Category Archive : Real Estate

What is a Loan Modification and does it fit the needs of homeowners who cannot afford their mortgage payment and who owe  more on their mortgage than the home is valued?

“A Loan Modification is a permanent change in one or more of the terms of a mortgagor’s loan, allows the loan to be reinstated, and results in a payment the mortgagor can afford.”

In the State of Nevada, an Attorney should negotiate on the behalf of a homeowner to get a loan modification approved.  There are those that aren’t Attorneys that attempt to help homeowners, which is fine,  but it’s against the law for them to charge you any up front fees.

A Las Vegas Homeowner does not have to be late on a payment in order to be approved for a loan modification.  However; I have seen some Lenders deny a Loan Modification because the homeowners weren’t late on their mortgage, so it does come down to who your lender is.

We work with several reputable Attorney’s in Las Vegas they we can recommend to you if you are in need of a Loan Modification for your Las Vegas Home Loan.  We can be reached at 702.838.7522 or complete our contact form and one of our representatives will contact you for a private consultation.

Buyers Beware! The disturbing trend of low ball listings in Las Vegas!

A disturbing practice I am seeing more and more of lately is the low ball listing of Las Vegas short sale/foreclosed properties. A low ball listing is a listing that is priced, by the Listing Agent, SUBSTANCIALLY below what a common sense comparative market analysis says the property is really worth.

I have spoke to many Las Vegas Listing Agents and asked them why they priced their listings so artificially low. They tell me they were not getting any offers at a higher (more realistic) price. OK, I understand that logic but are they really helping to sell the listing any faster with an unrealistic price.

I would argue that low balling the listing doesn’t help sell the property any quicker and in fact hurts the chances of a sale for the following reasons:

1. Buyer expectations – The Buyer sees the artificially low price and thinks they can get the house for that amount. Even after it is explained that the Seller’s Bank has the final say on what they will or will not accept, this is a difficult psychological hurdle to latter overcome.

 

2. Wasted Time – So the low offer is in and the waiting begins. Banks are not known for quick decisions and several weeks could go by before they respond to the offer. During this time the Listing Agent is required to place the property as Contingent in the Multiple Listing Service (MLS). This could lessen the chance of the property being shown since other potential Buyers could see the property as possibly being sold already. It is also against Nevada law for the Listing Agent to submit other offers while the first offer is pending review by the Bank. Many times the offer will come back from the bank 10% or more higher than what the Listing Agent had it listed for. This tends to anger the Buyer and often causes a complete breakdown of negotiations.

The best way to mitigate against this practice is to educate the Buyer in advance. Las Vegas Buyer’s Agents need to prepare their clients for the possibility of a counter offer above the listing price. If the comparative market analysis shows that the property is worth more than the asking price, share this with your client, it might be what saves the deal in the end.

I don’t mean to rant but Las Vegas Real Estate Agents that have no experience in listing short sales make it difficult to get the short sale approved.  In this market, short sales are very prevalent and require an agent that has experience handling short sales.  Not all short sales will close but an agent experienced in short sales will start the short sale process just as soon as they list the home which increases the chances of getting the home sold and sold much quicker.

I currently have several deals with listing agents that do not know what they are doing and it’s going to cause my buyer’s to walk away from the transaction.  Out of all the short sale deals that I have done this year, there was only 1 listing agent that was on top of everything and it was one of the reasons why our short sale transaction closed within 45 days.

When we take a short sale listing, we go through the whole process with our client so they know exactly what to expect during the short sale process.  We submit our short sale package to the bank/lender within 48 hours of taking the listing.  We continuously contact the bank/lender to get our paperwork processed as quickly as possible to ensure we can move quickly as soon as we get an offer.

If you are thinking of selling your Las Vegas Home, make sure you contact Sena & Associates for a free consultation at 702.376.0088.

If you read the newspaper or watch the news, it makes you wonder why you would want to buy a home in this real estate market.  All the media has been reporting is that home prices in the Las Vegas Real Estate market are dropping and more homes are being foreclosed on every month.  I won’t deny that’s true but there’s other information that is not being reported that might give you a different perspective on the Las Vegas Real Estate Market.

Las Vegas sales of existing homes and condos are up from the same time over the previous two years. For November, Las Vegas’ existing home sales were 120% higher than the same month in 2007.  The increase in home sales has reduced the standing inventory even with all the new foreclosed homes that are entering the Las Vegas Real Estate Market every month. Available inventory of homes for sale sits at 10.4 months compared to a 24 month supply at the end of 2007.  Homes that are priced below $200K are receiving multiple offers and are selling above list price.

If you are interested in buying a home in Las Vegas, make sure you act now as housing inventory continues to decrease, you can expect prices to stabilize and even begin to rise.

If you have any questions about the Las Vegas Real Estate Market or would like us to send you properties for sale in the Las Vegas Valley, contact us at 702.376.0088.

Christmas is only a few weeks away and home sales have slowed down a bit in Las Vegas as it usually does every year around this time.  Most people are spending time getting ready for the holidays and buying a home is not on the top of their list of things to do.  Getting presents for Bobby and Susy is at the top of their list.

With home prices in Las Vegas at levels we haven’t seen since 2003 and 2004, with so many bank owned homes for sale and interest rates at historic lows, a new home should be at the top of your Christmas List!  Homes on the market for sale have dropped over the last year and will probably continue to decrease which will inevitably cause prices to level off over the next 18 months, so don’t wait and pass up the opportunity to buy a home in Las Vegas below market value!

If you have any questions about the Las Vegas Real Estate Market or would like us to send you properties for sale in the Las Vegas Valley based on your criteria, contact us at 702.376.0088.

Ok, you have been researching Las Vegas short sales on Google, Suze Orman, talking with friends etc. You know that you may have a way out of a dreadful situation and avoid foreclosure. You know you need to take action, but can you? Yes you can! Many people never get past the research phase because they are afraid to reach out and seek the help they need.

First, talk to your tax professional. If you don’t have one, get one! You need to know the ramifications of doing a short sale. You must get the facts on what potential tax liabilities you might owe and what strategies your tax professional can suggest to mitigate any tax burden.

For those of us who live in “deficiency” States such as Nevada where I live, you need to know if a lender can obtain a judgment against you for any portion of the debt that is lost during a short sale by a lender. Recent bills passed by Congress have made it much easier for homeowners doing short sales to avoid deficiencies.

Hire a Las Vegas Realtor who specializes or at the least has significant experience in short sales. The days of hiring Aunt Sallie or your girlfriend’s brother to be your Realtor because you want to do them a favor or because you’ll feel guilty at the next Thanksgiving Day dinner if you don’t, have been suspended during this horrible market for sellers. You need a professional who will know how to deal with the bank bureaucracies as well as run the real estate portion of a short sale.

Remember your Realtor has four phases to manage:

1. List the property.
2. Negotiate the settlement on your behalf with your bank(s).
3. Manage the offers and negotiate with potential buyers.
4. Manage a good portion of the escrow as there will be heavy coordination between the bank, the listing agent and title. If you’re a buyer’s agent, encourage your buyer to let the listing agent choose title, as they are the ones that have most of the information related to the transaction and are performing the negotiations with the bank.

Remember sellers, the key to moving on beyond your own research is seeking professionals who can help you. They have facts and experience necessary to guide you to your ultimate goal of a successful short sale.

You can contact us at 702.376.0088 to set up a free consultation and we can discuss the short sale process.

If you have made the decision to sell your Las Vegas Home after looking at all other options such as Loan Modification than the next step is finding an experienced agent specializing in short sales.  Short Sales require a real estate agent to not only list your home, market your home but negotiate on your behalf with your lenders to accept an offer for less than you owe on your mortgage. If you have a 1st Mortgage and a 2nd Mortgage it can be even more of a challenge, which is why your real estate agent needs to specialize in short sales.

When you interview perspective agents, make sure you ask them how many short sales they have sold in the last 6 months and how many where they actually represented the seller. There is a difference in selling a short sale when you represent the buyer as opposed to representing the seller.  Make sure you ask them what you can expect during the process and what they will do to ensure you get your home sold.

You can contact us at 702.376.0088 to set up a free consultation and we can discuss the process of selling your Las Vegas Home.

According to the Greater Las Vegas Association of Realtors, over 30% of homes for sale are Short Sales.  A successful short sale is where the Lender/Bank agrees to take less than what is owed.  The homeowner usually has to show some type of hardship in order to get approved to do a short sale.

A hardship could be the loss of a job, divorce, or job relocation.  Some Lenders/Banks won’t approve a short sale unless the homeowner is at least 1 month behind in payments.

Short Sales are definitely not “short”!  Short Sales usually take anywhere from 90 days to 180 days to get approved.  The reason why most short sales don’t close successfully is because buyers don’t have the patience to wait that long for the transaction to be approved.  There are a few things that can be done by the listing agent to help improve the chances of the short sale getting approved and in less time.

If you are interested in selling your home and you owe more than it is worth, we should talk about doing a short sale.  We can be reached at 702.376.0088 or you can complete our contact form.  Click on the link for more information on Las Vegas Short Sales.

In a brilliantly unique desert setting, Lake Las Vegas spreads out as an ultimate dome of luxury and privacy.

The landscape is fairly inspiring and the desert stretch calls for mute obedience. On the largely untouched side of Henderson Mountain, Lake Las Vegas Real Estate is spread over a colossal 2245 acres of private canyon, some 40 minutes away from the Las Vegas Strip.

Lake Las Vegas is a place one can’t keep boasting about, it is the home to two of the most renowned global chain of hotels; the prestigious Ritz-Carlton and the Hyatt regency. Apart from the unflappable grandness of these hotels, Lake Las Vegas puts on the platter few of the most challenging golf courses; the public one’s for the “mainstreeters” and the private one for the elite. The courses are built in a fashion that it takes the mountain and the lake within its compass.

Jack Nicklaus, the undisputed great of the golfing arena has used his insight to construct Reflection Bay Golf club. Tom Weiskopf’s Falls Golf Club is a piece of sheer delight running through lush tans, erratic mountain slopes and hindering lake. So you have got to work your way up the birdie.

Lake Las Vegas homes area tribute to the Mediterranean concept of house-making. Owing to the reflective natural neighborhoods and the artistic desert settings, the place offers a touch of nomadic with the urban theme. The houses are built with a classical mindset and offers variable patterns.

Many Lake Las Vegas neighborhoods offer the peace of an enclave even while being replete with almost all the amenities modern day has to present. Bella Fiore is highly rated and this reflects in its shooting prices. Manicured greens and green lush fields run alongside the desert setting creating a wide repertoire of nature-based emotions. The homes and ranches are readily available at different altitudes.

Now for the modern side of the neighborhoods; the houses are replete with private Casitas, Master suites, internal courtyards and outdoor fireplaces. Floor plans are distinctive. The carpet area setting enhances from 2822 to 4376 square feet. At $ 700000, the prices are still reasonable, considering the flats mostly have five bedrooms and nearly four and a half baths. The houses have oil-rubbed bronze rubbed hardware and fiberglass doors. The homes include volume ceilings and are effected with fire sprinkler systems. They also have the out-of-convention setting of gourmet kitchens with raised panels and stern countertops. Home networks are complete with ultra speed digital 5 wiring.

If you are interested in a private showing in the Lake Las Vegas area, please contact us 702.376.0088

Las Vegas has been named one of five “mega-politan” areas. These places are considered newly recognized super regions that combine two or more metropolitan areas into a single economic, social, and urban system.

Many experts predict that Las Vegas will continue to grow but will have to come up with solutions for water resources, education and infrastructure.

Las Vegas is already experiencing a construction boom on the Las Vegas Strip.  There are numerous projects under construction but none come close to the massive project on the south end of the Las Vegas Strip called City Center.  Project City Center is a project that consists of condos, hotels, casinos and retail district sitting within a 76 acre area.  You can easily say that Project City Center is a city within a city!

Even though home prices are still dropping in the Las Vegas Valley, you can rest assured that home prices will begin to stabilize very soon.  The reason I say that is because many foreclosures that are placed on the market for sale are receiving multiple offers.  When homes receive multiple offers, it usually means the property is priced below market value.  You can see why Las Vegas real estate is a great investment!

Las Vegas is poised for a strong come back in the years to come!  If you are looking to buy your first home or an investment property, you can’t go wrong with choosing a home in Las Vegas!

This past weekend I spent some time with a couple that just got married and are looking to purchase their first home.  They both have really good credit, high paying jobs and can afford a size-able down payment.  They have been approved for a FHA Loan Amount not to exceed $250K.  Even though they can afford a loan balance of $250K, they prefer to stay around the $175K price range.  Very smart,

A few of the Las Vegas Homes they picked out to see were short sales and required I call to confirm with the seller to make sure we could see the property.  All together there were 5 properties that were occupied and required I called.  So following the request of the listing agent, I called all 5 properties well in advance of the times that we wanted to view the homes.  Out of the 5 properties, all but 1 of them gave me grief about the time we wanted to view the property.  I politely said to the sellers, I have a qualified buyer that wants to view your home today at this time, if you can’t work it in your schedule, I appreciate your time but I will not have my buyer work around your schedule and come back another day that is more convenient for you!  I mean come on, do you really want to sell your home?

We ended up seeing 3 of the 5 properties that were occuppied.  The other 2 would not let us see it at the times we were in the area?  I surmised that they really didn’t want to sell their home!

A piece of advice to sellers, we are in a buyer’s market, you have to be a little flexible when it comes to selling your Las Vegas Home. If your home is priced right, you are going to have buyers that want to see your home at different times throughout the day and if you really want to sell it, you are going to have to allow these buyers to view your home.

We have been seeing a trend of foreign nationals investing in the Las Vegas Real Estate Market.  With the dollar at an all time low, foreclosures at an all time highand Las Vegas Real Estate prices at levels we haven’t seen since 2003-2004, foreign nationals are finding great investment opportunities in Las Vegas.  The majority of the foreign nationals that we have been working with of late are from Canada. Read More