cash

The clock… We are always working against time with days where we just need “one more hour in the day”. Scheduling your time perfectly is a desire most people have but very few complete. Much of the problem results in lack of focus.

Instead of what we are supposed to be working on we check social media, watch videos, clean, basically anything other than what needs to get done. Then we get really stressed out and panic as the deadline approaches. Procrastination.

Procrastination usually gets the best of people and they don’t see it coming. Don’t let it take over or get stuck in a continuous circle every time you need a task completed. These steps should give a few suggestions on how to tackle this battle we all seem to face.

• Break down your work – build out one project into multiple tasks. Each of your tasks will allow enough time to get something done without drowning you. With multiple tasks you can check things off your list giving you the feeling of accomplishment instead of the “I’m getting nowhere” attitude.

• Change your environment – Different environments have a different impact on your productivity. If you surround yourself with other people working hard you will be more likely to also work hard.

• Create a timeline – when you break your project into multiple tasks also create a timeline for each task ending resulting in the completion of the entire project

• Find a buddy – seeking out someone who is trying to accomplish the similar goals is great motivation to stay on track. You can hold each other accountable while also learning from one another.

Don’t overcomplicate things. It is essentially very simple; you must complete A to achieve B. Take action because no one can procrastinate his or her way to being successful. Get rid of your negative thoughts and remind yourself why you are doing this in the first place.

ONLY ONE DAY LEFT TO VOTE! PLEASE VOTE FOR ME as 2014 BEST OF SILVER STATE AWARDS/BEST REAL ESTATE AGENT!

Spring is in the air, so before the summer heat hits Las Vegas, it’s time to host a garage sale! We want you to have the most successful garage sale possible so even though most people know the basics, here are just a few tips to kick off the season and maybe some new tricks you’ve never tried before! Happy Selling!

1. Be Prepared: organize, label and have your cash ready the night before. Most effective garage sales happen before 10am which doesn’t give you much time to prepare these things the day of your sale.

2. Make sure people know about your sale: put your address in the newspaper, put a notice on craigslist and be sure to have a sign (or multiple signs) around your neighborhood. Click Here to see some great examples.

3. Never leave your money out. Always keep your money on you or inside your house away from your garage sale. Also, it is a good idea to have at least twenty $1 bills and plenty of $5 bills in case people need change!

4. Create an inviting display: every driveway looks the same during garage sales so be sure to make yours stands out! Put the big items in view of people passing by and have items easily accessible. Lemonade and water are always nice additions as well!

5. Bargaining: be very flexible to bargaining, after all you are selling these items because you don’t use them anymore. Be sure to start your price at what you think it’s worth and have a minimum price you will be willing to accept.

6. Keep track of your sales: When you make a sale, write down the item and how much it sold for so you can keep track of the money you’re making and the items you are selling.

Most importantly, have fun! It can be stressful setting up your garage sale but once it is in motion, the more fun you are having, the more fun your customers will have. If items don’t end up selling, think about donating them to a charity or local church before you throw them out. Good Luck!

PLEASE Click Here to VOTE FOR ME as 2014 BEST OF SILVER STATE AWARDS/BEST REAL ESTATE AGENT!

Thanksgiving comes late this year, which means a shorter-than-usual holiday shopping season. If you’re not the type to buy gifts throughout the year, getting an early start on holiday shopping can help ensure you have enough time to find gifts for everyone on your list, and perhaps, most importantly, save money.

Here are three things to do now to save money and time this holiday season:

Create a list (and budget) for everyone on your list

Greet the holiday season with cheer by keeping an organized list of names of everyone you need to shop for and an estimated budget for each. From family and friends to hair stylists and teachers, more names will likely appear on your list than you originally planned. Holiday shopping can be overwhelming, but if you approach it with an organized plan, you’re likely to avoid overspending and can better stick to your budget. Gift cards are a great option this year, since they are the top gift people want to give and receive, according to a recent shopping survey from Discover.

Savvy shopping tip: Look into your credit card rewards programs to see if you can cash in your accumulated rewards for gift cards, some of which are offered at a discount. Redeeming rewards for store gift cards is one of the easiest and most valuable ways to save cash, which means you won’t need to reach as deep into your pockets this season.

Do your research on sales and promotions

From gifts to groceries, holiday shopping includes a wide range of items, so it’s important to try to find the best prices on everything. According to the survey, Americans are most influenced by sales and promotions when it comes to their holiday spending plans. In fact, 70 percent of consumers are planning to take advantage of Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals. Whether you’re brave enough to face the crowds on Black Friday or prefer the convenience of Cyber Monday, shopping these big sales is a great way to stick to your budget and make a large dent in your holiday shopping list.

Doing your homework before making holiday purchases can also help you save even more. Price monitoring sites, like PriceGrabber, can compare and contrast prices for more than 1 million items, including electronics, appliances and clothing, and can be accessed right from your mobile device. If you’re shopping online, your credit card may offer extra rewards on online purchases this season that’ll help you save money on holiday gifts.

Savvy shopping tip: Mark your calendars with the dates of big sales and keep coupons in your wallet so you can use them at a moment’s notice. If you’re shopping online, do a quick search for coupon codes that provide extra discounts, as well as free shipping or gift wrap.

Use credit card benefits and rewards to save extra cash

Whether you prefer to shop in-store or online, credit cards can enhance your savings and provide added value to your shopping. Many credit card companies provide rebates, rewards and discounts on holiday essentials – at no added cost. Once the hustle and bustle of the season is over, you might find an item you want to return, but what happens if your purchase is no longer eligible? You won’t have to write it off as a loss if the purchase was made with a credit card that offers a return guarantee.

Savvy shopping tip: Use a credit card that provides added security and purchase protection including warranties and return guarantees that will help you save in the long run.

Taking a little extra time to shop smart and plan ahead will help you save and stay organized while shopping for holiday gifts and essentials. You may be surprised by how many resources are available to help stretch your budget further this holiday season.

If you’re shopping for a home this holiday season, contact a professional NEW HOME RESOURCE agent for all of your needs!  Let Broker Joanna Piette, Realtors Denise Moreno Thrasher, Evelyn “Beng” Kern, Jessica O’Brien, Lance Partin or Kathy Paterniti be your guide!

5 Sure Ways to Waste Your Money

By Barbara Pronin

No matter how careful we are with money, everyone has holes in the budget: small indulgences or careless mistakes that end up costing big dollars. The finance experts at Kiplinger’s point out six common money-wasters it makes good sense to avoid:

Carrying a loan or credit card balance – This can cost hundreds of dollars each year in interest – and also costs you down the line in the form of lower credit scores that trigger higher interest rates on loans. If you can’t pay off balances each month, at least keep your balance to less than 25 percent of available credit.

Paying late fees on missed deadlines – It’s easy to miss a payment occasionally. But if you miss a credit card payment by even one day, you will pay a late fee of $25 ($35 if it’s the second time in six months) – and your credit score could also take a hit. A history of on-time payments accounts for 35 percent of your FICO credit score — more than any other factor. If you have a good payment record, you should call your card issuer and ask that a one-time late fee be waived.

Buying insurance you don’t need – Unless you have people financially dependent on you, you may not need as much life insurance as you are paying for. You can also probably do without credit-card insurance (use the premium to pay down debt), rental-car insurance (most auto policies carry some coverage) and mortgage life insurance (a regular term-life insurance policy is more comprehensive).

Overspending on gas and oil – Most cars do fine on regular gas. Be sure tires are properly inflated for best gas mileage – and most cars today require oil changes every five or six thousand miles, not every 3,000 as they once did. Check your owner’s manual regarding regular maintenance – and opt for a fuel-efficient car.

Keeping unhealthy habits – The average price per pack of cigarettes in the U.S. is $6.03, but health-related costs per pack are $35, according to the American Cancer Society. Over a year, those added costs can amount to $12,775 for a pack-a-day smoker. Another habit to quit: indoor tanning. There is a 10 percent  tax on indoor tanning services – and as with cigarettes, the true cost of tanning — one of the most dangerous forms of cancer-causing radiation — is higher than the price you pay per session.

Look to New Home Resource as your go-to Brokerage for all of your Las Vegas and Henderson real estate needs.   Call us today at 702-365-1000

Reprinted with permission from RISMedia. ©2013. All rights reserved

Never before today in my real estate career have I encountered so many folks who are buying property, sight unseen. 

In today’s busy, busy world of real estate purchases, more and more out of state and foreign buyers are wanting to invest in the Las Vegas housing market.  I personally think NOW NOW NOW is the time to buy!  I could be wrong, but just live daily around these incredible prices,  and I can’t help but  think we should all be gobbling It up like candy.     

I’m apparently not the only person who feels this way about Las Vegas real estate 🙂

However, this concept becomes an issue for buyers not living in Vegas – how can they jump on the “purchase today” bandwagon  when they aren’t here to physically visit the home and consummate the purchase?    

Hire a stellar Realtor, that’s how!!  

You need to work with a Real Estate Agent and agency you trust to provide you with all the information available about the property.    One who directs you to websites where you can learn about the area schools, the amenities,  and the crime statistics/rates.  One who responds to your emails and phone calls.    Develop a trust and rapport with your Realtor and together, you’ll put together the deal that works best for you. 

Buying real estate isn’t a simple task, whether or not you live in Las Vegas or Timbucktoo.    Enlist the help of a New Home Resource agent and you won’t go wrong !

As Realtors, one of the first things we do is make sure the buyer in our car has the ‘ability’ to buy:  either they have cash funds to purchase, or they need financing.   Buyers who’ve had a short sale or a foreclosure often think it’s the end of the road for them…. that due to their impaired credit,  they’ll not be able to buy a home for several years.     Well, look no further!      

Las Vegas-based company Premier Mortgage Lending is able to help homeowners who’ve had a recent short sale or foreclosure, and get them into a home – – at today’s incredibly low prices!      The buyer must qualify with at least 20% down and a stable job, regular income and debt ratios that work with traditional loan types, but credit may be overlooked.      Premier Mortgage offers a free prequalification service – – if you or anyone you know has impaired credit, but does have a stable job, regular income and at least 20% down, please urge them to call Premier Mortgage Lending today at 702-485-6600.

We’d like to share this article that was posted in Las Vegas Review Journal. This is a more positive outlook on the current state of the Las Vegas housing market.

BY HUBBLE SMITH
LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL
Posted: Jun. 8, 2011 | 10:08 a.m.

The number of homes sold in Las Vegas and their median price increased slightly in May from the previous month, though prices are down 11.3 percent from a year ago, the Greater Las Vegas Association of Realtors reported Wednesday.

Realtors sold 3,991 single-family homes, condominiums and townhomes in May, up from 3,902 in April and 3,653 in May 2010. Single-family home sales increased 7.9 percent, while sales of condos and townhomes increased by 14.4 percent, compared to May 2010.

The median price of a single-family home sold in May was $126,000, up 0.8 percent from $125,000 in April, but down 11.3 percent from a year ago.

“This was the first time so far this year that both of these key indicators increased in the same month for both single-family homes and for condos and townhomes,” Realtors association President Paul Bell said. “We’ll take anything positive these days.”

Bell said he sees a positive trend in the increasing number of home sales involving “traditional” buyers and sellers, as opposed to investors and lenders who have dominated Southern Nevada sales for many months. He noted that the number of traditional home sales increased in May as the percentage of sales involving bank-owned homes and short sales declined.

“It’s a gradual trend, but it certainly is an improvement over what we’ve been seeing,” he said.
Realtors’ statistics showed 51.4 percent of existing homes sold in Southern Nevada in May were bought with cash. That’s down from 51.9 percent in April, but remains near record levels.

Las Vegas-based Residential Resources reported 1,322 REO, or bank-owned, sales in May, or 43.1 percent of all closings; 985 regular sales, or 32 percent of the total; and 758 short sales, or 24.7 percent of the total.

Assuming that owners of homes listed for short sale have stopped making payments, that’s a financial stimulus of $5.54 million flowing into Southern Nevada’s economy and not going to financial institutions, said Frank Nason, president of Residential Resources.

He based his estimate on an average mortgage payment of $750 for principal and interest and 7,389 short-sale listings in Las Vegas.

“I started thinking about this in national terms estimating that there is probably quite a large stimulus occurring,” Nason said. “Is it purposeful stimulus or just a serendipitous result of the slow approval process? I don’t have any answers to the larger questions.”

The least expensive closing was $10,052 for a home at 1812 Princeton St.; the most expensive was $15 million for a home at 7030 Tomiyasu Lane, according to Residential Resources.

The number of homes for sale on the Multiple Listing Service increased slightly, to 22,767, in May, up 7.7 percent from a year ago. About half list pending or contingent offers.

Bell said real estate agents are seeing a tightening of inventory in master-planned neighborhoods such as Summerlin, Green Valley and Seven Hills, and near employment centers.

Rob Jenson of ReMax Central said the Las Vegas housing market shows stability in the lowest price range with less than six months’ supply. It gets softer in the mid-range and luxury markets. “Once the price hits $600,000, the supply more than doubles, then it just goes up from there,” Jenson said.

The monthly value of single-family home transactions tracked through the MLS increased 0.3 percent, to more than $491 million. For condos and townhomes, sales volume was more than $76 million, up 11.9 percent from April.

Realtors’ statistics are based on data collected through its MLS, which may not account for new homes sold by builders or for sale by owners.

Hello all,
While summertime offers us a great opportunity to make the most of our
Hot hot hot sunny Saturdays, you might find yourself with some extra free time.
What to do? Why not take a little time each weekend to give your beautiful new or older home a little extra care? One of the best things about owning a home is the
pride and satisfaction derived from making it look as beautiful as possible!

With this letter, I’m including a list of some practical summer to-do’s that will
help to keep your home and garden in wonderful shape. Enjoy! And if you
need any further information, or would like to discuss any real estate
questions, please feel free to call me at 702-238-8285.

SEVEN TIPS FOR EASY SUMMER HOME CARE
1. Get rid of the green: Harsh summer heat is brutal on lawns and ups the ante on costs and water waste when it comes to caring for your lawn. Take a look at the many different alternatives to live green.

2. Fire it up: Get a head start for the upcoming winter and clean out your wood-burning fireplace and chimney. You’ll have one less winter task to attend to!

3. Carpet care: Now’s the perfect time to have your carpets professionally
cleaned, which will protect your carpet and make it last even longer.
Want to save a few bucks? Rent a quality carpet cleaner and do it
yourself!

4. Touch-ups: Inspect your home—inside and out—and touch up any paint
where necessary. This can be done quickly and easily, and will prevent
future peeling!

5. Lock and key: Check all of the locks on your windows and doors and
ensure that everything is working properly. Being proactive about safety
is always a smart move!

6. Oil it: Anything squeaking? Add a squirt of WD-40 or similar product to
door, cabinet and window hinges to keep them in top repair.

7. Park the car: If your garage is filling up with an abundance of stored
items, take a day to reorganize and get rid of unwanted clutter. Give
your unneeded items to charity, or have a fun summer yard sale!