Las Vegas Real Estate >> Las Vegas and Henderson Real Estate Blog

Southwest Las Vegas Real Estate Trends

Henderson Nevada Real Estate Trends

The Generosity of Friends

Sun City Anthem - October 2009 real estate report

North Las Vegas Real Estate - October, 2009 Market Statistics

Henderson Nevada Real Estate - October, 2009 Market Statistics

Las Vegas Real Estate - October, 2009 Market Statistics

Getting Started With Twitter

Google and Bing To Index Social Media Content

Tips For Better Blog Writing

Stay Safe On Social Media Sites

How To Highlight Text On Your ActiveRain Blog

North Las Vegas Real Estate Market Breakdown

How To Use Your ActiveRain Blog To Enhance Relationships

The View from 500,000 ... Broadening My Horizons

STEPPING OUTSIDE THE RAIN

WHAT'S YOUR BIG WHY?

BROADENING HORIZONS

East Las Vegas Real Estate Market Breakdown

Central Las Vegas Real Estate Market Breakdown

Please Don't Feed Your Facebook Friends

Northwest Las Vegas Real Estate Market Breakdown

Southwest Las Vegas Real Estate Market Breakdown

Henderson Real Estate Market Breakdown

358 Real Estate Blog Ideas

Henderson Nevada Bank Owned Homes: Inventory Update, 10-24-09

Focus Your ActiveRain Reading with Blogs Posted By Key

A Special Request to the AR Team

North Las Vegas Real Estate Trends

Sun, 08 Nov 2009 00:10:01 -0600

Through October of 2009, there have been a total of 8,805 homes sold in southwest Las Vegas. This area is roughly everything west of the I-15 freeway and south of Charleston Boulevard. The median sale was a 3-bedroom, 1743 square foot home with a selling price of $154,000.

Here's a quick look at price, volume and financing trends in the southwest Las Vegas real estate market.

To find out more about buying or selling real estate in southwest Las Vegas, just give me a call at (702) 339-9700, or email me at JohnNovak@kw.com.

(GLVAR deems information reliable but not guaranteed. Data is for MLS areas 501-505.)

Sat, 07 Nov 2009 23:18:48 -0600

Through October of 2009, there have been a total of 4,896 homes sold in Henderson Nevada. The median sale was a 3-bedroom, 1800 square foot home with a selling price of $185,000. The median selling price for a single-family home continued to slide, falling to $188,000.

Here's a quick look at price, volume and financing trends in the Henderson real estate market.

To find out more about buying or selling real estate in Henderson Nevada, just give me a call at (702) 339-9700, or email me at JohnNovak@kw.com.

(GLVAR deems information reliable but not guaranteed. Data is for MLS areas 601-606.)

Sat, 07 Nov 2009 22:07:54 -0600

It started with a simple Facebook status update:

Online friends responded with recommendations for We'll Be Here For The Rest of Our Lives by Paul Shaffer;, Crush It! by Gary Vaynerchuk; Have A Little Faith by Mitch Albom; and 33 Million People In The Room by Juliette Powell.

A fraternity brother from UNLV mentioned Same Kind of Different As Me by Ron Hall and Denver Moore. I headed to Borders and was browsing the biography section when I got this message from a fellow Keller Williams agent in Virginia:

Amy's kind and generous offer was impressive, and as I finished reading her text and shifted my attention back to the bookshelf, there it was -- Same Kind of Different As Me. I purchased that, along with Warren Buffett's bio The Snowball by Alice Schroeder.

Returning home, I thanked Amy. And I smiled at this small yet powerful connection made through social media. I hope that I can do the same for another one day.

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 23:48:20 -0600

Sun City Anthem is an age-restricted community of one-story homes, from 1,080 to over 4,000 square feet, built from 1999 to 2008. For more information, or to buy or sell a home in Sun City Anthem, contact John Novak at (702) 339-9700 or JohnNovak@kw.com.

Sales Activity from Oct 1 - 31, 2009:
Homes Sold:	32
Median Price:	$226,900
Average DOM:	57

Existing Inventory:
Homes for Sale:	136
Price Range:	$127,900 - $1,299,000
Under Contract:	68

Here are the details of the October, 2009 sales for homes in Sun City Anthem:

Address	Sq Ft	Bed/Bath	List Price	Sale Price	DOM	Notes
2249 Savannah River	2908	3/4	$499,900	$465,000	46
2940 Foxtail Creek	1917	2/2	$399,999	$393,500	85
2546 Portsmouth Creek	2546	3/3	$445,000	$388,000	4	Bank owned
1605 Wellington Spring	2536	2/3	$398,500	$380,000	15

2123 Cotton Valley	2708	3/4	$332,900	$361,000	7	Bank owned
1627 Clarksville	2592	2/3	$365,000	$354,000	9
2171 Clearwater Lake	2638	2/3	$355,000	$343,500	108
2360 Hardin Ridge	2037	2/3	$359,000	$340,000	132

3062 Sumter Valley	2337	3/3	$319,900	$310,000	9
2120 Savannah River	2096	2/2	$310,000	$297,247	83	Short sale
2493 Black River Falls	2096	2/2	$299,000	$287,000	43
2183 Savannah River	2401	2/2	$275,900	$275,900	25	Bank owned

2234 Frost	2012	2/2	$299,000	$275,000	7
2605 Dearport	1610	2/2	$274,000	$250,000	495
2241 Valley Falls	1836	2/2	$249,000	$228,800	13
2279 Potter Lake	1524	2/2	$239,000	$225,000	145

2590 Highmore	1632	2/2	$229,000	$224,000	16
2844 Meadow Park	1993	2/2	$234,500	$223,100	20	Short sale
2553 Evansville	1715	2/2	$225,000	$221,000	14
2608 Langford	1524	2/2	$225,000	$220,000	53

3024 Canal Walk	1482	2/2	$219,900	$200,000	72
2253 Valley Falls	1836	2/2	$197,900	$199,900	37	Bank owned
2140 Sawtooth Mountain	1712	2/2	$185,000	$185,000	21	Bank owned
2871 Goldcreek	1482	2/2	$184,500	$180,000	1

2207 Idaho Falls	1496	2/2	$169,900	$180,000	14	Bank owned
2636 Harrisburg	1512	2/2	$199,925	$179,950	143
2135 Sawtooth Mountain	1712	2/2	$209,900	$178,000	57	Short sale
2722 Grand Forks	1512	2/2	$189,900	$174,000	36	Short sale

1640 Wellington Spring	1508	2/2	$157,900	$145,000	48	Bank owned
2535 Libretto	1160	2/2	$165,000	$140,000	29
2138 Cedar Valley	1080	2/2	$127,500	$125,450	22	Bank owned
2507 Capriccio	1112	2/2	$133,000	$107,890	17	Bank owned

(GLVAR deems information reliable but not guaranteed. Properties listed and sold by various MLS participants. Sale Price adjusted for any seller contributions. DOM = Days on Market)

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 23:19:31 -0600

Listed below are the current inventory and October, 2009 statistics for home sales in the North Las Vegas Nevada real estate market. If you have any questions or need more information about real estate in North Las Vegas call me at (702) 339-9700 or email me at JohnNovak@kw.com. I'm looking forward to earning your business!

Total Homes Available:

1,711 (as of November 5, 2009)

Single-Family: 1,619 (2.1 month supply*)
Condo: 49 (2.7 month supply)
Townhouse: 43 (1.4 month supply)

Total Contingent and Pending Sales:

2,904 (as of November 5, 2009)

Single-Family: 2,679
Condo: 126
Townhouse: 99

October, 2009 Sales:

Single-Family: 787 (Price range: $22,500 - $765,000)
Condo: 18 (Price range: $10,000 - $180,000)
Townhouse: 31 (Price range: $55,000 - $156,890)

Sales per month
	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct
Single Family	729	832	884	740	736	787
Condominium	28	28	33	19	24	18
Townhouse	26	27	29	23	26	31

Median Selling Price:

Single-Family: $125,000
Condo: $54,251
Townhouse: $75,100

Median price by month
	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct
Single Family	$135,000	$127,605	$125,000	$126,000	$130,000	$125,000
Condominium	$57,274	$54,950	$53,000	$64,000	$57,750	$54,251
Townhouse	$89,000	$90,000	$93,000	$75,000	$85,150	$75,100

Average Days on Market:

Single-Family: 52
Condo: 35
Townhouse: 29

GLVAR deems information reliable but not guaranteed. Information is for MLS areas 101-103.
* - Supply = Homes Available/September Sales

Previous reports:

     North Las Vegas Real Estate - September, 2009 Market Statistics
     North Las Vegas Real Estate - August, 2009 Market Statistics
     North Las Vegas Real Estate - July, 2009 Market Statistics

See also:

     North Las Vegas, Nevada - Demographics
     North Las Vegas, Nevada - Fast Facts

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 18:40:14 -0600

Sales activity in the Henderson Nevada real estate market for October, 2009 and current Henderson real estate inventory is summarized below. If you have any questions or need more information about real estate in Henderson Nevada call me at (702) 339-9700 or email me at JohnNovak@kw.com. I'm looking forward to earning your business!

Total Homes Available:

1,744 (as of November 5, 2009)

Single-Family: 1,454 (3.3 month supply*)
Condo: 170 (2.5 month supply)
Townhouse: 120 (2.0 month supply)

Total Contingent and Pending Sales:

1,955 (as of November 5, 2009)

Single-Family: 1,564
Condo: 208
Townhouse: 183

October, 2009 Sales:

Single-Family: 447 (Price range: $27,000 - $1,730,000)
Condo: 67 (Price range: $21,000 - $200,000)
Townhouse: 61 (Price range: $32,500 - $470,000)

Sales per month
	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct
Single Family	413	499	478	404	422	447
Condominium	47	79	73	69	63	67
Townhouse	40	49	57	37	52	61

Median Selling Price:

Single-Family: $188,000
Condo: $74,500
Townhouse: $104,000

Median price by month
	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct
Single Family	$200,000	$200,000	$195,000	$205,000	$197,326	$188,000
Condominium	$85,000	$80,000	$70,000	$75,000	$74,000	$74,500
Townhouse	$110,625	$108,000	$109,000	$98,000	$104,000	$104,000

Average Days on Market:

Single-Family: 55
Condo: 69
Townhouse: 51

GLVAR deems information reliable but not guaranteed. Information is for MLS areas 601-606.
* - Supply = Homes Available/October Sales

Neighborhood reports - 3rd quarter, 2009:

Anthem Country Club	Inspiration at Green Valley Ranch
Anthem Highlands	Solera at Anthem
Black Mountain Vistas	South Valley Ranch
Calico Ridge	Southfork
Candle Creek	Sun City Anthem - (Sep)
Clearwater Canyon	Sun City MacDonald Ranch
Coventry at Anthem	Ventana Canyon
Glengarry at Anthem

Previous reports:

     Henderson Nevada Real Estate - September, 2009 Market Statistics
     Henderson Nevada Real Estate - August, 2009 Market Statistics
     Henderson Nevada Real Estate - July, 2009 Market Statistics


See also:

     Henderson Nevada - Demographics
     Henderson Nevada - Fast Facts

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 11:59:57 -0600

Sales activity in the Las Vegas real estate market for October, 2009 and current Las Vegas real estate inventory is summarized below. If you have any questions or need more information about real estate in Las Vegas, call me at (702) 339-9700 or email me at JohnNovak@kw.com. I'm looking forward to earning your business!

Total Homes Available:

6,653 (as of November 5, 2009)

Single-Family: 5,073 (2.3 month supply*)
Condo: 1,128 (2.4 month supply)
Townhouse: 452 (2.4 month supply)

Total Contingent and Pending Sales:

9,685 (as of November 5, 2009)

Single-Family: 7,535
Condo: 1,602
Townhouse: 548

October, 2009 Sales:

Single-Family: 2,224 (Price range: $12,000 - $5,999,900)
Condo: 478 (Price range: $14,700 - $1,999,000)
Townhouse: 191 (Price range: $15,000 - $502,995)

Sales per month
	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct
Single Family	2037	2348	2281	2012	2089	2224
Condominium	431	522	471	451	494	478
Townhouse	159	197	188	195	183	191

Median Selling Price:

Single-Family: $133,950
Condo: $62,750
Townhouse: $75,000

Median price by month
	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct
Single Family	$134,000	$132,000	$132,000	$130,000	$130,000	$133,950
Condominium	$60,750	$62,500	$62,000	$64,000	$60,000	$62,750
Townhouse	$70,000	$70,000	$72,500	$65,000	$66,000	$75,000

Average Days on Market:

Single-Family: 50
Condo: 52
Townhouse: 54

GLVAR deems information reliable but not guaranteed. Information is for MLS areas 201-505.
* - Supply = Homes Available/October Sales

Previous reports:

     Las Vegas Real Estate - September, 2009 Market Statistics
     Las Vegas Real Estate - August, 2009 Market Statistics
     Las Vegas Real Estate - July, 2009 Market Statistics

Sun, 01 Nov 2009 21:32:53 -0600

With recent announcements that both Google and Bing will soon be indexing tweets, many are taking a second look at Twitter and trying to understand this popular micro-blogging platform. But where to begin?

ProBlogger Darren Rowse has put together a collection of 13 Twitter Tips and Tutorials for Beginners to help you quickly get up to speed (or up to tweet!).

Watch an explanation of "Twitter in Plain English", learn how to write 140-character microblogs, get advice on how to build your followers (my Twitter ID is LVRealEstate), and more at TwiTip.

Sun, 01 Nov 2009 19:42:16 -0600

Detractors of Twitter frequently ask "who cares what I'm doing right now?" Apparently Google and Bing care, as both major search engines are moving forward with plans to index tweets.

Bing is also going to index Facebook status updates, while Google recently launched Social Search, a Google Labs experiment "that helps you find more relevant public content from your broader social circle."

Will this change how you use Facebook and Twitter? Will you optimize your status updates and tweets with keywords, or keep them more spontaneous?

For more on this big social media issue, see these posts:

Real-Time Search: Google and Bing Rivalry Intensifies on Facebook and Twitter at PCWorld.com.

Introducing Google Social Search: I finally found my friend's New York blog! at Google Blog

HUGE: Microsoft Inks Deal With Twitter and Facebook to Put Status Updates in Bing at Mashable

Sun, 01 Nov 2009 17:38:22 -0600

English was never one of my favorite subjects in school. I've always felt that being gramatically correct was nice, but not absolutely necessary. People communicate just fine in informal, conversational ways -- so why can't we write like that?

Blogging is often referred to as an online conversation. Bloggers are told to find their voice, to speak (write) naturally. So don't worry about whether or not your high school English teacher approves of your latest post; they're probably not your target audience anyway!

Want to have a little fun and learn some tips for better blog writing? Read "7 Bad Writing Habits You Learned In School" by Jonathan Morrow at Copyblogger. You'll find out that "good writing doesn't have to be educated or well supported or even grammatically correct. It does have to be interesting enough that other people want to read it."

Sun, 01 Nov 2009 15:02:20 -0600

This morning there were two messages in my Facebook inbox about a "video that wouldn't load properly." Knowing the senders only through online networking, I simply deleted the messages and moved on.

This brings up the first rule of social media safety: If you feel at all suspicious or unsure, delete the message. It's far better to err on the side of caution rather than put your PC, your data, and your online network at risk. And if you're still curious, contact the sender directly and ask them if they indeed sent it. A good friend or legitimate business contact will be more than happy to respond.

Because of their sheer size and popularity, sites like Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube are sure to attract a few mischievous and downright vicious members. Navigating social media sites safely requires a measure of diligence and common sense.

Sarah Perez offers some great safety tips on ReadWriteWeb in her post "How to Avoid Malware on Facebook and Twitter: 8 Best Practices." Knowing these ideas will make you more aware of what types of threats to look out for, and make your social media experience more productive and enjoyable. Be safe!

Sun, 01 Nov 2009 01:02:23 -0600

Have you ever wanted to really emphasize a point in your post and bold or colored text wasn't enough? Here's a quick way to highlight text with just a little HTML code.

This is a screenshot of the first and last paragraphs of this post in Draft:

Open the post in Edit mode, and click on the HTML tab. Now it will look like this. I've underlined the text I'm going to highlight in red.

Place the HTML tag <span style="background-color: yellow;"> at the beginning of the text you want to highlight, and the tag </span> at the end.

That's all there is to it! If you want to continue editing in WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get) mode, you must first save the draft and then reopen it before changing to WYSIWYG.

Used sparingly, highlighted text is a great way to add a punch of color to your post. And if you're more adventurous then basic yellow, here's a list of 140 HTML color names. Have fun!

Sat, 31 Oct 2009 21:07:38 -0500

In my last post about the North Las Vegas real estate market, I summarized sales price, volume, and financing trends. Today I'll break down the different listing types of that market -- REOs (bank owned homes), short sales, and regular sales.

Overall we have about 2.4 months of North Las Vegas real estate inventory. Further examination will show that there are three distinct markets. Here are the current figures for North Las Vegas REOs, North Las Vegas short sales, and 'regular' North Las Vegas home sales.

Absorption is the number of months it would take to sell the available inventory at current sales rates. (Available Inventory/August Sales = Absorption Rate). There are 2-3 weeks of REO inventory, and over seven months of short sales.

Distressed properties (REOs and short sales) make up 76% of the available inventory ...

... and account for 90% of the homes in escrow.

To find out more about buying or selling real estate in North Las Vegas, just give me a call at (702) 339-9700, or email me at JohnNovak@kw.com.

(GLVAR deems information reliable but not guaranteed. Data is for MLS areas 101-103.)

Fri, 30 Oct 2009 22:54:03 -0500

Bob Stewart's latest challenge motivated me to take a closer look at my blog. After 3+ years in the Rain, I've written nearly 900 posts. Many of these simply provided information, market data or opinions. I focused on the 'what' - the content.

When I think in terms of relationships instead of content, my focus moves from the 'what' to the 'who'. Who is my target audience? Who will read this, and how will they benefit from it? Here are four examples of how to use your ActiveRain blog to enhance relationships.

SHOP LOCAL

"Hey, that's the dog that wrote that Internet post about us!" That's what Sundance and I heard from behind the counter the last time we stopped to get some of his favorite treats at The District at Green Valley Ranch. The post they were talking about was Flea Bag's Barkery and Bow-Tique.

Sundance and I had been to Flea Bag's several times before, but now a simple blog post written by a talented Sheltie had enhanced the relationship. Everyone benefited. Flea Bag's received some online exposure and a testimonial; I was now known as a dog owner and a real estate agent; and Sundance scored a couple of free treats!

That post was one of a series of seven about Henderson businesses. Content like this benefits three parties: the business owner, the writer, and potential customers. It's a win-win-win. For the agent, businesses see them as someone who supports the local community, and consumers see them as a valuable source of local information.

BY (BUY) THE NUMBERS

Each month I write a market report for Henderson showing units sold, median prices and days on market. Every quarter, I do detailed reports for fifteen Henderson neighborhoods and include those links on the monthly report.

Most of the calls I get from my blog come from market reports. Buyers and sellers like the data on price, square footage, and type of sale. Residents and investors follow the six-month volume and price graphs. By consistently providing this information, current and potential homeowners can keep an eye on the market and I build trust and familiarity with them.

DON'T TELL ... SHOW

The popularity of sites like YouTube and Flickr tells me that people don't just go online to read. The web is a very visual medium. So why write hundreds of words when you can make the same impact with a few photos?

I recently started a photo series, Pictures of Green Valley Ranch. This is one of Henderson's newer and larger master-planned communities with plenty of sights to see. Writing about neighborhoods, homes, and area attractions only goes so far. Showing people the same things lets them see colors, textures, size, and spatial relationships.

The series is a great way for me to help relocation buyers get a feel for Henderson. Maybe a few residents will even share my pics with their friends and family around the country.

GET SOCIAL

Social networking offers limitless opportunities. On Facebook I can connect by geographic region, occupation, college, or through an infinite range of groups and fan pages. There's even a Dogbook application for Sundance that lets him find other canine friends!

Learning a new platform like Facebook or Twitter can be daunting, but there are plenty of Rainers on both sites that are eager to help. Even more than the sheer volume of real estate content, the strength of ActiveRain is derived from the sharing and supportive nature of its members.

When I share Facebook tips with fellow Rainers it not only helps both of our online marketing efforts, it connects us on another level besides real estate. And who knows? It may even circle back to a referral in the future.

These four examples represent distinct types of content -- a business profile, market data, photos, and tutorials. Each may speak to a different audience, but all have the ability to enhance relationships. Keep the reader in mind, and the rewards will follow.

Wed, 28 Oct 2009 21:11:38 -0500

Today I passed the 500,000 point milestone on ActiveRain. It's been a journey of a little over three years, nearly 900 posts, 8500 comments, hundreds of photos and neighborhoods added to Localism, and 44 members invited to the Rain.

Want to know a secret? It's not about the points, it's about the process.

The business rewards are many -- listings sold, buyer transactions closed, a better understanding of my market and community, a network that spans the U.S. and Canada.

The personal rewards are far more valuable. I've learned about search engine optimization (SEO), online marketing, how to write better content and take better photos. There is the unconditional sharing of tips and ideas, the celebration of victories and the support in down times. I have met hundreds of amazing and inspiring colleagues.

The online skills learned in the Rain are portable. Writing good content for search engines is the same no matter what the topic. Connecting with others through social media is the same whether it's about real estate, pop culture or pets. Tools like RSS, syndication sites and mobile technology let us easily leverage our online presence, no matter what the message is.

There's no question that ActiveRain is the leading site for real estate networking and information. I value each and every contact made in the Rain, as well as the Facebook friends, Flickr contacts, LinkedIn connections and Twitter followers. This group holds a tremendous amount of real estate knowledge, but an even greater amount of untapped potential. Sometimes we're so focused on hyperlocal content or the deal that's right in front of us that we fail to see the larger issues.

Ask someone what they do and they're likely to respond with their occupation - 'I'm a real estate agent ... web developer ... marketing manager ... stay-at-home Mom ...' What if we responded like this? 'I coach my child's soccer team ... promote green living ... volunteer at my church ... rescue Shetland Sheepdogs ... mentor at-risk youth.'

In The Millionaire Real Estate Agent, the first strategy that Gary Keller mentions is "Think Powered by a Big Why. The Big Why is about having a purpose, a mission, a need, that in turn gives you focus."

What cause or issue are you passionate about? It may be preventing breast cancer, finding a cure for Alzheimer's, stopping domestic violence, rejuvenating a run-down neighborhood, promoting arts in our schools , or being a voice for abused and abandoned pets. It may reach next door to help a neighbor in need, or halfway around the world.

Rocky Turner, a southern California mom (and wife of Jeff Turner), uses blogging and social media to bring attention to an all girls orphanage in Kenya. Her organization, Mothers Fighting For Others, asks us to "imagine what an army of inspired mothers could do to change the world."

Among those on the board of MFFO are real estate agents Lola Audu and Diane Aurit. Speaking of their supporters, Rocky says "I am amazed how big the world is. And because of sites like Twitter, CafeMom, Youtube and Facebook, I found and befriended people outside of my circle and the world became that much smaller."

The platform and community that we have on ActiveRain provides a solid foundation, a comfortable home base. But I keep thinking 'there must be something more.' What if we took just 10% of the time and energy we focused on the Rain and instead looked outward?

Blogging and social media are the means. The end is not lead generation, buyers closed or listings sold; that's only the beginning. What if we leveraged our networks and social capital to bring more light to issues like domestic violence or at-risk youth? What if we showed local animal shelters how to use the web to promote animal adoption? What if we used tools like YouTube and Skype to connect artists and musicians with children around the world?

Winston Churchill said "We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give." The online skills learned in the Rain are portable. There are thousands of needs and opportunities just waiting for someone like us. Make that connection, and make a difference.

Wed, 28 Oct 2009 12:12:53 -0500

In a recent post we looked at sales price, volume, and financing trends in the east Las Vegas real estate market. Today we'll focus in on the parts of that market -- REOs (bank owned homes), short sales, and regular sales.

At first glance, it seems like we have just 1.8 months of east Las Vegas real estate inventory. Looking at each type of listing, three distinct markets emerge. Here are the current figures for east Las Vegas REOs, east Las Vegas short sales, and 'regular' east Las Vegas home sales.

Absorption is the number of months it would take to sell the available inventory at current sales rates. (Available Inventory/August Sales = Absorption Rate). There are only 2-3 weeks of REO inventory, but over nine months of short sales.

Distressed properties (REOs and short sales) account for 73% of the available inventory ...

... and make up 89% of our current escrows.

To find out more about buying or selling real estate in east Las Vegas, just give me a call at (702) 339-9700, or email me at JohnNovak@kw.com.

(GLVAR deems information reliable but not guaranteed. Data is for MLS areas 201-204.)

Tue, 27 Oct 2009 22:52:11 -0500

Last week we examined some general trends in the Central Las Vegas real estate market. Today we'll focus in on the components of that market -- REOs (bank owned homes), short sales, and regular sales.

On the surface, it looks like we have about 2.5 months of inventory for central Las Vegas. But when we look at the details, three distinct markets emerge. Here are the current figures for central Las Vegas REOs, short sales, and 'regular' home sales.

Absorption is the number of months it would take to sell the available inventory at current sales rates. (Available Inventory/August Sales = Absorption Rate). We have about three weeks of REO inventory, and over seven months of short sales.

Distressed properties (REOs and short sales) account for 58% of our available inventory ...

... but make up 89% of the current escrows

To find out more about buying or selling real estate in central Las Vegas, just give me a call at (702) 339-9700, or email me at JohnNovak@kw.com.

(GLVAR deems information reliable but not guaranteed. Data is for MLS areas 301-303.)

Sun, 25 Oct 2009 21:19:26 -0500

The recent changes by the Facebook development team have caused a couple of glitches in the site. One of them is that all new friend notices are appearing in our news feeds, which makes them look like this:

I'm glad to see my friends making connections, because that makes my extended network bigger. But for any Facebook user who has more than a couple of hundred friends, these notices can quickly overwhelm the news feeds and bury what's really important -- status updates, links, photos and video.

The 'Hide' button doesn't work in this situation. I'm sure the Facebook team is working on a fix for this, but in the meantime, here's what we can do:

From your Facebook home page, click on Settings (upper right on the top menu bar), then Privacy Settings. Click on News Feed and Wall, then make sure the box that says 'Add a Friend' is unchecked, and click the Save Changes button.

This will stop your new friend notices from going out to your friend's feeds. We also need to let your friends know to make these same changes.
For your ActiveRain contacts, feel free to reblog this post. For your Facebook friends, copy and paste this status update to your own status:

With the new Facebook changes, your stream can fill up with posts of people adding friends. To stop filling your friends streams with this go to: Settings --> Privacy Settings --> Newsfeed and Wall. Uncheck 'Add a friend.' Please share this tip.

Hopefully the Facebook team will have this resolved quickly. In the meantime, these simple steps can help us manage our news feeds so that we're getting the information we really want to see.

Sun, 25 Oct 2009 20:36:23 -0500

In my previous post about the northwest Las Vegas real estate market, I showed sales price, volume, and financing trends. Today I'll look closer at the different types of listings in that market -- REOs (bank owned homes), short sales, and regular sales.

Generally, there are about 2.6 months of northwest Las Vegas real estate inventory. Further examination will show that there are three distinct markets. Here are the current figures for northwest Las Vegas REOs, northwest Las Vegas short sales, and 'regular' northwest Las Vegas home sales.

Absorption is the number of months it would take to sell the available inventory at current sales rates. (Available Inventory/August Sales = Absorption Rate). There are about three weeks of REO inventory, and over 8 1/2 months of short sales.

Distressed properties (REOs and short sales) represent 62% of the available inventory ...

... and make up 88% of the homes in escrow.

To find out more about buying or selling real estate in northwest Las Vegas, just give me a call at (702) 339-9700, or email me at JohnNovak@kw.com.

(GLVAR deems information reliable but not guaranteed. Data is for MLS areas 401-405.)

Sun, 25 Oct 2009 13:50:13 -0500

In a recent post we examined sales price, volume, and financing trends in the southwest Las Vegas real estate market. Today we'll focus on the parts of that market -- REOs (bank owned homes), short sales, and regular sales.

At first glance, it seems like we have just under three months of southwest Las Vegas real estate inventory. Looking closer, we see that each type of listing has a distinct market. Here are the current figures for southwest Las Vegas REOs, southwest Las Vegas short sales, and 'regular' southwest Las Vegas home sales.

Distressed properties (REOs and short sales) represent 61% of the available inventory ...

... and make up an amazing 91% of our current escrows.

To find out more about buying or selling real estate in southwest Las Vegas, just give me a call at (702) 339-9700, or email me at JohnNovak@kw.com.

(GLVAR deems information reliable but not guaranteed. Data is for MLS areas 501-505.)

Sun, 25 Oct 2009 02:50:24 -0500

Last week we looked at general trends in the Henderson Nevada real estate market. Today we'll explore the components of that market -- REOs (bank owned homes), short sales, and regular sales.

On the surface, it appears that we have about 3.3 months of Henderson real estate inventory. A closer look reveals three distinct markets. Here are the September figures for Henderson REOs, Henderson short sales, and 'regular' Henderson home sales.

Absorption is the number of months it would take to sell the available inventory at current sales rates. (Available Inventory/August Sales = Absorption Rate). We have less than one month of REO inventory, and over seven months of short sales.

Distressed properties (REOs and short sales) make up 52% of our available inventory ...

... but account for 88% of the current escrows.

To find out more about buying or selling real estate in Henderson Nevada, just give me a call at (702) 339-9700, or email me at JohnNovak@kw.com.

(GLVAR deems information reliable but not guaranteed. Data is for MLS areas 601-606.)

Sat, 24 Oct 2009 23:10:35 -0500

Not sure what to write about on your shiny, new ActiveRain blog? Or maybe you're looking for some fresh content to revitalize a blog that's feeling tired and dull?

Tonight I did a Google search for "real estate blog ideas" and the titles from the results on page one totaled 358 ideas (plus "a year's worth", some "internet marketing ideas" and some "brilliant prospecting ideas".)

Not only will these posts spark your creativity, they'll also give you some great examples of how people are blogging outside of the Rain. Here they are:

106 Blog Ideas for Real Estate Agents -- by Andy Beal at Marketing Pilgrim
Food for Fodder - 101 Real Estate Topics -- by Teresa Boardman at Real Estate Tomato
100 Real Estate Blog Posting Ideas -- by Taysha at RealEstateMarketingBlog.org
30 Real Estate Blog Topic Ideas -- from the MyListingFeedback blog
Twenty-One Easy Posts for Your Real Estate Blog -- from the Particle Wave blog

SPECIAL BONUS POST:

Here's one post from ActiveRain that I've recommended to several bloggers, both new and old. It's from Colorado Springs real estate agent Mariana Wagner, who also does blog coaching for Keller Williams. This one is packed with enough ideas to keep you blogging through 2012!

Dr. Mariana Wagner's One-Post Cure-All for Writers' Block

Now that we have all of these ideas, let's see if we can shatter the one-day record for posts on ActiveRain. Get blogging!

Sat, 24 Oct 2009 14:43:18 -0500

The inventory of Henderson Nevada bank owned homes (REOs) is making slow and steady progress as we enter the fall. The 'second wave' of REOs that many agents expected never materialized. More banks seem to be interested in loan modifications, but that process requires extreme patience and diligence from homeowners.

Henderson bank owned homes continue to sell quickly. The median Days On Market for the 424 single-family bank owned homes that closed in September was just 25 days. The median selling price was $196,000. Buyers in the market may need to write multiple offers and go above list price to be successful.

For more info about Henderson bank owned homes or the Henderson real estate market, just give me a call at (702) 339-9700 or email me at JohnNovak@kw.com. I'm ready to go to work for you!

Fri, 23 Oct 2009 02:09:06 -0500

One of the strengths of ActiveRain is the diversity of its membership. While real estate agents make up the bulk of the community, there are also loan officers, inspectors, appraisers, title reps, virtual assistants, home stagers and 21 other categories.

We used to be able to select posts from specific job categories, but that functionality has been 'misplaced' in various redesigns and site improvements. Tonight I stumbled upon a 'secret page' that can really help users target their reading -- Blogs Posted By Key.

There's no navigation link to this page; the address is http://activerain.com/blogs?posted_by_key.
Notice the four drop-down boxes for Category, Posted By, Sort by, and Posted within in this screenshot:

How can you use this page to your advantage? Suppose you're a lender looking for ideas on recent market reports. Choose category = Market Reports; posted by = Loan Officers; sort by = Date Posted; posted within = 1 week.

Maybe it's time to build your business and you're considering a virtual assistant. Select category = Tips and Advice; posted by = Virtual Assistants; sort by = Date posted; posted within = Anytime.

Just finished a day where two escrows cancelled, the buyer didn't show, and you accidentally ran over your iPhone? Maybe some humor from the AR Inspectors will help! Choose category = Off topic, humor, etc; posted by = Inspectors; sort by = Number of comments; posted within = Anytime.

These four drop-down boxes provide some powerful search functions. Is there a way to incorporate them in the main blogs page? I've highlighted two areas that could be moved (or removed) to make room for them.

AR readers: What do you think? Is this a feature that you find useful?

Single Family

Condominium

Mon, 19 Oct 2009 18:40:33 -0500

Through the first nine months of 2009, there have been a total of 6,769 homes sold in North Las Vegas. This area is north of Charleston Boulevard, east of Rancho Road, and west of the I-15 freeway, and includes most of the city of North Las Vegas. The median sale was a 3-bedroom, 1851 square foot home with a selling price of $130,000.

Here's a quick look at price, volume and financing trends in the North Las Vegas real estate market.

To find out more about buying or selling real estate in North Las Vegas, just give me a call at (702) 339-9700, or email me at JohnNovak@kw.com.

(GLVAR deems information reliable but not guaranteed. Data is for MLS areas 101-103.)