You have been searching high and low, and finally found what could just be that perfect family home, in the exact right neighborhood – close to one of Henderson’s famous beautiful parks, a great school, and an easy commute to your job in Las Vegas. Your financing is in order and you’re ready to make an offer. Now what? With the help of your real estate agent, you can together weight the three most important factors that will help you determine if you should go forward with your bid. You may have heard of each of them from time to time as you began your search. Let’s look at them a little more in depth.

#1 Price

Of course, you want a price that fits within your budget – but you also want a price that’s fair for the area and value of the property you intend to buy. Your agent, plus a little bit of homework, should help you determine what is a fair price for the house’s condition in relation to the others nearby. Other factors to consider include (of course) location, amenities, and upkeep.

#2 Terms

Terms may include other costs, such as closing and HOA fees, as well as the timing of the funding and down payments. These are only a few – your agent will work with you, your finance company, and the seller to ensure you are all on the same page.

#3 Contingencies

Contingencies are all those little (and sometimes big) things that either the seller or the buyer requires before a house sale may be completed. On the side of the seller, he or she may require that the buyer have funds secured within a certain time limit. The buyer could require an inspection within a specified time, certain repairs be done, and/or a clear title history. These are just a few of the contingencies. Be sure to ask a lot of questions and remember to utilize the expertise of your real estate agent.

I have always rented, but everyone keeps telling me that it’s a really good time to buy right now. Where do I start? -Maggie in Las Vegas

Step #1: Decide

Congratulations for taking the first step towards home ownership! I must agree, now is a wonderful time to be a buyer. Interest rates are low, and there are plenty of nice, family homes available in great neighborhoods like those in Henderson, Nevada. I believe that there are eight key steps to buying your first home – and deciding that you want to buy is the very first (and sometimes most difficult) step.

 Step #2: Hire a skilled agent

Step number two is to hire a knowledgeable agent. Don’t just react to the expensive advertisements or call the first number you see on a sign. Remember, this is a relationship that may (and should!) last a very long time. Look for someone that has experience both in the local market and with the type of home you seek. Also look for someone that you feel you can trust and who will answer your questions.

Step #3: Secure financing 

Once you have a good agent, he or she may recommend someone to help you begin the process of securing your financing. Your best bet is to get pre-approved so that you know how much home you can afford. It’s also a very important step because our market here in Las Vegas has such low inventory. It is imperative that your financing is ready to so that you may make an immediate offer when you find the home you want.

Step #4: Go shopping

The fourth step is the fun part – shopping for your new home. Your real estate agent will be able to help you find your dream home by asking important questions about your lifestyle, interests, hobbies, and other factors that go into finding you the perfect home.

Step #5: Make an offer

Once you have found a home you like, the fifth step is to make an offer. (see “3 important factors when making an offer on your new home”) Your agent will help you here, too, by structuring your offer in such a way that it has a better chance of being accepted by the seller.

Step #6: Inspect and research

The sixth step is very important and worth the extra time and expense. Once your offer is accepted, there is a period of time before closing that you want to spend in due diligence. During this time, you will perform an inspection to uncover any major defects which can be negotiated for repair or compensation at closing. A professional inspector should give you and your finance company a full report. The title company you and your agent selected will search for any liens or encumbrances on the property, as well. Sometimes, these things will make or break the deal.

Step #7: Close

The seventh step is often the most emotional and stressful part of the entire process. Because you hired a skilled agent, much of the stress should be lifted as they shoulder the largest parts of the paperwork and follow-up. Meanwhile, to make this process as smooth as possible, your job is to do the following:

• Stay in control of your finances

• Return all phone calls and paperwork promptly

• Communicate with your agent at least once a week.

• Several days before closing, confirm with your agent that all your documentation is in place and in order

• Obtain certified funds for closing

• Conduct a final walk-through

Step #8: Protect your investment

While step number seven may seem like the final step, it is only the last step in the purchase process. Now that you are an owner, you must take it one step further by protecting your most valuable investment. Of course, you want to observe common sense such as regularly changing the air filters or adding a fresh coat of paint when needed. There are many other things that you may not realize are part of home ownership. After the excitement of moving wears off, continue to be diligent. Create a maintenance check list so the little problems don't turn into big ones. Again, your agent should help you do this by providing such a list and possibly referring you to trustworthy contractors, as well.

Enjoy! Follow these steps, and your first time buying a home should not only be a good experience, but a sound investment.

6.  Get rid of odors

Scent links directly to emotion, and can stir up all sorts of memories and ideas; it can set the tone for how someone feels in a particular space.  Keep this in mind when staging your home for sale.  Make sure that pets and pet odors are kept clean, remove trash from every room, and eliminate smoking from the home.  If you opt to use a fragrance to scent the home, make sure to stick to light fragrances that are not too strong or overbearing.  Whenever possible, use unscented candles for decor, as opposed to heavily scented or heated fragrance.

7.  The outside is as important as the inside!

This is a basic concept- people view your home as they approach it from the outside, so make it presentable.  If there are areas that can be touched up with paint or by smoothing out any rough spots, make sure to give them extra attention.  Secure loose shutters, floorboards on the porch or patio, and windows.  Remove outdoor clutter such as lawn or garden tools and automotive supplies.  Make sure the outdoor area is free of children's toys and personal items like bikes, skateboards and athletic gear. 

8.  Be ready to show           

When you're competing with other sellers with houses for sale in Las Vegas and Henderson, it's important to always be prepared to show your home to potential buyers!  The real estate market in Vegas and Henderson is constantly changing and moving at a fast pace; when a home is for sale, it must be in top shape for showing.  Make sure that all staging details are in place well before you put your home up for sale.  Keep your home show-room ready at all times.  Try playing soothing and inviting music softly in the background (like smooth jazz or classical) to welcome guests into the home.  Set the temperature to a comfortable 75 degrees for guests, and keep all personal items out of sight.  There will be occasions when a real estate agent will call unexpectedly to show your home; be prepared! 

9.  Lighten up

Renew the look of your home by replacing dated light fixtures, and keeping rooms as well lit as possible.  The more well lit that a room is, the bigger that space feels.  Potential buyers can then get the best possible sense of what the space is like inside the home.

10.  Consider an inspection

It may be a good idea to consider hiring a professional inspector to make sure that everything is functioning properly in your home.  Knowing that the foundation of the home, as well as the electrical wiring and the plumbing are all up to code, can be a huge sense of security for both seller and buyer during the home sale process.

Utilizing these staging tips can drastically improve your home's selling potential. 

The process of staging a home in preparation for sale is an important one- and more involved than just cleaning up and ensuring that fixtures and decor in your home are updated.  Making sure to present your home in the best possible light can make a huge impact on the potential buyer.  Here are some detailed techniques for effectively staging your home for a successful sale:

1.  Entice buyers from the curb.

Buyers who are coming to view a home are likely to make decisions about a house from the minute they view it from the outside- this includes the front lawn/yard, windows, walkway and even the front door.  Make sure that these areas are properly cared for and updated with details like a power-washed patio or walkway, no weeds growing and a neutral, inviting color for the front door and exterior of the home. 

2.  Make it sparkly clean

Mop, dust, vacuum, pay attention to cleaning baseboards and windows, cupboards, under the sinks, closets, laundry area, and every area of your home that you can think of.  Buyers will want to open every door, and inspect every inch!    

3.  Remove clutter

This goes hand-in-hand with cleaning.  Making sure to eliminate clutter in the home improves the way a buyer will perceive the entire space. 

4.  Depersonalize the home

This step is very important when it comes to the potential that a buyer will see in a living space.  Remove personal items from your home like photos, awards, religious adornments or anything associated with religious or spiritual beliefs and practices, knick-knacks, your children's art, and collectibles.  Neutral art and decorations are best when staging a home for sale.  The idea is to make the space feel welcoming, without feeling like there is already personality assigned to the house.

5.  Paint is important

Neutralize strong paint colors for the best overall appeal to buyers.  It is easy to brighten up a home with a simple coat of paint.  Make sure to stick to neutral tones; this allows the buyer to envision what the room looks like in its most natural state.  Good paint color choices are:  white, cream, soft greens or beige.  Any color that is muted or toned down is preferred.

The past year hasn't gone all that smoothly for HOA's in Las Vegas and Henderson.  Fraudulent actions, four random deaths, and a recent vote to remove an HOA board in North Las Vegas has left the state of Nevada wondering:  what's next? 

However, even under such turbulent conditions, Mike Randolph, the manager of Home Association Services, claims that the difficulty level to disband an HOA is extremely high.  Due to a detailed set of conditions, covenants and restrictions (referred to as CC&Rs) attached to every property in Las Vegas and Henderson, rules are predetermined before building begins.  In order to negate such strict policies, 75 percent of the homeowners within any particular association would be required to vote to disband it.  Southern Nevada currently has over 2,300 active HOAs, and their prevalence provides financial relief to cities and counties where they are individually located.  For this reason, it's safe to assume that HOAs aren't going away anytime soon in Las Vegas and in Henderson.

Randolph states, "In a situation where the HOA owns all the gutters, curbs, sidewalks, streets and swear systems, the county or city still get all the property taxes but have to provide no services."  This, Randolph feels, is one huge incentive to keep HOAs in existence.  "…that's why we have so many HOAs - because it's good for the government." 

Both candidates are on their way to our fair city this week – but you may get your vote counted before they even get here. Early voting began in Henderson, Nevada on October 20, and runs through November 2. (If you need to request a mail-in ballot, the deadline is October 30.) 

Early (or advance) voting (or polling) is offered based on the individual state’s constitution. Nevada allows both in-person and postal advance voting. More states in the union allow early voting than don’t, and the candidates are really focusing on the swing states this year – which is why we’ve been getting so many presidential visits here in the Las Vegas Valley. According to the secretary of state’s office, more than 80,000 voters in Nevada have already taken advantage of the early voting option. 

According to the Clark County election office, Henderson’s shopping mall has received the most voters state-wide so far.

This is good news to both major parties, as they feel they are better able to focus on the undecided voters with the sure voters already done.

If you want to vote early, check your sample ballot (if you are registered, you should have received one in the mail) for the early polling locations.

Nation-wide Election Day is November 6, and you can cast your vote at your designated polling location. Check the Clark County Election Department  for your voting location.

Halloween is only a few days away, and it is sure fun to see all the homes in Henderson that are decorated for the event. Here is a brief list of family-friendly spooky events:

Haunted Houses

At AboutHalloween.com, you can learn about the Howard family home, one of the repeated award-winning displays in the Henderson Halloween Yard Haunt. They no longer compete, but they still decorate the daylights out of their home and yard. On their site, you can see pictures from the previous years and lots of other facts and fun things to do. Across town, Circus Circus offers “The Fright Dome” from 7pm-Midnight through Halloween, and Silverton Casino offers “Fright Fest” – which includes dogs racing with monkey jockeys in the “Banana Derby.” You’ll have to see it to believe it. Get a 2-for-one deal at the 702Events.com web site. When going to haunted houses, make sure you call ahead to find out when the younger-friendly hours are (don’t want to scare the kiddos!). Most commercial haunted houses offer an earlier, less-scary version.

Outdoor Adventures

For all sorts of outdoor events – including corn mazes, pumpkin patches, and hayrides – visit pumpkinpatchesandmore.org. This site also has a lot of solid advice on things like baking the perfect pumpkin pie from a real pumpkin, keeping your jack-o-lantern fresh longer, and where to buy the best Halloween supplies. (2)

Recreation

“Haunted at the Ranch” offers you a chance to swim with ghosts in their indoor pool on October 29 6-8pm at the Whitney Ranch Pool on Galleria Drive. (Admission is only $1-2 with a food donation.)

Trick-or-Treating

For those who don’t want to take the kids door to door, look for safer ways like Trunk-or-Treat events put on by several local churches or the one at Black Mountain Recreation Center. The cost of these alternatives is usually minimal, often free. The District at Green Valley Ranch is offering a ghostwalk and trick-or-treating from 5-8pm on Halloween night. Check out Mall-Oween at the Galleria at Sunset from 4-8pm, as well. They will offer a pumpkin patch, several activities, and store-to-store trick-or-treating. Both events are free. Visit the Henderson Parks and Recreation page for more events near you! 

Welcome to the first installment of our new feature, “Ask the Agent” – where your questions are answered by the local real estate guru, Bill Jenkins. Bill has served the Henderson area for 17 years and thus has seen the ups and down of the local market up close. As a father of three active boys, he has a passion for helping families find their dream homes. If you have a question for Bill, email him at teamjenkinslasvegas@gmail.com

Dear Bill,

I began working from home last year, and did well enough to quit my job and focus on my new business. As my home-based business is my only source of income, would I be able to buy a home?

-Meghan in Green Valley

Dear Meghan,

You pose a good question, and one that is on the minds of many people in this economy, as they are turning away from working for larger companies and starting their own businesses. Congratulations on your success!

The first thing you would have to do is understand the qualifications of income and how you have reported your earnings as income and profit. If you are seeking a loan, you will need to establish that you have had a steady income stream for a minimum of two years. In your case, that may mean that you won’t be able to qualify for another year. Lenders are entirely concerned with whether you can make your payments, and will base the loan amount on that figure. Some lenders may want to charge a higher rate than they would an employee, so do shop around. 

Next, much like every other loan, you need to know where your credit rating stands, and the amount of money you have saved for a down payment. As a self-employed person, you may be required to pay a larger down payment to reduce your loan-to-value ratio to a figure that makes the lender feel better.

Begin by working with a skilled agent who has access to several different types of lenders. There are lenders that specialize in government loans such as FHA (Federal Housing Administration) and VA (Veterans Administration). There are also lenders, such as banks, that provide private money - typically known as “conventional loans.” Regardless of the source of your livelihood, you will want to be educated so that you are able to choose the best loan based on what your specific needs are at this time. A seasoned agent will be able to explain the merits of each choice.

Keep doing what you are doing, and keep very good records. You should be happily house hunting very soon!

In a buyers market, Las Vegas and Henderson, NV homeowners who are trying to sell their homes are dealing with preparing their homes before listing them.  The task can seem a little daunting at first!  When you're trying to get the highest appraisal for your house, maximizing its curb appeal is crucial; particularly when the buyer's market in Las Vegas and Henderson, NV is so currently competitive.

The curb appeal of your home is valuable to both prospective buyers and appraisers.  Making sure to fine-tune details like landscape maintenance (including keeping trees and shrubs trimmed, tending to the lawn and clearing away clutter) can drastically improve the value of your home. 

A recurring trend in real estate in Henderson, NV is the selling and purchasing of real estate for investment purposes.  It is an excellent time to buy a home in Henderson, NV, and many homeowners are opting to sell right now.  The following items are important to focus on when preparing your home before listing it:

-Do away with house clutter (both inside and out)

-Clean up your house (a clean home is more desirable than a messy/dirty one)

-Invest in something that will add value to your home (this could include painting the interior a neutral color, updating countertops with ceramic tile or granite, eliminating vinyl flooring and replacing it with tile, laminate, wood, or an earth-friendly material like bamboo)

Incorporating these ideas into your plan to update and stage your home properly before listing it, can drastically improve the value of your home, drastically. 

Q: I have found two homes in the Henderson area, both of which I love. One is brand new and in a new development. The other is older and in a much older area, but it is larger and still has everything I want in a home. Which is the best investment?

A: First, let’s establish what you mean by “best investment.”

If you are strictly considering resale value, look at the following:

Is the older home priced appropriately? If it is in the upper range of those in the area, it may not be your best choice. If it is priced similarly or lower to nearby properties, and is in comparable condition to the rest of the neighborhood, then it would still be a good investment in the eyes of resale value. Do not compare the home to similar ones in different neighborhoods – the location makes all the difference.

Also look at the area and asses if it is improving or declining. Look at the parks (and you are lucky, because homes in Henderson are usually near world-class parks!), facilities, schools, and other community indicators. If things are improving, you will see a decent return on your investment.

Be careful not to overpay for improvements or renovations that may have only brought the house up to the level of the neighboring properties. Also watch out for properties being overvalued because of nearby construction or business activity.

If you are strictly looking for you’re a family home:

Of course, if you want this to be your home for a very long time, consider all the factors above, but also factor in how it makes you feel, how close your commute to work or school may be, and all other emotional factors. Be sure to bring in your real estate agent as a member of your decision team.

Weigh your options, but ultimately go with what makes you feel the happiest! Buying a new home should be a pleasurable experience.