The Donner Lake Neighborhood is surrounded by the gorgeous Donner Lake which offers lots of recreational opportunities, such as boating, swimming, and fishing. On the west end of the lake, there is Donner Summit which can be accessed by the Old Hwy 40 where fabulous views of the lake are available.

There are approximately 1,500 full time residents that live at Donner Lake, and over 6,000 people on holidays and summertime can be found at the lake!  Some properties are eligible for membership at the Donner Lake Property owners beach.

The east end of Donner Lake has the awesome Donner Memorial State Park.  Other amenities include the public West End Beach, the Donner Lake Boat Ramp, Shoreline Park that includes an all-access fishing pier, and 37 public piers on the north end of the lake. Tahoe Donner has a private Homeowner beach next to Donner Memorial State Park.

During summertime Donner Lake is brimming with many enjoyable activities: fishing, boating, swimming, water skiing, etc…and lately paddle boarding has been gaining in popularity as well. Natural rock outcroppings nearby offer some great rock climbing walls.

Boats can be rented at West End Beach, or Donner Memorial State Park. If you are a Tahoe Donner homeowner, you can also rent boats at the Tahoe Donner Beach Club at the east end of the Lake.

I love going to Dragonfly for lunch or dinner. Not only is Dragonfly located right in the heart of historical downtown Truckee but the food is super fresh and the ambiance is wonderful with beautiful art works from local artists on the walls. Many times my friends and I enjoy catching up with other lives over a bowl of Thai shrimp noodle or the tasty fish and chips. I love all the dishes from the Asian fusion menu and the sushi menu is also very appealing.

With the half price off dinner menu for the entire month of May, now is the perfect time to enjoy the culinary creations of Chef Billy McCullough. The weather has been so beautiful that you will more than likely being able to dine at the outside patio which is a great added bonus.

I hope to see lots of friends at Dragonfly this month since I plan to be there at much as I can. My mouth starts watering already thinking about all the yummy food that I will be ordering…LOL.

Incredible deals for Skiers and Golfers at Lake Tahoe and Truckee

Tahoe and Truckee Excellence in Education Foundation offers 2 great deals for Skiers and Golfers:

•   Our Skiing for Schools partnership with local ski areas has one last special through the end of this year’s ski season.  The purchase of a $35 lift ticket is valid any one day at either Squaw Valley or Alpine Meadows from April 15th thru the end of the season (including weekends!).  If anyone is interested, I’d be happy to purchase the ticket(s) for you and you can just bring me a reimbursement check or cash and pick up the ticket(s) here at Dickson Realty in Truckee. You can also purchase tickets the week prior at Porters Sports.

• Our Golfing for Schools partnership offers a golf card (transferable) good for one round at each of the following golf courses, for 18 holes of play:  Coyote Moon, Gray’s Crossing, Northstar, Old Brockway, Old Greenwood, Resort at Squaw Creek, Tahoe City and Tahoe Donner.  The cost of the card has been drastically reduced this year to only $295!  If any of you have ever played any of these courses, you will realize what an incredible deal this is.  Carts are not included (most courses do allow walking), and some restrictions apply.  The golf cards (limited to a total of 275) will be available for sale starting May 5th.

Details for Golfing for Schools discount cards:

2012 Cards go on sale May 5 at Porters Sports, Truckee locations and online at www.ExinEd.org

$295 – New Price

Cards are $295 and are transferable. They can be used once at each of the following golf courses, for 18 holes of play:

Coyote Moon Golf Course:  Valid from course opening to end of season, Sunday through Thursday after 12pm. (Cart purchase required Coyote Moon, $25.)

Gray’s Crossing Golf Course: Valid from course opening to end of season, Sunday through Thursday after 1pm.

Northstar Golf Course:  Valid from course opening to end of season, Sunday through Thursday after 12pm.

Old Brockway Golf Course:  Valid from course opening to June 21, Monday through Thursday.

Old Greenwood Golf Course:  Valid from course opening to end of season, Sunday through Thursday after 1pm.

Resort at Squaw Creek Golf Course:  Valid from course opening to end of season, Sunday through Thursday after 1pm.

Tahoe City Golf Course:  Valid from course opening to June 22 and from September 3 to season closing, Monday through Friday, excluding holidays.

Tahoe Donner Golf Course:  Valid from course opening to end of season, Sunday through Thursday after 12pm.

Golf Card Restrictions:  Not valid holidays (course to determine specific dates), with group play or any other discount or promotion. Carts not included, most courses are walkable. Tee times may only be made three days in advance.

Purchasing limit of 8 cards per person. Check or Cash preferred form of payment. Please make checks out to Excellence in Education. Call 530.550.7984 for more information.

These are incredible deals and I hope you will take advantage of these great offers. This is a win-win situation, having fun while supporting teachers and students in Tahoe Truckee.

For more info in Tahoe Truckee area contact Ann at 530-545-3458 (call or text).

Old Greenwood is located just one mile east of the Historic Downtown Truckee, California area, and is 40 minutes west of Reno, Nevada.  It is a resort recreational community planned by East West Partners, on more than 600 acres.  Housing in the area consists of single family homes, Villas, shared ownership cabins, and vacation town homes.

Amenities in the Old Greenwood Community include:

• Old Greenwood Golf Course – a Jack Nicklaus Signature design opened in September 2004
• Optional  Membership to the Tahoe Mountain Club , which also includes privileges at The Golf Club at Gray’s Crossing. (checkout the Link for all the details on the Club!)
• Golf Academy at Old Greenwood – Northern California’s only golf school fully dedicated to instruction.
• Children’s Playground
• Fitness Center
• Hot Tubs
• Kid’s Camp
• Northstar – On-mountain amenities that include shuttle service to the ski resort; The Alpine Club, a ski valet and apres ski lounge; and Schaffer’s Camp, a private restaurant high atop the mountain.
• Outdoor Tennis Courts
• Restaurant – Access to the Wild Goose Restaurant located in Tahoe Vista, on the shore of Lake Tahoe.
• Swimming Pool
• The Retreat, a full service spa facility.

Here are a few PDF Press Releases from Old Greenwood for additional information:

• Old Greenwood Fact Sheet
• Old Greenwood Year-Round Amenities Create Memories for Every Season
• Old Greenwood Hole By Hole Overview

Call or Text Ann at 530-545-3458 for a Free Old Greenwood Listing Email Updates!

Glenshire is a community that is located about 6 miles east of the Downtown Truckee area, and is just 25 minutes to Reno, Nevada.  The residence mix is 80% full-time residents, and 20% second homeowners.  It is known for being a very “family friendly” community, and is often called the “banana belt” of  Truckee due to its lower snow load.

Glenshire is centered around the Glenshire Lake with many homes having a gorgeous lake view!  The area is full of gently rolling hills, lots of open space, and is surrounded by gorgeous mountain views!  Many homes have larger lots that are zoned for horses, and the area has many equestrian easements.

Amenities in the community include:

• 236 acres of greenbelt located within the subdivision
• Barbeque Gazebo
• Basketball Court
• Commercial Center including the Glenshire General Store, day care center, a hair salon, music store and video store.
• Community Clubhouse
• Glenshire Lake – 11 acres
• Playground Structure
• Swimming Pool
• Tennis Courts
• Walking path around Glenshire Lake

Most of  these amenities are maintained by the Glenshire Devonshire Residents Association.

In addition, nearby Boca Reservoir and Stampede Reservoir is a quick drive for fishing, camping, boating, hiking, and water-skiing.  With all the open space in the area, you only have to walk outside in winter to find a place to snowshoe or cross country ski.  In the summer time, Glenshire is a great place to bike, mountain bike or hike.  You can also walk, or drive down to the Truckee River for great fly fishing!

Glenshire is home to the Glenshire Elementary School, which is a K-5 Public School, that offers a before and after school day care program on the premises that is run by the Truckee Donner Recreation & Park District.

You can also find Truckee Fire District – Station 95, next to the Glenshire Elementary School at 10900 Manchester Drive.

For 2012, The Truckee Community Chorus Spring Concert celebrates the participation of members and supporters of the chorus throughout the community since 2002. The program will include highlights of past concerts and includes a wide variety of styles: Broadway, Light Opera, Pop, Gospel,Classical, and Contemporary music. The Diablo Valley Philharmonic Orchestra will accompany the chorus again this year, adding to the festivity.

This promises to be an exceptional event so reserve the dates:

Resort at Squaw Creek 
Sat, April 21 ~ 7:00pm  &  Sun, April 22 ~ 2:00pm

Tickets are only $15 for general admission ~ Children & Students are FREE

For your convenience, tickets can be purchases online in advance.

Call or text Ann at 530-545-3458 for information about Lake Tahoe Truckee Real Estate.

I did not have a chance to go to the previous Northstar Brew Master Dinner Series  in January and February but I will make an attempt to go to this last one since one of the course is Gordon Biersch Czech Style Pilsner paired with delicious Vietnamese Sandwich. Just typing this makes my mouth watering…lol.

You can check out the full menu here:

So if you want to sample some unusual and tasty fare on March 29…head out to TC’s Pub at the Village at Northstar at 6 pm. Since there is alcohol served, make sure everyone in your party in 21 years of age or older.

Cost is $55 per person in advance. You can buy at the door for $65 per person if space is still available. You can also sign up online since seating is limited and you don’t want to miss this last series event.

Northstar is a popular four season resort and the amenities are top notch! Call or text Ann at 5305453458  to learn more about Northstar homes and get your key to this mountain paradise.

Today I have another guest blog from my friend Dot. She has an amusing story to tell about networking on a chairlift at Northstar while skiing. Here is Dot’s story:

A few years ago,  before I fell in love with ski skating, I was an avid downhill skier. But I was a perpetual blue run skier, in other words – a scaredy cat!

One day, I was riding the chair lift with two men. The older man said  to the younger man,  “ We’ll have a cup of tea when we get off.” From their accent, I knew they were British and I asked them where they were from in England. The older man told me that he was currently living in Wales and that he graduated from the University of Liverpool many years ago. He asked me if I knew where Liverpool was and I said, what a coincidence, of course I knew where it was since I also graduated from the same university in 1975! I asked him what he was doing in Wales and he told me that he was the Vice Chancellor of Cardiff University. When we got to the top, I said to him, “Remember me, the girl from Truckee!” He said, “I will!” and we parted ways – they were off to have a cuppa, while I skied to the bottom.

A week after this conversation, my niece from Malaysia emailed me. She had decided to do her Masters degree in Marine Law at Cardiff University! She had to wait for the next year to enroll because it was too late to get in that year.

What a coincidence! My mind started to churn – I had just met the Vice Chancellor of THAT university! I went online immediately and typed “Vice Chancellor, University of Cardiff”. Out popped a name – Sir Brian Smith. I had no idea if it was even the same man since I had not asked for his name. I decided to send him an email. Remember, this was early days for electronic mail and I was not expecting a reply.

I began by saying, “Hello Sir Brian Smith, remember me, the Girl from Truckee?….. I wrote about my niece wanting to do her masters at Cardiff University. I forgot what else I wrote but I certainly was not asking him for any favors. I was not even sure if I got the right person!

Imagine my surprise when not five minutes later, I received a reply from Sir Brian! He said he certainly remembered me and was pleased to know that my niece was interested in furthering her education at his establishment. Then he surprised me even further, by saying that the Director for International Students was heading to Malaysia and he would ask him to meet with my niece!! They did meet and as a result she was able to enroll for classes that very year and not have to wait til the next year.

A  little conversation on a chairlift, connected people from three continents.

My niece is now a successful marine lawyer in Malaysia. Sir Brian Smith is now retired from the post of Vice Chancellor.

The next winter season, I started a conversation with yet another older gentleman and he said he was the Vice Chancellor of Santa Cruz University … but that was not how my two kids got into UC Santa Cruz!!

As you can see from Dot’s entertaining story, opportunities abound when you are having fun, even networking opportunity on the chairlift at Northstar ski resort.

Looking at number of sold units for the first two months in 2012 vs 2011, we see a large increase for Tahoe Donner and especially for homes over 1 million price range. That is the good news. The bad news is, for single family homes, the median price went down from 8% to 23%, and as high as 36% for homes in Serene Lakes at Donner Summit.

With lower prices and record low interest rates, smart buyers have stepped up to pick up the great deals. More sales equal to less inventory. Maybe after the ski season is over, we will see more properties listed.

Contact Ann for more information on listings and market condition in Lake Tahoe Truckee.

Downtown Truckee taken by Leigh Storz

Looking at the number of homes sold in 2011, there is an activity increase of 15% over the previous years. This is largely due to an increase in both foreclosure and short sale activities. We have a 21% increase in foreclosure home sales and 31% increase in short sales.

The average days on market remained virtually unchanged while the 2011 average sales price decrease 8.5% from 2010.

Homebuyers are taking advantage of the lower home prices combining with the low interest rate to purchase either their primary homes or the vacation homes that they have been dreaming about.

Contact Ann Nguyen for the latest list of home listings in the Truckee Lake Tahoe area.