Buying a home
How I help you buy a Lake Tahoe home from anywhere
Buying a home in Lake Tahoe from the Bay Area? How Angela Roberts gets you ready, finds the right neighborhood, and runs escrow on both sides of the lake.
The short version
Most agents start by sending you listings. I start by asking what you want your Tahoe home to be.
That order comes from my own experience. I grew up visiting Lake Tahoe and always wanted to live here. When I finally bought my own home, I found out how hard that is from a distance, even for someone who already loved the lake. I didn't know the neighborhoods outside my family's. I didn't know which streets meant a car for everything, how much snow one area got compared to another, or what real lake access looked like at my price. I was looking at homes with almost no context and hoping to get lucky.
You don't need to be in Tahoe to buy in Tahoe. Consider me your presence on the ground, every step of the way. Here's how that works, in four parts:
- Ready: everything in place before you tour a single home.
- Educated: what your budget buys here, before you fall for something out of range.
- Aligned: a short list of the right homes, checked for what photos can't show.
- Locked: an offer and an escrow run by people who know the town.
What you walk away with is a Tahoe home you can start using, instead of spending every trip up here looking at houses. If that's what you want, tell me what you're looking for.
Tell me what you're looking for
Ready: Set up to win before you tour
The home a buyer loses is usually the one they weren't ready to write an offer on. In Tahoe, the right house can come and go between your weekend trips. So we get you ready first.
A conversation before any showings
Before I show you anything, I want to understand who you are, what you want, your biggest priorities and the lifestyle you're after. A ski house near the lifts and a summer house on the water are different searches, even at the same price. So are a home you'll use every weekend and one you'll visit a few times a year.
Your financing, sorted
If you're financing, talk to a lender and get pre-approved before we tour, so you can move the day the right home appears. If you're paying cash, have your proof of funds ready. Either way, a seller takes your offer more seriously when the money question is already answered.
Our agreement
Before I start showing you homes, we sign a Buyer Representation Agreement. It's the same name in California and Nevada. It puts in writing that I represent you, what I'll do for you, and how we'll work together. I'll walk you through every line of it before you sign, and you'll never have to guess whose side I'm on.
How I help you buy a Lake Tahoe home from anywhere
Educated: Know what your budget buys here
The most common thing I hear from buyers who've been looking on their own is, "Why is everything so overpriced?"
It's a fair question. Plenty of sellers bought in 2020 or 2021, when this market moved fast and moved up, and many list with that purchase price in mind. Buyers look up what a seller paid and wonder why the asking price is so much higher, especially when the seller hasn't owned it long. Rates are also higher than they were then, and even cash buyers want a real deal.
A reality check up front
So before you fall for a home, I'll show you what your budget buys in the areas you're considering. Some of those conversations are easy. Some aren't. It's better to have them on day one than after three trips up the hill. Sometimes the answer is a different neighborhood that gives you most of what you want. Sometimes it's a clear sense of which listings are priced for today's buyer and which ones are waiting on a 2021 buyer who isn't coming back.
Both sides of the lake
I'm licensed in California and Nevada and work from South Lake Tahoe to Incline Village to the Carson Valley. That lets me compare the two sides for you side by side, with no reason to push you toward either one. You can explore the towns I work in to get a feel for each one.
Aligned: Fewer homes, the right ones
I don't send you every listing in your price range. I match you to the neighborhoods that fit how you want to live, then to the homes inside them that are worth your time.
What I check that photos can't show
From three or four hours away, the details that matter most are the ones a listing leaves out. I do that legwork for you:
- Local regulations. TRPA and BMP status, and the home's permit history.
- Water access. In a canal neighborhood like the Tahoe Keys, some sections are landlocked and some have direct lake access. They look the same in photos. For a boat owner they're completely different properties.
- Winter. Snow, plowing and access, which vary a lot from one area to the next.
- Ownership costs. HOA or district fees, rules and amenities, and what insurance and long-term upkeep may look like.
If you're looking at waterfront, my lakefront homes page goes deeper. If this will be a second home, see luxury second homes.
Reachable, always
Call, text or email me whenever something comes up. When a home looks right, I'll tell you what I'd want to know before writing an offer. Distance should never be the reason you miss something.
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Locked: An offer and an escrow that fit the town
When we find the home, the goal is to get it at a fair price, on terms that protect you, with an ending nobody remembers because nothing went wrong.
Writing the offer
I use what I've learned about the home and the seller's situation to shape your offer. Price matters, and so do the terms around it: financing, timing, contingencies and the inspection period. Knowledge is power. The more I know going in, the more we can negotiate from real information instead of posturing.
Earnest money
Your earnest money deposit is typically 1 to 3 percent of the purchase price, and it's held by the escrow company, not by me or the seller.
Inspections
We ask for the amount of time reasonably needed to inspect the home properly. In both California and Nevada, that's usually somewhere between 17 and 21 days, depending on the home and the contract. That's when we look closely at condition and confirm what we checked while searching.
Escrow in the home's own town
Sales on both sides of the lake close through escrow. I prefer to use an escrow officer in the same town as the house, because escrow officers in different areas know different local requirements, and that knowledge keeps a closing on track.
Ready to start?
Tell me what you're looking for and when you'd like to be using your Tahoe home. Send me a note or call me at 530-208-7081. You can also read more about me, see buying in Lake Tahoe, read how I sell a home, or go back to the home page.
This page describes my general process. It isn't legal, tax or lending advice. Every purchase is different, and your contract, lender and escrow officer set the specific terms and timelines.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Can I buy a Lake Tahoe home if I live in the Bay Area?
Yes. I do the on-the-ground work for you: property research, TRPA and BMP checks, permit history and the details photos don't show. You can reach me by phone, text or email, so distance doesn't put you at a disadvantage.
How much earnest money will I need?
Typically 1 to 3 percent of the purchase price, held by the escrow company. The exact amount is set in your offer and negotiated with the seller.
What do I sign before you show me homes?
A Buyer Representation Agreement, in both California and Nevada. It puts in writing that I represent you and how we'll work together. I'll go through it with you line by line before you sign.
Keep exploring
Ready to make your move with Tahoe Homes by Angela?