Here's two questions I get asked every day:
1) "How is the real estate market in Montreux?"
2) "What are the recent sales trends?"

Fair questions.

Here's what everyone REALLY wants to ask: "Is now the time to buy?"

I can't blame them. Knowbody wants to feel like they overpaid for something. They want to know if prices have stabilized.

So instead of trying to guess, let's look at the numbers

Comparing 2010 sales to 2011 (as of 10/1/11):

– 2010 had 21 total home sales
– 2011 has had 18 homes sales to date, and 6 homes are currently "Pending"
– 2010 had one sale over $2 Million
– 2011 has had 3 homes over $2 Million, to date
– 2010 had an average sales price of $905,923
– 2011 has an average sales price of $1,199,514, to date

These numbers tell me that high-end real estate—specifically Montreux—is fairing much better this year, compared to last year.

Montreux is on track to do significantly better than the previous year, both in terms of sales volume and sales price.

So far this year, we have had an average of 3 to 4 sales per month.

Here's another statistic for you: For Washoe County 2011, 60% of all sales over $2 million dollars in were in the Montreux community.

If you're asking yourself, is now the time to buy? My answer is yes.

For Buyer's considering Montreux, the majority of home and lot prices represent an incredible value.

Consider the following:
Montreux purchase prices were 20-50% less than the prices of 2007. Some sales prices today are at their lowest point since Montreux's inception in 1996.

It's important to note that not all sales have been at give-away prices. In Montreux, for 2011, approximately 25% of the sales have been distressed—either short sales or REO's. The remaining 75% have been regular sales, suggesting that Monteux represents a stable community. In the last quarter, Montreux saw the highest price per SF sale of the year, at $348/SF and the highest lot sale since April of 2009.

The average sales price per SF is $239/SF this year. The high at the end of 2007 was over $562/SF.

To view Montreux's complete inventory of homes for sale, click here to visit www.montreuxgolf.com.

One of the very best month's in Northern Nevada is upon us! It doesn't get much better than a sunny and calm September day!

The weather in Reno has been in the low 80's all month. The Montreux golf course is in fantastic shape, and there is just a hint of fall approaching with the start of autumn colors in the trees.

As you will see from the list of sales over the past month, August was booming! The Reno-Tahoe-Open was a huge success at the beginning of last month and the momentum carried us through to the start of September.

We are thrilled to report that since the last update, three homes and one lot went into escrow and four homes sold.

We saw our highest house (price/SF) and lot sale so far this year! Not a bad way to end the summer! Hopefully the last quarter of 2011 will continue on the same high note.

Has Montreux Seen a Pricing Bottom?
We are often asked how the real estate market in Montreux is, and what the recent sales trends are. Everyone wants to know if prices have stabilized.

And, the Big Question: Is NOW the time to buy?

Following is a summary of this year's sales compared to the previous. As you can see Montreux is on track to do significantly better than the previous year, both in terms of sales volume and sales price.

Comparing 2010 sales to 2011 (so far):
2010 had 21 total home sales
2011 has had 17 homes sales to date, and 6 homes are currently "Pending"
2010 had one sale over $2 Million
2011 has had 3 homes over $2 Million, to date
2010 had an average sales price of $905,923
2011 has an average sales price of $1,220,074, to date

Pending Home Sales:
20620 Latour — 3,192 SF $550,000 (list price)
16800 Delacroix — 3,838 SF $895,000 (list price)
5835 Strasbourg — 3,990 SF $1,395,000 (list price)

Pending Lot Sales:
#151 Foret — $395,000 (list price) *Highest lot sale of the year!

Home Sales:
6435 Dubrou — 2,275 SF
6031 Lake Geneva — 4,605 SF
20402 Bordeaux Dr. — 4,809 SF *Highest price per SF of the year.
6440 Dubrou — 7,651 SF *Third sale over $2 Million so far this year.

I just read a great article over at the Business Insider!

From Business Insider: (emphasis mine)

To everyone who bought a house in Carson City, Nevada -- congratulations, you picked a winner. Your housing market is expected to appreciate at a rate of 11.9% annually between 2011 and 2016.

To everyone else, don't hide your money under a mattress for the next five years. Here are 15 cities, identified by Fiserv Case Shiller Indexes, where the housing market is growing, and could provide you with some nice returns. Nationally, houses are appreciating on an average of 3.7%, all of these cities have markets appreciating at over 8%.

Note that these are mostly small cities. Regionally growth is concentrated heavily in the Pacific northwest and Central Florida.

This is great news! Everyone who lives in Nevada has been seeing negative press regarding the real estate market in Nevada. This is a nice change!

More from the Business Insider:

#8 (tie) Reno, Nevada

Projected annual growth 2011 to 2016: 9.3%

From peak in 2006 to the end of 2010, Reno suffered a 46% crash. After troughing in Q3 2011, however, the market will bounce back with 4.6% growth in 2012 and faster in the years to come.

The Reno real estate market ranks #8! This is very exciting.

More from the Business Insider:

#1 Carson City, Nevada

Projected annualized growth 2011 to 2016: 11.9%

Carson homes lost 39% from peak to the end of 2010. After a Q2 2011 peak, expect accelerating growth for the next few years.

I enjoyed reading this report. It adds credibility to what we've been experiencing... The past month has been a whirlwind here at Montreux!

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Spring is almost here and we are certainly ready for it! After record breaking snow fall this winter, the much needed snow pack is guaranteed to deliver our area a lush green golf course, flowing streams and full course lakes. Not to mention, some incredible spring skiing. Nothing like skiing and golfing in the same day!

The level of luxury real estate sales and overall activity continues to be very strong! Just within the first quarter of 2011 there have been 14 homes sold ("pending" or "closed"). This is over half of all home sales in 2010 (21 total). The Montreux inventory of homes is decreasing rapidly.

Summary for 2011
In 2011, 11 out of 14 Montreux Sales were Sold and/or Listed by Brooke, Monica, and Rob. Your Montreux Real Estate Specialists!

February 2011 Montreux Real Estate Sales:
5885 Chambery Cr. - $812,000 (4,703 sf)
4580 Alpes Way - $1,010,000 (4,310 sf)
5775 Lausanne - $2,750,000 (9,203 sf)

February-March 16th 2011 Montreux Real Estate Pending's:
6475 Montreux Ln. - $649,900 - list price (2,625 sf)
6765 De Chardin -$1,000,000 - list price (4,474 sf)
4560 Alpes - $1,099,000 - list price (4,588 sf)
20457 Bordeaux - $1,499,000 - list price (4,632 sf)
16475 Bordeaux - $1,575,000 - list price (7,183 sf)

Montreux Open House
Montreux Golf Community Open House | Saturday April 2, 2011 | 1 - 4 PM
Complimentary Food, Beverages and Entertainment, Raffles and Membership Discounts Available! Please RSVP by March 26th to Heather Wunderlich at 775-849-1090 ext. 121 or email heather@montreuxgolf.com

In this post, I will provide a summary of 2010 Montreux Real Estate Sales and illustrate what the overall real estate trends for the last five years have been for Montreux.

2010 Home Sales in Montreux
Total sales for 2010 show a 19% increase over 2009, with 21 total home sales. Buyers in 2010 took advantage of some great buys! The average price-per-square-foot for 2010 was $229. A contributing factor to the increase was the fact that Montreux home prices have decreased by 14%, in the last year

Busy January
The word has gotten out that there are some incredible buying opportunities in Montreux right now. Since January 1, 2011, 8 homes have either gone into escrow or have sold. That is 38% of all home sales for 2010 (21 total). Not a bad start to 2011!

Montreux Real Estate Trends
I am often asked about the trend of Montreux real estate prices. Following are two charts that show the total number of homes sold and the price per SF trends for the last five years.

Pending home sales rose 2.0% in December for the fifth increase in the past six months, according to an index released Thursday. The National Association of Realtors said its pending home sales index rose to 93.7 from a downwardly revised 91.9 in November. The index is still 4.2% below the level in December 2009, however.

The data reflects contracts and not closings, which normally occur with a lag time of one or two months. The index is based on a large national sample, typically representing about 20% of transactions for existing-home sales.

A 2.0% rise is not a huge number, but it is a step in the right direction. I can say that the Montreux real estate market has seen an increase in activity!

On another note, I wrote an article about Montreux Short Sales I urge you to read.

I will be sending my next email blast shortly. If you want to receive the email, please fill out my contact form, and I will add you to the list.

Now that 2010 has come to a finish, I am frequently asked what the year's final sales stats looked liked.

How many Short-Sales and Bank owned properties vs. regular/traditional sales did the Montreux real estate market see in 2010? Below is a break down of the numbers:

21- Total Montreux Home Sales in 2010

8 Regular/traditional sales (38% of the total)
8 Bank owned sales (38% of the total)
5 Short Sales (24% of the total)

These numbers tell us that in 2010, 62% of home sales were "distressed". This number falls right in line with the averages for the area.

Buyer's that took advantage of great buys in 2010 increased the volume of home sales by 19% in 2010, compared to 2009. The increase in home sales can be attributed to the fact that Montreux average home prices decreased by 14%, year over year. The average price per square foot for 2010 was $229.

Now that we took a look back to 2010, it begs the question, what will 2011 hold for Montreux real estate? Has Montreux hit bottom or will there be more short sales and bank owned or foreclosure sales?

Let's look at the numbers. As of today, there are currently 23 homes on the market. Out of this total, there are 4 available short sales, or 17%. There are currently zero bank owned homes on the market. The supply of short sales and bank owned properties has slowed drastically within the last few months.

Buyer's, it's time to get out there and strike a deal! There are not many distressed properties left!

Sales of existing US homes jumped 12.3% in December, providing an encouraging end to the worst year since 1997, as the collapse in house prices and a wave of foreclosures depressed activity over the 12-month period.

The National Association of Realtors on Thursday said existing-home sales rose from November to a seasonally-adjusted annualized rate of 5.28 million.

November’s sales were revised higher to 4.7 million from the initial 4.68 million reading. The raw, unadjusted figures showed sales rising to 404,000 in December from 355,000 in November. The jump in the mortgage rate to 4.8%, a rise of roughly a half percentage point from depths, has helped induce on-the-fence buyers back into the market, said Lawrence Yun, chief economist of the National Association of Realtors. The improving economy also helped confidence, Yun said.

Although there are many challenges in both buying and selling luxury real estate in today's economy, the luxury real estate market in Reno has been steady for most of 2010.

I have been working on our year-end reports for Montreux real estate and luxury real estate in Reno. (I will post this report soon). Despite the slow economy, we have made some home sales for our buyer and seller clients.

Here's a couple tips for both buyers and sellers of luxury real estate.

For Buyers:
Now is one of the best times in history to purchase the home of your dreams. Interest rates are still historically low, with the average long-term fixed-rate mortgage rates below 5%. Home prices remain low, and available homes on the market remain high.

Another important point to make for potential buyers is to find your comfort zone. How much do you plan to spend on your monthly mortgage? This decision should be part of your long-term financial picture.

What is the goal for buying a home? Are you looking to escape the high taxes of California? Do you want to live in a private golf community like Montreux? Now is the best time.

For Sellers:
If you are selling your home, and are worried about selling in a "buyer's market," there is some good news. If you get a lower selling profit when you sell your home, you may be able to offset a lower purchase price on your next home.

Whatever your reason for buying or selling luxury real estate in Reno Nevada, make sure to consult with a real estate agent that has a proven record, and past client testimonials and referrals.

If you are looking to purchase luxury real estate in Montreux, Reno, or Lake Tahoe I can help you find that great home! Please take a moment and fill out my contact form, or call me today: 775-813-4890.