If you have just moved to the beautiful Palm Springs areas and are buying your home, Foam Bond Corp can help you with your listing or purchase needs for your roof.

We’ve seen our share of tumult in the real estate market, but we’re here to share some sage advice with those of you in the market to buy a new house. If you know real estate history, these “new rules” should sound familiar.

Like the industry itself, the rules of the game change and tend to surface about once in a generation.

Experts such as Wessman Development Vice President Michael Braun understand the cyclical nature of the housing game, the underlying economics, and the reasons that make the Coachella Valley considerably different from other housing markets.

Industry colleagues offer the following rules to optimize your home-investment return when the next great rebound occurs between 2010 and 2012, as Braun predicts it will.

1 — ACT NOW!
We may never again see the deals available now in the Coachella Valley. Developers are completing most projects at a loss. Once this window closes, almost everything will be built without frills. Buyers are already telling builders that that is what they want. It’s back to the 1950s. Braun cautions, “Wise does first what fools do last.”

2 — LET THE SUN SHINE IN
Full- and part-time residents understand the importance of sunshine. Boomers will become the desert’s biggest market and drivers of an early housing recovery, according to Braun and other experts, including Del Webb’s Francine Wallace and Ponderosa Homes’ Cindy Douglas. No more shoveling snow, rainy overcast days, and bone-chilling weather. This group wants golf, tennis, swimming, gardening, and fun with visiting grandkids. They want the California desert.

3 — REMEMBER: LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION
Location is still king of the real estate game. The desert will continue to grow and the cost of gasoline can spike again at any time. “Stay away from the boonies,” Braun warns. The farther out, the more likely there will be repossessions, causing further instability.

4 — THINK SAFETY
Gated communities and neighborhoods with reputations for safety are location pluses,
along with emergency response times.

5 — GO FOR THE GOODIES
Almost everything on the market comes equipped with upgrades and amenities that future developments will not offer as standard. Look for those granite countertops, top-of-the-line appliances, double ovens and extra stove burners, stainless steel sinks, solar heating, tankless water heaters, 24-inch tiles, shutters, custom garage doors, high-SEER air conditioning. Energy-efficient, or green, houses should retain value no matter how long it takes the market to regain its health.

Outside, look for covered patios with built-in barbecues and outdoor fireplaces, as well as pricey native landscaping and designer garage doors.
Clubhouses, walking and riding paths, fitness centers, lap pools, spas, golf courses, and riding trails and stables make up some of today’s competitive lifestyle packages.

6 — GO FORTH AND MULTIPLY
With interest rates at a historic low and property taxes and interest still deductible, think of a step up or a second home as your hedge. Many buyers at Griffin Ranch are plunking down $1 million or more in cash. Manager Rod Dargatz explains these second- and third-time buyers and owners of multiple houses figure that no matter what happens, they will have assets when the market turns around.

7 — THE BOOMER STRATEGY
Boomers who own and want a second home here for eventual retirement have time on their side. Those who buy now can defer the sale of their principal residence until the market changes and there is a better field of qualified buyers. Those who wait a few years could wind up with much less house and possible inflationary costs for upgrades.

8 — BUY AMERICA
The days of buying in Mexico have been temporarily interrupted by drug wars. Still, housing prices there have increased, although cost of living remains less expensive. You can’t get Medicare in Mexico and ex-pats must pay into the Mexican Social Security system to have access to local medical coverage. Emergency care at best can be problematic with complications.

9 — WATCH THE LOONIE
The Coachella Valley market has never looked better for Canadians, whose loonie is the strongest it has ever been against the U.S. dollar. The vacation home has become a doable dream. Canadians cannot obtain U.S. loans, but they can take out a line of credit at home. Eleven percent of all international buyers in the United States are Canadian, and 47 percent pay cash.

10 — FIRST-TIMERS, BE CREATIVE
There is great value for young families entering the market. Interest rates are low, and amenities offerings are high. Look for existing inventory and get in even if it is the smallest house available. Buy close to work; consider the likelihood of another hike in gasoline prices. Smart singles and the “creative class” are co-purchasing condos and larger homes with lots of bedrooms. Many of them offer great separation for privacy and room to conduct business at home.

LET’S GO HOUSE HUNTING!
Here’s a sampling of Coachella Valley developments packed with goodies for a range of desert home buyers.