Doug Balog of KW Luxury Homes by Keller Williams is pleased to announce the completion of the highest-recorded single-family luxury home sale in the Coachella Valley to date. Balog, who represented the buyers in the transaction, has a proven track record of successful real estate transactions that spans more than 30 years in the industry, commented, “We are extremely pleased to have had the opportunity to participate in this transaction and are thrilled to have been able to assist the buyers in finding a home that is not only an excellent investment, but more importantly, they will be delighted with for many years to come.”
The sale, which closed in September of 2011, was listed at $9.75 million and is second only to the sale of the former Blixseth estate, Porcupine Creek, a private golf course, primary residence with four additional guest homes, sold to Oracle co-founder and CEO Larry Ellison earlier this year for $42.9 million. Balog commented, “A sale of this magnitude in the Coachella Valley during the current economic state lends a lot of weight to the theory that the market and the economy is still strong in certain sectors, particularly the luxury home market.”
Located in the The Canyons at Bighorn in the Bighorn Golf Club, this one-of-a-kind estate was designed by the legendary Guy Dreier, whose award-winning designs are known for bridging form with function and merging design with environment, reinforcing Dreier’s philosophy on home design which clearly sets forth the notion of elemental synchronicity. Dreier says, “Each home design is a study in sculptural shapes and organic warm spaces that our clients don’t want to leave.”
And this home is no different.
The 9,798 square foot home sits on an estate sized lot of just under 2.25 acres that features expansive spaces that rise from the magnificent hillside not as a building in conflict with the landscape, but as an organic living space that gracefully rises, falls and dances in concert with its surroundings. The exterior materials are often nearly indistinguishable from the surrounding red earth of the Santa Rosa Mountains that flank the southwestern side of the Coachella Valley. Zen gardens, meditation pools and babbling brooks make a walk through the estate a peaceful delight in nearly every sense.
Dreire’s design strategy isn’t limited to merely the exterior of his homes. The interior and exterior are designed to flow together in an effortless transition from inside to out. Walls are constructed of electronically-driven sliding glass panels that disappear into the hard construction when opened. Organic materials are used to create a grounded feeling of permanence with the Jurassic green granite and limestone counter tops throughout the home, just to name a few.
Panoramic views abound from nearly every room of the home. With four richly-appointed guest suites in addition to an exquisite master suite, their newly-purchased home will be ideal for business gatherings, retreats, or philanthropic events. "The buyers were very impressed with the quality of construction, provided by Stoker Construction, one of the premier builders in the Coachella Valley," added Balog.
Words hardly do the home justice, as they are merely too ephemeral to describe the architectural richness that surrounds. From the moment one crosses the entry, Dreire’s genius is evident: stone walls with spillways and copper fleur, waterfalls that spill down natural rock outcroppings, into Zen pools immediately transport visitors into a more quiet, peaceful place. Inside, the peace flows throughout in the living room, gourmet kitchen, theatre, and private suites. The master bedroom and guest suites feature a plethora of luxury amenities: double-sided fire and ice fireplace with custom seating area and designer headboard with Wenge wood wall treatment, private sun bathing deck, Japanese soaking tub, and a plethora of other luxury amenities. A nearby round office offers panoramic views of the desert clime.
The fortunate buyers of this magnificent estate are entrepreneurs from western Canada who have stakes in enterprises that range from philanthropic endeavors to providing investment capital in automotive and aircraft ventures. About the home, Balog concludes, “This home is a perfect and a uniquely memorable and elegant backdrop for charity events, business meetings, or for intimate gatherings of family and friends, all in the magnificent country club atmosphere of the Bighorn Golf Country Club.”
Doug Balog, Broker Associate of KW Luxury Homes by Keller Williams on El Paseo and Certified Luxury Home Marketing Specialist (CLHMS), is a member of the Who's Who in Luxury Real Estate in over 80 countries and a member of the Desert Estates Network, a consortium of 20 luxury home brokers of high end estate properties in the Coachella Valley.