Who would have thought 30 or so years ago that the Coachella Valley would become one of the premier spectator sport destinations in the country? Certainly, the folks behind the Indian Wells Tennis Garden had an inkling when it was completed in March 2000. Attendance at this year’s BNP Paribas Open tournament set a record at 504,286 fans. The Coachella Valley Firebirds brought in 254,058 fans during 32 home games in their first season (2023 to 2024) and 138,053 fans during their 16 post-season games.
These numbers pale in comparison with the Valley’s most popular spectator sport: real estate. Everybody does it; even those who are perfectly happy with their home and living situation can’t help perusing listings from online real estate sites that somehow manage to find their way into their in-boxes. When prices skyrocketed, there was a certain “traffic wreck” fascination with seeing homes double in price over the course of several months. But, I feel the driving force behind our obsession with the local real estate market is due to the sheer variety of properties here.
Whether you are a fan of mid-century modern homes, old Spanish Revivals, contemporary Mediterraneans, ranches, Tiki-themed condos, or mind-blowing modern estates, an abundance of fascinating properties is available wherever you look. In this issue, we plucked one unique home from each of the nine cities in the Valley to give readers a taste of what’s on the market currently. They’re not the most expensive or architecturally significant houses, but we think you’ll agree that they don’t lack interest.
Over 4,000 agents in the Valley dealt properties to the tune of $4.6 trillion last year, according to the California Desert Association of REALTORS. The median price for a home in the Valley was up 2.3% in February 2025, year-over-year, to $599,000. Depending upon the source, the median home price in Palm Springs is around $672,000, though some sources say the average price for a detached home in the city is actually $1.2 million. In our Retreats section, we ask realtor Chase Owens to find the best house possible for the latter price. Not surprisingly, he had one at his fingertips. Take a look … it’s what spectator sports are for.
