Most Expensive Real Estate Sales of 2024 in Greater Palm Springs

PALM SPRINGS

On the Rocks

Sale Price: $8.15 million
Year Built: 1959
Details: 3 beds | 3.5 baths | 2,932 sq. ft.

Palm Springs may have the world’s highest concentration of midcentury modern homes, but listings by legendary architects — two in the case of this property — are considerably rarer.

Hugh Kaptur designed the original 1,000-square-foot bungalow on this ridge-teetering site in the late 1950s. Over the next three decades, Albert Frey followed with a series of upgrades — including a 1974 expansion of  the main house and a 1986 addition of a mirrored pavilion — after moving into his own Frey House II next door in the ’60s.

Stone ramparts give the 2,932-square-foot residence the presence of a palm-flanked citadel, a fortified first impression that belies its devotion to the outdoors. Panoramic terraces feature pools, waterfalls, and verdant gardens. No Frey design would be complete without his signature boulder integration. Unlike Frey House II, anchored by a single rock, this home embraces several.

According to Jeff  Kohl, director of architectural properties for The Agency and the buyer’s rep for the March 2024 sale, the client — an avid collector of designer homes — understood that a pedigreed architect could drive a property’s value 100 to 200 percent above a comparable listing. “For him, it was love at first sight,” Kohl says.

Craig Chorpenning of  Desert Sotheby’s International Realty, who co-listed with Stanfield Real Estate Group agrees: “While luxury markets across the country are having different experiences, homes of provenance in the desert are still highly desirable,” he notes. “Largely, buyers are willing to pay top dollar for something unique to claim as their own.”

DESERT HOT SPRINGS

The 4% Club

Sale Price: $1.14 million
Year Built: 2006
Details: 6 beds | 2.5 baths | 3,656 sq. ft.

On the fringes of   the Coachella Valley, a vacation-rental bonanza awaits — if you can get in. Desert Hot Springs has tightened the reins on short-term rentals, limiting them to just 4 percent of homes and banning rentals within 500 feet of each other. For properties already permitted, the potential is undeniable. This 3,656-square-foot, six-bedroom, Southwest-style estate sits on 2 acres, which equates to space and privacy unheard of  in more saturated rental markets.

“Desert Hot Springs is a gold mine for investors,” says Blair Armstrong of Team Armstrong with Coldwell Banker Realty, who made the sale in November 2024 to an investor with a portfolio of rental properties. “You get these massive homes that can accommodate a lot of people, without the noise complaints or restrictions you get in Palm Springs or Indio.”

Shelly Gorden, owner of Palm Springs-based Gorden Property Management, spearheaded the transformation of the once-worse-for-wear 2006 estate, implementing about $75,000 in upgrades after the sale — new furniture, modernized bathrooms, a total repaint, and spruced-up landscaping complete with bocce ball court and horseshoe pit. “Investors don’t want to overpay, but they also don’t want to do a crazy amount of work either,” says Gorden, who believes that if  the house were flipped today, it could command up to $1.5 million. “They’re looking for numbers that make sense.”

CATHEDRAL CITY

Sister Act

Sale Price: $1.8 million
Year Built: 1999
Details: 5 beds | 5.5 baths | 5,087 sq. ft.

With its history as an artists’ colony, the Cathedral City Cove neighborhood naturally features an eclectic mix of architectural styles, from Spanish Revival to midcentury modern.

Two sisters and their families jointly purchased this traditional-style home in May 2024 to use as a part-time getaway, perhaps drawn to the neighborhood’s cultural cred. After all, bygone Cathedral City Cove residents like painter Agnes Pelton and fashion designer Christina Lillian helped shape the desert’s art scene.

It might have also been the home’s exceptional location that sealed the deal — set back from the street for added privacy and shielded by the Santa Rosa Mountains from the tempestuous Santa Ana winds.

“The Cove is not a conformist neighborhood, so it draws a lot of people who don’t want a cookie-cutter style,” says listing  agent Geoff  McIntosh of  Coldwell Banker. But even with its five en suite bedrooms, five fireplaces, guest casita, outdoor lounge, and swimming pool, the 25-year-old residence sat on the market for three months.

“Real estate can get ripe,” McIntosh says. “You can suddenly go from ‘Why hasn’t this sold?’ to ‘Oh, so now everybody wants it?’ ” In the end, one feature towered above the rest. “The northern view of the San Bernardino Mountains spanning the Coachella Valley is the most spectacular part of  the house.”

RANCHO MIRAGE

The Powelson Principle

Sale Price: $5.595 million
Year Built: 1959
Details: 4 beds | 4.5 baths | 3,100 sq. ft.

T he 1959 Goldstein House, one of three homes at Tamarisk Country Club designed by Val Powelson — including the famous Sputnik House — remained in the same family for 65 years until May 2024, when a celebrity couple triumphed in a bidding war for the modernist masterpiece adjacent to the golf course. A gut renovation by Studio Veren modernized the home with energy-efficient systems and revamped interiors, including four en suite bedrooms and a custom kitchen. Still, the signature Powelson elements endure: strong geometries, deep cantilevers, and continuums of glass offering uninterrupted fairway-to-mountain views.

With its seamless indoor-outdoor flow — highlighted by interiors that wrap around a floating fireplace and outdoor spaces anchored by a uniquely shaped pool — it’s easy to see why this home counted Frank Sinatra, Arnold Palmer, and the Marx Brothers among its guests.

“More and more, buyers want these heritage homes to be move-in ready — thoughtfully updated without losing their soul,” says listing agent Jeff Kohl of The Agency. With the new owners purchasing the house fully furnished and benefiting  from  its  status as one of  the only gated properties on the street, grandfathered in before zoning changes, it’s poised to entertain a new generation of  household names.

“This was one of the best midcentury homes to hit the market in years,” Kohl says, “meticulously restored and yet every bit an original.”

PALM DESERT

Geometry on the Green

Sale Price: $14 million
Year Built: 2024
Details: 6 beds | 6.5 baths | 10,318 sq. ft.

Palm Desert’s Bighorn Golf  Club, established in 1991 in the foothills of the Santa Rosa Mountains, has long attracted high-profile buyers, including Kurt Russell and Goldie Hawn and the late Ocean’s Eleven producer Jerry Weintraub. In December 2024, this 10,318-square-foot home — reflecting Bighorn’s fondness for modern silhouettes and tech innovation — sold to a buyer who had transferred his previous BIGHORN residence to family.

Located on the Canyons course, one of two 18-hole spreads in the community, the six-bedroom, fully automated house unfolds in jaunty angles, expansive portals, and generous flows of fresh air — all the better, says BIGHORN sales associate Jacquie Burns, to take in the showstopping view. “The back of the house has a view of the infinity pool, the lake on the green, the fourth fairway, and the mountain range beyond.”

Through the glass pivot entry, the home opens to a dramatic great room with floor-to-ceiling windows, a chef’s kitchen with quartz countertops, a dining area, and an indoor-outdoor wet bar. The primary wing includes a spa-like bath and generous walk-in closets, while two guest wings — one detached — offer lounges and secluded patios. There’s also a movie theater with a popcorn machine.

Outdoors, a sleek pool and spa anchor the landscaped yard, joined by a fire pit, fireplace, and entertainment zone with southern exposure.  An elevator, solar panels, and a four-car garage plus golf cart bays round out the design.

While the new build was short of BIGHORN’s sales record — that title belongs to a $42 million residence with curved copper roofs, asymmetrical walls, and shark tanks that sold in November 2021 — it speaks to the community’s growing demand for contemporary over traditional. “People were wowed by how the house was so integrated into the environment,” Burns says. “Pure first impression.”

INDIAN WELLS

The Compound Effect

Sale Price: $11 million
Year Built: 2020
Details: 5 beds | 4 baths, 4 powder rooms | 8,457 sq. ft.

T his November sale reads like a page from the high rollers’ playbook: Out-of-towners, expanding their vacation-property portfolio, snapped up this Santa Barbara–style Mediterranean estate at The Reserve —  the ultra-exclusive golf club community spanning 700 acres at the base of the Santa Rosa Mountains — sight unseen. “They didn’t even walk through the house until the day of  closing,” says listing agent Valery Neuman of Compass.

Built in 2020, the property features five bedrooms, including a primary wing and a guesthouse, with creature comforts like a 10-car collector’s garage and a private courtyard that channels the tranquility of a Tuscan monastery. But for all of  its 8,457 square feet, warmth and intimacy prevail, thanks to cathedral-style wood-beamed ceilings and romantic stone elements, including grand fireplaces and beautiful archways that provide a graceful threshold between indoors and out.

According to Neuman, properties like this — spacious family compounds accommodating the inner circle for extended stays — are pulling people in for longer seasons. “It’s no longer just about a few months of golf,” Neuman says. “People are drawn to the full lifestyle of the area — the fine arts, Modernism Week, Fashion Week El Paseo, the international tennis tournaments — and we’re seeing them spend more time here than ever.”

LA QUINTA

Going Steady

Sale Price: $21.35 million
Year Built: 2023
Details: 8 beds | 9 baths, 4 powder rooms | 17,398 sq. ft.

It’s not Malibu — it’s The Madison Club. But this 17,398-square-foot contemporary estate could fool you, with stacked terraces, sprawling patios, and walls of glass framing panoramic views — all the hallmarks of  a high-design coastal compound, minus the Pacific.

Built in 2023, the residence serves a modern take on desert living at a grand scale. As with many sanctuaries at this price point, this listing essentially includes a second house: a three-bedroom detached guesthouse with its  own courtyard pool.

Positioned on the seventh fairway of the Tom Fazio–designed golf course, the main home’s  zero-edge pool and spa provide front-row views of  the rolling  greens and mountains beyond. Inside, amenities like a home theater, temperature-controlled wine room, and expansive bar make entertaining a breeze. Though clubhouse offerings might be just the thing to draw you out: a private day spa, fitness center with programming like aerial yoga and battle ropes, sumptuous dining, a world-class golf performance studio, and even a beehive for  on-site honey production.

The Madison Club has become the desert’s not-so-secret playground for young Hollywood — with the Kardashians, Jenners, and Justin and Hailey Bieber among those who claim it as a second home. True to form, the club keeps a low profile to ensure comfortable anonymity for owners. (Listing photos aren’t distributed outside the MLS, so this writeup gets an illustration.)

While trophy properties in some markets fluctuate with shifting demand, The Madison Club’s consistently high valuations, and recent sales toying with the $30 million mark, suggest long-term stability. Within this 500-acre refuge, value is holding strong, and perhaps climbing, as investments here reflect both a luxury lifestyle and a bet about market longevity. No ocean vista required.

INIDO

Camera Ready

Sale Price: $4.5 million
Year Built: 2002
Details: 9 beds | 9 baths | 4,397 sq. ft.

If ever there were a property in Greater Palm Springs uniquely suited for reality TV — Big Brother: Coachella, perhaps — this estate near the Empire Polo Club would be it. Investor Darren Moon of Pacific Moon Real Estate calls it “a house so fun no one would ever want to leave,” and the numbers back him up. Originally built in 2002, the home underwent a major refresh in 2023, reimagining its 1.48-acre lot with a $2 million backyard makeover by Santa Ana–based Foxterra Design.

The nine-bedroom, nine-bathroom property includes a bunk room stacked with eight queen beds — festival squad approved. But the real scene-stealer, according to Moon, is the longest private lazy river in the Coachella Valley, snaking past two palm-dotted islands. One features a 20-person spa inspired by a cenote.

Pickleball, mini golf, a movie theater with an old-school popcorn maker — it’s a fully loaded playground for group getaways. Since its renovation, the property has grossed approximately $1.25 million in annual rental income — about 27 times the average yearly earnings for a short-term rental in Indio, according to data analyst AirDNA. At  that rate, it won’t  be long before this top seller pays for itself.

COACHELLA

The Big Payoff

Sale Price: $825,000
Year Built: 2020
Details: 6 beds | 4 baths | 2,798 sq. ft.

In this tale of two sales in Pulte Homes’ Valencia development, one upgraded property had a clear edge.

Built in 2020 with six bedrooms and four baths, the home came with standout features: a resort-style pool and spa, bocce ball court, putting green, and covered patio. The enhancements helped it command a record price within the community — $347 per square foot, comfortably exceeding Coachella’s $295 average. Just down the street, a nearly identical home built in 2021 but lacking these amenities sold for roughly half as much. Vacation-rental demand plays a role here. “The city of Coachella is very cooperative with short-term vacation rentals,” says listing agent Rachel Wills of Vista Sotheby’s International Realty. And with no HOA, the home avoids restrictions imposed on other valley communities.

Buyer tours had to be squeezed between bookings, showing demand. “That was a selling  point,” Wills notes. “It was well curated — perfect for the next investor to come in there.”