Greetings Fellow Life Travelers:

So now we’re over snow for a while as temps rise a bit, and there’s no precip in near-term forecast.  Some of us may not want a Miracle March, but we do need it for the watershed.  We’re a hair shy of normal for snowpack, so hopefully we’ll end the season on-the-money or ahead.  The resorts should be fine for now as the last couple of storms this month gave them a boost. 

My year has started off with a bang, for which I’m most grateful, and now things have quieted down a bit.  Just closed my third escrow and have another with a long-time client closing first part of March.  Kind of nice for some ‘down time’ as I’m working on another new project with Amie, the dynamic Realtor who has joined Chase and collaborating with me as we move forward in this business.  We’re creating an intro booklet to Tahoe for other out-of-area colleagues and potential clients, educating on the attributes and details of our region.  Obviously, I love to write, so am having fun.  AI is great for certain things, but I really enjoy the creative aspects of interjecting my take on the subject.  No, writing a novel is not of interest as I’m not that creative. Anyway, there are so many great books – regardless of your subjects of interest – that no one can ever read all that’s been written about them.  I so appreciate my Book Club as it gets me reading and then the fun discussions of books that I wouldn’t take the time to find.  Enough of that. On to the business of real estate. 

Residential Real Estate – week 2/15 – 2/21 

• Tahoe Sierra MLS – North/West Shores & Truckee. New Listings – 12; Escrows – 13; Solds – 27
• Incline Village/Crystal Bay MLS. New Listings – 7; Escrows – 1; Solds – 1
• East Shore, NV MLS.  New Listings – 1; Escrows – 4; Solds – 1
• Reno/Sparks MLS.  New Listings – 91; Escrows – 131; Solds – 71

Sugar Bowl had a nice sale at $4.5 Million, home built in 2015.  Incline had a $6 Million mountain home sale, represented on both sides by Chase.  East Shore had 2 Chase listings go to escrow, and Reno had a nice escrow listed at $5.499 Million.

Local/Real Estate/Luxe

• Rock Climbing.  Time to train!  South Lake Tahoe – Blue Granite Climbing Gym; Incline Village – High Altitude Fitness; Truckee – High Altitude Fitness.  They all have excellent equipment to get started or hone your skills. (This is definitely not of interest to me.)
• Tahoe Snowpack. It’s up 34% since February 1 and now at 96% of normal.  Tahoe Fund
• New trail groomer at Donner Memorial State Park.  Snow Master – 48” for smoothing the trail, leaving a corduroy surface, and can also set classic 9striding) ski tracks.  A 3.2-mile trail will be groomed.
• Manhattan had busiest week for luxury home sales in nearly 3 years!    41 contracts for homes asking $4 Million or more in New York City.
• Bel Air mansion with parking for more than 50 cars!  Garage takes 30 of them.  Wanna have a party?  $39.99 Million.
• Cheaper to buy than rent.  Wanna live in Detroit or Pittsburgh?  Go for it!  Realtor.com
• Residential conversion:  Old hospitals have easier adaptation than office buildings.  With so many rural hospitals shutting down (over 700 at risk of closing), this could be a great resource for much-needed housing.
• Gilbert, AZ.  This once obscure Phoenix suburb is now attracting Snowbirds.  Filled with new attractions, a man-made surf park and outdoor mall, this town of 5,700 in 1980 has over 275,000 today.  I mention this because that’s where Dancer came from.  I drove there to pick her up when she was 10 weeks old! 
• Cabinet of Curiosities.  This Victorian décor amenity may be making a comeback, with modern day collections on show.  Mansion Global
• Tahoe Philharmonic.  Attended a beautiful concert with chorus and soloists in Reno on Friday evening.  Sunday was the end of this Every Piece Is a Classic – Vivaldi, Mozart, Mendelssohn – series.  More to come with information on next series.  www.tahoe-philharmonic.com 
• Edible Reno-Tahoe magazine.  Met the publishers and joined them for a wonderful introduction to Belleville Wine Bar in Reno also offering small plates.  Our pre-concert selections were fabulous, and then they took us to the Fourth Street Market for a little nightcap.  The magazine is a wealth of information and is found free in many markets.  www.ediblerenotahoe.com

Entertainment

• Jackie and the raven:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uOSb2egFP0w  (protecting her nest)

TidBits

• “Every act of conscious learning requires the willingness to suffer an injury to one’s self-esteem. That is why young children, before they are aware of their own self-importance, learn so easily; and why older persons, especially if vain or important, cannot learn at all.”  Thomas Szasz, Psychiatrist
• My doctor told me I had to stop throwing intimate dinners for four unless there are three other people. Orson Welles
• Medical Terms:  Dilate = To live long.  Fester = Quicker than someone else.  Fibula = A small lie.  Impotent = Distinguished, well-known.  Labor Pain = Getting hurt at work.  Medical Staff = A Doctor’s cane.   Morbid = A higher offer.
• I don’t even butter my bread. I consider that cooking.  Katherine Cebrian, prior owner Schramsberg Winery
• I do not understand people’s obsession with their ancestry.  Isn’t knowing your current family bad enough?  Mother of Heathens
• Vince the Sign Guy:  1) Somebody’s therapist knows all about you.  2) the chicken went to the gym to work on his pecks.  3) My boss wants me to sign up for a 401K.  No way I’m running that far.  4) I wish I was as thin as my patience.  5) If you are buying smart water for $5 a bottle, it’s not working. 6) Without freedom of speech we would not know who the idiots are. 
• Try to become not a man of success but a man of value.  Albert Einstein
• Never make someone a priority when all you are to them is an option.  Maya Angelou
• To judge a man by his weakest link or deed is like judging the power of the ocean by one wave. Elvis Presley
• I intend to live forever.  So far, so good.  Steven Wright
• A bank is a place that will lend you money if you can prove that you don’t need it.  Bob Hope
• The best way to teach your kids about taxes is by eating 30% of their ice cream.  Bill Murray
• Doing nothing is hard.  You never know when you’re done.
• The road to success is dotted with many tempting parking spaces.  Will Rogers
• When I hear somebody sigh, ‘Life is hard’, I am always tempted to ask, ‘Compared to what’?  Sydney Harris
• The only mystery in life is why the kamikaze pilots wore helmets.  Al McGuire
• Having a smoking section in a restaurant is like having a peeing section in a swimming pool.  George Carlin
• I don’t care that Disney lied about my Prince Charming.  What I’m pissed about is all the Woodland creatures and their unwillingness to clean my house. Mother of Heathens

Roomba, where are you?  I’m still in the dark ages without this cool piece of equipment. I’d need 3 as I don’t think it does stairs.  Have a lovely week and see you next time! 

Best wishes, 

Trinkie