Here's the kicker. The skiing's been great. Especially for an old sod whose new hips and lots of borrowed gear, thanks John Armstrong, prompted a return to the slopes after a 3 decade layoff. That's me on the groomers avoiding traffic, avoiding the stares that seem to insinuate, "You're going to need that helmet, pal". Struggling to sort out the modern shape of skiing. The 167 cm rockets lashed to my borrowed boots. These are not your 203 Rossi's.We're already looking forward to what comes next. Shaking off the dry memories. Giving up on making the 342 inch average of the last 40 years. No, that's a goner. April and May together rarely produce 40 inches. Moving on.
They say an El Niño is building in the Pacific. That warm ocean expanse responsible for many wet winters along the west coast. Could be a big one like 1997-98 when the ski area picked up 450 inches. Reading the fine print the odds are still even. Fifty-fifty. More inspiring than the usual 33% chance of an El Niño. But hardly a certainty.
Real estate sales suffered from the dry conditions, too. 19 homes changed hands in the first quarter of this year. $15,677,000 worth. Two were REO's; one a short sale. The median price was $725,000.
That compares with 22 homes sold in last year's first quarter with a median sales price of $562,500. 4 were REO's and 5 were short sales.
2014's first quarter saw 54 condominiums sold for a total value of $19,244,250 at a median price of $298,000. Not one was an REO; just 3 were short sales. In the opening quarter of 2013, 73 condos sold at a median of $272,000. 11 were bank owned; 9 were short sales.
Despite the uptick in median prices Mammoth's real estate remains a great value, still 35-45% below the 2006 peaks.
