In Palm Springs, we are privy to living with some amazing mid-century architecture by some ingenious period architects.  Palm Springs didn’t get the title for being the Mecca of mid-century architecture, for nothing!  My passion for these homes, is one of the reasons  I formed The Paul Kaplan Group, to specialize in architectural real estate.

However-  once in a while a house comes on the market that makes us mid-century aficionados cringe, and affirms our belief in the importance of Historic Preservation.

Below, is a home built around 1960 by the Alexander Construction Company in Racquet Club Estates, designed by the icon of mid-century architecture, William Krisel.

The house USED to look like this, from the original Alexander Construction Company brochure:

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Clients of mine, recently re-sent me an email I sent to them, regarding helping them decide whether or not they should buy a particular mid-century house in the Palm Springs Racquet Club Estates neighborhood, back in 2009.   Having lived in this neighborhood and having sold about 100 homes over the years with The Paul Kaplan Group, I’ve learned a lot about the pros and cons of house orientation.  They thanked me again and said this email explanation did help them decide on their house- and 3 years later, they agree that what I said was true! (thank God!!) Here’s the email:

“I’ll give you my two cents about views from what I’ve learned over the years and experienced.
If you’re on the West side of the street, you do have a direct mountain view from your back yard. However, you’ll be looking at the view thru the power lines. If you’re on the East side, the front of the house has an amazing view and from the back yard tanning deck, you’re looking at the view without the wires in the way. The way this house sits, you don’t see the wires from the house when looking in the back yard, because you really don’t look up.
On this house (if it was restored to the original) the clerestories in the three bedrooms would capture the western mountain view dramatically- it almost looks like framed art. Additionally, many people have created courtyards in the front of the house to take advantage of the view and sunsets.
Regarding living here full time as you eventually plan, orientation becomes even more important. Every orientation has an advantage. I can tell you from personal experience, a West facing view in the spring & summer is not so great…the afternoon sun is so intense, you rarely ever get a chance to actually LOOK at the view because the sun is always in your eyes. Additionally, with the heat, your pool will cook, and it will be uncomfortable to lay out in the back yard. Otherwise, you can build a huge overhang (like the house on Starr) to block the sun- but then doing that, you lose the view anyway because it will be blocked.

Planning Your Palm Springs Racquet Club Estates Views

Also, in Palm Springs Racquet Club Estates, if your back yard faces West, you’ll get more wind during the windy season- with it facing East, the house will block some of that wind and make it a little more tolerable. What many people have done with an East facing back yard, is build a courtyard in the front yard and open the bedrooms in the front. There’s a huge set back from the street, so there’s plenty of room for a courtyard on this house.”

Hope this helps!!  If you have any questions about buying a home in Palm Springs, its orientation, wind, or anything else, please drop me a line or give me a call at 760-285-8559.  The Paul Kaplan Group is a local boutique real estate company, that knows Palm Springs and provides the education you need that you can’t necessarily find about a neighborhood, on the internet!  Hiring a local expert can help you make the right decision about your home purchase.

The Paul Kaplan Group is once again, proud to be an annual  sponsor of Modernism Week 2013.  One of my favorite events during Palm Springs Modernism Week, is the Palm Springs Preservation Foundation’s annual Retro Martini party. This year it is being held at the Abernathy House, designed by William Cody, 1962,  and recently renovated and restored. There are a limited amount of tickets available and it always sells out! So plan accordingly and I hope to see you there!
For tickets visit the Preservation’s website at www.pspreservationfoundation.org.

Modernism Week 2013 is February 14th – 24th

Modernism Week is an exciting 11-day celebration of mid-century modern design, architecture and culture in Palm Springs, California. This design aesthetic originated in the 1940s, 50s, and 60s, and was typified by clean, simple lines which came to define desert modernism.

Modernism Week is filled with a variety of events including architectural tours, films, lectures, an architectural symposium, educational events, and chic, fun parties in cool mid-century modern homes. Tickets for Modernism Week 2013 are currently on sale!  Click here for more info. 
We look forward to seeing you this year at all the events!  And stop by during the Modernism Show on Feb. 15-17th at our Paul Kaplan Group booth to get more info on Real Estate and various Modernism events.

As we ease out of the great recession, Real Estate is having a come back here in Palm Springs and across the country.  Open any newspaper these days, and you’ll see a report about housing prices starting to increase.  Per the following, prices nationally are up 2.7%.  As the general public gains more confidence with the economy, more people are seeking out real estate to take advantage of low prices and low interest rates, in Palm Springs, and many other cities across the US.  See below for the latest study:

Home rise for third consecutive month in May

Home prices nationwide, including distressed sales, increased 2 percent on a year-over-year basis in May 2012 compared with May 2011, according to CoreLogic’s May Home Price Index report.  On a month-over-month basis, home prices, including distressed sales, also increased 1.8 percent in May 2012 compared with April 2012. The May 2012 figures mark the third consecutive increase in home prices nationwide on both a year-over-year and month-over-month basis.

Excluding distressed sales, home prices nationwide increased 2.7 percent on a year-over-year basis in May 2012 compared with May 2011. On a month-over-month basis excluding distressed sales, the CoreLogic HPI indicates home prices increased 2.3 percent in May 2012 compared with April 2012, the fourth month-over-month increase in a row. Distressed sales include short sales and real estate owned (REO) transactions.

More info

If now is the time for you to purchase a home in Palm Springs either as a primary residence, vacation home or rental property, give us a call a The Paul Kaplan Group.  We’ll be happy to discuss our current market conditions and assist you with makig a smart real estate investment in Palm Springs.  760-285-8559

Déjà Vu Vintage Finery will celebrate its grand opening by hosting a fashion show on February 16, 2012 to kick off The Palm Springs Modernism Week. The theme is “Jet Set Style-Mid Century Fashion,” with looks inspired by early historic Palm Springs hotspots such as the Racquet Club, The Chi Chi Club and other haunts of Palm Springs illustrious star-studded past. The evening features a silent auction of vintage clothing, purses, and accessories .  A pop-up store at The Ace Hotel will make many of our fabulous designer fashions available throughout the weekend. Proceeds from the event will benefit The Palm Springs Preservation Foundation.

The event will take place at The Ace Hotel & Swim Club at 701 East Palm Canyon Drive Palm Springs 2/16/2011 at 7:00PM.
Tickets are $20.00 and available for purchase on the website www.dejavuroom.com or by calling Déjà Vu Vintage Finery 760.699.5365

The real estate market in Palm Springs is heating up again.  At The Paul Kaplan Group, we had the best December in years, selling over 14 homes in December, which is normally the slowest month of the year.

The California Association of Realtors posted the following press release-  California home sales rise in December, posting 11-month sales high, C.A.R. reports

LOS ANGELES (Jan. 17) – California home sales rose for the third consecutive
month in December, marking the highest level since January 2011, according to
data from the CALIFORNIA ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS® (C.A.R.).  Sales also were up
from a year ago, marking the sixth consecutive annual increase.

“With the economy slowly improving, home buyers – investors and first-time
buyers alike – took advantage of affordable  interest rates and made a push to
close escrow by the end of year,” said C.A.R. President LeFrancis Arnold.
“Robust sales over the past few months signal the housing market is treading
above water on its own in the first full year without the government stimulus
that has helped housing in the last couple of years.”

Closed escrow sales of existing, single-family detached homes in California
totaled a seasonally adjusted annualized rate of 520,940 in December, according
to information collected by C.A.R. from more than 90 local REALTOR® associations
and MLSs statewide.  December’s sales were up 3.3 percent from November’s
revised pace of 504,420 and were up 0.1 percent from the revised 520,330 sales
pace recorded in December 2010.  The statewide sales figure represents what
would be the total number of homes sold during 2011 if sales maintained the
December pace throughout the year.  It is adjusted to account for seasonal
factors that typically influence home sales.

The statewide median price of an existing, single-family detached home posted
its second consecutive monthly gain, increasing 1.8 percent to $285,920 in
December, up from a revised $280,960 in November.  However, the median price was
down 6.2 percent from the revised $304,770 median price recorded in December
2010.

“Fourth quarter sales were stronger than we expected, thanks to recent
improving consumer confidence and an economy that’s slowly showing signs of
growth.  As a result, sales came in slightly above our fall projection,” said
C.A.R. Vice President and Chief Economist Leslie Appleton-Young.  “For 2011 as a
whole, sales reached a preliminary 497,860 homes sold statewide, up 1.1 percent
from the 492,290 homes sold in 2010.  However, the statewide median price
declined 6.3 percent for the year, to reach a preliminary $285,950, down from
the revised $305,010 recorded in 2010.

“Home prices are stabilizing for the distressed market, where we see robust
demand, but we continue to see downward pressure on home prices in some higher
end markets,” said Appleton-Young.

Other key facts of C.A.R.’s December 2011 resale housing report include:

• Housing inventory remains tight throughout California, with the Unsold
  Inventory Index for existing, single-family detached homes declining to 4.2
  months in December, down from 5.0 months in November and down from a 5.0-month
  supply in December 2010.  The index indicates the number of months needed to
  deplete the supply of homes on the market at the current sales rate.
• Thirty-year fixed-mortgage interest rates averaged 3.96 percent during
  December 2011, down from 4.71 percent in December 2010, according to Freddie
  Mac.  Adjustable-mortgage interest rates averaged 2.79 percent in December 2011,
  compared with 3.31 percent in December 2010.
• The median number of days it took to sell a single-family home edged up to
  58.7 days in December 2011, compared with a revised 58.0 days for the same
  period a year ago.

For more information on Palm Springs real estate, visit www.PaulKaplanGroup.com

Modernism Week is an exciting 11-day celebration of mid-century modern design, real estate,  architecture, and culture in Palm Springs, California.  February 6-16, 2012

 This design aesthetic originated in the 1940s, 50s, and 60s, and was typified by clean, simple lines which came to define desert modernism.

Modernism Week is filled with a variety of events including architectural tours, films, lectures, an architectural symposium, educational events, and chic, fun parties in cool mid-century modern homes and boutique hotels.

The Paul Kaplan Group has been an active sponsor and participant of Modernism Week over the years.  This year, we’ll be hosting our Mid-Century Real Estate  information booth again at the Modernism Show at the Palm Springs Convention Center:

$15

10 AM-6 PM, Saturday, February 18 & 19th

After selling Real Estate for over a decade now in Palm Springs, every once in a while I’m delighted to see new funky never-before-seen listings like this….  As most know, Palm Springs is known for the Rat Pack night club era, and its plethora of mid-century and modern architecture, but the rare treats are properties such as this gem, known as the “Versailles of the Desert.”  Located in the posh Movie Colony neighborhood near downtown Palm Springs, this crazy kitschy home was just listed for $1,100,000

Here’s the agent description:

“An authentic Rat Pack home featured in Palm Springs Life magazine as the Versailles in the Desert. This is one of the largest homes on one of the choicest corner lots in the Movie Colony. First time on the market in 35 years, this property now needs a major upgrade to bring it to its new heights of excellence. The main house features 3 bedrooms, a huge walk in closet, 3 baths, large living room and salon, screening/TV room, formal dining room, sitting room with bar, small chapel, dinette overlooking the pool and kitchen. Additional structures (some unpermitted) include a carport; guest house consisting of a foyer, living room, bedroom, bathroom and kitchen; a large enclosed gazebo; and a storage shed. Magnificent mountain views surround this enchanted property with its pool/spa, covered patio, rose garden, fountain, and a multitude of palms, fruit trees and other plants.”

The homes four bedrooms, and some over the top baths, as you can see from the pics.    Over 4,000 Square feet on a lot that’s over 17,000 SF.

Check out the mini-Hearst Castle inspired pool  Do you love it?

All this can be yours.  Are you glamorous enough to own this?  (I can’t wait for the Broker’s Open house myself!)  Oh, and did you see it has its own Chapel here too??  Wonder what other stories those walls can tell…

For more info, call me at 760-459-1396.

or visit my site www.MidCenturyModernPS.com

Listing is courtesy of the Desert Area MLS, listed by Tarbell.

We had a great turnout Saturday night for our One Year Anniversary Party.  It was wonderful seeing so many of our friends and past clients.

After running my own real estate biz since 2002, I decided to form The Paul Kaplan Group in 2010.  All of our Buyer’s Specialists were chosen to join our team, because of their expert customer service, knowledge of Palm Springs real estate, and extensive experience.  Since forming our team, we have sold more homes in Palm Springs in 2011, then any other real estate group in town!  Thank you to all of our wonderful clients as well as our team, for a very successful and fun year.

We were fortunate to be able to host this year’s event  at our latest listing, at 1910 Berne Drive, a spectacular updated mid-century home located in the Racquet Club Estates neighborhood of Palm Springs.  We’re currently scheduling private viewings of the home for anyone that’s interested in seeing it. Just call me at 760-285-8559.

To see more party pictures, please click here.

Special thanks to architect, James R. Harlan who donated a copy of his 2011 Alexander Tribute journal, which high-lights the work of  The Alexander Construction Company in Palm Springs.  (Click here to purchase a copy from the Palm Springs Preservation Foundation).

Other gifts that were raffled off, included gift certificates from Wil Stiles, Trio and Koffi, and items from Not Nuetral, all located in the Uptown Design District.

Thanks to everyone that attended to join us in our first year’s celebration!

To celebrate the Documentation and Conservation of Buildings, Sites and Neighborhoods of the Modern Movement’s (do.co,mo.mo) National Tour Day on October 8 and 9, 2011, PALM SPRINGS MODERNISM WEEK is pleased to offer its most popular event, the Modernism Double Decker Bus Architectural Tour, a fun, open-air, double decker bus tour of Palm Springs’ notable mid-century modern architecture.

The tour is conducted by a guide who is knowledgeable about the local renowned modernist architects and their striking architecture, as well as Palm Springs’ fascinating 90-year history as a glamorous destination and celebrity outpost. The three-hour bus tour focuses on the exteriors of dozens of residential homes and commercial mid-century modern buildings throughout Palm Springs. Participants will learn the history of Palm Springs’ architecture and the celebrated architects that put modernism on the map. As ground zero for mid-century modern architecture, and with the world’s largest concentration of mid-century modern architecture, participants will see why Palm Springs draws modernism aficionados from around the world.

As a bonus, participants will receive free admission to the architecturally-significant Palm Springs Art Museum, designed by the late modernist architect E. Stewart Williams, a 10% discount from the Museum’s gift shop, a complimentary booklet on Class 1 Historic Sites of Palm Springs produced by the Palm Springs Preservation Foundation, and a tour map of modern architecture in Palm Springs from the Palm Springs Modern Committee.
$75

For more tickets, go to: http://www.ticketderby.com/vendor/modernism-week-id-1809