The Ranch Mirage real estate market, found in the Coachella Valley, showed strong signs of improvement along with the larger economy of the region. According to a May 30, 2010 report from KPSP News, “If you’re trying to sell a home or condo in the valley there is some good news. Compared to the same time period last year home prices are up quite a bit…According to a report just released from the Palm Springs Regional Association of Realtors, the median home price in the Coachella Valley rose 31% in April, compared to the same time last year.” The piece by Jackie Pedroza continued to say that “The median price jumped from $150-thousand dollars to more than $190-thousand dollars…Currently across the valley, there are around 5 thousand active listing for homes and condos. Of those 40 percent are priced at or below 300-thosuand dollars.”

The average price of a Ranch Mirage home sale along with the rest of the Coachella Valley rallied substantially, according to the California Desert Association of Realtors. According to a May 18, 2010 article in the Desert Sun, “In another sign of a recovering real estate market, the average home price in the Coachella Valley rose 16 percent in the past 12 months to $266,146, the California Desert Association of Realtors reported today.” The piece, submitted by John Hussar, went on to note that “By comparison, the average sales price for the first quarter was $290,952, up from $250,864 in the first quarter of 2009, according to an analysis by Real Data Strategies, which provides in-depth reports for the California Desert Association of Realtors. However, the average sales price in the first quarter of 2008 was $486,694.”

The apparent recovery of the Ranch Mirage housing market reflected a larger trend in the Coachella Valley economy. According to a June 6, 2010 article from the Desert Sun, “For the first time since 2007, The Desert Sun’s quarterly index of leading Coachella Valley economic indicators shot up 9 points from some of the lowest marks in its history to 95.5. Hitting 100 is the tipping point for job growth.”

Though located in California, one of the hardest hit states in the country, Pleasanton real estate has managed to hang on without falling off the real estate cliff. Recent numbers are encouraging, suggesting this Bay Area city may be on its way to climbing out of the real estate market plunge as sales volume is up and buyers are flocking back to this market in search of a good deal for investment.

According to data from The San Francisco Chronicle, sales in Pleasanton in August were up in both of the city’s ZIP codes, by 14.6% and 26.5% from figures reported in August 2008. Median prices were $761,000 and $557,000. Though those represented slight price declines, sales volume has been up recently.

Local real estate broker Angela Manatt reports that real estate in Pleasanton is now in a buyer’s market, as prices in the area are down from 10% to 30% from their peaks, but sales volume was up in September for the fourth month in row, suggesting there are many buyers out there actively seeking homes on the market.  Fellow realtor Sheila Cunha reports that the average number of days on the market for a Pleasanton home is just 43, a very low figure when compared with some current national averages.

According to data from Zillow made available on Yahoo! Real Estate, in mid-October 2009, there were almost 260 homes for sale in Pleasanton. Those homes had a median price of just under $900,000, a slight increase of just 0.1% from September prices. There was just one new home for sale, but more than 270 foreclosed homes also graced the market. These bank-owned homes are selling for a median price of just over $540,000, a fall of 3.3% from September figures.