Roberta LaRocca REALTOR® Las Vegas Broker Salesperson Property Management

Many visitors think of living in Las Vegas as the 'Wild Life'. Their brief stop at a very small 4.5 mile 'Strip' of land often gives them a limited view of all that Las Vegas has to offer, and there is much more. Yes, you can experience the other wildlife found in and around the valley. From what you might find in the luxury homes of McDonald Highlands, to this guy on my trip to Boulder City to ride the rails.

I've posted about the Santa Train of the Nevada Southern Railway held the first two weekends of December. Of course there are rides available on weekends through most of the year at this train museum and restoration facility that's an agency of the Nevada Dept. of Cultural Affairs.

The equipment is donated or acquired by the state, but most of the work comes from volunteers for both the maintenance and operation of the train. The meticulously restored cars are comfortable, with three air conditioned Pullman coaches and one open-air car. There are other cars and engines to be seen, all in various states of restoration. The friendly staff is eagerly available to answer questions about the train, others cars on static display, and what can be found along the way.

The spur is part of the original line built for the construction of Hoover Dam. As you'll see from the pictures, parts of it were cut out of the rock. That's a small idea of the massive project to construct the dam in Black Canyon with the much less sophisticated equipment of the time. The colorful rock formations also show the unique geology of the Las Vegas Valley. Evidence of it's beginnings as an ancient ocean and it's long dormant volcanoes all mixed into the abundant mineral deposits seen in the many different colored layers and formations.

In the spring, you also have the added colors of the wild flower blooms. Desert plants that grow in the most unusual places, even right out of the rock, that can produce amazing flowers and colors. The cactus blooms are especially amazing. These plain and often unusual looking, thorny plants can produce beautiful flowers that look like roses, and in such vibrant colors.

Other sites along the way include the exclusive Cascada Golf Course and it's waterfall that not only runs down the mountain, but it's stream flows through the clubhouse. The mirage-looking 'lake' in the southwest of the massive Eldorado Valley is actually the Solar One solar-thermal power plant. The hiking and biking on the paved 35 mile River Mountain Trail that runs from Henderson to Lake Mead. The Nevada Veteran's Home is nestled into the foothills just below a large round VOR antenna (VHF Omni-directional Radio Range) used for aircraft navigation. (Yes, I have pilots in the house.) There's also the Boulder City Airport that is not only home to many general aviation aircraft, but many of the Grand Canyon tours plus skydivers that you might see during your train ride.

The end of the line is at Railroad Pass, and the casino of the same name. It began as a dance hall for the workers of the dam. It's home of the oldest continually active casino license in southern Nevada, and sits just outside the limits of Boulder City. Gambling was banned from the government town, and it remains that way to this day.

Railroads played a huge part in settling the west and in particular Las Vegas. With all the mining in the mineral rich Silver State, trains with supplies and workers were brought in, and minerals taken out, so the rails were the key to development. For what was to become Las Vegas, it had water in natural artesian springs that was needed for the steam engines. In 1905, the railroad had a land auction at the water stop in the desert. That land was the Las Vegas townsite that became a city in 1911. It's what began the valley's growth to an estimated 2 million in just over 100 years.

Whether you're interested in trains, the desert ecosystem, it's geology, history, or just taking a step back to the relaxed times of travel by rail, Nevada Southern Railway is worth a visit. If you click on the link you'll find their schedules, more information including their Cab Rides, Engineer for a Day, Birthday Parties and other charters, and their current coupon for $1 off Adult Fares.

Now it's 'All Aboard" for the picture tour of the Nevada Southern Railway. To watch full screen, instead of using PLAY, click the HD or Full Screen button on the bottom of the player below, and when finished click it again or use the ESC key to return.

The XML Flash player NOT embedded in your current posting location? Click here to view these pictures , or for all my Las Vegas Photoshows that include some of the interesting neighborhoods and other community activities found in and around the Las Vegas Valley, CLICK HERE.

These pictures are also available as higher quality large images that are downloadable in my Picasa Photo Album.

If you are interested in relocating to Las Vegas or would like more information on Las Vegas real estate, please email me, Roberta LaRocca, at roberta@search4lasvegashomes.com, or call 702-354-8988. I look forward to hearing from you!

If you've been following my blog you know that Las Vegas home sales have been on the rise for quite some time. The pricing from the downturn combined with low interest rates has made homes in Las Vegas very affordable. From basic tract homes and condos all the way to the ultimate in luxury executive homes, there are super deals to be found. Not just in foreclosed properties, but in resale homes, as well. Of course if you've been following you know that you don't have to pay for Las Vegas foreclosure lists to find these home values.

This incredible pricing has also attracted the home investors, from individuals to investment groups. Fortunately it appears that most are serious investors that allow appreciation over time, not the flood of very speculative quick flippers that overinflated the market during the boom.

I've posted before about the Canadian Invasion of Las Vegas, there are a large number of our neighbors from the north that have been purchasing second homes and condos here in the Las Vegas valley. Just the other day, a KLAS TV8 news report was about a Canadian Investment Group that has purchased 27 properties and could possibly buy as much as 30 more.

Their reason for settling on Las Vegas? While they could go anywhere in the country, they feel that Las Vegas provides the best opportunity for future appreciation. You can hear the remarks in the KLAS video. The full screen control is on the bottom right and you can use the esc key to return.

This increased activity is something I've been experiencing for some time. My home buyers have been seeing it as well, as they are usually caught in the mix of multiple offers on properties. After writing a few offers, I usually hear the "you were right".

Properties are often very well priced, and going in at or below list on an exceptionally valued home may lead to disappointment. In many cases the listing price appears more like an auction starting bid, and the competition stiff. This is where you have to know what true comparable values are, for buyers can make a solid offer, but without overbidding.

If you're interested in Las Vegas homes, either as a home buyer or investor, at the very least you should be doing some serious shopping right now. You might also need to experience the learning curve often involved in the exceptionally valued properties that can be found in Las Vegas today.

If you are interested in relocating to Las Vegas or would like more information on Las Vegas real estate, please email me, Roberta LaRocca, at roberta@search4lasvegashomes.com, or call 702-354-8988. I look forward to hearing from you!

Since I did my post on Free Las Vegas Foreclosure List - You don't need to pay for Foreclosed Home Listings, I've had some interesting feedback. Many were surprised to find out that yes, your local Real Estate Agent has these listings. There aren't any foreclosed 'Secret Properties' to be bought directly from the banks. Once homes have been foreclosed, they all go through real estate brokers and appear on the local MLS.

With so many sites offering paid foreclosure listings or 'paid systems', a number of people have assumed that there is some 'secret' that isn't available to the general public, and that these sites or companies can provide them this information, for a fee, of course. Well, some times you don't always get what you pay for. It comes down to this...banks can own real estate, and through foreclosure own REO's or Real Estate Owned, but they can't sell it themselves.

Why? Arguments there range from a conflict of interest to monopolies. In 2001 the lenders began lobbying Congress to allow them to sell real estate, and a long battle began. They were challenging the Bank Holding Act of 1956 prohibiting financial institutions' holding companies from participating in most non-banking activities. The act was very broad and had been amended over the years to allow some flexibility, and the lenders were pushing to include real estate sales.

A bill was introduced in 2008 and re-introduced in 2009 as the Community Choice in Real Estate Act, that proposed to clarify and specifically prohibit financial institutions from participating in real estate brokerage or management. This bill actually became unnecessary, as that provision was included in the Omnibus Appropriations Act of 2009, signed into law on March 11, 2009. A brief summary of the provision to permanently prohibit banks from real estate activities is found on page 3 of this legislative notice on the funding bill.

So no, the banks don't sell direct, or are their any secret sources on foreclosed homes, they all go through brokers. They are listed with your local agents anywhere in the country, and included on any agent's site that has a multilist home search, like my own linked to the graphics at the bottom of this post, or my zip code based search hosted at the Greater Las Vegas Assn. of REALTORS®. Below is a map of the Las Vegas MLS Area Codes to help with your searches, particularly if you use my other sites.

I offer 3 websites to make it more convenient and compatable with different computers, browsers, and connection speeds. You can use whichever of my search sites you find is the easiest for you to use, see all available properties in your price range and other needs, and best of all it's free and no registration required. I don't 'harvest emails' from anyone that just wants to browse to see what's out there. Of course you should get in touch if you need more details or would prefer a more specific search, as I can set that up to be delivered straight to your email. When you're ready to shop, I'll be happy to show you your selections and help to guide you through the purchase.

While paid sites may imply there are secret foreclosure listings, or some say they have a 'system' with secrets for sale, there really isn't anything hidden. Even pre-foreclosures are a matter of public record and available from the Recorder's Office here in Clark County. The only 'secrets' are they require a lot of knowledge and research, knowing comparable values and all the risks and limitations involved. Even agents or real estate attorneys attempting short-sales for homeowners facing foreclosure are not always successful negotiating with banks or defaulted property owners.

While there are incredible bargains in today's Las Vegas home market, finding a property sold at a Trustee Sale that has potential equity can be very difficult. With declining home values leaving so many owing more than the properties is valued in most cases. Are they impossible to find? No, but very limited and you may just discover the competition stiff on those very few properties, just as you do in exceptional values for listed bank owned homes.

I hope that clears up some of the misconceptions about foreclosures. Not only here in Las Vegas, as the listings of homes that have been foreclosed are found on any MLS across the country and they offer the most up-to-date information available. Don't get caught up in the hype often seen out there on the web or TV infomercials. Find a knowledgeable REALTOR® that can explain all the realities of buying your next home or investment.

If you are interested in relocating to Las Vegas or would like more information on Las Vegas real estate, please email me, Roberta LaRocca, at roberta@search4lasvegashomes.com, or call 702-354-8988. I look forward to hearing from you!

Yes, it's time for true confessions. When I'm not a Las Vegas Real Estate Agent, and sometimes when I am, I'm a Las Vegas Stripper. Yes, another myth busted...Las Vegas Locals do go to the Strip. Now if you were thinking of the 'other' kind of Stripper...sorry, I'd probably fall like Jamie Curtis in the movie "True Lies."

So last night our group of nine was at the Strip, doing our part to help the local economy. There's a good chance you've heard about Las Vegas being 'slow', and the media reports of MGM's City Center declaring bankruptcy. Unfortunately even our contribution to one of MGM's great Steakhouses was too little, too late. As we stepped outside after dinner, the power on the Las Vegas Strip casinos was turned off. Besides street lighting and some of the smaller shops, the Strip was dark...with the exception of the limited lights from the 'few' visitors to Las Vegas. Business is just awful here, ya' know.

OK, I'm just kidding. Well sort of. The lights were actually turned off for Earth Hour between 8:30 and 9:30 PM, as Las Vegas was one of the 10 US Flagship Cities for the global event. It was held to recognise conservation and climate change. Las Vegas has become one of the cities with so much green construction, and out of necessity Las Vegas has been a leader in water conservation long before climate change became an issue. I do have to admit It was so strange to see one of the world's brightest cities, become so dark.

For more Las Vegas Strip pictures, even at night with the lights on, you might want to check out my Las Vegas Picasa Web Albums. Those pictures can be enlarged, and if you see something that catches your eye, they can be downloaded as a free Las Vegas Wallpaper, if you'd like.

There also seems to be another 'darkness' lurking around the globe. With all the doom and gloom of Las Vegas reported in the media, I guess this Earth Hour look must be what those outside Las Vegas might expect it to look like. Except for the traffic, perhaps. Yes, this is Las Vegas having a 'slow' economy and declines in visitors. Look as sparse or as bad as the media often describes it? You should have been with me at the airport today, it was packed.

Of course the Las Vegas visitor count has been reduced, and those that are coming are enjoying some fantastic bargains. That has lowered revenues and many companies were overleveraged, but it doesn't appear that desire to visit is dying. The same thing is true in the Las Vegas Real Estate market, where sales numbers continue to climb as savvy buyers pick up tremendous bargains in everything from tract homes to luxury residences. Probably why relocation.com said Las Vegas was their #1 for relocation in 2008, and predicts a repeat for 2009.

There's also been all the media disaster about MGM's Project City Center, that's scheduled to open later this year. MGM has said they expect to be hiring 12,000 at City Center and that doesn't include all the jobs on the property or in support of it in the valley. These are new jobs being created without any stimulus package. There was controversy created in the media that Nevada Senators Reid and Ensign had been asking banks to take a good look at the credit worthiness of giving loans to the City Center project. A big part of what all those billions in bailout money the banks received, was supposed to be about...freeing up credit markets to make viable loans. I don't understand why the press would think this is a bad thing, saving jobs and getting credit flowing again.

Next a lawsuit from Dubai World claming MGM mismanagement, and that blasted in the media as more gloom and doom for Las Vegas. Strange that the media overlooked a few things, since Dubai World's comments last fall that Dubia World wasn't having any funding problems and wasn't canceling projects due to the global crunch. Yet by February, their Nakheel subsidiary has postponed 6, part of the $75 billion or 60% of projects cancelled in the resort area centered in the oil rich Middle East. So, could this lawsuit be another way for them to conserve cash in this downturn? A way to dodge their own overleveraged positions? Perhaps putting the blame all on MGM, and why those folks call it a 'meritless suit'? Or is it more as the media implied, that it was MGM as the lone source of the problem and the 'decay' of the Las Vegas market?

Of course next up in the media was City Center would be declaring bankruptcy, as the lawsuit came just days before Dubai World would have had to put up their 50% share of a $200 million payment due. What a coincidence! The media began all kinds of speculation that City Center would be declaring bankruptcy, and then MGM Mirage because of all this. MGM had already said it had the money to make the payment by itself. What the media often failed to report, was that MGM WAS ready to make the payment, it DID have the cash, but THE LENDERS were the ones objecting to Dubai World not making their 50% of the payment.

Yes, as most real estate agents in this foreclosure and credit mess have come to be aware, banks and common sense don't often belong in the same sentence. Banks that have frozen credit markets from their 'toxic assets', and in spite of the billions in taxpayer dollars handed to them, would rather refuse an available $200 million payment on a technicality and force a project into bankruptcy. Wouldn't that be creating even more toxic assets, as well as adding unemployment?

Of course the media seems to be almost on their level at times. Just the week before, they were blasting the news of MGM's sale of Treasure Island to billionaire Phil Ruffin. After winning gaming approval, he transferred $600 million of the $775 million sales price to MGM. So yes, MGM obviously had the cash on hand to make the $200 million payment for City Center. It seems many in the media forgot or passed on that little tidbit. Of course there is still a lot of twists and turns for MGM to navigate, and I'd expect the banking industry to have a ways to go before common sense becomes more prevalent, but the media still seems more interested in negative, tabloid style reporting than being objective.

One more case in point as to how crazy banking has become, is the Phil Ruffin purchase of TI. As he pointed out, he's getting one heck of a deal. To build the same nearly 3000 room hotel would cost in excess of $2 billion according to his estimates and former plans to do so at his former Frontier site a few doors up the street. MGM had done somewhere near $100 million in renovations to the hotel, and last year the property's revenues had declined...reported to be only around $87.7 million. MGM had offered to finance the balance, but gave Ruffin another super offer. If he found outside funding, they would knock off $20 million from the remaining $175 million balance. As crazy as this may sound, he's having trouble obtaining financing for the balance with $600 million down, or 80% equity! Ruffin had an interview with Las Vegas freelance reporter and a host of 'The Strip Podcast', Steve Friess. In Steve's Vegas Happens Here Blog, Phil is quoted as saying he may just pay it in cash.

As you can see from the Strip traffic from my Earth Hour pictures, Las Vegas still has a strong attraction even in this difficult economy. Bankers, in spite of the billions of our dollars handed to them, still appear to be hindering out national recovery. The news media still appears more interested in sensationalizing than objective reporting. There is light at the end of the tunnel, and the gloom and doom darkness is often blown out of proportion, prolonging our national recovery. You just might find out you need to check things out for yourself, or that you'll get better information from a Las Vegas Real Estate Agent...or a Las Vegas 'Stripper'. :)

If you are interested in relocating to Las Vegas or would like more information on Las Vegas real estate, please email me, Roberta LaRocca, at roberta@search4lasvegashomes.com, or call 702-354-8988. I look forward to hearing from you!

I borrowed my graphic from my last post on a Tech Tip for ActiveRainers or Home Buyers using multiple PCs. It seems to work for this computer security tip as well.

The jury is still out on the latest variants of the Conficker - Downadup worm that's set to go off on April 1, 2009. Still, it has caused Microsoft to offer a $250,000 reward for an arrest of the creators.

CNET seems to think there won't be much of an effect. USA Today calls it dangerous. Panda Security has identified it to a Conficker 'D' variant. Microsoft had put up it's own page for the Conficker 'B' variant. At the very least, it appears to be the largest computer attack in about 10 years. Hopefully it won't disrupt your use of the blogs and other features here at ActiveRain.

So while it's hard to determine what exactly this worm may do, it probably wouldn't hurt to make sure you have the latest Windows Updates, and run a virus scan. If you don't have any antivirus software, in addition to the methods offered in the above article links and from Microsoft, you can also try the free online scans at Trend Micro Housecall, or Bitdefender that also says they have a Conficker Removal Tool. I haven't had the need to use any of them myself, so I can't say exactly what will or will not work.

If you are interested in relocating to Las Vegas or would like more information on Las Vegas real estate, please email me, Roberta LaRocca, at roberta@search4lasvegashomes.com, or call 702-354-8988. I look forward to hearing from you!