House hunting in Palm Springs

[Beancounter]

I plead total ignorance on purchasing real estate in Palm Springs but I had a conversation many years ago with a friend of mine who indicated that while you may purchase a home there you may not be purchasing the land it sits on.  You actually sing a multi-year lease or something like that.  My recollection is that this has something to do with tribal lands.   Someone who is more familiar with this topic hopefully will clarify this.  

[nate_sf]

32 minutes ago, azdr0710 said:

Pools do get warm. Many people use aerators run at night to cool the water. 

https://www.poolstoreinc.com/blog/143-4-ways-to-keep-your-pool-cool-during-the-summer#:~:text=Just like with a fountain,one aerator for additional cooling.

When I was growing up in AZ we never heated the pool. It just got heated naturally as the weather got hotter. And yes, the aerators to cool the water!

[nate_sf]

1 hour ago, azdr0710 said:

Timeshare?  That maintenance fee is stunning. 

Anyone shopping for condos in California nowadays will find this kind of HOA fee not too unusual, particularly for older complexes that are in need of major repairs just as a factor of the age of the buildings. Roofing, repairing degrading balconies and decks, water intrusion, replacing windows, repairing pools, not to mention maintaining the grounds.

Also, the State is now requiring HOAs to carry larger reserves, so these higher fees are meant to build up the reserves rather than requiring people to shell out an assessment when big repairs are needed.

On top of that, insurance costs have increased significantly. I'm told the costs are triple what they were just a few years ago.

$1200 is definitely on the high end, but it's not unusual to find HOA fees in the range of $700-$900 per month on a 1970s or 1980s vintage condo.

But with all that, factor the cost of maintaining a single family home of the same vintage. My husband and I own a house in SF and regularly need to shell out for repairs and maintenance. We just repainted the house this year, replaced the crumbling driveway, and now the sewer lateral needs replacing. $$$

[+ Charlie]

2 hours ago, Beancounter said:

I plead total ignorance on purchasing real estate in Palm Springs but I had a conversation many years ago with a friend of mine who indicated that while you may purchase a home there you may not be purchasing the land it sits on.  You actually sing a multi-year lease or something like that.  My recollection is that this has something to do with tribal lands.   Someone who is more familiar with this topic hopefully will clarify this.  

Much of the land in Palm Springs is owned by the Cahuilla Tribe of Native Americans. We bought our first house there on tribal land, so although we owned the house itself (and could have moved it elsewhere if we had wanted to), we had to lease the land from the tribe and pay a monthly fee for it. Sometimes the tribe agrees to sell the land to the homeowner, but that is usually only when it is a large property with many residences, such as a retirement community or a new development where a deal is struck between the tribe and the developer before anything is built. Many home buyers are uncomfortable with a situation in which they own the house but not the land it sits on, and realtors often try to steer buyers away from homes on tribal land, so those houses are often cheaper to buy than houses on non-leased land. We lived in that situation for 13 years and had no problem with living there or eventually selling the house. [Of course, my spouse's family had owned a house-moving company in Ohio, so he was not daunted by the thought of moving one's house to another property.]

Edited October 13, 2024 by Charlie

[Beancounter]

Thank you for clarifying that for me @Charlie. That’s very interesting and good to know. 

[+ Act25]

On 10/11/2024 at 9:20 AM, purplekow said:

I will be in Palm Springs next week, looking at houses and trying to finalize a move there.  If anyone is a resident of Palm Spring or visiting Palm Springs next week, give me a buzz.  Perhaps we can have a meal or if you are a resident, perhaps you can advise me about properties.  I look forward to seeing some of you there as a visitor this time and resident in April.  

Sent you a DM.

 

[+ Vegas_Millennial]

On 10/12/2024 at 11:31 PM, Luv2play said:

In our winter last year we had only a handful of days when it was really cold (-20c).

I'm sorry, but as a fellow desert city resident, you'll have to redefine your definition of "really cold".  Below 80F is cold.  Below 50F is REALLY COLD ❄️ 

[+ Vegas_Millennial]

On 10/13/2024 at 6:41 PM, Luv2play said:

If it only drops to 80 or 90 degrees at night how does that work?

80F at night in the desert is almost jacket weather!  Brrr 🥶 

[Lotus-eater]

21 hours ago, Vegas_Millennial said:

80F at night in the desert is almost jacket weather!  Brrr 🥶 

80F at night is great weather!

[TonyDown]

How are home utility bills, winter and summer?

For a condo?

For a medium size home?

Hypothetically, for someone that enjoys keeping their home nice and cool during so many days over 110F, would that generate really expensive utility bills?  How high could it go?

 

 

[+ Charlie]

I have a 2000 sq. ft. house in Palm Springs. I keep my thermostat set at 80F. all year round. Last Feb. my gas bill (heat) was $175, while my electric bill was $103; in July my gas bill was $10, while my electric bill (a/c) was $579.

[curt gregory]

@Charlie  Your house must be well insulated!  

[+ Pensant]

No thanks! I spend my summers on the island NW of Seattle and love the 70 degree highs in summer and lows in the 50s at night.

[+ purplekow]

I am back from Palm Springs.  I saw about 20 houses.  There are three I am considering.  Only one has a HOA and the HOA fee is 140 per month in a gated Community in Palm Springs proper.  The other two houses are in Cathedral City.  Thanks to Art25 and BobPS as well as Socalguy and Robster for having a meal with me and giving me information about the area.  Vin Marco also added a breath of fresh air and was able to heat up Palm Springs even more than it usually is.  Now that I am back home, will get my house on the market and make some offers.  Wish me luck and decision making ability.  

[SometimesBi]

On 10/12/2024 at 12:54 PM, purplekow said:

Three dogs. 

You may already know this, but just in case ... be sure your new place has plenty of ground/grass for the dogs. And also be careful taking them on walks. The asphalt especially (not sure of concrete) can get so hot, it can produce serious burns on their paws. If in doubt, remove your own shoes; if it is too hot for your own feet, it's too hot for their paws. 

[+ Charlie]

I don't know what kind of facilities/amenities that gated community has, but $140/month is an incredibly low HOA fee. Our gated retirement community HOA fee in PS is $430/month, but it includes a meeting place (the "Lodge") with a gym, library, game room, and "ballroom," as well as two outdoor swimming pools, tennis and pickleball courts, a walking trail, and Frontier Internet service for every home. People have told me that ours is pretty cheap compared to other HOA fees in the area.

[+ Lucky]

When I was looking at homes in Palm Springs area 20 years ago, Cathedral City was viewed pretty negatively.

Certainly not many doctors lived there.

[Lotus-eater]

6 hours ago, Lucky said:

When I was looking at homes in Palm Springs area 20 years ago, Cathedral City was viewed pretty negatively.

Certainly not many doctors lived there.

CC has nicer and not so nice areas, which is why it's a relative bargain (though not as cheap as 20 years ago) compared to Palm Springs, Palm Desert, Rancho Mirage and other upscale areas.

[+ purplekow]

39 minutes ago, Lotus-eater said:

CC has nicer and not so nice areas, which is why it's a relative bargain (though not as cheap as 20 years ago) compared to Palm Springs, Palm Desert, Rancho Mirage and other upscale areas.

Both of the Cathedral City houses abut a golf course and the surrounding area is a new development with well kept homes.  

As to the HOA fees mentioned, the fee of 140 per month includes three pools a series of basektball courts and a walking trail and dog park.  Those facilities were nice but not the major attraction of the neighborhood.  Please continue to comment as I have found these responses quite helpful in assuring that I have not missed an obvious problem.  

[+ Charlie]

It's nice to hear that the gated community has a dog park; we have heard a lot of talk about making one here, but the problem is finding an appropriate space within the gated area. Dogs are allowed on the walking trail, but they must be on a leash.

[Lotus-eater]

People have mentioned the heat in PS, but there's also the wind to consider. Northern areas get very windy, and when combined with dust, can produce dust storms. There are wind maps showing the windy areas if that's a concern.

[+ m_writer]

@purplekow If and when you get your house in PS, if you do a housewarming party, I'll happily come if you're open for it.  I can bring eggrolls or lemon bars.

[Luv2play]

On 10/24/2024 at 9:47 PM, Lotus-eater said:

People have mentioned the heat in PS, but there's also the wind to consider. Northern areas get very windy, and when combined with dust, can produce dust storms. There are wind maps showing the windy areas if that's a concern.

When I was there decades ago, one night I was with a group of friends and when we came out of the restaurant it seemed more like a sandstorm rather than a dust storm. Like what you would experience on the Sahara. Different from a dust storm on the Canadian prairies where the ground is covered in soil, not sand.