Rancho Mirage retreat is a picture-perfect spot

If you don’t mind competing with out-of-state snowbirds searching for a balmy day, this is the time to buy in Rancho Mirage.

It sure beats the summer, when temperatures often hover around the 105-degree mark and have been known to reach as high as 120. Rancho Mirage, east of Palm Springs, is one of the hottest, driest parts of the country.

But mild winters, with days in the 70s and low 80s, didn’t factor into the decision by entertainment attorney Scott E. Schwimer and Michael H. Epstein, co-owners of HurrellPhotos.com, to put their home-away-from-home in Rancho Mirage on the market. Schwimer and Epstein listed the retreat because they bought a larger one in the same desert neighborhood.

About this house: It’s in move-in condition, according to the sellers. Reduced recently by $100,000, the price includes custom furnishings, audio and video equipment, linens and china. “All you need to do is bring your toothbrush,” Epstein said. “Oops. We’ve included those too.”

Asking price: $1,695,000

Size: The home has three bedrooms and 3 1/2 bathrooms in about 5,000 square feet.

Features: It’s in the gated community of Waterford, with about 50 custom homes, and won an architectural award when it was built in 1997. Nick Patel designed the house with walls of glass looking onto a five-acre man-made lake and the mountains. It has a pool, waterfall and spa as well as a round shower with a skylight, a gym, an office, a breakfast room and a private garden.

Where: Rancho Mirage

Listing agent: Steve Scheinwald and Brenda Scott, Diversified Realty Group, (760) 770-0203.

To submit a candidate for Home of the Week, send color interior and exterior photos (copies only, please; we cannot return the pictures) and a brief description of the house, including what makes the property unusual, to Ruth Ryon, Real Estate Section, Los Angeles Times, 202 W. 1st St., Los Angeles, CA 90012; or e-mail [email protected].