Las Vegas Real Estate Blog

I came across to a post about "sexiest real estate agent announcement from Inman" on Barrett Niehus's Blog: http://activerain.com/blogsview/sexiest-real-estate-agent?3567 

RE: sexiest real estate agent

It was quite interesting to see how search results on Google can be manipulated by the mundane, often to much exploited, subject of sex... tempting to mix business with sex in Real Estate???

If anything goes on the subject of "sexiest real estate agent" that should definitely be the Las Vegas Real Estate... As in this town big money, entertainment, gambling, tourism and real-estate go hand in hand.

Paris Hilton's and Stavros Niarchos III in Vegas at Hard Rock... speaking of!!! 

I did search myself on GOOGLE for the phrase "sexiest real estate agent" and came across few Blogs about latest of Paris Hilton: "I definitely want to get more into real estate" . Paris Hilton Would Like To Become A Real Estate Mogul... "Las Vegas is hot, Planet Hollywood is hot, and I wanted to be part of the newest, hottest resort in Las Vegas," says Paris .

Lord help us...

The subject of Zillow contribution to our business community is controversial and still unclear for most of us. I wrote a post on the subject " Zillow... another AR Sponsor. Should we???" when I found that Zillow advertises on ActiveRain Sponsors List. I asked myself if our community should't be aware of the association with a company that creates such a cloud of suspicion and who bring such difficulties in our professional work... I wanted to find out AR community's voice. I got interesting comments ...

Its instant valuations, called "Zestimates" were largely drawn from public records, i.e. assessors' data and updated with actual sales data. Where adequate information exists it is plugged into a formula to refine a market value for individual homes. Therefore, the Zestimates are a mélange of facts and speculation and while Zillow originally provided guidance in the form of stars to indicate their own confidence in their information, these have disappeared. The reader would be well advised to seek additional data rather than making important decisions based solely on Zillow.

The more I search around the more I see an increasing concern about Billow practice. Not only from people working in real estate fields but from other large real estate companies. The fact that they can have an argument in regard to the general concerns of Zestimate accuracy is irrelevant... Information has to be accurate in order to serve the consumer. If the information is inaccurate we call it "misinformation" and doesn't serve the consumer.  Only confuses and affects the general public perception about the real estate value.

I lost 2 deals because the buyer would stick to the Zestimate value of property and gave me a heal of a headache to make them understand the reality.  

Please read this related article Zillow and Changes to the Real Estate Industry  by Anita Chambel.  It is a brilliant expose of the future of Real Estate and Zillow possible impact on the Industry.   

Items You Cannot Deduct as Real Estate Taxes

The following items are not deductible as real estate taxes.

• Charges for services.   An itemized charge for services to specific property or people is not a tax, even if the charge is paid to the taxing authority. You cannot deduct the charge as a real estate tax if it is:
• You must look at your real estate tax bill to decide if any nondeductible itemized charges, such as those listed above, are included in the bill. If your taxing authority (or lender) does not furnish you a copy of your real estate tax bill, ask for it.

Sales Taxes

Generally, you can elect to deduct state and local general sales taxes instead of state and local income taxes as an itemized deduction on Schedule A (Form 1040). Deductible sales taxes may include sales taxes paid on your home (including mobile and prefabricated), or home building materials if the tax rate was the same as the general sales tax rate. For information on figuring your deduction, see the Instructions for Schedule A (Form 1040).

Home Mortgage Interest

Most home buyers take out a mortgage (loan) to buy their home. They then make monthly payments to either the mortgage holder or someone collecting the payments for the mortgage holder. (See Your house payment, earlier, under What You Can and Cannot Deduct.)

Usually, you can deduct the entire part of your payment that is for mortgage interest, if you itemize your deductions on Schedule A (Form 1040). However, your deduction may be limited if:

• Your total mortgage balance is more than $1 million ($500,000 if married filing separately), or
• You took out a mortgage for reasons other than to buy, build, or improve your home.

Buy the CD from National Technical Information Service (NTIS) at http://www.irs.gov/formspubs/article/0,,id=108660,00.html for $25 (no handling fee) or call 1-877-CDFORMS (1-877-233-6767) toll free to buy the CD for $25 (plus a $5 handling fee). Price is subject to change.

All you must know about Real Estate taxes >>>(part3)<<<

Your personal needs, preferences and finances are all factors. 

If you've lived in your home awhile and prefer to stay in your school district or neighborhood, improving your existing space may work best for you.  If a second bathroom is what you desire, it may also be cheaper to convert existing space than to relocate to another home. 

According to the American Homeowner Foundation, you can expect to spend 8-10% of your current home's value when you move.  Ask yourself if that money could be better spent on a remodeling project instead.  Chances are you'd increase your home's value, derive more pleasure from your home than you did previously, and save yourself the time, expense and headache of a move.