May 2018 | Jeff Howard's Las Vegas Area Real Estate blog

Backyard Fire Pits – Perfect for Las Vegas

About month ago I bought a fire pit for my backyard and my family and I love it! It’s a great place for the family gather or to entertain friends. There are so many options from a fairly inexpensive DIY to a full on work of art.

If you have limited amount of space in your backyard you might want to look into a fire pit/table combo, like we did. This two-for-one arrangement allows you to use your table for eating and you can cover up the fire pit when it’s not in use. Then when you are ready for a cozy fire to sit around you automatically have a designated area. We also were not in love with the not so decorative rocks that came standard in the kit, so we are going to buy some of that cool glass that you find in some fire pits.

Another option that is budget friendly that will create a fun and intimate area in your backyard is the portable fire pit. Just find the right spot and space the chairs around your fire pit in a circle to create a nice conversation space.

If you’re thinking of starting a large-scale backyard renovation, and you’re lucky enough to have a pool, consider adding a fire pit to the pool area and while you are renovating you can easily add elements such as gas to your fire pit. This solution works really well in Las Vegas where hanging out by the pool is an almost a year-round option.

The in-ground fire pit is also a great option although it will require a bit of renovation. Figure out where you want it placed, digging it out and replacing the stones or patio tiles once the fire pit is in and cover the spot when not in use. You night need a permit from the city for this option so make sure you check into that.

A concrete fire pit along with a bench is ideal for a more modern home. This kind of space can be customized to work in small or large backyard and can be hooked into already existing gas lines.

Do you already have a spot in your yard with built-in seating or benches? Consider adding a fire pit as the perfect outdoor centerpiece.

Whatever type of fire pit you choose I’m sure you will enjoy it and wonder “Why didn’t I do this years ago.”

One word of caution – – – it’s fire, so please be smart about it. Make sure you choose a smart location in relation to buildings and overhangs, and don’t leave it unattended. If you are going to use wood instead of gas, make sure you can touch the coals with your bare hands before you go to bed. I’d hate to read about your firepit as a news story instead of a blog post!

Are you ready to buy or sell a home? Do you have a need for commercial / industrial / retail space? We can help you with that… just call us at 702 SELL NOW or click on this link to my website http://www.702SellNow.com

Choose to have an amazing day…..Jeff

Nothing Says Summer To Me Like Thrifty Ice Cream

I just learned that Albertson’s is buying Thrifty ice cream. Growing up in Sacramento we used to get Thrifty ice cream all the time. You walked into the Thrifty Drug Store and immediately on your left there was an ice cream counter (and a water fountain). If you wanted to go into the drug store, you actually had to go through a turn-stile. I can remember getting my allowance of ten cents every Friday (yes I got an allowance for doing chores – which will probably be another blog post someday about the parents that are ruining our country by not having their children to chores, but we’ll save that for another day… where was I… oh, yes) my brother and I would get our allowance and walk to Thrifty with dad and/or mom and blow a whole week’s allowance on a “double-dip” (a single was five cents and you guessed it, a triple was fifteen). The serving implement was this special scoop that you only saw at Thrifty and it made each scoop into an almost perfect cylinder.

At some point, that drug store closed and I did not run into a Thrifty, anywhere for many years afterwards. About 5 or 6 years ago, I was driving down Durango and this gas station advertised that they had Thrifty ice cream. Was it THE Thrifty? And if so, how? I stopped and went inside and it WAS the real Thrifty ice cream; with the real scoop. Since that magical day, I have run into probably 6 or 7 other places that serve it, and I have shared this wonderful treat with people I care about. I remember going into a place that advertised Thrifty ice cream and when I ordered my treat, the man pulled out a regular ice cream scoop – I stopped him and asked him where the cylinder scoop was and he said it was too expensive… saddened, I told him I did not want the ice cream. I know that’s silly, but this was the ice cream of my childhood and every other place in Las Vegas that I had found it used the nostalgic scoop. There’s just something warm and fuzzy for me about cylindered scoops of Thrifty ice cream for me. I think we all have things like that… at least I hope we all do!

According to Burt Flickinger, managing director of Strategic Resource Group – a retail consulting firm, “Thrifty ice cream is the greatest power brand that any drugstore has created anywhere across America,” No matter what’s happened to the retailer over the years, the brand has always been a key foundation for the ongoing viability of Rite Aid because of the tremendous loyalty to Thrifty.”

This past February Albertsons Cos. owner of grocery chains including Albertsons, Vons, Pavilions and Safeway announced that it would be acquiring Rite Aid and part of the purchase will include the Thrifty barman as well as the El Monte factory where the ice cream is made.

A Rite Aid executive said this week that Albertsons plans to keep the Thrifty brand alive and will sell the ice cream in its grocery stores. Thrifty ranks among Los Angeles’ longest-standing junk-food icons. The name has been displayed proudly on storefronts since 1929, when brothers Harry and Robert Borun and their brother-in-law, Norman Levin, opened the first Thrifty drugstore at 4th Street and South Broadway in downtown Los Angeles. Over the years Thrifty grew into the largest drugstore chain on the West Coast.

Albertsons already sells ice cream under its own private-label brands, including Signature Select and Lucerne. But there seems to be room for one more store brand — if that brand is Thrifty. “Albertsons is buying Rite Aid to increase customer frequency,” said Lloyd Greif, a Los Angeles investment banker. “People come in for a prescription and it gives them the opportunity to sell other products. Thrifty is another reason to come into the store.”

I can’t wait to see the Thrifty brand being sold at all the Albertsons stores and I want the people from other areas of the country that never heard of Thrifty to try their ice cream – and find their own experience with this glorious product – WARNING you might get hooked.

Choose to have an amazing day…..Jeff

The Free Jazz in the Park Concert Series is back for the 29th Year

Most visitors think Las Vegas is all about gambling and glitzy shows, however we locals know better. The Clark County Parks and Recreation District has offered the Jazz in the Park Concert Series for the last twenty-eight years and has already kicked off its twenty ninth series.

The concerts are held at the Clark County Government Center Amphitheatre located at 500 S. Grand Central Parkway and the concerts are and the parking are free! If you are planning to go with a picnic basket along with a blanket or low back chairs seating starts at 5 p.m. with performances starting as early as 6:30 p.m. There is food and beverages for sale on site as well.

The next performance is this Saturday May 26 featuring Diane Schuur. Ms. Schuur nicknamed “Deedles”, is an American jazz singer and pianist. She has been blind from birth and has the ability of absolute pitch memory plus a clear vocal tone. Schurr has won Grammy awards for best female jazz vocal performance in 1986 and 1987 as well as three other Grammy nominations.

Schuur has released 23 albums and has started to her jazz range to include the spirit of country music, pop and Latin gospel. Diane Schuur and the Count Basie Orchestra was her most successful album- it stayed at number 1 on the Billboard Jazz Charts for 33 weeks. She has performed at Carnegie Hall, The Kennedy Center and the White House.

On June 2 the show will be The Groove Project, that is comprised of three well recognized artists: Oli Silk who is a British smooth jazz keyboardist as well as producer and composer, the Saxophonist Marcus Anderson is the golden child shining among stars who has topped the charts on Billboards Smooth Jazz and Sirius XM’s Watercolors, and Guitarist JJ Sansaverino is an outstanding performer who has a “take no prisoners” performance attitude. Over the past 25 years, he has reached millions touring the world with his “a la Santana meets Benson” musical style.

On June 16 Mindi Abair and the Boneshakers will be performing. Abair has had two Grammy award nominations – she is a vocalist as well as a saxophonist and author.

In her solo career she has produced ten number 1 radio singles as well as two number 1 Billboard Jazz CD. Abair performed with the rock band Aerosmith for their 2012 Summer Tour and has joined Bruce Springsteen and Max Weinberg for a night at the Beacon Theatre.

Past performances this year included Ghost-Note, Bill Frisell, and Tony Scherr & Kenny Wollesen.

For more information you can call Clark County Parks and Recreation at (702) 455-8200 or visit their website at http://bit.ly/2x2zX5b. Clark County Parks and Recreation also can be found on Twitter and Facebook

Choose to have an amazing day…..Jeff

Will The Mobsters Come Back to Las Vegas?

Fun (and true) story – we took 60+ friends & clients to the 51’s baseball game last Saturday. I threw out the first pitch (well I was actually the 3rd one to throw out a first pitch). They announced the first guy’s name and gave a list of his accomplishments; competitor at the 2018 Winter Olympics, some kind of high school and college honors and he was wearing the glove that his great grandfather wore with the 1916 Pittsburgh Pirates… then they announced the 2nd guy’s name and he was a WWII veteran, and several other cool things… then they announce “Next up will be Jeff Howard” and that’s all they said. One of my guests overheard a woman behind her ask someone “who is Jeff Howard?” and without skipping a beat she said “Jeff Howard is MY REALTOR”.

Everyone in our group seemed to have a great time at the game! We ate nachos, hot dogs and of course peanuts. The kids played with their inflatable aliens and hustled the players for balls & autographs. The weather was amazing – or should I say lack of weather. It was about 71 degrees and no wind or clouds!

The 51’s played a team called the Albuquerque Isotopes! Who names a sports team the Isotopes? Speaking of team names, this is the last season as the 51’s. Next season they will be in their new stadium in downtown Summerlin and they will be rebranded again (when I first moved to town in 1993 they were the Stars). The new name has not been decided and you can help them choose if you’d like by clicking here; https://las-vegas-51s.apps.umbel.com/217/new-name/ I like Las Vegas Mobsters… I’m sure it’s not politically correct, but it’s the perfect name for a Las Vegas sports team as far as I’m concerned.

Choose to have an amazing day…..Jeff

Please Support The Third Annual Super Summer Gala Under the Stars

This Sunday, May 20, starting at 6 p.m. is the Third Annual Gala supporting the incredible Super Summer Theatre, which has been providing Las Vegas residents with top quality amateur theater for over 40 years! This year they are honoring a founding board member Carolyn Sparks. The event will be held at their outdoor theater at Spring Mountain State Park.

Sparks is a lifelong resident of Clark County and involved with many, varied humanitarian efforts for the community. She was an original board member of the Super Summer Theater and has served on the boards of Southern Nevada Best Coalition, Las Vegas Natural History Museum, and the Nevada Ballet to name a few.

I feel that keeping cultural events nurtured is important in Las Vegas and 100% of the funds raised at the Gala remain in Southern Nevada to help continue bringing affordable, high-quality productions for our theatre-loving residents to enjoy.

There is a bidding part of the Gala when you can bid on roles in “Wizard of Oz” as well as remarkable donated auction items at the event (or on-line). If you ever wanted to be a good witch, a wicked witch, a tin man, a lion, a scarecrow, a little girl from Kansas named Dorothy or even a Wizard you’ll have your chance at the Gala’s “Casting Auction”. Top bidder’s get all of the roles, not the director’s sister (unless she is the top bidder). To attend the Gala, or just donate click this link; http://bit.ly/2rHPxxT

This year the Super Summer Theatre is presenting 5 great productions –
Big Fish in May & June
She Loves Me in June & July
Peter Pan & The Wizard of Oz in August
Pirates of Penzance in September (I will be in the cast for this one)

You can go to https://supersummertheatre.org for dates and times. If you can’t make it to the gala (or even if you can), make sure you get out there this summer and see a great show or 2 (or 5)

Choose to have an amazing day…..Jeff

Downtown Summerlin Is A Destination For Restaurants. Retail Stores, Entertainment And More

Downtown Summerlin held its grand opening on October 9, 2014 and the west side of the Las Vegas Valley has not been the same, since. It sits on 400-acres and has something for everyone.

Constellation At Downtown Summerlin is a 124 unit gated apartment development that is part of Downtown Summerlin. So is Red Rock Hotel and Casino, City National Arena, the team headquarters and practice facility for the Vegas Golden Knights and home rink of the UNLV Skatin’ Rebels. In 2019, Downtown Summerlin will be home to the Las Vegas 51s at the new Las Vegas Ballpark.

Do you love to shop? This is the place – there is a flagship Dillard’s and a Macy’s and a plethora of boutiques for women, men, children, home and artwork. Plus a few eclectic stores and shops for cosmetics, eyewear, Trader Joe’s and the only Apple store in Las Vegas that is not on Las Vegas Boulevard.

There are so many restaurants – you can eat anything from a hamburger or taco to a five star meal in beautiful settings. Many of these eateries are kid-friendly. If you are meeting friends for a drink you can choose from dozens of places and several have outdoor spaces. Go to https://www.downtownsummerlin.com/directory.html for a list of eateries.

Downtown Summerlin is also home to an incredible movie complex that offers food and cocktails as well as reclining spacious luxurious chairs. There is also a Farmer’s Market every Saturday and special entertainment events throughout the year like beer festivals in the spring or ice skating outdoors during the winter holiday season – you can sign up for notifications at http://summerlin.com/stay-in-touch.

Want to work close to home? There soon will be two office towers in Downtown Summerlin. One Summerlin is finished and has many companies leasing office space already and Two Summerlin is almost finished. How great to work five or ten minutes from where you live and walk out of work and be in the middle of so much activity.

Do you need commercial space? Ready to buy or sell a home? We can help you with that… just call us at 702 SELL NOW or click on this link to my website http://www.702SellNow.com

Choose to have an amazing day…..Jeff

Thursday May 10 is RED Day, a Day of Giving Back

RED Day should not be confused with Red Nose Day. RED Day stands for Renew, Energize and Donate. It’s a day where Keller Williams associates around the world spend the day away from their business serving worthy organizations and causes in their communities.

A few years ago Keller Williams Realty Las Vegas decided they would serve the Nevada Partnership for Homeless Youth (NPHY) on RED Day. Did you know that there are 7,000 homeless youths on the streets of Las Vegas on any given day? Shocking I know – I was stunned by that number.

Many of the kids who find themselves on the street will go to a Terrible Herbst (any of the many) in Las Vegas where there is a sign saying “safe place”. The workers at Terrible Herbst will call the NPHY and the “at risk” teen will be picked up and taken to the intake center and given a meal and a toothbrush or other necessities. They also have counselors and social workers to speak with the teen and evaluate them. In this same location, these teens can get help from tutors so they can keep up with their education. Also they can get medical or dental aid through the program or just drop by when they need some food. The mission is to keep at risk teens from falling through the cracks and committing crimes, doing drugs or get swept up in prostitution.

The NPHY has a few residences they maintain for kids that are trying to become more stable. Keller Williams Las Vegas helps with upgrades and repairs to these homes to make them livable spaces. Replace fixtures, fix and repair lighting and pipes in the kitchens and baths and even provide bedding and dishes to the homes. If you are a builder or someone who has access to building materials and are willing to donate to this admirable cause – (or even give a good discount) please reach out to me at 702 SELL NOW (702-735-5669)!

Would you do me a favor? Yes, you! If every person reading this blog would go to my business FB page (https://www.facebook.com/HowardTeamLV/) and donate $1 to our RED Day fundraiser, it will go a long way towards our goal to help the Nevada Partnership for Homeless Youth.

Choose to have an amazing day…..Jeff

http://www.702SellNow.com

Commercial Real Estate Is Moving In A Positive Direction In Las Vegas

Look around the Las Vegas Valley, strip malls have more retail spaces filled (just a few years ago they were vacant). The Boulevard Mall has converted space for offices that were once retail stores. The conversion of retail spaces in the mall to call centers has been very successful largely due to amenities in the mall and readily available parking. In Downtown Summerlin the second office tower (Two Summerlin) is well on the way to be completed with lots of interest in available spaces.

Daniel Palmeri, senior director at Cushman and Wakefield stated “We’re kind of seeing a westward movement of companies looking to be in Summerlin or the west side of town.” Brian Gordon, principal at Applied Analysis, stated “The general feel is that the economy is remaining relatively healthy, and we’ve moved beyond the effects of the past downturn and looked more toward growth in the future.”

We are seeing a lot of new segments being added to the Las Vegas economy – Major League sports, the tech industry and an increase in tourism. The Golden Knights have already made an impact on the economy and the commercial real estate market. There are more retail stores thriving around the T-Mobile Arena and adding employment opportunities. The Raiders will be in Las Vegas by 2020 and more retail and office space will be filled by their employees.

The tech market has seen an increased local presence of national companies, as well as the acquisitions of local startup companies. This has made Las Vegas a credible hub for technology companies with more opportunity for upward movement for local tech talent and a good reason for more tech talent to move here.

Current Las Vegas market trends data indicates an increase of +2.8% in the median asking price per sq ft for office properties compared to the prior 3 months, the current median price of $176 per square foot in Las Vegas. In the industrial market the median price is now $118 per square foot and retail space prices are still rising at a slower pace.

Do you need commercial space? We can help you with that… just call us at 702 SELL NOW or click on this link to my website http://www.702SellNow.com

Choose to have an amazing day…..Jeff