Selling from out of state
Selling a desert home when you live somewhere else.
The short version
A great many Coachella Valley properties are owned by people who spend most of the year somewhere else. Selling one is not simply a matter of listing it. Someone has to open the door, assess the house in person, judge what preparation is worth doing, manage contractors, handle a property that may have sat empty for months, and keep you informed without requiring three flights. Laurie McLennan has done this for out of state owners across La Quinta, Indian Wells, Palm Desert and Rancho Mirage for twenty five years. You stay fully involved. You do not have to be here.
What is different about selling from a distance
Most of the difficulty is not the transaction. It is everything that has to happen before a photograph is taken.
| Access | Someone has to be able to get in, let contractors in, and be there when the inspector arrives. That sounds trivial until you are managing it from another time zone |
| Condition | A house that has been closed up for six months has usually developed something. Better found in July by us than in October by a buyer’s inspector |
| Preparation | What is worth doing and what is not, judged by someone standing in the room rather than looking at photographs you sent |
| Furnishings | Sell furnished, sell unfurnished, or clear it. Each has a different cost and a different effect on the price |
| Documents | Association and club documents, dues, pending assessments, and anything the community requires before a sale |
| Presence | Showings, feedback, and someone who can answer a buyer’s agent within an hour rather than overnight |
Pricing inside a private community
This is where an out of state owner is most exposed, because the figure in your head is usually anchored to what you paid or to what a neighbour told you they got.
Within a single community, two homes of similar size can differ substantially depending on orientation, view corridor, course frontage, elevation and how much of the structure the association maintains. Across the ten communities we track, that spread is measurable rather than theoretical.
Homes that sell here sell in about ten weeks. Homes that do not sell sit for six to nine months.
At Andalusia at Coral Mountain over the six months to July 31, 2026, homes that closed took a median 70 days at 97 percent of asking. Homes still listed had been on the market a median of 197 days. There is very little in between, and the initial price decides which side a property lands on.
We prepare comparable sales for the specific address rather than the community median, with the reasoning shown. See the current market reports or request an opinion of value.
Preparing a house you are not standing in
A vacant or seasonal home needs more attention than an occupied one, not less, and it is the part owners consistently underestimate.
Systems first. HVAC serviced, pool equipment checked, irrigation running properly. A seller who has these looked at before listing avoids finding out about them during escrow, where they are considerably more expensive to negotiate.
Then presentation. An empty 3,000 square foot house photographs poorly and tours poorly, and both problems are solved by the same decision. Whether staging is worth it depends on the property and we will tell you honestly.
Then the outside. Front entry landscaping, clean tile and pavers, and a front door that looks intentional rather than weathered. It is the least glamorous work on the list and the most reliably repaid.
We coordinate contractors, cleaners, landscapers and stagers, and send photographs at each stage so you can see what is happening.
Furnishings, and what to do with a houseful
Clearing a desert house from another state is a genuine problem and there are three answers, each with a different cost.
| Sell furnished | Common here and often welcomed by a seasonal buyer. Removes the logistics entirely. Furnishings are personal property and treated differently in an appraisal, so what is included needs documenting in writing |
| Sell unfurnished | Cleaner from a valuation standpoint, but the house has to be emptied. We coordinate estate sale specialists, donation and removal |
| Sell partly furnished | Frequently the practical answer. Keep what matters, include what does not travel well, and negotiate the rest |
How the process runs
| 1 · Property review | We walk the house and send a written assessment with photographs, covering condition, preparation, and an honest view on what is worth doing |
| 2 · Pricing | Comparable sales for the address, adjusted for position and what the association maintains, with the reasoning shown |
| 3 · Preparation | Contractors, cleaning, landscaping, staging where it pays. Coordinated here, photographed for you |
| 4 · Documents | Association and club documents assembled early, so nothing surfaces late |
| 5 · Marketing | Professional photography and video, the Sotheby’s International Realty network, and Who’s Who in Luxury Real Estate |
| 6 · Showings | Access managed here. Feedback to you within the day rather than the week |
| 7 · Offer and inspection | Negotiation, inspection response, and a recommendation on each request rather than a list forwarded to you |
| 8 · Escrow and closing | Electronic disclosures and signatures throughout. Final walkthrough attended on your behalf |
Most out of state sellers make one trip during this. A number make none.
Selling here while buying elsewhere
Worth planning early, because the timing rarely lines up on its own. Laurie holds the Board of Regents territory for Palm Springs and Riverside County within Who’s Who in Luxury Real Estate and works with Sotheby’s International Realty advisors across the United States and internationally.
If you already have an agent in the market you are moving to, we would rather work alongside them than in parallel. See the relocation guide for the reverse case.
Trusts, estates and inherited property
We work regularly with owners selling a desert property held in trust, inherited, or being sold as part of an estate, and can coordinate with your attorney, accountant, co owners and beneficiaries.
Those transactions frequently involve people in several states who have never seen the property, and the practical work of assessing, preparing and presenting it falls to whoever is here.
We are not attorneys, accountants or tax advisers and do not provide legal, tax or estate advice. Retain qualified professionals for those questions.
If you would rather not list publicly
In the smaller private communities a meaningful share of sales happen before a listing reaches the MLS. At BIGHORN, three of thirteen recent sales closed at full asking with zero days on market, meaning they transacted before or immediately upon listing.
For some owners a discreet approach through relationships inside the community is preferable. Whether it produces the better result depends on the property and the market, and we would tell you honestly which route we think serves you.
Frequently asked questions
Can I sell my Coachella Valley home without travelling there?
Yes, and a significant number of our sellers do. Disclosures and contracts are handled electronically, showings are managed with a lockbox and scheduled access, and we walk the property on your behalf at each stage. Most out of state sellers make one trip or none. What matters is having someone local who has actually stood in the house rather than working from photographs you sent.
What happens to my furniture?
It depends what you want. A meaningful share of desert properties trade furnished, which can suit a seasonal buyer and remove the cost and logistics of clearing a house from three thousand miles away. Furnishings are personal property rather than real property and are treated differently in an appraisal, so what is included should be documented in writing. Where a sale is unfurnished we can coordinate estate sale specialists, donation or storage.
How do you price a home you can show me only on video?
The same way we price any property, and it is not the video that does it. Comparable sales for the specific address rather than the community median, adjusted for orientation, view corridor, course frontage, elevation and what the association maintains. Within a single community, two homes of similar size can differ substantially on those variables alone.
My property has been vacant. Is that a problem?
Not usually, but it needs addressing before listing rather than during escrow. A vacant desert home shows poorly and photographs worse, and buyers at this level read an empty house as a question. We assess whether staging is worth it, arrange deep cleaning and landscaping, and get systems serviced so nothing surfaces at inspection that could have been handled first.
Can you help if the property is held in a trust or was inherited?
We work with out of state owners in those situations regularly and can coordinate with your attorney, accountant and any co owners or beneficiaries. We are not attorneys or tax advisers and do not give legal, tax or estate advice. Retain qualified professionals for those questions and we will work alongside them.
I want to sell here and buy elsewhere. Can you coordinate?
Yes, and it is worth planning early because the timing rarely lines up naturally. Laurie holds the Board of Regents territory for Palm Springs and Riverside County within Who's Who in Luxury Real Estate and works with Sotheby's International Realty advisors across the United States and internationally, so we can work alongside your agent in the other market rather than in parallel to them.
Do I have to list publicly?
No. In the smaller private communities a meaningful share of sales happen before a listing reaches the MLS, and for some owners a discreet approach through relationships inside the community is preferable. Whether it produces the right result depends on the property and the market, and we would tell you honestly which route we think serves you better.
Own a desert property but live somewhere else?
Request a confidential property and selling strategy review. We will walk the house, send you a written assessment with photographs, and give you an honest view on price, preparation and timing. There is no obligation and no charge.
Last updated: August 10, 2026
Laurie McLennan, The McLennan Team at Desert Sotheby’s International Realty
California DRE #01424382 · Market figures from GPS MLS and CRMLS, retrieved July 31 and August 4, 2026
This page is informational and is not legal, tax, financial or estate advice.