January 2019 | Jeff Howard's Las Vegas Area Real Estate blog

Have you seen Seven Magic Mountains?

If you drive around 10 miles south of Las Vegas on Interstate 15 you will find Seven Magic Mountains. They are located near Jean Dry Lake just off the highway. I highly recommend you take a short drive to see this fun and inspirational art show of color in the desert.

These colorful boulders stand over 30 feet high and the brain child of Ugo Rondinone, an internationally celebrated Swiss artist. Seven Mountains is a large-scale, site-specific public art installation and is adjacent to the Sheep Mountains and the McCullough, Bird Spring and Goodsprings ranges. A creative expression of human presence in the desert, The Seven Magic Mountains jolts the Mojave with a burst of form and color with dayglow totems comprised of painted, locally-sourced boulders. The cost of this project was $3.5 million, but not in tax dollars. The Nevada Commission on Tourism kicked in $100,000; however the big money came from private donors, with Aria resort being the largest.

The exhibition opened May 11, 2016, and was originally scheduled to be on view for two years – however due to the incredible success of Seven Magic Mountains since its opening, the artist Ugo Rondinone has shown a strong desire to keep the artwork on view at its current site. The producers- Art Production Fund, New York and Nevada Museum of Art in Reno continue to work on an extension plan that would enable Seven Magic Mountains to remain on view for several years to come. At the end of 2018, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) issued a three-year permit extension for the artwork, allowing the installation to remain on view through the end of 2021.

Visible across the desert landscape along Interstate 15, Seven Magic Mountains offers a creative critique of the destinations like Las Vegas. According to Rondinone, the location is physically and symbolically mid-way between the natural and the artificial: the natural is expressed by the mountain ranges, desert, and Jean Dry Lake backdrop, and the artificial is expressed by the highway and the constant flow of traffic between Los Angeles and Las Vegas.

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

Have you ever heard of a diaper raffle?

Here is an interesting and fun idea for a baby shower. A friend of mine is expecting her second child so basically does not need many items that guests usually bring to a baby shower. My friend heard from a friend of hers about a diaper raffle – What!!!?

The friend of my friend related how she had a baby shower for her second baby and decided to ask people bring diapers since she had baby things from her first baby. One raffle ticket was handed out for every pack of diapers that a guest brought for the $50 gift card that was the prize and the winner was picked out of a hat. This mom to be received probably $100 worth diapers at her shower… not bad, right? $100 worth of diapers for a $50 investment.

My friend that lives in Las Vegas decided to do this, however she stepped it up a notch (of course she lives in Vegas baby). She sent out her invitations explaining the Diaper Raffle and offered the winner their choice of driving a luxury sports car for four hours or two tickets for a Las Vegas Golden Knights game – incredible options, right?

The day of her baby shower came, and her friends did not disappoint – She received an estimated $1,000 worth of diapers at her party and the raffle winner choose the Knights tickets, a win-win for everyone. My friend was thrilled but soon realized that a lot of the diapers were the same size. That is when she called a national chain department store in Las Vegas and asked if she could exchange sizes. They said of course as long as the package was intact and not open. This is one happy mama-to-be.

I love hearing feel good stories and enjoy passing them on to my blog readers. If you have a story you would like to share with me please let me know.

Choose to have an amazing day….Jeff

Leave your shoes at the door?

Some people come home from their day out doing whatever they are doing and before they come inside their homes take their shoes off at the door. A lot of people keep an extra pair of slippers or socks at the doorway to their garage if they do not like to walk around barefoot.

The University of Arizona did a study and found that 96 percent of shoes had some bacteria on them from public places and 27 percent of them had E coli – that can cause gastric issues, pneumonia or infections. Shoes come in contact with allergens, gasoline, debris from garbage, and pesticides. Plus in Las Vegas there is a lot of construction all over town so you are also bringing into your home plain old-fashioned dirt.

If you have children that play on the floor or pets do you really want them to come in contact with the germs etc. that can be on your shoes? Have you ever dropped something on the floor and though, “it’s just dirt”? Elderly people should think about removing their shoes and asking guests to leave their shoes at the door since their immune systems are not as strong as they used to be.

Vacuuming & mopping your floors regularly can help with the problem – do you really want to do that every day?!

I have friends that ask their guest to take off their shoes before coming into their homes and I have always respected the request, and honestly I thought they were being a little silly not wanting their floors to get “dirty”. After researching this blog I am seriously considering having my family remove their shoes to keep some of the dirt and bacteria at bay. Also I recommend washing your washable shoes like sneakers on a regular basis.

Choose to have an amazing day….Jeff

UNLV report says economy will remain strong

Campus Beauty shotsFebruary 2, 2017(Josh Hawkins/UNLV Creative Services)

Dr. Stephen Miller, director of the Center for Business and Economic Research at UNLV released his economic forecast report on Nov. 29 at Park MGM during a breakfast hosted in conjunction with the Las Vegas Global Economic Alliance. This event was attended by more than 400 business and community leaders

According to Dr. Miller’s report the Las Vegas economy will remain strong over the next two years with business optimism high, however the “softness in tourism” will continue when it comes to visitors and hotel occupancy. He was more subdued and concerned when speaking about in tourism.

“Based on our assessment of national and Nevada trends in 2017 and 2018, we believe that the Southern Nevada economy will continue to see improvement in 2019 and 2020,” Miller said. “The data are telling us a very positive story about the Southern Nevada economy. It’s on an upward trend, and the economy is on solid ground.”

CBER (The Center for Business and Economic Research) projects the economic growth in the Southern Nevada economy will generally outperform the national economy, since it started the recovery later and from a much deeper hole than faced at the national level, Miller said.

Miller went onto say that the economy has been bolstered by an increase in construction and will be aided in part by population growth, which will increase just above 2 percent in 2019 and 2020. Job growth will remain strong through 2020.

Dr. Miller also stated “On the negative side, the level of uncertainty as expressed in the gyrations of the stock market and the potential for policy errors by the Fed in responding to the expansion in economic activity promulgated in large measure by the corporate and personal tax cuts. The Fed’s concern about an overheating economy could lead to pushing interest rates too high, too quickly and plunging the national economy into recession. The risk that this occurs seems small at the moment, but it is a risk all the same.”

Choose to have an amazing day….Jeff

2019 – The Year of the Pig – Parade in Downtown Summerlin

Celebrate Lunar New Year and the Year of the Pig at Downtown Summerlin on Tuesday, February 5 at 6 p.m. You can enjoy watching the festive Dragon and Lion Dance with a percussion ensemble playing music. There will also be traditional fan dancers, stilt walkers and of course lucky red envelopes filled with gift cards, while the supply lasts.

The parade route runs down Park Centre Drive in the middle of Downtown Summerlin as long as it is not raining or snowing (ha). Bring the whole family as I am sure your kiddos will love it. Make a night of it and go to one of the myriad of restaurants that offer all types of food in every price range.

The Pig is the twelfth of the Chinese Zodiac animals. There is a myth that the Jade Emperor said the order would be decided by the order in which they arrived to his party. Pig was late because he overslept. Another story says that a wolf destroyed Pig’s house and he had to rebuild his home before he could set off. When he arrived, he was the last one and could only take twelfth place.

The Pig is also associated with the Earthly Branch (地支—dì zhī) hài (亥), and the hours 9–11 in the night. In terms of yin and yang (阴阳—yīn yáng), the Pig is yin. In Chinese culture, pigs are the symbol of wealth.

Their chubby faces and big ears are signs of fortune as well. Pigs have a beautiful personality and are blessed with good fortune in life. In Chinese culture it is good to be a Pig.

Maybe I’ll see you at the parade!

Choose to have an amazing day….Jeff

Can’t miss local theater – “Never Too Late”

For those who love Super Summer Theatre (and who doesn’t) and can’t wait to go up to the outdoor theatre at Spring Mountain Ranch, I have some great news. The Super Summer Theatre Studios (their indoor theater near the Palms hotel) at 4340 S. Valley View Blvd #204 has a few shows coming up before the outdoor season starts.

Starting February 14 and running through February 24 the comedy play Never Too Late will be performed. This comedy is the inspiration for the TV series All in the Family.

About the show- Fifty-something Edith Lambert is thrilled to find out that she’s going to have a baby. Her husband Harry, however, is less enthusiastic. Middle-aged Harry lives comfortably with his wife Edith and his daughter and her husband. Though rather sour and a bit mean, he is in fact content. So when Edith finds she is pregnant again he is anything but overjoyed. Apart from the changes it will mean, he is now seen as some sort of older superman in town. Meanwhile his daughter (also pregnant) sees child bearing as a way out of the extra housework she is having to do, the achievement of which starts to put pressure on her increasingly tired husband.

The play is quite funny and a good family activity. If you go to the box office in advance, tickets are $15 cash and $17.50 if you are using a credit card. You can also buy tickets on line for $17.50. If you pay at the door (seating is limited) the price in cash is $25 or by credit card $27.50.

For more information or to buy tickets go to https://supersummertheatre.org/off-season-shows/

Choose to have an amazing day….Jeff

Downtown Summerlin still evolving

Downtown Summerlin has been a success from the day it opened and over the last few years has gotten more diverse in its offerings to all Las Vegans.

There are restaurants of every possible kind of foods – from fast food all the way to elegant dining establishments. Also an incredible amount of varied retail shops from department stores to any type of boutique store to find that special something you might be looking for. Over the course of a year over 18 million visitations have been recorded for Downtown Summerlin.

Now Downtown Summerlin has become a sports center with the Golden Knights practice facility named City National Arena and the soon to be completed Las Vegas Ballpark for the Las Vegas Aviators triple-A baseball team (formerly the 51’s and the Stars before that).

There are two Class-A office buildings with the completion of Two Summerlin that spans 150,000 square feet. Many firms have moved to Downtown Summerlin for a variety of reasons. One reason is the location – the 215 Beltway makes for an easy commute from almost anywhere in the Las Vegas Valley.

The second luxury apartment complex is under construction that will include 267 residents with completion scheduled for early 2019.

I’m sure we will hear about more additions to Downtown Summerlin throughout the year. (Do you remember driving by the site for all those years when a steel skeleton just rusted?)

Choose to have an amazing day….Jeff

Happy New Year – 2019 should see more growth from the housing market

Here we are in the first week of the year 2019 in the Las Vegas Valley and indications for the housing market look good for this year. Reports from Real Estate Analysis companies show that Las Vegas is still one of the strongest markets and will continue through the year.

People from all over the country are moving to Las Vegas for many different reasons – the Southern Nevada area is still very affordable so you can a bigger bang for your buck. Retirees like that as well as people that no longer can take the cold weather in many parts of the country.

With the Raiders moving here, many employees, not just the team, are moving here since their headquarters will be located in Henderson. Other companies like Google are bringing non-gaming businesses jobs to the Valley.

New home builders are still actively developing new neighborhoods in all areas of the valley with Summerlin offering not just single-family homes, now including new attached townhomes and condos in both low-rise and high rise buildings. In 2018 we saw Las Vegas have a 15 percent appreciation and it predicted that 2019 will be half at seven percent. The appreciation level continuing to rise, even at a slower pace, is a positive sign (the national average is three to four percent).

If you are thinking about buying an investment property, now is the time to act.

Choose to have an amazing day….Jeff