Don't Hesitate To Take Home Office Tax Deductions! - 01/27/11 05:19 PM
 
Although April 15 may feel distant, Las Vegas investment property owners who work from home have special considerations when it comes to tax time. Be prepared to take the available home office tax deductions by following some of CPA Sandy Lefstein-Suchoff's tips and suggestions:
 
If you regularly and exclusively use a separate and distinct space in your home for work, you can deduct a percentage of your mortgage interest, your utilities, home insurance, and real estate taxes. If you work from your kitchen table, that would likely not qualify, but if you have a partitioned basement area – that … (2 comments)

Homes are Getting Smaller, More Energy Efficient - 01/21/11 06:00 PM
 
Are you a Las Vegas property owner? Have you been wondering what a majority of home buyers want today, and in the future? The answer is: smaller, more energy-efficient homes.

The average size of a new single-family home in 2010 was 2,377 square feet, down from 2,438 square feet in 2009. This information, presented last week at the International Builders’ Show by Rose Quint, Assistant Vice President of Survey Research for the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB), comes from US Census Bureau data.

The trend will continue, Quint said, with the 2015 new home size currently … (2 comments)

Foreclosure Rate Took a Dive at the End of the Year - 01/14/11 09:52 AM
 
Homeowners and investment property owners in Las Vegas can breathe a tentative sigh of relief, following the news that the pace of foreclosures in the US has dropped. The decline comes after revelations that thousands of foreclosure documents may have been improperly prepared.
 
RealtyTrac reported on Wednesday that in December, U.S. foreclosure filings were down 26% from December 2009. This drop was the biggest in at least five years. Lenders and mortgage servicers imposed delays on foreclosure processes in October, after reports in September that some servicers did not follow legal procedures in tens of thousands of foreclosures.
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Pending Home Sales Continue Recovery, with Gradual Improvement Seen in 2011 - 01/06/11 05:19 PM
 
Information from the National Association of Realtors holds great news for Las Vegas home owners. According to a recent NAR report, pending home sales rose again in November, with the broad trend over the past five months indicating a gradual recovery in 2011. The Pending Home Sales Index, a forward-looking indicator, rose 3.5% based on contracts signed in November. The data reflects contracts, not closings, which normally occur with a lag time of one or two months.

 
NAR Chief Economist Lawrence Yun noted that high housing affordability is boosting sales activity. “In addition to exceptional affordability conditions, steady … (4 comments)