Compare these stats to the data collected 3 years ago.  Las Vegas Rental Statistics by Area - and Area Map 07/2008

The following rental statistics are all median values on single family detached homes and patio homes leased within the last 12 months.  They are between 1400 to 2800 square feet, built after 1996, without pools and without furniture.  Age restricted communities have not been included in these stats.

** GLVAR Deems Information Reliable, But Not Guaranteed **

Researching local public schools is a good idea when purchasing real estate even if you're buying investment property. Being zoned for a "popular" or highly desired school can make a property easier to rent or sell in the future. But keep in mind, re-zoning is common.

Here are some sites to help research schools. From these links you can find information such as zoning, school comparisons, parent and student opinions, & much more.

http://www.greatschools.net - Nationwide site

• Research & Compare
• Parent & Student Opinions
• Advice
• 1-10 rating scale for easy comparisons

http://www.ccsd.net - Clark County School District website.

• Zoning by address & zoning maps
  
• Calendar
• Individual school websites
• Contact info
• Lot's more

http://www.nevadareportcard.com/

• Compare Nevada schools
• Assessment
• AYP
• Fiscal
• Student
• Teacher

http://www.vegasproperty4u.com/school_reports.shtml

• School Profiles
• Nationwide
• Search by City, County, or Zip Code
• Search by school or district name
• Maps

Also be sure to check out trulia's new crime map --- Click Here

Each week I spend a little time answering Las Vegas real estate questions for people who have yet to choose an agent, are looking for a second opinion, or couldn't get an answer from their own agent.  Often the questions are asked on sites like trulia and zillow, and I thought why not post my answers on my own blog as well? 

Home is underwater and upside down, spouse died, and am senior citizen. Loan mod refused and now facing foreclosure. Why not walk away?

During the two loan mod trials, they said don't pay the mortgage payments, so we did as told. Spouse was very ill and forced out of work and out of insurance.. During the 2nd trial and two hospital visits, spouse died. All I have now is SS.
Loan mod was refused, despite extreme hardship. Mortgage payment was up to almost $3000. First mod offered to lower to $2800. Ridiculous. Told them to do it again. Second time around was $2400. Now they will not do again and I have no cash to pay for another. Paid the attorneys a ton of cash to no avail. House is now facing foreclosure, got the notice, but they are just fiddling around and haven't done it yet. It's been almost a year.
I have nothing left here.
I have a place to go and don't need this house.
Can someone give me one good reason why I shouldn't walk away?

Answer:

I'm sorry for your loss. While I feel badly for what you are going through, it also makes me angry to hear how uncooperative and unreasonable your lender has been, and just as bad are the attorneys who took your money and failed to help you.

Unfortunately, I often see the same scenario of failed loan modifications and expensive legal fees to attorneys who failed to help. If I could give 1 piece of advice to other people who just getting into trouble with their loans it would be to seek advice from many sources sooner rather than later and especially before paying any money to an attorney or loan mod company. Talk to several attorneys, talk to several real estate agents who specialize in short sales, talk to several loan modification companies (make sure they're licensed).

To answer your question, here are 2 reasons why you may want to consider a short sale instead of just walking away:
1. You may want to explore your options regarding a short sale. If you qualify for the HAFA program or other similar short sale program, you may be eligible to receive up to $3000 from the sale.
2. One of the goals in doing a short sale would be to get the lender to grant "full satisfaction of the debt". Without that, the lender could go after you for the deficiency balance of the loan.

I'm a certified short sale professional. Don't hesitate to give me a call if you'd like some more information.

Damon Botticelli
Realty One Group
(702) 523-7713

Each week I spend a little time answering Las Vegas real estate questions for people who have yet to choose an agent, are looking for a second opinion, or couldn't get an answer from their own agent.  Often the questions are asked on sites like trulia and zillow, and I thought why not post my answers on my own blog as well? 

What is the average discount sellers are making to close the deal on their home?

01/02/2011 - Market Conditions in Summerlin - asked by Jwsale on trulia

Great answer from Bill. To add on that, the average sale price to listing price in Summerlin over the past 12 months was 97.5% for single family homes. So on average sellers discounted 2.5% off the list price. It's also common to allow up to 3% towards the buyer's closing costs, but I don't have the data at hand to back that up.

It's also important to mention that averages mean little to nothing when you're negotiating on a specific property. When you look at average, you're including an 8.9 million dollar house that sold for 7 million, a $180k house that sold for $240k, a $200k home that was gutted and sold for $160k, etc... none of which have anything to do with the home you are either buying or selling.

Every deal is different and that's why the best agents will look carefully at all the details effecting your deal to give you the best possible angle in negotiations.

Right now, we have over 12,000 available homes on the market and over 10,000 homes under contract.  If you've been searching homes for sale in the Las Vegas, N. Las Vegas, or Henderson areas, chances are you've come across the perfect home online, only to find out it was under contract, but the site you found it on wasn't updated.

http://homesearch.botticellihomes.com

This site is great because it will only show search results for AVAILABLE property.  Why waste time sorting through thousands of homes that are NOT available?  If you find a property listed on another site and you want to check to see if it's actually available...just type in the address in this site and you'll find out right away if the property is still available.

Details, Details, Details!  You can set up and save your own searches and specify even the most detailed criteria.  For example, you can filter out "short sales", or only look for "foreclosures".  You can specify details like, "Master Bedroom Downstairs", "Granite Counter Tops" or "Guard Gated Only" or even search within a set price per square foot.

I could go on and on about the search capabilities, but I suggest you check it out for yourself.  It does have a lot of features, so you may want to click on the "Website Tutorials" tab in the upper right, or just give me a call and I'll be happy to point out some of the advanced features and help get your search up and running.

http://homesearch.botticellihomes.com

Here's a snap shot of the map based search page:

Or use the list view:

And here is a sample of just SOME of the search criteria: