We are grateful for our advertisers. Become one today
Friday, July 31 | ☀️ 110°/82°
TGIF, everyone, where we hope you’re as cool as you can be as we ride out these intense temperatures. We’ll be riding them out elsewhere for the next week, as we take our annual one-week summer break. Kendall is off to a family reunion in the Midwest and Mark is headed to the Central Coast. We’ll be back online on Aug. 10 and back in your inbox on Friday, Aug. 14!
🎶 Setting the mood: "Vacation" by The Go-Go’s
Leading Off
An aerial view of a Palm Desert neighborhood. (Photo: Shutterstock/The Desert Photo)
Palm Desert home prices dip as valley market rebalances
Home prices fell across the Coachella Valley in the latest housing data, with Palm Desert and the region overall posting year-over-year declines in both detached and attached properties. The figures come from the Greater Palm Springs Realtors' Desert Housing Report.
Driving the news: The median price for an average-sized detached home in Palm Desert fell 5% year-over-year to $692,000, while attached home prices dropped 0.6% to $512,000, the report found.
Valley-wide, detached home prices fell 5.2% to $654,000, and attached prices declined 2.2% to $455,000.
By the numbers: Every valley city recorded a year-over-year drop in detached home prices, ranging from 0.6% in Bermuda Dunes to nearly 8% in Coachella.
Attached home prices showed wider swings, from a nearly 25% increase in Indian Wells to a 45% drop in Desert Hot Springs.
Sales activity: Palm Desert logged the most sales in the valley, 166, over the three-month period ending in June — up 20 from 2025, though still about 23% below average.
Inventory: Palm Desert had 665 homes on the market at the start of the month, down 29 from a year earlier. Valley-wide inventory fell almost 11% to 2,965 units.
The report concluded the market is shifting toward a more balanced state that favors neither buyers nor sellers.
Bottom line: Homes are selling at a slightly higher discount this year, and a smaller share are selling above list price. Palm Desert homes sold in an average of 54 days in June, up from 52 days last year, compared with the valley median of 51 days.
Briefly
A city commission voted Tuesday to allow the restaurant sign on the left to return to a spot near Marriott’s Shadow Ridge off Monterey Avenue. A second sign on another empty pedestal was also approved.
🍕 Removed Giuseppe's sign gets OK to return
The Palm Desert Architectural Review Commission voted 5-1 Tuesday to approve two monument signs for Giuseppe's Restaurant and Pizzeria on Monterey Avenue, months after the signs were installed without a permit and later ordered removed. Commissioner George Garcia cast the dissenting vote.
The signs, non-illuminated and double-sided, will sit on existing sign bases at 9002 Shadow Ridge Road. Owner Joe Funkey said the sign stood for about five months before the city ordered its removal following a complaint, and that Marriott Shadow Ridge, the property owner, took it down once told no permit had been filed. Commissioners also found the as-built sign didn't match submitted design drawings.
Details: The restaurant reused a monument structure that previously advertised Marriott Shadow Ridge and had stood vacant since the Grill closed in March 2020. Garcia asked that the correct sign version be included in the meeting packet before the vote.
📅 Featured Events
MULTIPLE DAYS
Observatory Public Exploration Night at 9 p.m.
TODAY
Tortoise Chat at Santa Rosa and San Jacinto Mountains National Monument at 8:30 a.m.
Lymphatic Flow: Sound and Vibration Experience at MyoKinetix Holistic Wellness Studio at 6 p.m. ($39–$55)
SATURDAY
Self Defense for Women at Civic Center Park at 10 a.m. ($40–$50)
Don't Die Today: Desert Safety Seminar at REI Rancho Mirage at 11 a.m. ($17)
Rat Pack Duo at Hotel Paseo at 6 p.m.
MONDAY
Tai Chi For Your Health at Civic Center Park at 12 p.m. ($57–$67)
TUESDAY
August Wine Club Pick Up & Tasting at La Fe Wine Bar all day
Palm Desert Parks and Recreation Committee at City Hall at 8:30 a.m.
Career Coach at Palm Desert Library at 10 a.m.
K9 Nose Work, Basic to Intermediate at Portola Community Center at 10 a.m. ($150–$170)
Chinese Mahjong at Palm Desert Library at 1 p.m.
Happy Hour Hangout 2026 at Porta Via Palm Desert at 4:30 p.m.
WEDNESDAY
Poet's Oasis Summer Sessions at Palm Desert Library at 1 p.m.
LGBTQ+ Youth Hangout Palm Desert at Portola Community Center at 4:30 p.m.
Beginning Guitar at Civic Center Park at 6 p.m. ($80)
THURSDAY
Board Game Night at The Dragon Den at 5 p.m. ($10–$20)
✨ And Finally …
The intersection of Monterey Avenue and Gerald Ford Drive. (Image: Google Maps)
Motorists on Monterey Avenue should brace for some bumps ahead — literally — as Palm Desert kicks off a major roadway overhaul next month.
Driving the news: The city will begin roadway and intersection improvements along Monterey Avenue on Monday (Aug. 3), with the project expected to run through mid-October.
Construction, handled by LC Paving, will focus on rehabilitating the aging road surface along with curbs, sidewalks, crosswalks, and traffic signals.
Where it's happening: Work will mostly hit the northbound lanes between Gerald Ford Drive and the Interstate 10 overpass, though the stretch between Dinah Shore Drive and Interstate 10 will see both directions affected.
What to expect: Drivers and nearby businesses should prepare for temporary lane closures, shifting traffic patterns, and the occasional taste of nighttime construction noise.
Business and driveway access will be maintained whenever possible, though intermittent changes may occur.
Worth noting: Schedules and closures could shift based on weather and field conditions, so patience — and maybe an alternate route or two — will go a long way.
For updates, visit engagepalmdesert.com/streets.
In Case You Missed it
Recently published stories
WORK WITH US
Our network of publications has nearly 50,000 email subscribers and we send 125,000 newsletters each week! That gives advertisers unmatched reach to engaged local readers across the Coachella Valley. Click the button below to learn more or receive our rate card.
EXPLORE & SUBSCRIBE
We deliver free news to communities throughout the Coachella Valley and a roundup on Saturdays. Click below to subscribe to our other newsletters!