Journal
Market data, buyer’s guides and desert living.
How this is organized
Everything here falls into one of five things: what the market is actually doing, how to buy in the Valley’s private communities, how to sell in a seasonal market, the equestrian and polo season, and desert living itself. Market figures come from the MLS and carry the date they were pulled. Where the honest answer depends on the specific address, we say so rather than generalize.
Market data
Updated monthly from the MLS. What sold, at what price, and how long it took.
Coachella Valley market reports
Current figures across the Valley's private communities.
Community market snapshots
Each guide carries its own MLS table: inventory, median price, days on market and sale to list ratio.
Buying
For buyers deciding where, and what to look for once they have.
The private communities of La Quinta
Six full buyer's guides covering membership, orientation, pricing and what decides value.
Ask Laurie & Cailin
Fifteen questions buyers and sellers ask most, answered with current figures.
Relocating to the Coachella Valley
Property tax, Mello Roos, HOA structures, seasonal utilities, schools and air service. In progress
Short term rental eligibility across the Valley
Which communities are exempt, what the Large Lot route requires, and how association rules differ. In progress
Selling
For owners weighing when to list and what to do first.
The Coachella Valley luxury seller's guide
Pricing, presentation, marketing and timing in the desert's seasonal market.
What renovation actually returns here
At The Quarry, price per square foot ranged from $476 to $1,173 across four sales, tracking build year almost exactly. In progress
Equestrian and polo
The winter season, and the property that serves it.
Buying near Desert International Horse Park
Zoning, footing, water, turnout and arena orientation, and what separates a working property from one that looks the part. In progress
Cailin McLennan
Competitive polo at Empire and Eldorado, and the equestrian side of the business.
Desert living
The Valley itself: seasons, events and how the year runs.
Explore the desert
Cities, communities and the shape of the season.
The Coachella and Stagecoach calendar for owners
What the festival weeks mean if you live here, rent here, or are thinking of buying. In progress
Ask us something
If a question is not answered here, it is usually faster to ask than to work it out from a portal. Questions that come up more than once end up on the Ask Laurie & Cailin page.
Written by Laurie McLennan and Cailin McLennan, The McLennan Team at Desert Sotheby’s International Realty
California DRE #01424382 and #02121998