clark county: Little Things can Make a Difference When Selling Your Las Vegas Home - 09/08/11 09:40 AM
Before putting your Las Vegas house on the market, make it stand out among the others for sale in your area. Buyers feel more comfortable purchasing a home that has been well cared for because if what they can see is maintained, what they can't see has probably also been maintained. The little things can count big to make your house more salable.
 
Start at the curb, up the walk, through the inside of the house, and out the back door. Treat this walkthrough as if you have never seen this property before. Notice anything that would stand out … (0 comments)

clark county: It’s Still a Great Time to Buy A Las Vegas Home - 09/01/11 02:13 PM
Times are tough, especially in the housing market.  However, if you are in the market to buy a home or investment property, now is the time to take advantage of the low Las Vegas home prices and deals that you can get on foreclosures and short sales.
While foreclosure sales this spring accounted for one third of all homes sold, Nevada foreclosure sales accounted for a whopping two thirds of all real estate transactions – that’s two out of three houses in foreclosure.  These foreclosed homes sold for an average of 21 percent less than the prices that typical homes … (4 comments)

clark county: Buy a Las Vegas Home and Invest in Your Child’s College Education - 08/25/11 12:06 PM
 
In todays Las Vegas housing market, there are many types of investors that can benefit by the low home prices. You don’t have to be looking for a vacation home or strictly an investment property; you can consider a home for your student.
 
If you have a child attending UNLV in the fall, it’s wise to look near the campus for condos or homes to buy. When you have a child going “away” to college, you can opt for throwing your cash into a dorm room and board fees or you can invest in a condo or home.
Looking … (2 comments)

clark county: Keep the Heat Out of Your Las Vegas Home - 08/18/11 01:13 PM
There are many positive aspects to living in Las Vegas; however for many, the summer heat is not one of them. Having to depend solely on your air conditioner to keep your home cool all summer is costly and energy consuming. 
Here are a few options to keep the heat out of your Las Vegas home while keeping your energy bill low:
Get that Air CirculatingA ceiling fan can be a great investment for your Las Vegas home. Fans don’t use much energy but with the air moving, it can feel much cooler – a whole 5 to 7 degrees … (3 comments)

clark county: Green Valley Ranch is a Great Place to Call Home - 08/11/11 01:04 PM
Looking for a place to call home where you can feel like you are living in a charming small town yet still have the glitz of Vegas just off in the distance?  Look no further than Green Valley Ranch.
Once you starting walking through The District, right in the heart of Green Valley, you will feel like you’ve walked into a small European village complete with cobblestone walkways, European-style buildings and a great park to enjoy some outdoor fun or just kick back and relax.
In the mood for shopping?  With more than 40 retail shops, including some known favorites … (2 comments)

clark county: Undervalued Las Vegas Home Prices Mean Homeownership for You - 07/28/11 05:32 PM
If you are considering buying a Las Vegas home, you’ve heard the hype – prices are low – buyer’s market – but have you seen the numbers that support the claim? In 2006, the median Las Vegas home price was $285,000. Today, the median price is extremely undervalued at $106,000, which is at an unsustainable level.
"It collapsed so hard that it overcorrected," Mark Boud of Irvine, CA-based Real Estate Economics,  told about 60 real estate professionals at the Las Vegas Midyear Builder Symposium at Alexis Park. "You pay 11 cents on the dollar in mortgage costs, which is incredible and, … (3 comments)

clark county: Low Cost Improvements to Sell Your Las Vegas Home - 07/21/11 07:40 AM
If you must sell your Las Vegas house in the current market, be wise about making improvements before putting it on the market. You do not want to invest thousands, since when you look at comparables, there may not be a huge price difference between a good property and an excellent property.
The best return on your typical subdivision home is a fresh coat of neutral paint, de-cluttering, and some color for curb appeal to make a good first impression and draw the buyer in. 
Make it NeutralWhen you put a fresh coat of neutral paint on the walls, not … (2 comments)

clark county: Las Vegas Home Prices Drop While Other Cities Rise - 06/30/11 01:01 PM
While home prices in most major U.S. cities rose for the first time in eight months, Las Vegas home prices continued to drop to their lowest level in four years.
Home Builders Research, a Las Vegas-based firm, reported a median existing home price of $110,000 in May which was down 11.2% from the same month a year ago. Since 2006, Las Vegas home prices have fallen by more than 60% and are nearly at 20-year lows overall.
"Housing affordability in Las Vegas is tremendous when we look at where home prices were just a few years ago," Home Builders Research President … (0 comments)

clark county: Avoid First-Time Home Buying Mistakes when Buying Your Las Vegas Home - 06/16/11 05:00 PM
One of life's milestones is buying your first home and with home prices in Las Vegas being at an all time low ... now is the perfect time to buy. However, it's really easy to get caught up in the excitement of buying your first home and, in that excitement, many homebuyer's make some common mistakes. 
These mistakes can easily be avoided by arming yourself with some basic knowledge before your house hunting even begins.
Don't Skip Mortgage Qualification
You may have already computed your debt-to-income ratio and you already have a good idea about how much home you can afford. … (2 comments)

clark county: No Large Purchases Before Escrow Closes on your Las Vegas Home - 06/09/11 12:38 PM
Buying your perfect new Las Vegas home is an exciting time!  It's certainly understandable that you want to fill your new home with new furniture and exciting new accessories. But wait!!  Before escrow closes, don't increase credit card balances or open new lines of credit. 
Policies under Fannie Mae's Loan Quality Initiative, which was effective June 1, 2010, requires lenders to "refresh" a borrower's credit report just prior to closing. This means that increasing your credit balance or opening new lines of credit before you close escrow on your new home, may cause problems.
Following FNMA's guidelines, the lender will … (2 comments)

clark county: Buy a Las Vegas Home before FHA Changes the Rules - 06/02/11 01:29 PM
If you have been toying with the idea of buying a Las Vegas home, don't wait any longer! Now is the time to buy before FHA raises the minimum down-payment requirement.It seems that the House Financial Services Committee, led by the Republicans, has drafted legislation, among other things, to raise the FHA down-payment requirement to 5 percent and prohibit borrowers from financing their closing costs.
On May 25, this draft legislation was discussed in a House Subcommittee. The draft legislation is called, "FHA-Rural Regulatory Improvement Act of 2011".  The House Financial Services Committee's Republican Chairman Spencer Bachus touted the bill as … (2 comments)

clark county: Now is the Time to Buy Your First Las Vegas Home - 05/26/11 01:31 PM
Las Vegas property prices are the lowest they've been in a decade or more and mortgage rates continue to remain relatively low. If you are thinking of being a first-time homebuyer, now is the time to find your perfect Las Vegas home.
They say to buy low and sell high. Well, the time is ripe to buy low! To make sure you buy low, and smart, heed these pointers:
•· Credit Check: Cash and good credit are key to snagging a bargain home and keeping it. Before you shop, make sure you have cash on hand for your down payment and good … (0 comments)

clark county: Staging Your Las Vegas Home to Sell - 05/19/11 04:12 PM
If you are looking to sell your Las Vegas home, start with basic, inexpensive staging to make your home more appealing. With a large inventory of homes out there today, yours needs to stand out above the rest. If you cannot afford to hire a professional stager, here are some basic tips to get you started on impressing potential buyers.
Curb AppealThey say you can only make one "first impression," and people usually form their first impression within the first 30 seconds - about the time it takes to pull up to your home and park.  Spend some extra money giving … (0 comments)

clark county: Now’s a Great Time to Buy Your New Las Vegas Home - 04/28/11 11:44 AM

If you've been toying with the idea of becoming a homeowner, now is the time to buy your Las Vegas dream home. The Greater Las Vegas Association of Realtors® reported last week that home prices continued to fall in March.
According to the Realtors®, the median existing single-family home during March was $125,950.  This is down 1.6 percent from February where the median home price was $128,000. More astonishing, it's 7.4 percent down from one year ago!
Perhaps you'd rather buy a Las Vegas condominium or townhome?  The median price in March was $61,000 which is down 10.6 percent from … (0 comments)

clark county: Finding Money for Home Improvements - 12/10/10 05:40 AM
So that perfect Las Vegas investment property is officially yours! Now you need to find some creative resources for financing any necessary repairs and improvements. You definitely want to get every penny back that you've put into this house! Whether you're undertaking a minor fix, or a major renovation, you have a variety of options to finance home improvement projects. Consider some of these ideas:

Install energy-saving items right now, and realize a lower 2010 tax bill. Under the federal Nonbusiness Energy Property Credit, home owners can receive a tax credit that equals 30 percent of what they spend on … (0 comments)

clark county: Expo Shows Eco-Friendly Products Can Be Wallet-Friendly - 11/26/10 08:26 AM
Whether you're working on your own Las Vegas home, or an investment property here in Clark County, you might want to consider one or more of the hundreds of ecologically-friendly products introduced last week at the Greenbuild expo. Ideas ranging from a $6,500 home wind turbine, LED bulbs that could outlive their buyers, and non-toxic paint that turns walls into dry-erase boards were showcased by more than 1,000 companies.
 
There were dozens of terrific residential items that can bring property owners savings and peace of mind. Consider the following unique ideas:
 
A two-plug outlet by ThinkEco called the … (0 comments)

clark county: New Federal Funds To Rehabilitate Las Vegas Neighborhoods Hit Hard By Foreclosure Crisis - 09/17/10 07:14 AM
The number of empty, foreclosed homes in the Las Vegas market will soon be sharply declining, thanks to millions of dollars in federal funding. $43 million has been approved for disbursement to Nevada; millions will come to the Las Vegas Valley – one of the country's hardest hit areas in the wake of the foreclosure crisis – early next year.
Under the auspices of the US Housing and Urban Development (HUD) department, the funding is allocated to help local governments work with nonprofit developers. These developers will buy foreclosed houses, then upgrade the homes for sale to low-income buyers. The funding … (0 comments)

clark county: If Three Years have Passed, $8,000 Can Be Yours For Your Las Vegas Home - 08/29/09 05:01 PM

Housing has been on a roller coaster these last few years in Las Vegas but at last the market is bottoming out and housing prices are the most affordable in years.  This makes it a great time to buy, especially for first time homebuyers who can apply the $8,000 to their purchase to effectively lower the cost.  Young couples buying their first home, singles who want a condo, and families who have been renting all their life have a government-sponsored incentive to sign on the dotted line and become homeowners.
In the midst of all this, it's easy to forget … (0 comments)

clark county: Don't Gamble with the $8,000 Tax Credit on Your Las Vegas Home by Waiting Too Long - 08/13/09 11:51 AM
Las Vegas is a gambling town but even the pros know you shouldn't push your luck- especially with a sure thing. The $8,000 first time homebuyer tax credit is assured to any creditworthy person who has not owned a home in the past three years.  The main way to blow this pile of cash is to wait too long.  The November 30, 2009 deadline is fast approaching.  It may look like you have three months to play with, but this year there are other factors at play.  If you wait too long, you will loss $8,000.  This true anywhere but there … (0 comments)

clark county: Working It Out With Your Las Vegas Lender - 07/28/09 01:03 PM
If you're a Las Vegas homeowner with financial problems that you expect to overcome soon, you may have a different agenda than someone who sees selling their home as the only way to escape foreclosure.  Assuming your home is one you like, want to keep, and can afford, talking with your lender in time of need may reveal a number of options.  Foreclosure is costly for lenders, so if you approach them in a timely manner, they may be willing to provide some temporary relief or "workout" for the problem.
Most people these days know the big three weapons that lenders … (0 comments)