The City of North Las Vegas put together a new budget last week that increases spending by just over thirty percent, yet maintains a balanced budget. How did they do it? The same way so many other amazing things happen in Southern Nevada, spectacular growth!

Here’s additional good news for owners of North Las Vegas homes, property taxes were actually decreased slightly. I know what you’re thinking, how much growth could there have been to pull this off? As it turns out, North Las Vegas is now the third fastest growing large city in America. Overall tax revenues are up, way up. North Las Vegas has adopted a highly positive pro-business approach to the municipality and it’s working. Centex homes has made a major commitment to North Las Vegas real estate with the Ardiente community. The master-planned community of Aliante homes continues to be one of the most popular in the valley. Overall infrastructure continues to improve and the added investment from the budget boost will benefit residents and businesses alike. If you’re thinking of relocating yourself and/or your business to Southern Nevada, by all means consider the advantages presented by the City of North Las Vegas.

AFAN is getting ready for AIDS WALK LAS VEGAS 2006. Please help us in the fight against HIV/AIDS here in Southern Nevada. Join thousands of people on April 23, 2006 as we take to the streets to support those living with this disease. Together we can make a difference!

Founded in 1984, Aid for AIDS of Nevada (AFAN) is the oldest and largest AIDS service organization in the state of Nevada. AFAN provides direct client service programs, food programs, prevention and education programs, and community outreach. This year will be the 16th Annual AIDS Walk. Last year, more than 5,000 people walked and over $250,000 got donated! Corporate and community teams accounted for 60% of the total funds collected. Please speak to your co-workers and get a group together! Participation includes some of the leading corporations and organizations in Southern Nevada. Expect to see names like MGM Mirage, Macy’s, Pinnacle Health System, M.A.C Cosmetics, UNLV, Wells Fargo and many more. Make a team or join a team and walk with us on Sunday, April 23rd at 10am!

The Las Vegas Review-Journal recently conducted it’s annual Best of Las Vegas reader’s poll. This is serious business for Las Vegas business establishments. Winners are very aggressive about letting their customers know that they have been chosen. This year’s survey was especially anticipated due to the arrival of Wynn Las Vegas. Despite this fact, Bellagio again took top honors for the best Strip Hotel. Best coffee in Las Vegas? Yup, it’s Starbucks. The best burgers in Las Vegas? In-N-Out burger blows away the competition. If you don’t have one in your part of the country, grab a cab on your next visit and tell the driver…..hit the In-N-Out drive thru! Angel Park took top honors as the best public golf facility and it’s The Orleans if you like to bowl! Pure at Caeasar’s was without question the coolest club and Ghost Bar was rated the hottest place for singles. Andre Agassi is our most popular local celeb and Ben Affleck is our favorite celebrity tourist. Who was voted the worst celebrity tourist? Paris Hilton…Yikes!

It’s incredibly fortunate for both parents and teens in Southern Nevada that we have the Driver’s Edge Program. Former professional race-car driver Jeff Payne is the founder of what has to be one of the most incredible non-profit programs in our entire community! Based at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Driver’s Edge provides truly expert instruction for teens with new licenses. This is real world stuff and covers important topics like defensive driving techniques, paying close attention to the road, warning signs that spell risk and quick reaction to dangerous situations. This free course is given about 10 weekends a year out at the Speedway. Over 20,000 teens and parents have benefited from the generosity of this program since 2002. How incredible is that! The MS Las Vegas Real Estate Blog salutes a real local hero…Jeff Payne and Driver’s Edge.

Now in it’s 34th season, the Nevada Ballet Theatre is one of the leading lights of the cultural experience in Southern Nevada. Skillfully led by Artistic Director Bruce Steivel, Nevada Ballet has garnered status on a national scale. The dance company numbers 35 and includes talent attracted and recruited from around the world. Due to the tremendous generosity of the Donald W. Reynolds Foundation and the Howard Hughes Corporation, the Nevada Ballet Theatre is proud and fortunate to call Summerlin their home. Housed in a truly world-class facility of 36,000 feet, students and members of the local community are invited to share in the experience that is professional dance. Next on the performance schedule for the Nevada Ballet Company is Scheherazade. Performance dates are May 12th thru the 14th at the Judy Bayley Theatre at UNLV. Another recent event worthy of mention was the annual NBT Black and White Ball at Wynn Las Vegas on January 28th. This gala event honors a specific individual every year and Rita Rudner was chosen for 2006. Attendees included Paula Abdul, Smokey Robinson and Danny Gans. The event was sponsored by Cartier and guests enjoyed elegant touches and party favors fitting for the occasion. Las Vegas is a real city and the MS Las Vegas Real Estate Blog won’t stop promoting this side of the “Vegas experience” until people nationwide truly understand what we have to offer. This is a great place to start a business, to enjoy retirement, to start a family, to buy a home. We’re proud to be part of the Las Vegas real estate community and thrilled to be living in culturally rich Southern Nevada!

What do you get when you mix 65 college basketball teams, St. Patrick’s Day, thousands of bachelor/bachelorette parties, NASCAR, spring break and blackjack? Answer? A truly incredible month of partying, clubbing and gambling…..Las Vegas style! In 2005, the busiest month of the entire year on the Las Vegas Strip was March! I’m betting that we do it again this year. There is simply no place on the planet to experience March Madness Hoops like a Vegas casino sports book. The Nextel Cup Series was a huge success again this year. Hotel occupancy rates are running at a ridiculous 98-99% for the rest of the month. It seems as if there are as many limos on the strip as cabs! The nightclubs are packed and the gaming revenue projections are just off the charts. This kind of frenzied activity reverberates throughout the valley. Local restaurants are doing very well and the malls seem to be more crowded than ever. The Sterling Team at Red Rock Canyon Realty is busy showing property on a regular basis and the market for Las Vegas homes is holding steady. Only one problem, it’s cold by Vegas standards…and we even had a dusting of snow this month!

On April 6th a conference will be held at Green Valley Ranch that will address one of the most pressing subjects facing the future of Southern Nevada, affordable Las Vegas homes for average working people. This critically important event is being sponsored by the Nevada State Education Association; City of North Las Vegas; Southern Nevada Homebuilders Association; Focus Property Group; American Nevada Corporation; the Nevada Community Foundation; and the Nevada chapter of the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now, or ACORN. The initial goal is to devise at least 3 different strategies for meeting the affordable housing challenge. The Sterling Team at Red Rock Canyon Realty supports the work and the goals of this community-wide effort. If your organization or business has a stake in the residential future of this valley, we urge you to get involved.

The Bureau of Land Management just conducted a real cowboy round-up of wild horses in the desert just outside Las Vegas! That’s right…37 wild horses were corralled by real cowboys from Utah and safely domiciled at Oliver Ranch in the Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area! No, it wasn’t done as part of a movie shoot! A major brush fire last year wiped out much of the food supply that the horses would be counting on for survival in the coming months. So the cowboys rounded them up…wild west style! Next they will be transported to a wild horse facility in California for an extended stay. But before that happens, 16 will be carefully selected to return to the free-roaming range to keep the existence of the herd in tact. Pretty cool stuff…and a real wild west story.

More great news for the market for North Las Vegas homes! CDW Corporation has chosen the booming City of North Las Vegas as the location of it’s newest (and largest) distribution center. The reseller of computer and technology products plans a 513,000 square foot distribution center that will service mail-order customers throughout the entire western United States. At more than eleven acres of total floor space, the new CDW facility will also be the largest single-building structure in Southern Nevada! It should be pointed out that North Las Vegas was chosen by CDW after an exhaustive search that covered a multitude of states and locations. Regular readers of the MS Las Vegas Real Estate Blog already know that the City of North Las Vegas is the fastest growing mid-sized city in America! This new facility serves to further highlight the Las Vegas Valley as a great place to do business. The market for Las Vegas homes continues to benefit from the strength and diversity of the local economy. North Las Vegas real estate in particular becomes more and more attractive as the city continues to grow and prosper. Please visit our website at www.mslasvegasrealestate.com

MS Las Vegas Real Estate can hardly believe that 2005 is over already! What a rip roaring year for Las Vegas in so many ways! Just thought we might mention some of the more notable highlights. Let’s start with the famous Las Vegas Strip. 2005 saw the debut of Wynn Las Vegas and another monument to luxury and glamour on a world-class scale. Partly because of the Wynn, tourism was up almost 3% this year. If you want to keep a tourism based economy running strong, this is definitely the best way. Las Vegas homes had another strong year for appreciation. The GLVAR says that prices are up about 12% from a year ago. World Market Center arrived on the scene in July, and owners of Las Vegas luxury homes are all the better for it. The interior design business, especially at the high end, will never be the same. McCarran Airport announced a major acceleration of it’s already aggressive expansion plans and broke another record for passenger volume. George Clooney came to town and he wasn’t here to film a movie. Las Ramblas is a Las Vegas high rise condo community with a hotel component that set the Las Vegas real estate paparazzi on fire! What’s in store for 2006? Hey, it’s Las Vegas and anything could happen. The Sterling Team at Red Rock Canyon Realty is both excited and prepared. Las Vegas real estate is exciting stuff!www.mslasvegasrealestate.com

The word is out…average land values in the Las Vegas Valley hit $708k in the third quarter of 2005. The percentage increase from this same time last year? Seventy six percent! The demand is hitting Southern Nevada from all sides…..residential, commercial and plain old land speculation. Without question, new Las Vegas homes are being built closer and closer together for this very reason. High land prices naturally lead to structural density, and Las Vegas real estate is no exception to market forces. Las Vegas condominiums, both high-rise and mid-rise, are but one example of the new reality of sky high dirt. The main driving force behind this surge seems to be the overall health of the Southern Nevada economy. The employment rate is stellar and business sales statistics are fantastic. The tourism industry is the strongest it’s ever been. The treasury of the State of Nevada is full like never before. The Sterling Team at Red Rock Canyon Realty is fully prepared to present every aspect of the market for Las Vegas Homes. Call us at your convenience….888-349-2595www.mslasvegasrealestate.com

The MS Las Vegas Real Estate Blog continues the process of educating the wider world to the fact that Las Vegas is a real city! One of the strongest indicators of civic pride and community responsibility comes from the commitment made by local residents to those among us that are less fortunate. The Boys and Girls Clubs of Las Vegas are a case in point. Offering early morning, track break and after school programs, the Boys and Girls Clubs lend guidance and support to almost 13,000 kids every year. Spread out over 10 facilities across the valley, the clubs receive support from such local luminaries as Andre Agassi and Donald W. Reynolds. Michelle Sterling of The Sterling Team at Red Rock Canyon Realty has been a proud resident of Las Vegas for 24 years. Enthusiasm for the future of Las Vegas inspires The Sterling Team every day. The market for Las Vegas homes is full of potential. Our knowledge and experience can be a real door opener!www.mslasvegasrealestate.com

Las Vegas Luxury Homes of a distinctive Mediterranean character can be found at the Lake Las Vegas Resort in Henderson, Nevada. The luxury lifestyle enjoyed by owners of Lake Las Vegas Homes is difficult to duplicate and easy to enjoy, especially during the holidays! The highlight of this years holiday festivities has been the floating ice skating rink. One of only a few to be found anywhere, skaters whirl and twirl on a rink that floats on the lake itself! The rink is available for your skating pleasure every day until February 14th. Owners of Lake Las Vegas homes and their guests have also been enjoying Victorian Carolers and a festival of Holiday Lights that illuminates every evening at sunset. Lake Las Vegas real estate has a unique character and flavor that has transformed a desert valley into a Tuscan inspired village of luxury and beauty. The Sterling Team at Red Rock Canyon Realty provides in-depth knowledge and experience in every aspect of the Las Vegas luxury real estate market. We’re at your service and ready to provide a private tour of the Lake Las Vegas residential experience. Don’t hesitate to call at 888-349-2595.www.mslasvegasrealestate.com

Not only has Southern Highlands real estate been a great investment for Las Vegas home owners, but Southern Highlands has grown to become an important part of the Las Vegas community as well. The Southern Highlands Charitable Foundation recently hosted a 5K run with a one mile fun-walk to help raise money for the Candlelighters for Childhood Cancer and Boys Hope Girls Hope. Candlelighters for Childhood Cancer is a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping families that are facing childhood cancer with financial, emotional and educational help. The event was held at Jimmy Petty John Park and famous Notre Dame football star Rudy Ruettiger was there to start off the race. Approximately 325 people participated and over $40,000 was raised for charity. Southern Highlands Development Corporation, Nevada State Bank and Pacific Southwest Development provided major sponsorship support that helped make this great event a real success! MS Las Vegas Real Estate continues to spread the word that Las Vegas is a real city! There is a tremendous amount of civic pride and philanthropic activity all across the valley! Interested in receiving more information on the market for Southern Highlands homes or Las Vegas real estate in general? Give us a call at 888-349-2595. We’re always available to answer your questions.www.mslasvegasrealestate.com

Enough about new Las Vegas homes, let’s talk about the New Las Vegas Marathon! What could be new about a marathon? Well, this is Vegas and you wouldn’t believe what we’ve got planned! After 38 years as a purely local event, The New Las Vegas Marathon is set to become a world-class event. For starters, the Strip itself will be closed to cars and will serve as a focal point for the course. The race will start and end at Mandalay Bay and runners will begin by heading straight up the Strip! Projections thus far indicate that upwards of 15,000 runners will compete. Winners will receive $50,000 and if you break a world record, it’s a cool $1.25 million. That’s not enough? How about 600 runners in Elvis costumes and 15 live bands playing along the race route? Hey, this ain’t Boston and this is a different kind of marathon! MS Las Vegas Real Estate is excited about this new event and you can bet we’ll be on the Strip on race day!

Regular readers of the MS Las Vegas Real Estate Blog know that the market for Las Vegas luxury homes has exploded over the past five years. Here’s another sure sign that Las Vegas has arrived as a high-end residential destination on par with south Florida and southern California. Lamborghini has just opened a full-service dealership in Las Vegas. Believe me, they didn’t open this facility to sell cars to tourists. Located at 7770 Dean Martin Drive, Lamborghini Las Vegas is primed and ready to cater to owners of Las Vegas luxury real estate. You wouldn’t believe how many Las Vegas homes have four garages or more! MS Las Vegas Real Estate is well-versed in the luxury market. Put our skills and experience to work for you.www.mslasvegasrealestate.com

Here’s a sweet holiday treat for owners of Las Vegas homes. Ethel M Chocolates is located here in the Las Vegas valley and how lucky we are for this! Las Vegas chocolate lovers of all ages are invited to share the holiday spirit at the Ethel M Chocolate Wonderland! The fun starts on November 17th and continues on through the new year. Santa will be there, local choirs will sing and Ethel M will be demonstrating their special methods for making amazing chocolate creations. Call 800-438-4356 for more information. Maybe we should bring our clients by and see if they would like a Las Vegas home made of gingerbread and chocolate! MS Las Vegas Real Estate will definetly be making a visit to the display!

Assistance for school teachers that want to purchase Las Vegas homes, how great is that! Let’s face it, the cost of housing has risen dramatically in Southern Nevada over the past five years. The Clark County School District faces myriad challenges in trying to provide enough new teachers for our rapidly growing city. The cost of Las Vegas real estate has frankly become one of their biggest recruiting hurdles! Hence the new program, aptly named The Coming Home Project. The program provides extra perks for new teachers including down-payment assistance and reduced mortgage rates for qualified participants. MS Las Vegas Real Estate salutes this new program and sincerely hopes that it assists the school district in attracting more talented teaching professionals to the Las Vegas valley.www.mslasvegasrealestate.com

The Las Vegas Chapter of Habitat for Humanity just got started on three of 60 Las Vegas homes they plan to build over the next three years in the Vegas Heights community. Sponsors for these new Las Vegas homes are the Greater Las Vegas Association of Realtors, Nevada Subcontractors Association and the Wells Fargo Home and Consumer Loan Division. Habitat for Humanity Las Vegas is well on its way to building over 30 homes in Vegas Heights alone. Not everyone in Las Vegas is as self-absorbed as you might think. There is a waiting list to get on a crew to help build houses for those in need. Another blog entry in the continuing series….Las Vegas is a real city. You can’t have a real city without real people willing to look beyond themselves to make things better for the community. There’s no shortage of that here, no matter how crowded the poker rooms are. MS Las Vegas Real Estate is proud to be here.www.mslasvegasrealestate.com

Day with the Experts is set for October 15! With over 60 exhibitors, 6 workshops and 18 classes to attend, this years event looks to be the best ever! Are you looking for ways to bring your yard to life? Come to the annual Day with the Experts and learn new ways to transform your yard into a lush, yet water-efficient landscape. Sponsored by the Southern Nevada Water Authority, the free event is Saturday, Oct. 15 from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Gardens at the Springs Preserve.The Gardens is located at 3701 W. Alta Dr., near the Meadows Mall at Valley View Boulevard and US 95. Park at the Meadows Mall (lower level by Sears). The Regional Transportation Commission is providing free bus service to the Gardens.Day with the Experts gets bigger and better every year. Don’t miss exhibitors, kids’ booths and hands-on workshops presented by Lowe’s. Outdoor experts like Dr. Green Thumb will give you tips to create a beautiful, healthy yard for your Las Vegas home.MS Las Vegas Real Estate actively promotes this event every year on our blog. It’s a great event for adults and kids alike, and a great way to learn more about the beauty and diversity of desert landscaping….Las Vegas style!www.mslasvegasrealestate.com

Sign up for a foursome or put your company name in the spotlight as a Corporate Sponsor for the 7th Annual Birdies for SafeNest Golf Tournament scheduled for November 10, 2005 at the Silverstone Golf Club. Try your luck at the $10,000 hole in one and take home a new 2006 automobile donated by Findlay Automotive Group. The four-person best ball scramble begins at 8:00 a.m. and is followed by a fabulous awards luncheon and lively raffle featuring an impressive array of prizes. This links-style course is home to the annual Las Vegas Celebrity Classic, so register today and enjoy a morning on the links to support SafeNest!Event date and time: 11-10-2005 at 07:00 amEvent will be held at: Silverstone Golf Club, 8900 Cupp Drive For more information, go to www.safenest.orgMS Las Vegas Real Estate is a proud supporter of SafeNest and their mission to increase public awareness and save lives.www.mslasvegasrealestate.com

In observance of Domestic Violence Awareness Month, SafeNest will hold its 22nd annual luncheon on Friday, October 21st.Keynote speaker Joan Meier is a law professor at George Washington University Law School and will address the legal hurdles facing victims of domestic violence. KVBC Channel 3 news anchor and SafeNest Advisory Board Member Nina Radetich will serve as mistress of ceremonies. The afternoon event will also feature a silent auction and award presentations to major donors and volunteers. Event date and time: 10-21-2005 at 11:30 amEvent will be held at: Suncoast Hotel and CasinoMS Las Vegas Real Estate will be attending this event (which is open to the public) and we urge you to make time to attend as well. You can make your reservation on-line at www.safenest.orgwww.mslasvegasrealestate.com

Wow! Don’t let anyone tell you that Las Vegas is a great place for relocation as long as you’re looking to retire! Entrepreneur Magazine just put out their list for the hottest cities in America to be an entrepreneur, and Las Vegas came in at number four. Last time I checked, most entrepreneurs tend to be under 40 years old. Entrepreneur’s Hot Cities list is generated by measuring two main indicators. The first is business formation, which it defines as the percentage of businesses started four to 14 years ago that employ five or more workers today. The second criteria is business growth, which measures the percentage of young businesses experiencing rapid growth in the last four years. Entrepreneur magazine stipulates that a city “must have a large number of young businesses and be able to support their growth” to earn a high rank. Las Vegas provides a welcome environment to entrepreneurs with a combination of low taxes, a pro-business regulatory structure and a low cost of living compared to next-door California. Continued rapid population growth is the fuel that keeps this fire burning, and Las Vegas doesn’t look to be slowing down any time soon! MS Las Vegas Real Estate is your trusted source for advice and information in the market for Las Vegas homes. Give us a call at 888-349-2595.www.mslasvegasrealestate.com

We are pleased to introduce the formation of The Sterling Team at Red Rock Canyon Realty in Las Vegas. Michelle Sterling and MS Las Vegas Real Estate have found a new home for the premier real estate website in the highly competitive market for Las Vegas homes. Red Rock Canyon Realty and MS Las Vegas Real Estate join together to provide superior service and the highest in ethical standards to our valued clients. The Sterling Team has been carefully constructed from some of the most experienced agents in Las Vegas, and our goal is to expand our ability to provide outstanding guidance and support throughout the residential purchase process. We look forward to introducing each new team member in this blog in the coming weeks. Stop by again soon and meet the new Sterling Team at Red Rock Canyon Realty!

Clark County Commissioners have granted approval to Olympia Gaming for a master-plan to develop a 100-acre site that will include retail, gaming, hotel and entertainment on south Las Vegas Boulevard by St. Rose Parkway. The project is slated to begin operation in 2008. This stunning addition to Southern Highlands real estate will include a $750 million hotel-casino with 610 rooms. Residents of Las Vegas homes in several nearby communities will be able to enjoy this new resort. The surrounding areas encompass Southern Highlands homes of course, as well as the Silverado Ranch community, Anthem, Seven Hills homes, and Green Valley residents. The south end of Las Vegas Boulevard is turning into one of the most dynamic areas in the valley for Las Vegas real estate development, both residential and commercial.www.mslasvegasrealestate.com