homes for sale in south lake tahoe

Country Club Estates/ Elks Club

The Country Club Estates/ Elks Club area has some of the nicest and largest houses for sale in South Lake Tahoe.

Although there are many newer large homes in the Country Club Estates area, there are also smaller and older re-sale homes available. Houses currently on the South Lake Tahoe mls range from a bank owned 3 bedroom foreclosure listed for $264,900, to a newer custom home for $1,649,000.

The Country Club Estates area is in a great location because it is only a few minutes from the Y, but it has a secluded county feeling. Being in Country Club Estates makes you feel like you are in the mountains. The homes are nestled around the towering pine trees on sloping lots. The area also has easy access from both Pioneer Trail and Hwy 50.

Due its location on the sloping hill, many of the homes in Country Club Estates have mountain views, and some homes even overlook the Lake Tahoe Golf Course. It is also common to find homes that either neighbor a National Forest lot, or even back National Forest land.

If you are looking at homes for sale in South Lake Tahoe with a quiet county setting but not too far away from Tahoe’s amenities, Country Club estates is an area that you should be looking in. Weather you are looking for a million dollar luxury home or a small fixer upper/ foreclosures in South Lake Tahoe this area should have something for everyone.

South Lake Tahoe Foreclosures for Sale, 3305 Treehaven Drive

Foreclosures in South Lake Tahoe are selling faster than any other houses, which is why I have been updating my “Current list of foreclosures in South Lake Tahoe” blog post daily. This list can be found on the left side of my website under the parent category “Foreclosures in South Lake Tahoe”.

Currently there are 36 foreclosures for sale on the South Lake Tahoe mls, and 17 are in escrow. The average days on the market for the for the 25 foreclosures that have sold has been 90 days. The 90 days on the market includes the escrow period, which is usually from 30 to 45 days. Many of the foreclosures have gone into escrow within a couple of days!

The latest foreclosure on the South Lake Tahoe mls is 3305 Treehaven Drive

Foreclosures in South Lake Tahoe, 3305 Treehaven Drive — 3305 Treehaven Dr.

3305 Treehaven Drive $199,900

Bank owned Foreclosure

Townhouse Style Condo with a Garage. This has a half bath downstairs an both bedrooms and full bath upstairs. Fenced in backyard with a deck. Laundry Hookups at Upstairs Hallway. The HOA pays the exterior insurance on a yearly basis. Bank Owned property is To be sold in “AS IS” condition.

2 bedrooms, 1.5 baths, 1 car garage
960 square feet
HOA dues are $700 per year
Townhouse Style Condo
Close to Lake Tahoe

If you see any homes on my “Foreclosures in South Lake Tahoe” list that you would like to know more about, please do not hesitate to ask us.

This South Lake Tahoe Real Estate blog post was written by Brent Johnson. Contact Brent and Jill Johnson for any questions regarding Homes for sale in South Lake Tahoe, South Lake Tahoe foreclosures, or real estate in South Lake Tahoe!

Christmas Valley

The Christmas Valley area in South Lake Tahoe is one of Tahoe’s most secluded and desirable areas. Houses for sale in Christmas Valley range from small cabins, fixers, and foreclosures in the upper $200,000’s to new large custom homes over $1,000,000.

Christmas Valley is about 10 minutes away from South Lake Tahoe and about 15 to 20 minutes from Heavenly Valley and the casinos. Christmas Valley is located south of Meyers along Luther Pass Road (Hwy 89) and the Upper Truckee River. The South Lake Tahoe mls divides Christmas Valley into 2

areas, Christmas Valley 1 and Christmas Valley 2. Christmas Valley 1 is basically the north side and is close to Hwy 50, and Christmas Valley 2 is the south end that parallels Hwy 89 and the river.

If you are looking for a quiet and secluded neighborhood away from the casinos and the lake, Christmas Valley is the perfect area. Many of the homes back National Forest land, have great mountain views, or even back the Upper Truckee River. The lots in Christmas Valley are generally larger than the average Tahoe lots, and average from 6,000 to 10,000 square feet, and some are larger. Spectacular mountain views of Echo Summit and surrounding mountains are very common in Christmas Valley.

Christmas Valley does get quite a bit more snow than areas right next to the lake. I have heard anywhere from 20% to 50% more snow falls in Christmas Valley. It must be either the snow or some of the street names (Blitzen Road , Santa Clause Drive, St. Nick Way, Reindeer Way, Elf Lane) where Christmas Valley got its name!

Here are some of the outdoor activities that Christmas Valley has to offer:

Plenty of hiking and biking trails
Trout fishing in the Upper Truckee River
Lake Tahoe and Tahoe Paradise golf course are only minutes away
Kirkwood Ski Resort is 20 minutes away
Snowmobiling
X-country skiing
Sierra At Tahoe ski resort is about 15 minutes away
Anything outdoors!

Sierra Tract

The Sierra Tract area offers buyers some of the most affordable homes for sale in South Lake Tahoe. Houses in the Sierra Tract are now priced in the upper $100,000’s for a small cabin or a foreclosure, up to the $500,000’s for a new home.

The Sierra Tract is located in the center of South Lake Tahoe between the Truckee River and Trout Creek Meadows. The streets that boarder the meadows have great mountain views,

meadow views, and can back National Forest Land. Most of the houses in the Sierra Tract are situated on 5,000 square foot lots in a “block” style subdivision, and back up to another home.

Weather you are a first time home buyer, or you are looking for an entry level area to invest in South Lake Tahoe Real Estate, the Sierra Tract is the perfect area. The Sierra Tract has easy access from both Highway 50 and Pioneer Trail which means that you will have no trouble getting to Heavenly Valley, the casinos, or the sandy beaches of Lake Tahoe.

The Sierra Tract also has multi-family properties along with single family homes. There are a few apartment style buildings along Sierra Blvd., and there are also some duplexes scattered around the area.

Lake Tahoe Real Estate Buyers, How is Your Credit?

Now is the perfect time for all of the South Lake Tahoe home buyers that are still on the fence to make sure that their credit is ready for the big day. There is nothing more disappointing than finding a great deal on the perfect home, and finding out that you can’t qualify for a loan because of bad credit.

The first step is to get a copy of your credit reports. You can get a free copy once a year if you go to www.annualcreditreport.com . If you have already received your free credit report in the last 12 months, you can purchase a copy from www.myfico.com . The cost is about $16 for a report from one credit bureau or $48 for all three.

Once you have a copy of your credit reports, look at them very carefully for mistakes. Make sure that your name and address is correct (this will not affect your credit score, but is still important). Make sure that loans and accounts that have been paid off or closed show a zero balance. Make sure that there are no accounts on your reports that do NOT belong to you. If you do find something wrong with your report, you will need to file a dispute with each credit bureau that has the incorrect information. This may take a while, but it will be worth the time and effort when it comes time to apply for a loan.

Here are some tips for raising your credit scores:

Keep credit card balances below 30% of their limits
Make sure payments are on time, and pay at least the minimum payments on all accounts.
Avoid signing up for new credit cards, especially at stores just to receive the 10% off your first purchase. All credit inquires will lower your score.
Job stability- a long term job of a year or more will help your score
For more tips go to myfico.com

You would be surprised how ofter mistakes on credit reports happen. I was caught off guard when I checked my score. I had been sent to collection for a $28 medical bill that had been sent to my physical address. I recieve my mail at a P.O. box, so I had never received the bill. My credit score had gone down by about 80 points. I had to file a dispute, write letters, deal with the collection agency, hospital, and the credit bureaus. I finally had the issue resolved and it was well worth the hassle.

Once you have a good credit score you can be confident that you will be able to obtain a loan with a good interest rate. When you are ready to start looking at homes for sale in South Lake Tahoe, make sure that you sign up for new listing notification on my website. The new listing notification will allow you to choose your search criteria and have new listings e-mailed to you as they are entered onto the South Lake Tahoe MLS. Another great tool is my current list of foreclosures for sale in South Lake Tahoe blog post. I update this post daily and have all of the foreclosures on the South Lake Tahoe MLS, foreclosure price reductions, and foreclosures that are in escrow.

For more information about foreclosures in South Lake Tahoe, the South Lake Tahoe MLS, or South Lake Tahoe Real Estate contact Brent and Jill Johnson today!

Foreclosures in South Lake Tahoe and Current Interest Rates

Lenders have been busy with homeowners refinancing now that mortgage interest have hit record lows. Interest rates have continued to drop for the 11th straight week. A 30 year fixed rate loan dropped from 5.01% to 4.96 last week.

The current low rates will not only help homeowners (who can qualify!) reduce their monthly payment, but should also stimulate buyers to write offers on the houses that they have been following throughout the winter.

One of the main factors causing the interest rates to drop is the Federal Reserves plan to buy up mortgage-backed securities on the secondary market. In December the Federal Reserve announced a plan to buy up 500 billion dollars of mortgage securities backed by Freddie Mac, Fannie Mae, and Ginnie Mae.

The falling interest rates are a great start to the recovery of the national housing market. According to the NAR, for every 1% decrease in interest rates, we would see 500,000 additional home sales over a one year period. Increasing sales by this amount would decrease the number of homes for sale from a 10 month supply to a 7.5 month supply. Historically, economists consider a supply of between 5.5 and 7 months to be a balanced market.

Low interest rates probably will not prevent many foreclosures because the homeowners in distress most likely will not qualify for a refinance, but the rates should stimulate more buyer activity. Once buyers snatch up the foreclosures on the market, they may be tempted to go after the rest of the non-foreclosure housing inventory.

For more information about bank owned properties in South Lake Tahoe, South Lake Tahoe Real Estate, or any properties on the South Lake Tahoe MLS, please contact Brent and Jill Johnson Today!