Harvey W. Blanch bought a three-bedroom, three-bath home at 251 S. Cahuilla Road in Palm Springs from Scott C. Van Dyke for $575,000 on Dec. 6.

Van Dyke paid $975,000 for the property in March 2007. The 2,090-square-foot house was built in 2006 as part of the Cahuilla and Lugo development.

Mr. Blanch is a faculty senior scientist at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in Berkeley. He is a also a professor in the department of chemical engineering at the University of California-Berkeley and a chief scientific and technology officer at the Joint BioEnergy Institute.

He earned a B.S. from the University of Sydney and a Ph.D. from the University of New South Wales in Sydney, Australia.

According to BlockShopper.com, there have been 1,536 home sales in Palm Springs during the past 12 months, with a median sales price of $250,000.

Address: 251 South Cahuilla Road
Buyer(s): Harvey W Blanch
Seller(s): Scott C Van Dyke Scott C Vandyke Scott C Vandyke Scott C VanDyke (Trustee) (Trust)
Sale date: Dec. 6, 2010