Las Vegas Real Estate values at 1999 levels

Las Vegas home prices tumble to 1999 levels, report says

Las Vegas-area home prices fell again in December to levels last seen in 1999, according to the widely-watched Standard & Poor's/Case-Shiller Home Price Indices.

With the local market burdened by foreclosures and high unemployment (14.5 percent), Las Vegas-area prices have now declined three consecutive months based on Standard & Poor's data.

Las Vegas prices fell 1.1 percent from November to December and were down .6 percent on a seasonally-adjusted basis. These compare to declines of 1 percent and .4 percent, respectively, for the 20 big U.S. cities tracked in the Standard & Poor's report.

Compared to December 2009, Las Vegas prices were down 4.7 percent vs. the 2.4 percent year-to-year 20-city decline.

"Despite improvements in the overall economy, housing continues to drift lower and weaker." David Blitzer, chairman of the Index Committee at Standard & Poor's, said in a statement. "Unlike the 2006 to 2009 period when all cities saw prices move together, we see some differing stories around the country.

"California is doing better with gains from their low points in Los Angeles, San Diego and San Francisco. At the other end is the Sun Belt – Las Vegas, Miami, Phoenix and Tampa. All four made new (index) lows in December," he said.

"Cleveland and Las Vegas have the dubious distinction of average home prices now below their January 2000 levels. Detroit was the only market that was in that group prior to December," Blitzer said.

Standard & Poor's data show Las Vegas home prices through December had fallen 58 percent since their peak in April 2006.

The Standard & Poor's report is expressed in index values rather than dollars and is based on a three-month moving average of prices in the markets it tracks.

The December index value for Las Vegas, 98.91, is the lowest since 98.99 recorded in October 1999.

In terms of actual dollars, the Greater Las Vegas Association of Realtors reported that the median single-family home price during January locally was $125,000, down 5.3 percent from December and down 7.4 percent from January 2010.

Use the Best Carpet Cleaner in Las Vegas! - Classified Ad

Use the Best Carpet Cleaner in Las Vegas! - Classified Ad

Whos packing your parachute?

This Blog is a reprint of a Facebook post by Michael Donovan of Windermere Realty.

 

Charles Plum, a U.S. Naval Academy graduate, was a jet fighter pilot in Vietnam. After 75 combat missions, his plane was destroyed by a surface-to-air missile. Plumb ejected & parachuted into enemy hands.

He was captured & spent six years in a Communist prison. He survived that ordeal & now lectures about lessons learned from that experience.

One day, when Plumb & his wife were sitting in a restaurant, a man at another table came up & said, “You’re Plumb! You flew jet fighters in Vietnam from the aircraft carrier Kitty Hawk. You were shot down!”

“How in the world did you know that?” asked Plumb.
“I packed your parachute,” the man replied.

Plumb gasped in surprise & gratitude. The man pumped his hand & said, “I guess it worked!”
Plumb assured him, “It sure did – if your parachute hadn’t worked, I wouldn’t be here today.”

Plumb couldn’t sleep that night, thinking about that man. Plumb says, ‘I kept wondering what he might have looked like in a Navy uniform – a Dixie cup hat, a bib in the back, and bell bottom trousers. I wondered how many times I might have passed him on the Kitty Hawk. I wondered how many times I might have seen him & not even said good morning, how are you or anything because, you see, I was a fighter pilot & he was just a sailor.’

Plumb thought of the many hours the sailor had spent on a long wooden table in the bowels of the ship carefully weaving the shrouds & folding the silks of each chute, holding in his hands each time the fate of someone he didn’t know.

Now, Plumb asks his audience, ‘Who’s packing your parachute?’

Everyone has someone who provides what they need to make it through the day.

Plumb also points out that he needed many kinds of parachutes when his plane was shot down over enemy territory-he needed his physical parachute, his mental parachute, his emotional parachute, & his spiritual parachute.”

He called on all these supports before reaching safety. His experience reminds us all to prepare ourselves to weather whatever storms lie ahead.

Read more at Who is packing your parachute

The Carpet Cleaning Industry to be Regulated?

The Carpet Cleaning Industry is on the Road to Regulation!

 

As you may know, the carpet cleaning industry is unregulated. Individuals can simply purchase equipment and operate as carpet cleaners without ANY formal training or being required to meet any standard. Well-intentioned but uninformed people in our industry, attaining mediocre cleaning outcomes, has resulted in the carpet cleaning industry being viewed negatively by the public at large.

Are you ready for the change?

As you know, the carpet cleaning industry is unregulated. Individuals can simply purchase equipment and operate as carpet cleaners without formal training or being required to meet any standard.

Well-intentioned but uninformed people in our industry, attaining mediocre cleaning outcomes, has resulted in the carpet cleaning industry being viewed negatively by the public at large. Being driven by price rather than quality has made it difficult for operators to survive.

According to research, it seems only 12% of home owners in NV choose to have their carpets cleaned on a regular basis due to this negative view.

Wouldn't it make sense for technicians to require licensing, since they are working on a very expensive component of your home, operating machinery in your home, and exposing themselves and you to insurance obilgations and risks? Maybe we should take up this matter with the Clark County Licensing Board, they certainly never pass up any opportunity to collect monies.

Would you feel better if you knew the individuals being invited into your home had been screened, licensed and bonded? Then ALL carpet cleaners would be conforming to Raysco Inc, standards.

Carpet Stain Control

Carpet Cleaning

Proper care of your floor prevents damage, extends its life and keeps it looking new for years. How do you properly care for your flooring?

If you enjoy going barefoot, or even if you don't, kick your shoes off at the door. Why remove your shoes? If you have a rough board that needs smoothing, you grab a sheet of sandpaper for the job. Guess what's on the bottom of your shoes? Sand and dirt grind away at the fibers in your carpet, leading to an early death.

Take a closer look at the bottoms of those shoes and you'll find oil, dirt and heaven only knows how many bits of leftover dog deposits. Small wonder why your carpet stubbornly refuses to come clean. Do wear slippers or socks inside. The oil from the bottom of your feet also dirties the carpet.

Vacuum your carpet regularly, and do not use liquid carpet shampoos to clean them. Ever wash your hair and forget to rinse out all the shampoo? The same thing happens to your carpet. The shampoo can't be completely rinsed out, leaving a sticky residue. That residue acts like a big magnet pulling the dirt from the bottom of your shoes. Now you have clean shoes and even dirtier carpets. Use dry carpet cleaners instead. Stores selling vacuum cleaners carry dry carpet cleaners.

Getting out old shampoo becomes the trick. Rent a shampoo machine that cleans with water. Mix 1 cup vinegar per 2 ½ gallons of water and clean according to directions. Go back over the carpet with warm water only. The vinegar pulls out the old shampoo, cleaning the carpet as well. It may take a time or two, but your carpets will be soft and free from grime. The hot water reactivates the shampoo already in the carpet, providing the needed cleansing action.

Stains in carpet can be a hassle to remove. Never rub a stain, just blot. Rubbing breaks down the fibers and spreads the stain. Remove most food stains with shaving cream. Spray on and resist the temptation to rub it in, then let it set for 15 minutes. Rinse with a vinegar and water solution.

Club soda generally removes red wine stains. Remove red dye stains (found in drink mixes, Popsicles, dog and cat food) with a 30/70 solution of peroxide to water. Remember, peroxide is bleach, so test an inconspicuous spot first for color fastness. Apply the mixture, wait 30 minutes, then remove as much moisture as possible and rinse with a vinegar/water solution. If the stain remains, add a bit more peroxide to the mixture and retreat.

Brake cleaner also does a good quick job of removing most food stains. Dab a little on a clean cloth and gently blot the stain. Rinse with soap and water. Brake cleaner contains the same chemical professional dry cleaners use to clean stains in clothing. Do not pour brake cleaner directly into the carpet. It could dissolve the adhesive holding the fibers in the carpet.

Oops, the dog had an accident and the stain and smell refuse all attempts at removal. First try an enzyme product. Pour on enough to saturate to the pad and treat an area twice as large as the stain. Urine hits the pad and spreads. Let it set a couple of hours. You'll find enzyme products at pet stores, RV or marine stores. They are used in the holding tanks to dissolve solid material.

Should that not remove all the stain or odor, baking soda and peroxide remain your best hope. Mix a 30/70 solution of peroxide to water adding 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda per cup of mixture. Yes, it bubbles and fizzles, but not before removing the stain and smell. Always test a spot first for colorfastness. Peroxide is bleach and may discolor the carpet. Blot up what you can with an old towel and rinse well with 1/3 cup vinegar per quart of water.

If you see red spots on your carpet where your pet just lost its lunch, switch food to a neutral colored food. The red dye in pet food is the culprit behind those spots. Dogs and cats are colorblind, so they can't tell the difference. Again, use the 30/70 peroxide and water combination for removal.

Oil, grease, magic marker and ink can be the dickens to remove. Most janitorial companies or department stores carry a product called DeSolvit. WD40 or Orange Clean also work wonders at removing these stubborn stains. Rubbing alcohol removes ink. Blot on, allow to set 30 minutes and blot to remove. Rinse with sudsy water. Magic marker is generally permanent and you may not be able to remove it.

Gum - Freeze gum with ice cubes and chip off what you can with the blunt side of a kitchen knife. DeSolveit removes the rest.

Wax - Freeze with ice and chip off what you can with the blunt side of a knife. Wax needs heat for removal. Some of the newer carpets are quite sensitive to heat and scorch easily, so test an out of the way spot first. You can also use a hair dryer set to the hottest setting.

Set your iron to a low to medium heat. The less heat you use, the less chance of scorching your carpet. Take a white paper towel or paper bag with no writing on it (the dye will transfer to the carpet) Put the towel down on top of the wax and iron the towel for no longer than two seconds. Move the towel and redo if necessary. Generally once is enough.