Identyfying great opportunities that have built in equity and are below reproduction costs are my speciality. With that in mind, there is one property in La Quinta that meets the aforementioned criteria: Lowest priced custom home in The Hideaway! Designed by renowned Montecito Architect, Bob Easton. Located on the 9th hole of the Pete Dye Course, the home 3 bedroom suites, plus bonus/office room, three and a half baths, a 2 car garage plus golf cart, large private backyard with private pool and spa. Amongst its many custom features are french limestone countertops, Water works plumbing, antique hand painted tiles and much more. Great room -dinning room concept, cooks delight kitchen with Wolf and Sub Zero appliances.Seller wants to purchase a new home and wants to make a deal now. $1,649,000.00. Courtesy Windermere P. Jacobs

The National Association of Realtors® has been reporting some great news recently regarding most aspects of home selling and buying. One issue that seems to still have it's share of hurdles is ensuring the home appraises properly. Lawrence Yun, NAR chief economist, said there has been a steady level of appraisal issues for quite some time. “Though the real estate recovery is taking place, the combined issues of stringent mortgage lending requirements and appraisal frictions are hampering otherwise qualified buyers from purchasing a home in a timely fashion, and in some cases are preventing them from buying at all,” he said. There are things both sellers and buyers can do if their appraisal comes back at less than they had expected. If you are the seller, first of all, look for errors in the appraisal report that might have led to a low valuation. ALWAYS try to use a certified appraiser who is familiar with your area and the market. Check for errors - Make sure he or she recorded the correct square footage of the property, the right number of rooms and any upgrades that might boost the value of your home. You can also request that the appraiser reconsiders his or her evaluation if you think it does not accurately reflect the value of your property. One of the reasons for home's appraising lower is that some appraisers may use short sales and foreclosures when making comparisons for valuation purposes, and the low prices of these properties could have hurt your home's appraisal. Always ask for a second appraisal, especially if the first one was done by an out-of-town appraiser who wasn't familiar with the market. Pay for your own appraisal and, if the valuation is higher, use it to contest the first appraisal. To find a certified appraiser, visit the Appraisal Institute's website. Buyers can help the process by trying to renegotiate the price if you don't have the cash to cover the difference between what the bank is willing to lend and the negotiated price. Ask for another appraisal if the seller won't agree to a lower price. Ask the new appraiser not to include any foreclosures or short sales in his list of comparable properties. According to NAR, "The appraisal industry has made strides in adapting to market conditions, expanding education and making appropriate adjustments for distressed homes that are used as comps. It appears many of the remaining problems are tied to appraisals made through AMCs.Fortunately, the level of distressed sales is trending down – they accounted for about one-third of all sales in 2011, but have averaged roughly a quarter of sales in recent months. By 2013 NAR expects the distressed market share to decline to about 10 to 15 percent. As distressed inventory is cleared from the market over the next two years, it should help to correct ongoing problems. “In the meantime, buyers, sellers and real estate agents need to be aware that there are problems with some real estate appraisals, but also be aware of their rights to communicate with appraisers and lenders about errors or concerns with individual valuations,” Veissi said. “In some cases, a second appraisal may be justified.”