The Las Vegas Monorail had a record breaking month in July! The monorail carried 1,020,796 people last month, for an average of 32,928 riders per day. July was also the monorail’s second-best revenue month ever. Farebox receipts last month totaled $2,945,701, for a daily average of $95,022. Don’t get too excited though…this thing cost $650 million and is still nowhere near covering it’s overhead. Maybe an extension to the airport would help, who knows? One thing is for sure, reliability is a key component to this puzzle. If the monorail starts working consistently and reliably, it can only help things. MS Las Vegas Real Estate would like to see the project succeed financially as well as mechanically, but we’re just not sure on either score.

The IRS is after Wayne Newton again! Don’t they know he’s Mr. Las Vegas? They say he owes $1.8 million in taxes and penalties and it’s got something to do with a horse and some old cars. His Arabian horse ranch is some of the most splendid Las Vegas real estate in the entire valley. Let’s hope they don’t ask him to give that up any time soon!

Can you believe it? The Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas has been open for ten years! I can remember opening weekend with MTV broadcasting from the parking lot and the now famous swimming pool. How are things rolling these days at the Rock? Record revenue and an occupancy rate of 95% plus! Body English replaced Baby’s and has quickly become the hottest nightclub in Vegas. Celebrities are snapping up Las Vegas luxury real estate courtesy of the Hard Rock and it’s new condominium development. MS Las Vegas Real Estate salutes the Hard Rock Hotel on it’s 10th anniversary and we look forward to the next 10 years of hot and heavy action, Hard Rock style!

As Donald Trump entered the Las Vegas real estate market by breaking ground at Trump International Hotel & Tower last Wednesday, officials representing a different Trump project were preparing a sales meeting/party for real estate brokers and agents at Bellagio. Ivana Las Vegas is the newly announced condominium tower at the Strip and Sahara Avenue. In addition to lending her name to “brand” the project, Ivana Trump will assist in designing interiors for these Las Vegas luxury homes. The 923-foot Ivana Las Vegas will have 943 units ranging from 500 square feet to 1,900 square feet. Prices begin at about $800,000 and go up to $1.7 million. On-site amenities will include an ultra lounge, a spa, restaurants and a gym. Will this newest high-rise tower actually get built? The Donald doesn’t think so….something to do with financing.

An NBA team is negotiating to buy an entire floor of the 64-story Trump International Hotel & Tower that opens in mid-2007, a spokesman for Donald Trump confirmed. In case you were wondering, that’s 28 apartments total! How much? About $20 million. Now that’s a serious investment in Las Vegas real estate!

The World Series of Poker kicked off its nine-day championship series last week at the Rio Hotel in fabulous Las Vegas! With each player (or sponsor) paying a $10,000 buy-in, the World Championship no-limit Texas hold’em event is expected to have the richest pile of loot in the tournament’s 36-year history. The Rio Hotel built a 60,000-square-foot poker room inside the Rio’s convention center that housed this year’s World Series. The final two days scheduled for next Thursday and Friday will be held at Binion’s on Fremont Street downtown. The 36th World Series of Poker has been the most popular ever, with nearly 20,000 participants taking part in 41 events before the world championship match. Last year, a record 14,054 players, including a record 2,567 in the world championship event, took part in the World Series. No lack of excitement for owners of Las Vegas homes! We can watch it live, which is even better than ESPN! Check out Las Vegas real estate if you would like to practice your poker skills year-round.

Open-air double decker buses are popular in many vacation destinations, and it seems as if Las Vegas is next on the list. In early July, Las Vegas strip patrons can look forward to an authentic British experience as red double decker buses roll down the strip for the very first time. The new company is called London Transport and each London Transport bus will be air conditioned on the lower level, with open-air seating above. They’ll also offer onboard guides to provide Las Vegas trivia and history to passengers. The Regional Transportation Commission, which owns and operates the Citizens Area Transit bus system, in June expects to receive its first shipment of new double-decker buses from Alexander Dennis, one of Great Britain’s largest manufacturers. Even the city is getting in on this gig! MS Las Vegas Real Estate invites you to a trip past the Bellagio fountains from a newly elevated point of view. Please bring your camera!

At MS Las Vegas Real Estate, we love country music! Las Vegas just got done hosting the Academy of Country Music Awards this week and followed it up with a huge concert event at Mandalay Bay. The concert was recorded and will be aired on CBS in December. It stars Alabama, Brooks & Dunn, Kenny Chesney, Merle Haggard, George Strait and many others. It makes no difference what your tastes may be, Las Vegas offers it’s residents every type of entertainment experience on the planet! Las Vegas homes provide a lifestyle that just can’t be beat.

Beginning at 10 a.m. this Saturday, the western-themed Helldorado parade will march along Fourth Street in downtown Las Vegas. The parade, which will feature musicians, cowboys, horses and over 170 floats, is just part of the overall Helldorado Days celebration, being revived this year as part of the city’s 100th birthday celebration. The once annual event began back in 1934 as the Boulder Dam, later renamed Hoover Dam, neared completion. The festival was a tool to bring tourists to town. For more information, visit www.lasvegas2005.org. MS Las Vegas Real Estate salutes Las Vegas on it’s centennial birthday and wishes our great city another awesome 100 years in the future!

More than 20 Las Vegas Boy Scouts from four Summerlin community troops recently fulfilled requirements for their cooking merit badges at a special clinic conducted by chefs at the Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts Las Vegas. The clinic was headed by Chef Ryan Carson with assistance from Chef Chris Smith. The clinic was underwritten by The Howard Hughes Corp., developer of the Summerlin master-planned community. MS Las Vegas Real Estate continues to make the case in this blog that Las Vegas is a real city and a well-rounded lifestyle awaits anyone with an open mind and a tolerance for 325 sunny days every year! You’ll find an easy-to-use page on our website that features the Summerlin community and beautiful Summerlin homes.

Two Las Vegas real estate penthouse condominiums at Turnberry Place will be offered at live federal public auction on Wednesday, May 18, at 2 p.m. at the Las Vegas Hilton Hotel. Interested bidders may also participate online through a live Internet simulcast of the auction that allows online bidders to compete against in-person bidders. Now, how do you think these two incredible pieces of high-rise Las Vegas luxury real estate ended up in the hands of the federal government? Take a guess.

Wow…..the median price of a home in California is $495,400. In order to qualify for a loan for a “median” California home, you need to be making roughly $116,000….or you can forget it. For God sakes, come to Las Vegas….where the median price of a resale home is about $270,000. The economy couldn’t be stronger and Las Vegas real estate is just a little more reasonable. Hey, don’t forget all those California taxes you leave behind as well.

The Las Vegas Valley’s largest Earth Day celebration this year will take place in the Summerlin community on Saturday, April 23. The event is free and open to the public. The festivities will run from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. in Summerlin Centre Community Park. The outdoor festival will include musical entertainment, environmental exhibits, environmental art and learning activities for children and master gardeners sharing tips for planting in the desert. Earthfaire is co-sponsored by Summerlin and its Las Vegas home builders and other supporters. Summerlin is home to parks, trails, houses of worship, shopping and business centers, medical facilities, cultural facilities, and nearly 100 model Summerlin homes. MS Las Vegas Real Estate is based in Summerlin and we have been doing business in the community for over a decade. Put our experience to work for you.

Did you ever imagine that owners of Las Vegas homes could easily enjoy winter sports! The Las Vegas Ski & Snowboard Resort is enjoying great conditions and great weather! Don’t tell me you didn’t know that Las Vegas has a great ski facility 45 minutes from the strip! Mount Charleston is home to the Las Vegas Ski Resort and the temperature today was 60 degrees with bright sun and plenty of snow! Awesome recreational activities are just one more reason for buying Las Vegas real estate. This town has plenty of residents that stay plenty busy and never set foot in a casino! Las Vegas homes provide a variety of lifestyle choices….more every day!

Court TV is about to start production on a new reality TV series called “Las Vegas Law” featuring a colorful local defense attorney named James “Bucky” Buchanan. Buchanan said he hopes to gain more than just celebrity from his upcoming show, which could hit the airwaves by this fall. What he really wants to do is help educate people about the serious events that unfold every day in the Clark County criminal justice system. MS Las Vegas Real Estate will try out an episode or two and let you know.

Energy-efficient landscapes for Las Vegas homes will be the focus of a class at The Gardens at the Springs Preserve. During the workshop, participants will learn techniques to improve their landscapes while saving on power bills. The free course is scheduled from 7 to 9 p.m. Thursday, April 21. Lance Kirk from Lucchesi Galati Architects and a horticulturist at the gardens will share tips and techniques on home and landscape design that can save energy and money. He will focus on how to select and position plants to cut energy costs by as much as 25 percent. In addition, a variety of other classes are scheduled, including those to help Las Vegas real estate owners to plant water-efficient landscapes.

More than 300,000 rainbow trout will be stocked in reservoirs and streams in the Southern Nevada Region this spring and summer. The fish will come from NDOW hatcheries in other regions of the state and from private out-of-state hatcheries. LAKE MEAD — Fishing should continue to be very good for striped bass and channel catfish through summer despite the lake’s record-low water level. Although fishing should be fair for largemouth bass, they have been adversely affected by the water level. LAKE MOHAVE — The outlook for Lake Mohave is excellent. The water level has been relatively stable and anglers should find good fishing for striped bass, including fairly large numbers of fish around 1 pound. Boaters should have good success by drifting baits such as anchovies and squid. EAGLE VALLEY RESERVOIR — Located east of Pioche in Spring Valley State Park, this is a popular family getaway from spring through summer. The trout fishing is consistently good, the camping facilities are first-class and the daytime temperatures are pleasant. Heavy rains in early 2005 should mean a full reservoir through at least mid-summer. ECHO CANYON RESERVOIR — The reservoir is located in Echo Canyon State Park, east of Pioche. There is an nice campground in the park. For the first time in many years, the reservoir was almost full heading into spring. Depending on weather conditions, this might continue until mid-summer. Because of the high lake levels, angler access should be much better than average this spring. Rainbow trout fishing is expected to be good through the spring and early summer months thanks to plants. Plans call for 10,000 rainbows to be planted this spring. URBAN PARK PONDS — Ponds at Floyd Lamb State Park, Lorenzi Park and Sunset Park in Las Vegas, Veterans Memorial Park in Boulder City and Hafen Park Pond in Mesquite will be stocked monthly from mid-April through summer with channel catfish and rainbow trout in the winter.MS Las Vegas Real Estate reminds you once again that Las Vegas is a real city with outdoor recreation that takes you as far away from casinos as you want to be.

And you thought the hottest poker action in Las Vegas was in the Bellagio poker room. Not a chance! The card rooms at the Sun City Anthem master-planned community are open 14 hours a day and the poker club alone has 215 members! The Sun City Anthem poker club has four tournaments scheduled throughout 2005, offering the games Texas hold’em limit, high only; Texas hold’em no limit, high only; Omaha limit, high only; and another Texas hold’em limit, high only. The card rooms are one of several amenities housed in Anthem Center, one of three recreation centers planned for the community. The second one opens in spring. In addition to card rooms, the center features an indoor swimming pool and walking track, day spa, billiards area, sewing and quilting room, arts and crafts center, wellness center and computer lab. Henderson real estate at Sun City Anthem provides outstanding quality of life in an age-restricted environment. MS Las Vegas Real Estate would be happy to introduce you to the Anthem master-planned community in Henderson Nevada.

Summerlin residents were recently treated to the 8th annual Summerlin Circus! The show was performed four times last weekend to give everyone in the Summerlin community a chance to attend. One of the amenities of Summerlin real estate is The Summerlin Council, which is the non-profit arm of the Summerlin Community Association. The Summerlin Council was responsible for staging the circus and works hard year around to put together great social, sports and recreational activities throughout Summerlin Nevada.

Las Vegas is throwing down a red hot club party, but you won’t find it anywhere in the valley. Would you believe South Beach Miami….in a mansion? To better promote this city as a center of world-class nightclubbing, the operators of 14 local clubs have joined with the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority to host a $45,000-plus party in South Beach for more than 1,000 VIPs. Invited guests include Chris Rock, Charlize Theron, Colin Farrell and Jennifer Aniston. The event will feature acts from Cirque du Soleil and music from popular local disc jockeys. It was timed to coincide with Miami’s annual Winter Music Conference, a 40,000-attendee gathering that attracts celebrities from around the world. MS Las Vegas Real Estate keeps telling everyone that Las Vegas is a real city….and you can’t name one real city in America that doesn’t have a hot nightclub scene. Ours is no exception!

Insanity is the fourth Stratosphere Tower thrill ride installed at 900 plus feet above the Las Vegas Strip! The Insanity experience is designed to give people the feeling of hovering unrestrained 906 feet above the pavement. A giant green and purple “arm” extends passengers 64 feet from the Stratosphere observation deck, then spins them in a circle at speeds as high as 45 mph. The motion creates centrifugal force, which pulls the 10 passenger seats out to the point where people are nearly horizontal to the ground below at an angle of about 70 degrees. MS Las Vegas Real Estate highly recommends that you do the Insanity ride at night. The Las Vegas valley views from Summerlin all the way to Henderson are much more dramatic, and less people will see you throwing up!

The International Astronomical Union has officially listed asteroid LV6, a galactic rock in elliptical orbit around the sun between Mars and Jupiter. Of course the LV stands for Las Vegas! The Las Vegas Centennial Celebration Committee sought to name the asteroid to commemorate the city’s 100 years of existence. The naming was confirmed by the committee on Monday. Let’s hope that LV6 stays in orbit and doesn’t end up landing on a prime piece of Las Vegas real estate!

Tiger Woods purchased a parcel of land at 3 Creek Ranch, a golf-club development under construction in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. Tiger turned pro in 1996 and has earned 45 million dollars on the tour alone, so I think he’s able to afford it no problem. Of course, it’s an estate-home lot and rumors peg the parcel at between three and five acres. It’s a pretty nice neighborhood (when it’s not snowing) and neighbors include Harrison Ford, George Soros and Vice President Dick Cheney. These guys are better known as card carrying members of the Wyoming 3H Club…..as in Hollywood, Hedge Funds and Haliburton (just kidding). In any event, 3 Creek Ranch will become the area’s first private golf club when it opens this summer (which is probably about 4 weeks long). Plenty of parcels left! Don’t miss out on golf community living….Wyoming style. Yes, there’s a good reason it took this long to build a course up there. No worries, Tiger has a mansion on another course already…..in Windermere, Florida. Give us a call at MS Las Vegas Real Estate and we’ll put you in touch with a top-notch Wyoming realtor!

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!

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?