Investor Central

Welcome to the premier resource for Las Vegas investors looking to generate wealth through real estate. Whether you already own a property and need management help or you need assistance to get started, you have found the right place.

Thursday, June 27, 2013

Expansion Flexes More Muscle; Las Vegas Home Prices Notch Double-Digit Gain

From the article:
A national home-price survey showed several cities, including Las Vegas, revealing annual gains of more than 20 percent.The data point to the self-sustaining expansion the Federal Reserve is seeking to nurture as rising property values boost household wealth and spending, while businesses invest in new equipment to meet growing demand. Stocks climbed, with the Standard & Poor’s 500 index rebounding from a nine-week low, as the figures supported forecasts that the economy will overcome a midyear slump and accelerate in the second half of 2013... Values of existing properties also are accelerating. Home prices in 20 U.S. cities rose 12.1 percent in April from the same month last year, the biggest year-over-year gain since March 2006, a report from S&P/Case-Shiller showed.
Read more about the improving economy:


Source: REVIEWJOURNAL.com

Tuesday, June 25, 2013

Investor Activity Falls Sharply in May

In May, investor activity fell to its lowest level in more than three years, as investors accounted for only 20.2% of home purchases, according to a recent Campbell/Inside Mortgage Finance HousingPulse Tracking survey. With home prices on the rise in today's market, profit margins for investors have dwindled, causing more difficulty in the justification of home purchases.
Where investor interest has lessened, both current homeowner and first-time homebuyer activity has risen over the past two months. From the same survey in May, current homeowners accounted for 43.8 percent of home purchases, while first-time homebuyers represented 36 precent of the total.

Read more at the article:
http://www.dsnews.com/articles/investor-activity-falls-sharply-in-may-2013-06-24


Source: DSNEWS.com

Monday, June 24, 2013

New Housing Indicator in Town - and it's Different

The first Nevada Housing Stability Index was released on Thursday by the Nevada Department of Business & Industry. The report intends to take an in-depth look at multiple measures of residential vitality. Rather than simply focusing on rising home prices and sales that our market has recently seen, the stability index looks at other factors that give the state's general housing performance much lower marks.
Nevada earned a D+ for overall housing health in the first quarter. Nine of 12 indicators of the index (including percentage of homes under water, share of investors, foreclosure volume, delinquency rate, housing affordability, and availability) placed within the D or F range. On the other side of the spectrum, Nevada received high grades for its balance between supply and demand for new construction. The index also reported average marks for distressed home sales.
As stated by the article's author, "Thursday's [housing] index looked like the report card of a high schooler with a bad case of senioritis."

Read more at the following link:
http://www.reviewjournal.com/business/housing/new-housing-indicator-town-and-its-different

Source: REVIEWJOURNAL.com

Thursday, June 20, 2013

Home Values in Las Vegas Jump 28 Percent, Highest Among Large U.S. Cities

From the article:
Las Vegas home values are rising faster than any other major metro area, though at least one analyst expects things to cool down nationwide. The valley’s median home value in May was $146,400, up 28 percent from a year earlier, according to a new report from Seattle-based Zillow. That was the highest year-to-year percentage jump among the 30 largest regions covered in the report.
“Enjoy it while it lasts, because the housing market will undoubtedly look very different a few years down the road from how it appears now,” Zillow chief economist Stan Humphries said in the report. And, in an apparent reference to flippers, Humphries said buyers who are “in it for the short term could get burned if they assume home values will continue rising as they have unabated.”
Read more:
http://www.vegasinc.com/news/2013/jun/19/home-prices-las-vegas-jump-28-percent-highest-amon/


Photo: STEVE MARCUS
Source: VEGASINC.com

Wednesday, June 19, 2013

Nail Your Home Renovation Budget

Are you considering taking advantage of rising home prices by selling your current property investment(s) for profit? Watch the video below for tips and ideas about how you may need to renovate your investment (i.e. how much you should probably spend) in order to get a larger return on investment when the time comes to sell.

Read the article as well for a more specific breakdown on how to appropriately calculate the value of your own property:
http://cnnmon.ie/141AxXr 


Source: MONEY.CNN.com

Tuesday, June 18, 2013

U.S. Homebuilder Confidence Soars to 7-year high

After seven long years of falling victim to the U.S. housing market collapse, most homebuilders are finally optimistic again when it comes to new home sales. This recent optimism may help to drive stronger economonic growth in the coming months. More people are encouraged to buy homes thanks to steady hiring and low mortgage rates, which has subsequently increased demand and raised the average price of homes. This has made builders more optimistic about the new home market, ultimately leading to more housing constuction and jobs. Although local builders have not returned to work levels before the market collapsed, indicators show that new-home construction will continue to spike upward.

More from the article:
Nat Hodgson, executive director of the Southern Nevada Home Builders Association, said the market’s mini boom has its roots in April 2012. That’s when building permits doubled amid a supply crunch, as foreclosures stalled and builders ran out of standing inventory... “We’re not jumping up and down and saying this market is the greatest thing since sliced bread, but the fact that we’ve bounced off of our bottom gives us hope,” Hodgson said. “For a number of years, builders were buying dirt, building houses and selling them for less than their costs. As of this minute, they’re able to make a profit.”
Check out the story at the following link:
http://www.reviewjournal.com/business/housing/us-homebuilder-confidence-soars-7-year-high


Source: REVIEWJOURNAL.com

Monday, June 17, 2013

Rolling in the Green: Valley Landscaping Business Perks Up

Some family-owned companies in the Vegas valley are benefiting in business as homeowners of the recovering market look to give their homes a makeover. According to one local landscaping company, Modern Landscape, business has more than doubled since the collapse of the housing market. Carlos Rosales of Rosales Landscaping and Maintenance was quoted in the article saying, "Every time I go out to a house to give a quote, I see a plumber, a painter, a contractor... They're fixing everything."
Home improvement certainly isn't a bad idea for owners looking to make their investment(s) stand out amongst the hefty competition this market is currently seeing. Remember, realtors estimate that 95 percent of home shoppers (including renters) will not even get out of their car if the house lacks "curb appeal".

Read more on the story:

Source: REVIEWJOURNAL.com

Thursday, June 13, 2013

Report Shows Las Vegas Housing Stock Continues to Dwindle

From the article:
A new study shows Las Vegas has once again defied real estate conventions, and the fallout could affect the city’s economy in a big way... Low housing supply has important effects on the broader economy. Too few homes on the market can push up prices dramatically — the median resale price jumped 34.1 percent year over year in April, to $143,500, SalesTraq said Wednesday — and that’s good for sellers, who can get more for their home. It also creates a wealth effect that buoys local consumer spending, as people feel better about their net worth... For buyers, though, surging prices equal lower home-purchasing power and a bigger monthly mortgage payment, which hurts discretionary income. What’s more, stiff competition for a place to live is turning away retirees and others who want to relocate here... That feeding frenzy is especially evident in the midprice tier, where cash investors make up as much as 75 percent of buyers.
For much more information, keep reading at the article linked below:
http://www.reviewjournal.com/business/housing/report-shows-las-vegas-housing-stock-continues-dwindle

Source: REVIEWJOURNAL.com
Photo: JESSICA EBELHAR

Wednesday, June 12, 2013

Investors Scoop up Apartment Complexes across Las Vegas

Watch the video below to see what some investors are currently up to in the Las Vegas market. Single-family residential homes are not the only focus these days, as an increasing number of Vegas valley investors are finding cash flow opportunities through investment in local apartment complexes.

Link to the news article and video:
http://www.mynews3.com/content/news/story/apartment-complexes-las-vegas-holmes/JhiOjBIZiUyAifTpY0jtGQ.cspx


Source: MYNEWS3.com

Monday, June 10, 2013

Mortgage Rates are Highest in a Year

If you are not a cash investor, be aware of the current market's spiking mortgage rates!
From the article:
Mortgage rates have hit their highest level in more than a year, making homes more expensive for buyers who finance their purchases. The rate on a 30-year fixed-rate mortgage jumped 0.22 percentage point to 3.81% this week, according to Freddie Mac. That's up 15% from the record low of 3.31% set the week of November 21, 2012 and the highest rate since it hit 3.83% the week of May 10, 2012. The 30-year rate was as low as 3.35% in early May.
Read more on the story:


Source: MONEY.CNN.com

Thursday, June 6, 2013

Buyers, Your Offer Doesn't Have to Stop With the House

This tip can be quite useful for buyers who want their investment(s) equipped with necessary appliances to better attract tenants who don't have their own. If you purchase a resale and are interested in any matching appliances or even furnishings (such as window coverings) that you see in the home, it certainly doesn't hurt to make an offer on these household items if you feel they would be worth the purchase. Your realtor should also be able to provide his/her knowledgable opinion for your personal situation if any such scenario should peak your interest.

Read more at the official RE/MAX housing blog:
http://www.remax.com/c/housing-blog/blog-post/buyers-your-offer-doesnt-have-to-stop-with-the-house
Source: REMAX.com

Tuesday, June 4, 2013

RE/MAX National Housing Report - May 2013

Click on the images below to view RE/MAX's official housing report for the month of May.

According to the report, April was the 22nd month in a row that experienced higher sales than the same month in the previous year. April may have even marked a turning point for the nation's inventory of home sales. Take a close look at the graphs for a nice visual of the areas in which the national housing market is finally improving.


Source: REMAX.com

Monday, June 3, 2013

Report: Median New House Price in Las Vegas Headed to $250,000

New home sales continue to rise and professionals of the industry expect the average median sale price to reach $250,000 by year's end. Although far from the 'norm' amounts that prevailed before the market collapsed, this jump is another sign that our local housing market is pushing for recovery at a rapid and possibly unstable pace.

Read the article for further details on the story:


Source: LASVEGASSUN.com