Landscaping After the 2017 Winter

Landscaping After the 2017 Winter

The snow is slowly melting out here in Tahoe. In some places the grass is peeking through but in other places, snowbanks still tower over head. As the sun shines, it’s time to start thinking about your garden and yard. What does it look like? What kind of maintenance will it need to bounce back from the crushing weight of this winter's snow?

For a professional opinion, I spoke with Brian Connors, owner of Peak Landscaping. Brian has been in the business for 22 years in the Truckee area. Homeowners often rave to me about their experience with Brian and the finished product that you get when working with Peak Landscape exceeds expectations.

Brian had some good insight to share with me on how landscaping can start to recover from the harsh winter. Below is our conversation.
 

Q: How has the snow impacted landscaping in general?

A: Mother nature really put our mountain landscapes to the test this record breaking winter. We have discovered many deciduous trees and shrubs such as Aspen, Maple, crabapple and dogwood have been damaged by snow load and snow storage. Broken branching is very common and a number of trees fell over or were snapped off to the point where they are unsalvageable. Large trees such as pines, fir and cedar were also affected most properties now have broken branches that have broken off but are hung up in the tree. This poses the obvious falling risk along with the wounded tree being more susceptible to bug infestation and disease. There is also a rather large amount of lawn damage from voles and other rodents. On the structural side of things… a number of fences were blown over or damaged by snow load/removal along with endless damage to decks and railing.

Q: What is it going to take to get our landscaping back this year?

A: Spring clean ups will be more intense and the off haul of debris will be more than normal. Some sites will have damage from snow removal pushing earth into the landscape areas or heavy accumulations of road sand. Pruning deciduous trees and shrubs for strength/shape will be a must. Lawns will require additional attention as well. Our typical Spring program includes, thatching, aeration, topdressing, fertilizing and reseeding as needed.


Q: What is your number one recommendation for taking care of your home landscaping this year?

A: Prune deciduous trees and shrubs for strength/shape


Q: What can a home owner expect for the cost of replacement trees/shrubs this year?

A: This is site specific and really depends on past maintenance habits. The landscapes hit the worst were the under maintained/neglected landscapes. I can see some clients with mature landscapes spending $1,000’s to bring things back to par.
 

Q: Have you started landscaping projects in Tahoe yet? When should homeowners start scheduling your services?

A: We started running damage control on trees, etc about a month ago and have been easing into clean up’s the past few weeks as the snow melts. I’m hoping we can start on construction projects around the first of May. With all of the tree damage this winter we decided to purchased a new wood chipper + truck combo and are ramping up for our biggest season ever. I have a feeling all Truckee / Tahoe contractors will be very busy this summer and recommend scheduling services as soon as possible.

Katie Tyler

Realtor®

BRE 01442453

c 530 277 1012 

Tahoe Resort Golf Course Openings

Tahoe Resort Golf Course Openings

Spring is in the air, is golf on your mind? The grounds teams around the area are working hard to get the courses ready for play. Everything from blowing snow off the course to clearing tree debris. This winter has left behind a lot of challenges for the Tahoe golf teams.

To get an idea of what goes into getting the course ready after winter, I spoke with Travis Alley, Director of golf at Tahoe Mountain Club. Alley’s team started the process of getting the course ready to open in the middle of March by actually snowplowing the course. The team would have to plow the cart path in order to get to the greens. This means plowing layers of 5-10 feet of snow to get to the greens. Usually they are battling 2-3 foot snow pack, this year it was more like 10-15 feet.  

It is important for the crews to get down to the greens fast to prevent freeze thaw (the process of thawing in the day and freezing over night) vs. the deep freeze over the winter months that actually preserves the greens. Once the green is uncovered, a tarp is laid out over the green creating a sort of greenhouse effect that stimulates growth. Growing grass this way takes about 4 weeks before the course can open. As for the fairways and the rest of the grounds, it’s just a waiting game until the snow melts.
  

Old Greenwood is in good shape. At Gray’s Crossing, they are using a type of black mulch to sprinkle on the snow that attracts the sun and speeds up the melting process. In the meantime there is plenty to do with massive amounts of tree branches and other debris to clear. 

   Old Greenwood is scheduled to open May 19, 2017, one of the first openings in the area.
We area all excited and ready to hit some golf balls. Below are the scheduled dates for Truckee resort golf courses to open.

Old Greenwood: 5/19/17

Gray’s Crossing: 6/2/17

Martis Camp: 5/25/17

Northstar: 5/26/17

Lahontan: 5/19/16

Tahoe Donner: Mid-June

Katie Tyler

Realtor®

BRE 01442453

c 530 277 1012 

Northstar

Northstar

It all started with the new Village in 2006 at the base of Northstar mountain with 213 condos built over 137,019 sf of retail. At the center, a 9,000 sf ice skating rink in the winter that doubles as roller skating and a concert area in the summer. Later, The Ritz-Carlton, Lake Tahoe opened in 2009 offering the only AAA Five Diamond mountain resort experience in California.
  

The accommodations and high end luxury real estate available to purchase or rent are not the only improvements happening in the last 10 years. On mountain offerings at Northstar have soared to new heights with activities that will make every ski day a unique experience.

There are many perks you can find that don’t cost extra money but will definitely add extra enjoyment. Open the mountain early with Northstar's ski patrol. Sign up and be there by 7:30am for first tracks. At 2pm every day, celebrate another epic day and join Northstar with a champagne toast on the top of the mountain. At the end of the day head down to the Village for complimentary smores around the ice rink. Most days there will also be live music on the Village stage all afternoon.
   

Other options are available to make the day as easy as possible. The Platinum Experience offers options like skipping the lift line, valet parking or exclusive private lessons. The Burton Academy provides a customized experience for each border with the new terrain-based teaching methodology. For an extra special night after skiing sign up for one of The Mountain Table Dinners where a locally sourced dinner is complemented by a winery and set on top of the mountain in Zephyr Lodge. Floor to ceiling windows set the stage for an unforgettable meal.


Click here for an article in The Sacramento Bee reflecting on a Northstar experience.


Though ski season is coming to a close here at Northstar, ski passes for next year are on sale. Northstar continually proves to be the best in the region with all around amenities, services, activities and accommodations.


Click here for a look ahead at Northstar’s Mountain Master Plan for future improvements.

Katie Tyler

Realtor®

BRE 01442453

c 530 277 1012 

2017 Tahoe-Truckee Market Update: Q1

2017 Tahoe-Truckee Market Update

1st Quarter

Real estate in the Truckee-Tahoe region continues to exude optimism with posting a very strong opening quarter to 2017 despite challenges from road closures, power outages and other events created by prolific winter snowfall.

Results from Q1 were remarkably similar to those of the same period in 2016; a year that would become arguably the best ever for property in this region. Median price leapt 14% year over year while total sales trailed by 7% indicative of tight inventory. Year-to-date sales volume totaled nearly $250,000,000 foretelling a 5^th consecutive $1 billion year. 

Luxury sales followed a predictable course as ski resort properties experienced the immediate dividends of near historic snowfall. The Village at Northstar doubled the number of transactions during Q1, 2016 and has nearly equaled the total for the preceding 12 months in just the first quarter of this year. Northstar Mountainside saw explosive growth as its Stellar Townhomes have sold through nearly all available residences with momentum building around other slopeside properties.

Martis Camp sold the last of its 671 developer homesites completed among the more remarkable runs of luxury sales throughout the country in recent times. An additional 9 homes have transacted in Martis Camp during Q1 at an average price of $3,864,642.  

A seasonal outlier during this period was the sale of two lakefront sales on Tahoe’s West Shore. At $13,975,000 and $15,000,000 these represent two of the top ten sales ever recorded on the California side and, but for a $17,500,000 sale in September, 2016, the highest individual transactions since 2014.  In addition to the rare 8-digit pricing of these transaction, completed such transactions, for which land value is paramount, amidst head-height walls of snow is extraordinary. Despite the pendulum having swung dramatically toward newer, amenitized communities in recent years, lakefront property remains the pinnacle of Tahoe homeownership.

Katie Tyler

Realtor®

BRE 01442453

c 530 277 1012 

Truckee Invests in Public Space

Truckee Invests in Public Space

 

In addition to the large investments that the resorts are making to improve the mountains, Truckee is also investing in public spaces such as sidewalks, trails, and community art displays. The town's focus on constantly improving enhances the Truckee experience for locals and visitors alike.

In Historic Downtown Truckee, over the last few years sidewalk expansions have made their way along Donner Pass Road from the Moody’s building all the way to the roundabout just before the HWY 80 overpass. This makes for a much better and safer walking experience to enjoy the retail shops and restaurants, and encourages connectivity. In some aras you will find the walkways open up to sitting areas and gathering spaces. Near Marty's Cafe, there is a life size chess board, and across the street there is an eagle’s nest monument honoring veterans. On the corner of Bridge Street and Donner Pass Road there are plenty of places to sit and watch the activity of downtown. The sidewalk expansions have also allowed for some restaurants to expand their outdoor dining areas.
 

Public art has been an investment and is showing up in Truckee more and more. In Historic Downtown Truckee there are various sculptures and art bike racks. You can’t miss the gigantic bike sculpture by local artist Fred Besch located at the intersection of Donner Pass Road and Spring Street. Another is the railroad tie and rock sculpture that is harder to find, tucked back on Jibboom Street at the new park on the corner of Jibboom Street and Bridge Street.    

For everyone who wants to get outside and enjoy the warm sunshine or the cool crisp air, there are new Class I bikeways popping up all over town. There is a new connection from Historic Downtown Truckee along the Coyote Moon golf course and to entrance of Tahoe Donner. Another new segment has made it’s way into the Martis Valley with plans connect all the way through and to Lake Tahoe. The path now can be accessed directly across from the Hampton Inn and continues through the Northstar side of the Martis Valley about 1 mile. Click here for a map of paved bike trails.

Trails and gathering spaces enhance the experience in any town, and the fact that Truckee has embraced these investments will secure Truckee's place as one of the most desirable mountain towns anywhere.

Katie Tyler

Realtor®

BRE 01442453

c 530 277 1012