HUD’s 2006 budget proposes a zero downpayment mortgage option in the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) that would allow first-time buyers with a strong credit record to finance 100 percent of their home purchase including closing costs. The Budget also proposes a program called Payment Incentives, which would allow borrowers with limited or weak credit histories to purchase homes by initially paying higher mortgage insurance premiums that would gradually be reduced after a period of timely payments. In 2006, these new mortgage programs will help more than 250,000 families to buy a home of their own. The 2006 Budget also provides $200 million to fully fund the American Dream Downpayment Initiative (ADDI). This Initiative helps first-time homebuyers with the biggest obstacles to homeownership, the downpayment and closing costs. Since being signed into law, ADDI has helped more than 3,500 families to purchase their first home. MS Las Vegas Real Estate supports these HUD initiatives for 2006 and urges you to contact the U.S. Congress if you feel the same way.

A record number of U.S. metropolitan areas (62 out of 129) experienced double-digit home price gains between the fourth quarter of 2003 and the fourth quarter of 2004. Number one on the list of metropolitan areas is Las Vegas, Nevada with a gain of 47.3 percent. San Bernardino and Riverside counties in California were second on the list with price increases of 34.7 percent. The national median price for existing homes in the fourth quarter was $187,500, according to the NAR, an 8.8 percent increase from last year. The median price of a re-sale home in Las Vegas is $250,000. MS Las Vegas Real Estate is your tour guide in the market for residential real estate in Las Vegas.

New residential construction logged a surprising increase last month as low mortgage rates fueled increased activity in the Southern U.S., helping housing starts climb to the highest mark in nearly 21 years. The Commerce Department said that housing starts rose 4.7% last month to a seasonally adjusted 2.159 million annual rate. It was the highest level of starts since February of 1984. With mortgage rates staying low, economists expect the housing market to continue to be a strong positive for the economy as a whole. Freddie Mac reported last week that rates on 30-year mortgages had fallen for a sixth consecutive week to 5.57%. Mortgage rates have managed to stay below 6% since last July, providing the impetus for all time highs in sales of both new and existing homes in 2004. It was the fourth straight year that sales in both categories have set records. MS Las Vegas Real Estate is geared up for another strong year in the Las Vegas home market. Our economy continues to surge (as does our population) and real estate in Las Vegas continues to be a solid investment.

The brand new Dragonridge Country Club at MacDonald Highlands is 27,000 square feet and beautifully designed to blend into the mountain terrain. The two-story building sits on a plateau right behind the 18th green. In a triumph of desert architecture, the profile of the mountains just behind and the profile of the clubhouse itself visually integrate to a stunning degree. The Dragonridge Country Club was honored by Southwest Contractor Magazine with it’s 2004 “Best Interior Project over $5 million”. The 27,000-square-foot clubhouse features extensive stone and glass. It includes a dining room, two mixed grills and lounges, a fitness facility, swimming pool and pro shop. An expansion to the clubhouse to accommodate large events is slated begin soon as well. Dragonridge Country Club is a private facility. The Dragonridge golf course is set into the canyons, among arroyos and rock outcroppings, and maximizes elevation changes as you wind through 18 spectacular holes. A complimentary social membership to the country club is provided to owners upon application approval. Different packages are available, and include golf, sport, corporate and social membership for residents and nonresidents of MacDonald Highlands. MS Las Vegas Real Estate would be happy to arrange a tour of MacDonald Highlands homes and the new Dragonridge Country Club.

Vegas condos gain steam, but what lies ahead? Jeff Burbank SPECIAL TO THE RENO GAZETTE-JOURNAL2/14/2005 10:03 pm LAS VEGAS ? About 80 percent of the 1,092 condominium units that real estate mogul Donald Trump put up for sale in October have been reserved.Clark County Commissioners approved eight new condo projects ? a total of 24 buildings ? during a meeting Feb. 2.More than 60 condo projects have either been approved or are under construction in Las Vegas, thanks the surging cost of acreage.Bare, undeveloped land sold by the Bureau of Land Management this month went for $263,000 an acre, up from about $160,000 in 2002. An acre with water, power and other services can go upwards of $500,000, and more than double that on the Strip.Trying to make sense of the current mania for condos ? high rise, medium and low-rise, is veteran Las Vegas real estate saleswoman Michelle Sterling, for whom condo sales has become a lucrative sideline.Among the units she sells, the most expensive are the high risers overlooking the Strip ? one goes for $2.3 million, another $3.1 million, and still another $3.9 million.?The price of land is going up faster than we?re used to, and developers want to look at creative use for the land,? said Sterling, who?s been a Realtor for 10 years and works for Liberty Realty in Las Vegas. One thing she?s learned is that many patrons who plunk down hundreds of thousands for a high-rise condo don?t stay in town that much.?A lot of people want to live here, but not necessarily full time,? said Sterling. ?A lot of those on the Strip enjoy coming to Las Vegas several times a year and want a place to stay. A lot see it as a good investment.?Others are locals who?ve decided to chuck their detached homes.?I?m hearing the term ?lock and leave? a lot, people who don?t want to worry about their yards or security anymore,? Sterling said. Still others stay briefly, then offer their units for rent, although managers of some high rises prohibit renting, Sterling said. Some permit six-month or one-year leases, and others ? such as Trump?s pending building, and the planned Majestic Las Vegas ? mix condos for sale with hotel rooms for rent (and separate entrances for both).Units in the Turnberry and Park Tower condo towers, which were the first of the new condo projects on the scene several years ago, have gone up 30 percent since then, Sterling said. And it?s hard to get anything for less than $500,000 in town. New condos offered by Trump are going for as much as $700,000, with a minimum of $20,000 to hold one, Sterling said.Whether all of those 60 condo projects OK?d by the county are built, is ?an unknown,? Sterling said.?(Condo sales) will remain like any kind of housing market,? she added. ?We?ve never seen this many built. But it?s always difficult to compare Las Vegas to anywhere else. I?ve been here 25 years and I?ve never seen how we?re like anybody else.? Jeff Burbank is a Las Vegas free-lance business writer who covers Southern Nevada business-related issues for the Reno Gazette-Journal.Copyright ? 2005 The Reno Gazette-Journal

Sales have begun at Carlisle at Summerlin, a gated development of 400 beautiful Las Vegas condominiums. The complex’s one, two and three bedroom plans are priced from the low $200,000’s. Six floor plans are available, including two two-story designs. Each includes a patio or balcony and some offer attached garages. Interior upgrades include maple cabinetry and granite slab counter tops in the kitchen and bathrooms. Additional features include mirrored closet doors, vertical blinds and miniblinds, two-tone paint, carpet in the living room, dining room and bedrooms, and ceramic-tile flooring in the kitchen, baths and entry. Architectural appointments include 9-foot and vaulted ceilings, plant shelves, walk-in closets and serving bars, per plan. Common amenities at the landscaped complex include a heated swimming pool, spa, sauna, clubhouse, barbecue area, and fitness center with cardiovascular and weight-training equipment. MS Las Vegas Real Estate would be happy to acquaint you with these beautiful new Las Vegas homes.

The nation’s business travel sector last year reversed a five-year downturn with 5.7% growth according to a Washington-based trade group. The Travel Industry Association of America said 38.3 million U.S. adults took one or more business trips of at least 50 miles in 2004. The Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority announced this week that the local convention industry in Las Vegas attracted a record 5.7 million visitors in 2004. Obviously, Las Vegas played its part in helping to reverse the nation-wide downturn in business travel. In fact, business travel is an integral part of the Las Vegas economy. It’s a critical supplement that keeps rooms filled and casinos humming during the weekdays. A local economy that runs at this pace supports a residential housing market that continues to grow and strengthen. MS Las Vegas Real Estate is your local expert for residential real estate in Las Vegas.

Google top executives said they can’t expand as rapidly as they would like because they can’t find enough qualified employees or deploy new computers fast enough. Google has a little over 3000 employees at present. They have managed to add 700 new people since the middle of 2004. Google is famous in silicon valley for their rigorous hiring process. Prospective candidates endure a battery of tests and at least half a dozen interviews. The thing I find more confusing about the latest Google news is their claim to be 20% below optimum level in terms of technical infrastructure. Has the world suddenly run out of cheap computing power? Google deploys thousands of computers in data centers around the world, assembled from low-cost parts and linked together by sophisticated proprietary software. Maybe they can’t even find enough people to integrate those low-cost parts into their existing network? Maybe they should set up an operation in Las Vegas!

Home sales will be down from the high-water marks set in 2004 but are expected see the second-best year on record in 2005, according to the National Association of Realtors?. David Lereah, NAR’s chief economist, said economic conditions this year will be similar to 2004. “Even with a growing economy and improving job market, inflation should stay tame with only modest upward pressure on interest rates,” he said. “The relationship between mortgage interest rates, family income and home prices will remain favorable for home buyers in most of the country.” We’re on track in Las Vegas for another fantastic year and MS Las Vegas Real Estate is primed and ready.

Las Vegas posted it’s strongest year ever for tourist numbers in 2004. The final count is a record breaking 37.4 million visitors to arguably the most exciting city in the world. Last year’s visitor total was 5.2 percent better than 2003’s 35.5 million, and more than 4 percent better than 2000, the city’s previous best year with nearly 35.9 million visitors. Just as important, tourists in 2004 made no bones about spending their money. Wallets and purses were opened wide as Las Vegas logged double digit increases from 2003’s average spending on food, beverages, transportation, shopping and entertainment. The Las Vegas Strip occupancy rate was 88.6 percent, up from 85 percent in 2003, even though we added 1,000 new rooms. Weekend occupancy was 95 percent, a record figure as well. You just cannot show up on a Friday night from LA without a room reservation anymore (without driving back home). Ask yourself why the market for real estate in Las Vegas is among the very strongest in the country. MS Las Vegas Real Estate has your ticket to the next major metropolis in America. What do we mean? Think San Francisco, Chicago or Miami.

London’s office space is by far the most expensive in the world, followed by Paris, Tokyo, New York and Hong Kong, a survey found.

Declining mortgage rates and rising family incomes made it more affordable for Americans buying homes in the fourth quarter, the National Association of Realtors said Thursday. The trade group’s composite housing-affordability index was 131.8 points during the fourth quarter of 2004, up 2.9 percentage points from 128.9 the third quarter. Good news for Las Vegas real estate! The index shows that a typical U.S. household had 131.8 percent of the income needed to purchase a home at the fourth quarter median re-sale home price, which was $187,500 for the country as a whole. The median price for a re-sale home in Las Vegas is $250,000.

The Bush Administration’s proposed budget for fiscal year 2006 includes $28.5 billion for programs administered through the Department of Housing and Urban Development. The HUD budget allocation signals a continued commitment to increasing record home ownership in America and ending the most chronic forms of homelessness. The 2006 Budget provides $200 million to fully fund the American Dream Down Payment Initiative. ADDI helps first-time homebuyers with the biggest obstacles to home ownership (down payment and closing costs). Since this initiative became law, ADDI has helped more than 3,500 families to purchase their first home. The Bush Administration is also proposing a zero down payment mortgage option in the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) that would allow first-time buyers with a strong credit record to finance 100 percent of their home purchase including closing costs. We’ll see if that one makes it through the congressional labyrinth. MS Las Vegas Real Estate will be watching this process as it unfolds.

The University of Maryland has somehow figured out that American businesses spend 22 billion dollars a year deleting junk e-mail. They made this estimation based on the time spent at work every day on this laborious task and the monetary worth of that same time well spent. I’m wondering how they can be sure that these same people would spend that same time wisely (meaning working) if they had no junk to delete? In any event, according to the University, 75% of the people they surveyed (at work?) receive junk e-mail every day. The average time per day spent deleting is 2.8 minutes. Yes, it’s true, we get alot of spam at MS Las Vegas Real Estate. Why didn’t the University of Maryland call us?

Del American of Florida is developing the $325 million Vegas Grand condo community on a 20 acre site just 5 minutes east of the Las Vegas Strip on Flamingo Avenue. Vegas Grand Las Vegas offers mediterranean-style mid-rise towers featuring luxury residences with open floor plans, volume ceilings, over sized terraces, private balconies and careful attention to every detail. Amenities include privately walled and lushly landscaped grounds, Italian cobblestone street accents, 24 hour guard pavilion, gourmet grocery, spa and VIP business center. The bulldozers and earthmovers have just gotten started on moving 300,000 cubic yards of dirt! The Las Vegas condominium real estate market continues to grow and grow.

With yet another addition to the Las Vegas high rise condo market, Turnberry Towers will begin selling units in early March. The two towers will rise 45 stories and consist of 316 units each. The new Turnberry development is just one block north of the Las Vegas Hilton on Paradise Road. Of course, this also puts you just one block off the Las Vegas Strip! The project is loaded with one bedroom units for $375,000. The first tower is scheduled to open in late 2007. MS Las Vegas Real Estate is your Las Vegas high rise condo source.

Las Vegas Central will be built on Sierra Vista Drive between Paradise Road and Swenson Avenue. This Las Vegas high rise project will consist of two 52-story towers and 1000 units. Las Vegas Central is just a block south of the Las Vegas Convention Center. Prices start at $139,000 for a 400 square foot unit. Zoning approvals are already in place and financing looks secure as well. This development is specifically geared for Las Vegas residents. Amenities will include a health club, spa, supper club and lounge. MS Las Vegas Real Estate will be happy to keep you up to date on this and any other Las Vegas high rise development that peaks your curiosity.

The Greater Las Vegas Association of Realtors logged 4,398 condominium closings in 2004. The GLVAR reported 582 condo closings in 2003. Get the picture? What’s the difference? Las Vegas High Rise Condos, no doubt about it. The number of condominium closings is expected to TRIPLE in the Las Vegas real estate market over the next two years. The urbanization of a U.S. city on a truly historic scale. Be a part of the action, call MS Las Vegas Real Estate at 888-349-2595.

That’s right…almost. A full scale replica of the Liberty Bell will be brought to Las Vegas in May of this year as part of the centennial celebration. The bell will be rung to mark the centennial birthday of Las Vegas, Nevada and you know that we know how to stage an event. The Liberty Bell monument will be located at the corner of Fourth Street and Lewis Avenue just a few blocks from the Fremont Street Experience. The public will be able to see and touch the bell in addition to enjoying displays on the Bill of Rights, The Constitution and The Declaration of Independence. There will also be presentations about important legal cases that helped to shape the history of Southern Nevada. MS Las Vegas Real Estate would like to remind you once again that Las Vegas is a real city now. Large, ethnically diverse, culturally rich, economically strong and well on the way to first-tier status in America in so many ways that have nothing to do with gambling. A Las Vegas home is a sound investment and a pleasant and rewarding living experience. More so all the time.

Secretary Alphonso Jackson recently announced that Nevada will receive $9,705,420 to provide shelter and care for persons and families without a home of their own. The funding to Nevada is part of more than $1.4 billion announced nationwide - the largest single commitment of federal funds supporting an unprecedented number of local projects on the front lines of caring for people who might otherwise be living on the streets. “This unprecedented level of funds will go directly to those on the front lines, who work tirelessly everyday to bring an end to chronic homelessness, and who provide services to the many individuals and families without a home of their own” said Jackson. MS Las Vegas Real Estate salutes these efforts.

Before we get into the ad revenue part of the story, let’s talk first about who is winning the race for the most search customers. Google remains the top Internet search-site in the world. December data indicate that Google handled 34.7% of all searches. Yahoo is a close second with 31.9% and MSN is still a distant third with 16.3%. Now for the ad data. Google reported Tuesday that its profit rose eight fold as revenue doubled to $1.03 billion in the fourth quarter. Google shares jumped 7% ($13.46) to $205.36 on the Nasdaq Stock Market. The stock has more than doubled since it began trading at $85 in August. Yahoo is again right behind in the chase. Yahoo recently reported that fourth quarter profit increased nearly fivefold as revenue rose 62% to $1.08 billion. Both companies are benefiting tremendously from a huge surge in online advertising, driven largely by companies that pay big money to have their advertisement appear next to consumer search results. You will find MS Las Vegas Real Estate prominently featured on all 3 major search engines.

Microsoft plans to launch an all-out attack on it’s search competitors with a four month advertising campaign designed to promote its new Internet Search Engine product. Microsoft plans to promote the brand new MSN Search Service using “grassroots” marketing, online advertisements and commercials during the Super Bowl and college-basketball playoffs. As of yesterday, Microsoft began using its own technology for the MSN Search service. Microsoft had previously relied on licensed technology for its search engine. The Big M is hoping to differentiate its search capabilities from competitors that mostly provide the same type of functions. For example, Microsoft says its search tool will provide instant answers to standard questions and not just links to various web sites. For instance, say you were interested in the topic of Las Vegas real estate. If you type this phrase into the new MSN Search, you will receive a list of the most important web sites for that particular topic. Even though MSN Search returns over 5 million relevant results, MS Las Vegas Real Estate is right up in the very first group. No accident there. If you were to become interested in a Las Vegas home, MS Las Vegas Real Estate is among the very best of choices you can make. Go to MSN, see for yourself.

This is nothing short of incredible. Even John D. Rockefeller would never have thought of such a thing. The personal income statistics of the American people, as measured by the U.S. Commerce Department, shot up in December by the largest monthly gain since the government began tracking the data in 1959. The U.S. Commerce Department said that total personal income rose by 3.7% in December 2004 as compared to the previous month. What caused this record breaking phenomenon? The large dividend paid to shareholders of Microsoft Corporation. How much was the dividend? Thirty two billion dollars. The Microsoft payment, which affected 4.6 million shareholders, was nearly as large as the $38 billion federal income-tax rebate paid in the summer of 2001. If you live in Las Vegas, and you own a significant amount of Microsoft shares, MS Las Vegas Real Estate has a great idea for your new found chunk of change. How about a nice new Las Vegas home!