- Home
- News
- Opinion
- Letters
- Sports
- Prospecting
- Essentials
- Obituaries
- Real Estate
- Comics
- Gallery
- Classifieds
- Advertisers
- Coupons
- Contact Us
Share Article
592
1,4565921,456
VIEWS OF LAKE TAHOE and spacious living were offered from within many of the luxury homes. This one, on 319 Paiute, went for $6 million, but included two houses on the property. Democrat photo by Pat Dollins
Discounts, two-for-ones, and bargains are not words most people associate with luxury home estates.” Over-the-top” and “wishful thinking” are more often used. But, this year, on the Chase International Estates Tour, one might actually use the word discount when referring to a beautiful brand new property on Fallen Leaf lake, reduced by a million dollars. Two-for-one would apply to the two magnificent homes on five acres above Marla Bay and, at $1.39 million, bargain might reasonably apply to the newly remodeled four-bedroom home on Fallen Leaf Road.
In addition, most properties on this year’s tour were relatively affordable — not on a Mountain Democrat salary, but not winning the Mega Millions lottery either — more of a “good-paying job-excellent saver-Granny left me cash” kind of affordability. Most clustered in the $3 to $7 million range. While the Mountain Democrat’s focus was on properties in South Lake Tahoe, we did check out some of the nearby offerings on the East and West Shore as well as properties at Fallen Leaf Lake.
On the West Shore, an utterly charming home with a two-bedroom”Bum’s Retreat” guest house, private pier, buoys and sandy beach immediately captured hearts. The home on 8789 Rubicon Drive faces the lake and the view of Rubicon Bay and the South East Shore of Tahoe from a full wall of window is amazing. The house with its spacious decks, hot tub and huge fireplace is made for relaxing and there is plenty of room inside and out to do so.
With the economy picking up slightly, Chase real estate broker Adele Lucas said,”The time couldn’t be better for luxury home buying. With jumbo loans with great rates now available that weren’t available last year and lower prices, these are the perfect conditions.”
Lucas was showing a brand new home at 789 Fallen Leaf Road in South Shore. The four master suites, four fireplaces and enormous kitchen are already stunning but it’s the magnificent in-your-face views of Mt. Tallac and Fallen Leaf Lake, Tahoe’s little sister, that clinch the deal. If being able to have the lake and mountains filling every inch of one wall in the living room wasn’t enough, this property is on sale, having been recently reduced to $3.9 million. With 4,084 square feet, an attached two-car garage, radiant floor heating and a gourmet kitchen facing the lake, this home has modern technology but the craftsmanship of a mountain lodge.
On the opposite side of Fallen Leaf Road is an “Old Tahoe” gem. Recently remodeled, this four-bedroom, three-bathroom home with guest house and boathouse offers plenty of room for guests and the knotty pine pickwick paneling, vertical grain fir floor and beamed ceilings give one a feeling of being in the woods.
Chase realtor Eric Thaden said, “A lot of homes in the area are legacy homes and the owners can’t take the altitude anymore, so they are becoming available.” At $1.39 million, this is a bargain, again, relatively speaking.
Also available in El Dorado County is a 1950′s two-story cottage in the gated community of Jameson Beach. This “Old Tahoe” home has 50 feet of lakefront, its own sandy beach, a private pier and two buoys. With four bedrooms, three bathrooms, a beautiful stone fireplace and proximity to Camp Richardson and the Beacon restaurant, this is a terrific place for a summer vacation and is offered for $2.1 million.
Year-round living in the prestigious Tahoe Keys at 335 Beach Drive would be a delight. The huge two-person spa tub in the master suite is the perfect place to enjoy the magnificent views of the lake, but you can see them from almost any room in the house. One can wade into the lake from the beach at the rear of the house or use the deep water boat dock, one of the Tahoe Keys amenities, to boat across it.
The true bargain of the tour was the two-for-one estate situated above Round Hill and Marla Bay on the East Shore of Lake Tahoe. Six million dollars is a lot of money, but when it includes two gorgeous three-story homes on five acres, each with its own unique offerings like an indoor lap pool, wine cellar, billiard room, master chef’s kitchen, and mother-in-law quarters, you start thinking about which close friend or family member you might consider for a neighbor, particularly ones with money to invest. At 6,524 square feet and 5,227 square feet, each house has plenty of room. Perched up on a hill and surrounded by National Forest Service land and the $75 million Tranquillity estate (not on the tour), privacy is ensured, but the houses are only a two minute ride down the hill to the Round Hill shopping center.
If you have a little money to invest, now might the right time to find a luxury home while both prices and loan rates are affordable.
Contact Wendy Schultz at 530 344-5069 or wschultz@mtdemocrat.net. Follow @wschultzMtDemo on Twitter.
I’ll take two please.