The Nevada Millenium Scholarship was designed and enacted in 1999 to keep Nevada's brightest students in the Nevada higher learning institutions. Eligibility requirements are currently defined in the NRS code 316.911-938

For 2008:

• Must attend a Nevada high school for two years or more as defined by NV Board of Regents
• Carry a weighted or unweighted GPA of 3.25 or better
• Must pass ALL areas of High School Proficiency Exam

The Millenium Scholarship is easy to obtain if all criteria in the clickable link above is met. Your high school passes the information to the treasurer's office. The treasurer's office mails out the packet mid July. You follow the instructions in the packed to claim your award.

The Dollar Value of the Millenium Scholarship:

• $40 per credit hour NSHE Community College Lower Division
• $60 per credit hour NSHE Community College Higher Division
• $80 per credit hour University 12 hour enrollment (12 hour max)
• $40 per credit Hour University 9-11 hour enrollment

For More Information or to find eligible schools: Nevada Treasurer's Office

This scholarship pays for about 3/4 of tuition when enrolled full time and does not cover books. It sure does help defray the costs though!

Eligibility Maintenance for scholarship:

• 2.6 first semester
• 2.75 each additional semester
• GPA is not cumulative, just semester to semester

Maximum lifetime award: 6 years and $10000

According to the NV Treasurer's office this program has been a success, the amount of NV area student's enrollment has doubled since the inception!

The Mercer - New Las Vegas Loft Community

Above are renderings of this project that is currently under construction. It consists of 113 loft style units on 3 floors. Units are built around a central courtyard. Most of the amenities are inside this courtyard area. Their retail component is expected to include shopping and dining. Units range in size from 800 to 2,370 sq. ft. Base prices range from $315,000 to $790,000. It is located just west (about 2 1/2 blocks) of the SR215 at Tropicana, on the west side.

Unit amenities include 10' ceilings, wood floors, granite countertops and a selection of stone floors for baths.

Development amenities include pool, jacuzzi, clubhouse with full kitchen, 24 hr. fitness center, secure underground parking and semi-private elevators. 12,000 sq, ft of retail will be on the ground floor on the Tropicana side. The residential units are constructed around a central courtyard that is the location of the above described amenities.

The development is fairly high up on the west side. Many units will have views of either the Strip area of the Spring Mountains to the west. At a 2,650 ft. above sea level, it is approximately 450 ft. higher than the Strip. Also with this elevated west side location it will go into the shade earlier than most locations in the valley and will be somewhat cooler. This is one development of this size and type that looks to be well funded and on solid ground.

A local news station has reported that there have been layoffs at Trump Towers in Las Vegas because of slow luxury condominium closings. According to the report, there have been 73 layoffs - nearly 20 percent of the workforce.

While the overall Las Vegas real estate market is going through major changes and challenges, it is important we continue to differentiate between "condotel" and "residential" when it comes to high-rise product. The challenges between the two are much different; nobody seems to address the fact that condotel is a specialty product.

While mortgage lending has tightened up across the entire United States, condotel financing has taken a big hit as banking institutions' guidelines find the product more risky than typical residential developments. Condotel is primarily purchased as a vacation home and/or investment property. Units come turn key, fully furnished, and can usually be thrown into some kind of nightly rental program. These are NOT regular condos or pieces of real estate!

It's not to say that buyers of residential high-rise condos have not had difficulty getting loans, all facets of real estate are facing challenge including commercial, single family homes, investment properties, vacation residences, and primary residences.

It has been consistent for the challenges of high-rise properties in Las Vegas to be smeared into one generic category, when in fact, the media continues to avoid explaining the differences between product types.

We must address and not combine...

• Condotel vs. Residential
• Low-, Mid-, and High-Rise
• Timeshare
• Condo Conversion
• Concrete and Steel vs. Wood-framed construction
• Strip vs. Downtown vs. South Strip vs. Suburban

How often do you see the media...

• Report that Sky Las Vegas is the only high-rise condo tower on the Las Vegas Strip and will be until almost 2010 when Veer Towers, Mandarin Oriental, The Harmon Hotel, and the Cosmopolitan Resort Casino are expected to come on-line?
• Combine low-, mid-, and high-rise inventory into one generic category called "high-rise"?

Trump Towers' 73 job layoffs will probably get more play than a teenage rockstar...

The groupies will love this story and ride it until it's raw. Meanwhile, stories such as Wynn Resorts hiring for approx. 5,300 new jobs at Encore and Station Casinos' recent announcement of approx. 1,000 new jobs at Aliante Station get the leftovers.

Don't forget to check out...

Another Day in Doom and Gloom Paradise

and...

Dear Las Vegas,

Aaron Auxier REALTOR®, ABR can be reached at 702-205-1818

Copyright © 2008 Aaron Auxier. All Rights Reserved.

Disclaimer: All information in this post is subject to change without notice. Subject matter: is an opinion, is not guaranteed, may be time sensitive, and may be based on information collected from several sources which may or may not be reliable at the time of sourcing.

I was out to preview a few homes for a client, so thought I'd share a quick glimpse of it. Rhodes Ranch is the 1500 acre master planned oasis in the southwest side of the Vegas Valley just off the 215 beltway. It's guard gated with amenities that include the R Club community center that includes pools and a water park, and playgrounds throughout. It's wrapped around the Rhodes Ranch Golf Club, a public course, similar to it's sister development Tuscany Village in the southeast valley and located in Henderson.

There are a number of neighborhoods in the community that offer a variety of styles and price ranges. There are also new homes being built, with The Greens recently opened with prices starting in the 190,000's. Home Buyers please note: If you visit ANY new home site or sign up online for information, you have eliminated having your own agent represent you in negotiating your purchase. Always contact your agent first to allow for that option, and their services are typically at no charge to the buyer.

Recently Station Casinos announced that they will begin construction of Durango Station in 2009 and completed in 2011. Just like the other Station properties, this will add to the entertainment and shopping choices in the area. Current plans call for several restaurants, movie theater, arcade, and 201 room hotel tower, along with 190,000 square feet of outdoor shopping, similar to it's The District at Green Valley Ranch, but on a larger scale. This project had been planned to start earlier and was delayed when Station Casinos went private.

So here's your free Las Vegas tour of Rhodes Ranch. Watch this small version, or click the HD button in the bottom toolbar of the player to view full screen. Use the HD button or ESC key to close when done. If unable to use the player here, you can watch it by clicking THIS LINK. Enjoy!

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

Centennial Hills is a suburb of Las Vegas, located in the upper NorthWest part of Las Vegas, Nv. Take 95 Northwest from downtown.

If you are looking to live in an area that is not to close to the strip, but still provides most everything one could want in a community, then Centennial Hills might be a good fit for you & your family.

Just like any other suburb, there is a commute of about 20-30 minutes depending on time of day & what part of town you are coming from or heading to. Many hear about it from the car ads on the radio & tv.

There are many new home communitys and several master plan communitys such as Providence & Alianta. It is a hop, skip & a jump away from the entrance to Kyle Canyon/Mt Charleston. You can get everything from a condo for about $90,000 to a mansion in the area.

There isn't a day go by that we see new construction of some kind. Maybe the new homes, the roads, schools, stores, parks,etc. The new HOV lane on the freeway. Lots of new parks popping up all the time. The new YMCA, the future library and more.

Good ol' Floyd Lamb Park, soon to change hands

I have been in this area going on 5 years now & the growth up here has been booming. I have been in Vegas long enough to remember when Ann Rd off the 95 got the gas station. Most of the horse/ATV trails have been replaced with homes. There are still some areas for riding and some homes on very large lots, even horse property.

Many of us have waited for the Centennial Hills hospital to open & it is finally open now. Now we are awaiting our new mall, which has been redesigned and as of now will take some lead from the likes of Town Center & The District at least that is the latest idea.

We still have many shops in the area even without the mall. Kohls, Target, Ross, Albertson, Smiths,Kirklands,Pier 1,Walmart, just to name a few.

And, places to eat! OMGosh! There are so many, I haven't been able to try them all!

Aliante Station Casino is due to open the end of 2008. Until then enjoy the newly remolded Sante Fe Casion nearby.

It is a bit higher elevation and we have some breathtaking views of the city from almost any place on the roads up here. Sunsets & Sunrises are just awesome! Below is a sunrise!

There are many services in the area as well, day spas, vets, quick care, doctors, dentists,etc.

While there are a lot of new things to see and do in the area, there are many old time favorites places like Gilcrease Orchard, Floyd Lamb Park, Bob Taylor's Ranch House

If you would like more information on the area or have any questions feel free to email me or give me a call.

Dawn Barrier

Federal rescue of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac could cost taxpayers $25 billion, congressional budget experts said Tuesday, as lawmakers put finishing touches on legislation that would tap the troubled mortgage giants' profits to help save homeowners from foreclosure.

A costly rescue is just a worry, not a fact at this point. Peter R. Orszag, director of the Congressional Budget Office, predicted in a letter to lawmakers that there's a better than even chance the government will not have to step in to prop up the companies by lending them money or buying stock.

"This is like two months in Iraq for something that involves, literally, market stability and (calms) global jitters," said Sen. Christopher J. Dodd, D-Conn., the Banking Committee chairman. Dodd said he hoped the legislation would clear Congress by the end of the week.

CAN YOU SAY: YOU SAY TAX INCREASE???

The Meridian Luxury Suites used to be an apartment complex within an easy walking distance to the Strip and then in 2005 all the units were converted into condominiums. Condo conversions were all the rage those days in Las Vegas. That's when the real estate market here was still doing pretty good and mortgage money was plentiful and available at almost every corner with flexible terms. But today's business environment is vastly different.

Meridian has 678 condominiums in all and only around 12 are owner-occupied, according to Clark County records. The rest are owned by investors, just about all of whom are out-of-towners. When they bought in they paid prices that were going through the roof. That was in 2005. Fast-forward to summer of 2008 and now the Meridian's homeowners association president says that the values have dropped roughly 50%. That kind of value decrease can cause many of these investors to lose a few hours of sleep every night.

Most of the investors were leasing out their units long-term but they probably weren't getting enough money to cover their mortgage payments doing so and now that the anticipated steady appreciation year after year has turned into a nightmare, they had to figure out another way to generate revenue. Either that or face a possible foreclosure. Make the investment look like a real investment.

So they came up with the idea of renting out these condos short-term. Operating more or less like a hotel and with the Strip only a few steps away, it was a viable alternative. And with a decent marketing campaign it should easily generate more rental income than a long-term leasing would.

But a couple of problems erupted soon after the program got off the ground. The owner-occupants at Meridian of course don't like to see overnight renting going on around them. They have definitely made their feelings known regarding that. That's actually the smaller of the two problems. The other is that Meridian is using residential property for transient lodging and that violates county licensing regulations. It is currently permitted to execute leases that last longer than a month and that's it. Knowing that, Clark County is now reviewing Meridian's operations and weighing its options, legal and otherwise.

Meridian is presently applying to change its status to a condo hotel, although there is no word yet as to when that might be approved by the County. Since it has been in violation of the existing license agreement for months, the County may on purpose delay action on it as a form of punishment. Who knows? The soft real estate market forced the investors to turn creative, but they also skirted local regulations in doing so.

The Red Rock Canyon area is, the most beautiful area in Nevada-perhaps the southwest. Whether you are a rock climber, a hiker or just appreciate the beauty of wild horses, bighorn sheep, and wild burros roaming free, you will love this part of Nevada. Red Rock Country Club is a 735-acre village adjacent to the Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area that overlooks the entire Las Vegas valley. The community sits at elevations from 3,000 feet above sea level and its rugged terrain includes 100 foot deep canyons as well as lakes, waterfalls, and streams. Private Course - The 18-hole "Mountain Course" at the Red Rock Country Club facility in Las Vegas, Nevada features 6,965 yards of Summerlin golf from the longest tees for a par of 72. Designed by the legendary Arnold Palmer, the Mountain Course opened in 1999 and provides Red Rock real estate with some of most spectacular views in the entire Las Vegas Valley. Public Course - The Arroyo Course, Red Rock's newest Arnold Palmer Signature course and the only course at Red Rock Country Club open to public play, ribbons seamlessly through the rugged terrain, nestled between the spectacular landscapes of Red Rock Canyon, one of Las Vegas' most revered natural landmarks, and panoramic views of the Las Vegas cityscape. Red Rock Casino Resort and Spa Las Vegas. was designed by Station Casinos. The inspiration for this hotel was based the "contemporary elegance" that was once a prominent feature of Vegas casinos. Today, the new Red Rock Casino serves as a monument that commemorates the days of Vegas past. Just minutes from the dramatic red cliffs that inspired its name, Red Rock Casino, Resort & Spa combines all the perks of some of Las Vegas' largest hotels with the comfort of a neighborhood hangout.   HOMES Red Rock Country Club Homes, is part of the Summerlin Master Planned community. The luxury, executive and custom home community is guard-gated and features two 18-hole championship Arnold Palmer-designed golf courses. Community amenties include nine lighted tennis courts, aquatic center, 24 hour manned gatehouse, roving security patrol, member's only intranet site, sports clubhouse, cabana grille, tennis complex (including stadium court) and a golf pro shop. The Mountain Course (private golf course) The Arroyo Course (public golf course) Clubhouse Sports Clubhouse Red Rock Country Club Homes, have about 1,116 homesites, three-quarters of which have golf course views, many of which are multi-million dollar homes. Beautiful landscaping with waterways, gorgeous parks, and amazing views provide an upscale lifestyle... I can provide you with the latest updates on all new listings, resales and great deals on homes. See only few here below!...

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Feel free to browse my website: www.lasvegas-buyandsell-realestate.com and have a look at our real estate listings, featured luxury high rise condos, Las Vegas luxury high rise map and learn more about Las Vegas Neighborhoods. Las Vegas luxury high rise condos: Manhattan West, Panorama Tower One, SpaLofts, Sky Las Vegas, Newport Lofts, Turnberry Place.

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