Tahoe Donner
For numerous reasons, Tahoe Donner is prized as one of the best family communities in the entire Truckee Tahoe area. Location, amenities and price make Tahoe Donner a perfect choice for mountain living and recreating.
Where is Tahoe Donner? It’s easy to get to Tahoe Donner. Travelling on I-80, Tahoe Donner is about an hour and a half from Sacramento, a few hours from the Bay Area and less than an hour from Reno. The Reno-Tahoe Airport (RNO) and the Sacramento International Airport (SMF) offer good alternatives for getting to this destination.
What is Tahoe Donner? Tahoe Donner is a 3,300 acre community consisting of 5,948 residential lots divided into 11 different residential units. Approximately 5,100 of these lots have been developed. 1,300 of the total acres of Tahoe Donner land is intermingled between the lots which lends to the open feel of our community. Nature does a fantastic job with a diverse palette of pines, willows and brush; wildflower blanketed meadows; mountain streams; breath-taking views and magnificent snow capped mountains. Elevation in Tahoe Donner ranges from 6,200 feet to an impressive 8,000 feet!
Amenities: The community of Tahoe Donner is entirely owned by the property owners and hosts a complete package of World-Class Recreational Amenities. Currently, Home Owner Association dues are $1300 per year. In addition, a recreation pass can be purchased for $220 (annual fee for a family of 4) and this allows unlimited access to Trout Creek Recreation Center, Northwoods Pool, Beach Club Marina and the Tennis Complex.
- Click here for a map of Tahoe Donner
- Click here for a Tahoe Donner Trail Map
Properties: 20% of the homes belong to primary home owners and the other 80% belong to vacation home owners. Home styles range from warm quaint cabins to sophisticated “rustic” lodges. Tahoe Donner is made up of single family homes, condos, town homes and lots. Prices range from the $125,000 for a lodgette at the Ski Bowl Condos to over $2 million dollars for a custom crafted, sophisticated mountain cabin. Lot prices range from $110,000 to over $500,000 for a lot on the prestigious Tahoe Donner Golf Course. Big, small, simple or luxurious you’ll find what you are looking for in Tahoe Donner.
Click Here for More Tahoe Donner Information
Tahoe Donner® Real Estate Sales: August 2010
September 1, 2010
Tahoe Donner® Real Estate
Single Family Homes Sold - August 2010
Single Family Homes SOLD = 24 (up 84% from last month - 13 sales)
Median List Price = $547,000
Median Sale Price = $525,000
Average Days on Market = 44
YTD TD SF Homes Sold = 127
Active Listings = 159 (down 6% from last month)
| Address | Original Price | Sales Price | Square Feet |
| 15948 Northwoods | $289,900 | $306,000 | 1786 (5 DOM) |
| 12823 Hillside | $295,000 | $295,000 | 953 (3 DOM) |
| 13631 Northwoods | $394,900 | $375,000 | 1785 (162 DOM) |
| 12359 Hillside | $395,950 | $345,000 | 1848 (45 DOM) |
| 15471 Northwoods | $428,000 | $428,000 | 1632 (39 DOM) |
| 11880 Baden | $499,950 | $480,000 | 1400 (60 DOM) |
| 11147 Northwoods | $500,000 | $440,000 | 1860 (27 DOM) |
| 11907 Oslo | $500,000 | $475,000 | 1421 (31 DOM) |
| 11620 Norse | $525,000 | $504,000 | 1728 (16 DOM) |
| 12304 Bennett Flat | $545,000 | $530,000 | 1776 (8 DOM) |
| 12301 Greenleaf | $549,000 | $545,000 | 2040 (10 DOM) |
| 15407 Wolfgang | $549,000 | $525,000 | 1897 (13 DOM) |
| 14329 Hansel | $559,000 | $470,000 | 1732 (69 DOM) |
| 14781 Tyrol | $585,000 | $555,000 | 1969 (57 DOM) |
| 14100 Skiview Loop | $595,000 | $465,000 | 1893 (51 DOM) |
| 12627 Parsenn | $599,000 | $570,000 | 2064 (80DOM) |
| 14267 Pathway | $599,000 | $585,000 | 2049 (11 DOM) |
| 13327 Muhlebach | $625,000 | $615,000 | 1950 (8 DOM) |
| 14979 Swiss | $659,000 | $525,000 | 2132 (62 DOM) |
| 13819 Herringbone | $699,000 | $675,000 | 2299 (36 DOM) |
| 12429 St. Bernard | $769,000 | $705,000 | 2242 (32 DOM) |
| 11422 Mougle | $779,000 | $710,000 | 2924 (124 DOM) |
| 11760 Kitzbuhel | $850,000 | $775,000 | 2425 (0 DOM) |
| 14384 Swiss Lane | $1,150,000 | $1,100,000 | 3386 (18 DOM) |
| *DOM (Days on Market) |
Tahoe Donner® Condos Sold - August 2010
Condos SOLD = 2
Median List Price = $274,000
Median Sale Price = $261,000
Average Days on Market = 27
YTD TD Condos Sold = 29
Active Listings = 28
Tahoe Donner® Lots Sold - August 2010
Lots SOLD = 2
Median List Price = $121,450
Median Sale Price = $102,000
Average Days on Market = 38
YTD TD Lots Sold = 16
Active Listings = 58
(YTD = Year-To-Date)
This is provided as a quick snapshot of the monthly market activity in Tahoe Donner®. Keep in mind, numbers only tell part of the story. We would be happy to share our day-to-day insight
If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!
Notice / Opposition of Tahoe Donner’s Proposed Use of Open Space
August 30, 2010
Recently, the Board at Tahoe Donner has begun making plans to construct a new $3.1 million dollar Forestry Department building. Instead of rebuilding on its current site on Northwoods Boulevard they have proposed four alternative sites. The potential four sites under consideration are: (1) Northwoods Boulevard, next door to the Golf Course Maintenance facility, (2) the land at the end of Alder Creek Road an eighth of a mile beyond the pavement (open space area), (3) Skislope Way, at the green gate trailhead, and (4) Skislope Way, 1,000 feet on Skislope Way above the green gate trailhead.
Tahoe Donner describes this building as: “The Proposed new building would not be a fine finished facility like Trout Creek Recreation Center or The Lodge; rather the finish would be utilitarian, similar to the current Golf Course Maintenance facility.”
The majority of the square footage of the proposed 2 level facility (6,600 square feet) is identified for Forestry operational use, including work bays; large equipment storage; atv, splitter and chipper storage; flammables storage; material storage bins; wood pile and office space including three restrooms (men’s, women’s and unisex), kitchen, conference room and locker room with showers, washer and dryer. The perimeter of the facility will be encompassed by a security fence with sliding metal gates.
Property owners in Tahoe Donner have indicated through a survey conducted by the Tahoe 
Donner Association that open space is the number one most important aspect of Tahoe Donner. The proposed site at the end of Alder Creek is an open space area. For Tahoe Donner to consider building the new Forestry Facility at this location is outrageous. The Alder Creek site is the most used open space in all of Tahoe Donner. It is used year round with cross country ski trails in the winter, hiking, biking and equestrian center uses in the summer. The actual site on Alder Creek is in the center of the most used trail (Lions Leap) within the cross country ski area.
Tahoe Donner’s plan is moving along fast so now is the time to oppose their sprawl into our open spaces. Once they get a project like this in place there may be no stopping the future use and development into these treasured and extremely limited spaces.
Link to Potential Sites
Link to Forestry Building Schematic Elevations
Please join the opposition to the Alder Creek Forestry Project. Reply to SaveTDTrails@hotmail.com with your name and address. We will add your name to the petition to oppose this site. The actual petition wording is included below.
| Petition summary and background | Tahoe Donner is currently considering multiple sites for a proposed NEW $3.1-million Forestry Multi-Use Building. Several sites on this list are not consistent with the current Tahoe Donner General Plan, which supports the preservation of open space, was approved by the board and is a governing document for Tahoe Donner Association. |
| Action petitioned for | We, the undersigned, oppose any proposed site for a new Forestry Multi-Use Building outside of TD’s main corridor, Northwoods Boulevard. We urge the TD Board and management to follow the current General Plan, including site recommendations of the General Plan Committee for forestry and maintenance facilities. We want the TD board and management to know that we adamantly support the preservation of open space and trails and expect the board and management to cluster all maintenance and forestry facilities to avoid encroaching on open space and trails. Clustering and centralization should also be used to minimize the cost and increase the efficiency of remodeling, rebuilding and operating maintenance or forestry facilities. |
If you are so inclined, please forward this email to any other person(s) you feel would be interested in this information.
You can also express your opinion directly to board@tahoedonner.com and forestryproject@tahoedonner.com .
There will be a Tahoe Donner Community Forum meeting at 10:00 AM on September 11, to discuss this site. This meeting will be at the Northwoods Clubhouse. Our strength will come from our numbers so please attend if at all possible.
Tahoe Donner® Real Estate Sales: July 2010
August 2, 2010
Tahoe Donner® Real Estate
Single Family Homes Sold - July 2010
Single Family Homes SOLD = 13 (down 13% from last month – 15 sales)
Median List Price = $509,900
Median Sale Price = $490,000
Average Days on Market = 126
YTD TD SF Homes Sold = 104
Active Listings = 159 (up 19% from last month – more listings to choose from for buyers and more competition for sellers)
| Address | Original Price | Sales Price | Square Feet |
| 12500 Lausanne | $375,000 | $350,000 | 962 (3 DOM) |
| 15534 Northwoods | $415,000 | $380,000 | 1480 (100 DOM) |
| 13644 Hansel | $479,900 | $425,900 | 1584 (50 DOM) |
| 12165 Bernese | $450,000 | $425,000 | 1401 (39 DOM) |
| 13121 Northwoods | $499,000 | $467,500 | 1963 (63 DOM) |
| 13282 Muhlebach | $499,000 | $475,000 | 1469 (34 DOM) |
| 13504 Cristallina | $529,900 | $490,000 | 1564 (28 DOM) |
| 16961 Skislope (REO) | $579,000 | $530,000 | 2648 (30 DOM) |
| 12678 Skislope | $695,000 | $555,000 | 2079 (274 DOM) |
| 11577 Rhineland | $595,000 | $575,000 | 2166 (16 DOM) |
| 13098 Pinnacle Loop | $769,000 | $710,000 | 3569 (50 DOM) |
| 14019 Skislope | $1,050,000 | $895,000 | 3726 (379 DOM) |
| 11835 St. Bernard | $1,425,000 | $1,100,000 | 3993 (570 DOM) |
| *DOM (Days on Market) |
Tahoe Donner® Condos Sold - July 2010
Condos SOLD = 3
Median List Price = $199,900
Median Sale Price = $192,000
Average Days on Market = 126
YTD TD Condos Sold = 27
Active Listings = 32
Tahoe Donner® Lots Sold - July 2010
Lots SOLD = 2
Median List Price = $103,750
Median Sale Price = $97,918
Average Days on Market = 48
YTD TD Lots Sold = 14
Active Listings = 55
(YTD = Year-To-Date)
This is provided as a quick snapshot of the monthly market activity in Tahoe Donner®. Keep in mind, numbers only tell part of the story. We would be happy to share our day-to-day insight
If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!
Tahoe Donner – Look What’s Happening at The Lodge !
June 2, 2010
Deck Opening Party
Don’t miss the annual deck opening party at The Lodge on Friday, June 11. Enjoy a complementary drink with live music from 6 to 9 p.m. and Happy Hour from 4 to 9 p.m. throughout the entire restaurant.
Happy Hour
4 – 6 p.m., Sunday – Friday
25% off entire Pub Menu,
Plus drink specials.
(In Pub Only. Not valid during holiday periods.)
Wild Wednesdays
Enjoy Happy Hour in the Pub all night long, Wednesday nights from 5 p.m. ’till close.
(Last Wild Wednesday of the season is on June 9.)
Music in The Grotto
Free live music in The Grotto, every Wednesday night through August. Begins June 16.
No Corkage Tuesdays
Every Tuesday night The Lodge will waive the corkage fee when you bring in a bottle of wine.
(Not valid during holiday periods.)
Truckee Day
June 2, 2010
Truckee Day is a town-wide street clean up and civic-pride day, taking place on Saturday, June 5 2010. The Tahoe Donner check-in station will be at Snowtech (17356 Northwoods Blvd.) and will open at 8 a.m. Arrive early to pick up your materials and your volunteer tee shirt, and then you will be assigned a section of roadway to clean.
Following the cleanup, there will be a town-wide barbeque and block party starting at noon at the Truckee River Regional Park. This is a great way to spend time with your friends and neighbors while helping the community. For more information, visit www.truckeeday.org.
Buyers – Home Design Considerations !
June 2, 2010
Design Considerations…
It is a big decision for anyone to buy a new home and there are many things to take into consideration, especially when purchasing a home in the mountains. While location and price are major determinants 
in the home buying process, many buyers often overlook other important elements. For example, a house that is great in the summer may not be so great when it’s buried with snow come winter. Following are some of the elements you should know about:
- Basic Home Design
- Lot Topography
- Location
- Materials and Design
In this article we will try to point out some of the features you should seriously consider when buying your mountain home. We want you to thoroughly enjoy your new place and we also want you to make a good investment.
Home Styles
Truckee has a wide range of home styles. We see homes ranging from ranch style homes to A-frames (and variations) to reverse floor plans to luxurious mountain lodges! Following are a few things to think about:
- Ranch Style: While ranch style homes (all one level) can be nice in most locales, in snow country they are not always the best choice. Depending on the snow load, a single level home can easily get
buried in the winter turning your bright and sunny summer chalet into an ice cave in the winter. If you do require a single level home, you should consider the snow load in the neighborhood and the roof angles and materials (see picture). - Reverse Floor Plan: A typical Truckee home or cabin is designed with what we call a reverse floor plan which describes a home with the main living area upstairs and the garage and bedrooms on the ground level. This gets the main living area of the house up out of
the snow and it is also more economical to build. This style home is a good way to accomplish a better view on a flat lot and also is quite common on an up slope lot. - Garages are another consideration for mountain homes. A garage serves many purposes. In the winter, especially, it is nice to park inside a garage and this also makes it easier when your snow removal service comes to remove snow. A garage protects your car from snow shedding from the roof and a garage also gives you a place to store skis, boats, lawn furniture, etc.
Lot Characteristics
Lots come in all shapes and sizes. You should consider all of the following
- Lot Topography
- Location
- Soil, rock, vegetation characteristics (trees and bushes)
- Orientation to the sun
- An up slope lot, which slopes upward from the street, will generally mean the house will have an up slope, sometimes steep, driveway and the view from the house will look out over the street. The entrance to the home will usually require stairs to get to the front door and main living area as the garage is often positioned below the living area. Depending on the steepness of the lot, the usable area to the rear of the house can be confined by the slope. A turn around area in an up slope or down slope driveway can be very helpful in icy conditions. Snow and ice on south facing driveways melts faster than the north facing driveway across the street! It makes a huge difference! Common sense will tell you if the driveway is too steep. Is it a driveway you will want to navigate in the winter when there is snow and ice?
- A down slope lot, which slopes downward from the street, usually allows
entry to the house through the main living area. The driveway can either be down sloping or if it is elevated or bridged, the driveway may actually be flat (see picture). If power lines are a concern for you, they generally have less impact with a down slope lot as most windows will look out to the rear, away from the street. - An advantage of a flat lot, if you build the right house, is that you have easy access to your yard. At our house, where the main living area is on the ground floor, in the summertime we use our deck as an extension of our house and in the winter we snowshoe just as easily. A flat driveway is always easiest for snow removal, and traction when icy.
- The location of your lot/home is also important. It is different for everyone, but the majority of our clients prefer homes on the more interior neighborhood streets vs. the main streets in a subdivision. Locations that get good sunshine are also preferable. Check out the orientation to the sun.
- Take a look at the soil, rocks and vegetation on your lot. Some people like lots of trees and other prefer more openness.
Materials / Design
The snow in Truckee should definitely be a consideration for the design of a home. Roof lines and type of roofing materials are a big factor in the effect the snow has around the house. Roofs that are angled
towards decks, garage and entry doors and even windows will shed snow in unwanted places. The roofing material is a factor in how much snow will actually slide off the roof. Metal roofs will not hold snow while a composition roof will. For example, a metal roof that angles towards your driveway will shed unwanted snow in front of your garage doors. Windows and doors are susceptible to the same thing (see picture).
Sophisticated roof designs add attractiveness to the home, however, complex roof designs that have valleys and areas where snow can accumulate can be problematic. We find with newer homes, that apply more modern architecture and building techniques, these problems are greatly minimized.
These are just a few things to keep in mind when considering a home in the Tahoe Donner and Truckee area. Remember, not every property will have everything just perfect, so be prepared to be flexible. That upslope or downslope driveway may just get you the view you have been looking for. As your Realtors, we try to point out issues about properties that you are interested in purchasing because, first and foremost, your satisfaction is our priority.
written by: Robbie and Karen Huntoon13200 Oberwald, REDUCED PRICE $525K
May 28, 2010
Views, Views, Views !
Located on Oberwald, this Tahoe Donner home has sweeping views of Mt. Rose, Carson Range and Northstar. Proven floor plan! Open great room with pine vaulted ceiling, free standing gas stove and built in entertainment center; delightful kitchen with tile counter tops, oak floor, garden window and breakfast bar; vaulted ceilings throughout, 2 decks, hot tub, airlock entry, and a huge family room! This place has something for everyone!
- Offered at $575,000, NOW $525,000
- Sweeping mountain viewsof Mt. Rose, Northstar and Carson Range
- 3 bedrooms
- 3 bathrooms
- 2 car garage
- 2010 square feet
- Open Great Room with Free Standing Gas Stove on River Rock Hearth
- Huge Family Room with full bathroom, pine wainscoting.
- Spacious master suite with vaulted ceiling and access to private deck with Hot Tub
- Master bath with tiled counter tops and double sinks, tile floor, large tiled shower with 2 shower heads.
- Delightful kitchen with oak floor, tile counter tops, garden window and breakfast bar.
- Lot dimensions 65′ x 180′
- Greenbelt setting
- Light, bright and cozy
- Enjoy a full spectrum of Tahoe Donner amenities
- Virtual Tour of 13200 Oberwald Way
- Printable Flyer
Defensible Space – An Ounce of Prevention…
May 13, 2010
Things We Can Do To Protect Our Truckee Real Estate
2010 Tahoe Donner defensible space inspections will take place in units 6, 7 and 10. Property owners in these units will be notified by mail of the results of their inspection. If any, deficiencies are reported, owners will be given 45 days to correct them.
Practicing good defensible space is an important part of being a property owner in Tahoe Donner. US Forest Service records show that over the last 35 years over 150 fires burned in or within a two-mile radius of Tahoe Donner. One of the goals of the forestry department is to help property owners bring their properties into compliance with state, local and association fire safety standards. Work completed by individual property owners is key to keeping Tahoe Donner safe from wildfire. In 2007, the Tahoe Donner Board of Directors adopted a four-year program to inspect all properties, both developed and undeveloped, in the association. The first two years of the fire inspection program have been a great success.
Check list of fire safety items around your home -
Residence:
- Pine needles must be removed from the roof of all structures
- Pine needles on the ground must be removed within 10 feet of all structures
- Limbs must be removed from within 10 feet of the chimney
- Chimney must have an approved spark arrestor
- Ten feet of clearance required around the propane tank
- Firewood and lumber must be stacked away from the residence
- The address of the residence must be clearly visible
100-feet or to Property Line:
- All dry, flammable vegetation and woody debris less than 12 inches in diameter must be removed
- Dead and/or beetle infested trees must be removed
- The areas of contiguous brush must be broken up
- Excessively dense tree cover must be thinned
- Remove the lower branches, six feet from the ground, on trees over 12 feet tall. On shorter trees remove the lower branches to 1/2 the height of the tree
- All dead plants or grasses must be cut to a height of six inches or less
Protecting the Forest
In addition to protecting your home, defensible space is also about improving the health of the forest to reduce the threat of fire. The forestry department works to create a healthy forest on the common areas of Tahoe Donner. This is done by:
- Creating and maintaining fuel breaks in strategic areas
- Removing brush and planting trees to establish a forest on the landscape
- Masticating (mowing) brush from around trees to increase the growth of the forest, change the arrangement of fuels and remove ladder fuels (fuels which provide vertical continuity allowing fire to spread up into tree crowns)
- Creating a mosaic of practices to lessen the impacts to the human eye and encourage different wildlife species
- Thinning dense forest stands through commercial logging operations or by hand crews
- Maintaining the seasonal road system in the western portion of Tahoe Donner to lessen erosion and allow access by firefighting crews
If you wish to schedule an appointment for a Forestry Department staff member to check for defensible space on your property and make improvement recommendations, contact the Forestry Department at (530) 587-9432.
If you don’t have time to do the work yourselves, there are many resources that you can hire to get the job done.
Let’s all do what we can to keep our neighborhoods safe. Thank you!
12590 Stockholm, REDUCED TO $424,500
May 13, 2010
This is a fantastic home at an UNBELIEVABLE price!
This is a must see. Don’t wait!
Located on Stockholm, this casual mountain home basks in the sunshine and has peek mountain top views of the Carson Range and Northstar. This home is light & bright, charming and inviting. Features include a free standing wood burning stove on a rock hearth, tile counter tops, pine accents and trim and is tastefully appointed with neutral color carpets and a pleasing interior paint color. Consisting of 1640 square feet, this 3 bedroom home has an “easy-living” open floor plan and a front deck that is drenched in sunshine!
- Offered at $479,000 , NOW – $424,500
- 3 bedrooms; spacious master suite with walk-in closet
- 2 baths
- 2 car garage
- 1640 square feet
- Lot dimensions 90’ x 210’
- Greenbelt setting
- Peek mountain top views of Northstar and the Carson Range
- Open floor plan
- Rock hearth with free standing wood stove
- Newer paint throughout
- Easy access; flat driveway
- Light, bright and cozy
- Landscaping includes watering system
- 50 Gallon Water Heater – new in 2010
- Enjoy a full spectrum of Tahoe Donner amenities
- Virtual Tour of 12590 Stockholm
- Printable Flyer
14828 Skislope, REDUCED PRICE $450K
May 12, 2010
Signature Luxury Lot in Tahoe Donner
Enjoy priceless views from this signature Tahoe Donner lot. Without a doubt this is the best “luxury” VIEW LOT in Tahoe Donner. With a practically flat building envelope; panoramic views of Martis Valley, Northstar and the Sierra Crest; and acres of greenbelt bordering the south and west property lines, this is the best home site in Tahoe Donner. It’s the perfect place to build your dream home and enjoy million dollar views of spectacular Sierra scenery.
- Offered at $520,000, NOW $450,000
- Lot Dimensions: 80′ x 240′ x 134′ x 190′
- Commanding panoramic views of Martis Valley, Northstar and the Sierra Crest
- Greenbelt setting
- Virtual Tour of 14828 Skislope Way
- Printable Flyer
