2,154,316 in 2012 which is a 5% increase.

The mid range market sales, $500,000 to $1,000,000 are trending up from last year with 157 properties sold in this segment or 29% of sales as compared to 142 properties sold or 28% of sale in this range in 2012.

Distressed properties, (REO’s and Short Sales), have really lagged 2012 thus far.  For 2013, short sale properties closed have gone down 27% with 69 closed short sales in 2013 as compared to 95 closed short sales in 2012.  Similarly, REO properties closed in 2013 have gone down (64%) with 35 properties closed in 2013 as compared to 97 properties closed in 2012.  Overall, distressed property sales, (REO and Short Sales) represent 19% of the sales in 2013 which is less than the 38% in 2012.

The active inventory on a year over year basis is down roughly 17% as we currently have 784 residential properties listed for sale as compared to 951 a year ago at this time.  However, this past week we had a 2% increase in inventory bringing our total to 784 residential properties on the market; 589 single family homes and 195 condominiums listed for sale.

Note: Data on this page is based on information from the Tahoe Sierra Board of Realtors, MLS.  Due to MLS reporting methods and allowable reporting policy, this data is only informational and may not be completely accurate.  Therefore, Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage does not guarantee the data’s accuracy.  Data maintained by the MLS may not reflect all real estate activity in the market.  BRE License # 01209726