Stuart Sheinfeld

The time has finally come when we realtors can question and possibly correct a low appraisal says, realtor Stuart Sheinfeld. The July 21st passage of Obama’s Consumer Protection legislation included a host of RE-Related topics, but none was more important to our immediate needs than the language regarding appraisals. It allows realtors, mortgage bankers/brokers, consumers, and “any other person with an interest” to ask an appraiser to consider additional information such as comps, details, substantiation, and/or explanations to support an appraisal. In other words – you’re allowed to offer evidence and have it considered by an appraiser.

The number of new home sales nearly doubled month over month, jumping from 515 to 983. That 983 total, incidentally, was more than double the same month one year ago (105%). It was also the highest total of any month since September 2008. The part of the market that is pushing the new home figure upward are Hi-Rise sales led by City Centre’s Vdara and Veer condos.

Las Vegas now boasts the lowest number of subdivisions in this decade at 223. Reflecting new home sales totals, new home permits hit 423, a small increase over last month but a 23% year over year increase. At the same time, MLS inventory increased slightly, from 10,126 in May to 11,234 in June. It seems like the first wave of foreclosures has passed now we wait for the second wave says realtor Stuart Sheinfeld.

Las Vegas housing inventory is declining. Investors in Las Vegas & Henderson don’t seem to be going away. Some buyers are facing a daunting task of 40 offers on bank owned properties, says a local real estate agent Stuart Sheinfeld. That is why we are seeing the increased success of short sales.
Foreclosure homes aren't properly maintained and lose value when they sit empty, he said. Banks also incur longer holding costs when they complete the foreclosure process.
Short sales have become better option to foreclosure; they have to be approved by the bank for hardship reasons and usually takes a long time to complete. The bank's red tape can take four to five months for an approval of a short sale.
The $8,000 homebuyer tax credit and the extension of that have boosted the market to record sales for this time of the year. A tax credit of up to $6,500 for current home owners has created a great investment opportunity for most people. Mortgage delinquency rates were highest in Nevada 14% and Florida 12% & the Clark County population hitting the 2 million mark are 2 factors keeping the Las Vegas real estate market hot.
The foreclosure Mecca, Las Vegas has experienced home prices at a 50 percent decline from their peak in 2006. The median price of a home there is $138,000, the inventory is down to a 2.5 month supply.
City Center had its grand opening and is creating a big stir. The Strip project will open in phases this month after more than five years of development and construction. The 500,000-square-foot Crystals opened on 12/10, and the 392-room Mandarin Oriental opens to customers 10/12. Aria, City Center's centerpiece 4,004-room hotel-casino, opens Dec. 16.
Aria will employ 10,000 of the 12,000 employees this should boost the Las Vegas housing market even more, says Stuart Sheinfeld

1. SUPPLY: There are 2.5 months of supply of active listings at current sales rates, the best this figure has been in 5 years
2. DEMAND: Both new and existing home sales totals are near year-long highs.
3. PRICES: Remained relatively stable.
4. Homebuilders are beginning to seek land again.
5. A stalled major commercial project (Tivoli Village) restarted construction.

Las Vegas housing inventory is declining. Investors in Las Vegas & Henderson don’t seem to be going away. Some buyers are facing a daunting task of 30, 50 even 100 offers on bank owned properties, says a local real estate agent Stuart Shienfeld. The public property records show that 45 percent of the Las Vegas buyers in August purchased homes with cash. This has forced most buyers to start putting offers on short sales which can take up to 6 months to close. Short sales in Las Vegas are making up more than 50% of homes on the market; nearly 7,800 short-sale units are under contract, either contingent or pending lending approval.
With so much competition for Las Vegas real estate, new homes are becoming a viable option again. For home buyers that qualify for the $8000 tax credit new homes could be the only option. If a buyer wants to take advantage they need to be under contract within the next 30 days. The tax credit is set to expire on November 31,2009. A $8,000 tax credit is huge when the median existing home price is less than $130,000. The Realtors association has lobbied Sens. Harry Reid, D-Nev., and John Ensign, R-Nev., and U.S. Rep. Shelley Berkley, D-Nev., and they have lobbied for an extension of the tax credit in to 2010.
• Current Supply stays at 2.9 months
• REO inventory is DOWN
• Interest rates are averaging 5%-5.50%
• 2 months left to take advantage of the $8000.00 tax credit. Needs to close by 11/31/09
• 5 straight months of 4000+ home sales
• Over 55% of ALL NEW LISTINGS last less than a month on the market
The lack of foreclosure inventory, which is declining in Las Vegas could keep sales low & competition high. People buying in this market could look like geniuses in the next couple years.

For more information on taking advantage of the Las vegas market, contact Stuart Sheinfeld.

May Las Vegas housing data suggests that we possibly reached the bottom of the residential recession in the 2nd quarter of this year. I haven’t seen a home buying frenzy like this since 2004, says Las Vegas real estate agent Stuart Shienfeld.

Foreclosures have dominated the housing market with more than 60 percent of the sales each month being bank-owned properties.

With sales at their highest level since June 2006 the first-time homebuyers and investors snatching up Las Vegas inventory, say realtor Stuart Shienfeld.

There were 5,276 bank-owned single-family homes listed for sale in the valley and of those 2,623 had contingent offers, Smith says. That leaves an inventory of 2,653. About half of those homes don’t have offers.

The downturn in the stock market combined with the growing affordability of purchasing a home has prompted increased interest in using IRAs and 401K’s to help fund the purchase.

The number of resale homes on the market as listed by real estate agents continues to decline. During the past year, the number has dipped 36.7 percent or 8,109 units, lowering the inventory to less than 19,000 homes. The inventory has dropped for 13 consecutive weeks with 6,700 fewer properties listed during that time. The number of vacant homes is just under 7,500, a drop of 49 percent.

The number of foreclosures in May was 1,769, a 26% decrease from last year. This was the third month that foreclosure purchases surpassed the number of new foreclosures coming on the market.

New listings are down 18.1% from April 2009 and the number of units sold, are up 1.8% from last month. The average days on the market for homes are hovering for less than 60 days. That is an average of almost 65%.

There are very few REO homes that are currently available without offers to buy. You really need to move quickly to get your offer in. When you do you should offer you’re highest & best offer, says Stuart Sheinfeld. Some banks will do a multiple offer sheet and some don’t, so I wouldn’t take the chance of losing the property.