Roberta LaRocca REALTOR® Las Vegas Broker - Salesperson

Yes, even with the daytime highs still in the upper 70's, the first snow of the season hit Las Vegas last night. The flurries started sometime after 7:30 and were scattered until after 10 PM. This fairly rare event for the desert was confined to the inside of the MGM Grand Garden Arena, and the annual Las Vegas performance of Trans Siberian Orchestra - 'The Lost Christmas Eve'.

If you've never been to one of their live shows, it's an amazing mix of Christmas story set to holiday music, classical, and contemporary performed by an incredible rock band and orchestra. You may have heard their music used as the theme for many holiday light displays.

For the show the music is combined with astounding light, laser, fog, and pyrotechnic effects...and yes they make it snow. Tonight's performance did have an 'early' pyrotechnics display, as a little flame built behind one of the keyboardist's light panels, but was quickly extinguished. The west coast tour has been off to a strange start, with guitarist and TSO founder Paul O'Niel having torn his ACL. He performed tonight while seated, and wearing a knee brace. He's always been so animated when he plays, it was a little unusual to see him stay in a chair.

Even with those minor rough spots, it was an excellent performance. One of the great things about living in Las Vegas is the many choices in entertainment, and having many tours like TSO making it one of their stops. If they happen to be appearing near you, might want to check them out. A great way to get into the spirit of the holidays.

If you are interested in relocating to Las Vegas or would like information on Las Vegas real estate, please email me, Roberta LaRocca, at roberta@search4lasvegashomes.com, or call me at 702-354-8988. I look forward to hearing from you!

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Green Valley Ranch, the community and the Casino Resort of the TV show American Casino fame, are located in south central Henderson, NV to the southeast of the Las Vegas Strip. It's a Master Planned Community that offers a variety of home choices along with commercial and mixed use for shopping and services. It has convenient access to the 215 beltway, with McCarran International Airport, I 15 south to California, and 93 and 95 to Lake Mead, Lauglin, and AZ just minutes away.

I should also mention that there are some that generally call Henderson, 'Green Valley'. Actually there are 3 areas within Henderson that are Green Valley. If you look at the map below you'll see Green Valley Ranch shaded in medium blue. It lies mostly to the south of the 215 Beltway, with a small residential spur on the west side and a commercial area near the center that extends to the north. Above it you'll find Green Valley South Legacy in purple and the Golf Village section in gold. If you go further north, the Silver Springs community separates Green Valley North in red, from the others

There are a number of neighborhoods located within Green Valley Ranch, with trails and parks in various locations. At Paseo Verde and Green Valley Pkwy you'll find the Henderson Pavilion for outdoor entertainment, the Multigenerational Recreation Center, and the Paseo Verde Library that also have great views of the Las Vegas Strip. Just across the street is the Shopping and lofts of The District that is adjacent to the Green Valley Ranch Resort.

The pictures will give you a glimpse of the some of the homes, neighborhoods, parks, and trails you'll find in Green Valley Ranch, as well as some of the commercial, entertainment, and views of this wonderful community. To see the pictures full screen, instead of using PLAY, click the HD / Full Screen button on the bottom of the player below, and when finished click it again or use the ESC key to return.

Can't see the XML Flash player embedded in the current posting? To view this and all my other Las Vegas slideshows, including some of the interesting neighborhoods and events found in and around the Las Vegas Valley, CLICK HERE.

If you are interested in relocating to Las Vegas or would like information on Las Vegas real estate, please email me, Roberta LaRocca, at roberta@search4lasvegashomes.com, or call me at 702-354-8988. I look forward to hearing from you!

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I recently mentioned the Las Vegas Neon Museum in a blog on Heritage Street at the Clark County Museum. At the county museum they have saved several historic buildings from Las Vegas' past, and will be a focal point of the county's 2009 centennial celebration.

The Neon Museum not only restores and preserves the art of the signage of Classic Las Vegas that you may have seen around downtown, but they are in the process of saving the unique architecture of the La Concha Motel lobby. It was saved from the wrecking ball from the construction of the Fontainebleau Resort scheduled to open next fall.

Living in Las Vegas has a number of perks, and Vegas locals specials are one of them. Or just being here when any show simply runs a discount. The holidays are almost upon us, and that's a time when you usually have some show specials. This year is no exception, and here are a few from the insider trading of the 'human' Sparky of Vegas, since he hasn't had much time to update Sparky's coupon page.

No, a rebound isn't happening right at this minute, but it appears there are a number of those getting prepared for it to come. Just a short while ago I mentioned that I saw a quick blurb hidden away in the Las Vegas Review Journal that quoted John Burns Real Estate Consulting. There it stated that they know of home builders, some that even had declared bankruptcy, that are "licking their chops" and gathering equity partners to prepare to buy up foreclosed residential lots in what "they anticipate as the land-buying opportunity of this generation." This was one of several positive Las Vegas Real Estate news stories that are often buried in the news media.

Now there's more of the same, according to Sullivan Group Real Estate Advisors. They are quoted as saying they had done a study that discovered a number of builders and investors are actively seeking finished lots and raw land for future development. Their estimates indicate there is only a year's supply of available building lots for new home construction once the market returns. The entire story is here in the Las Vegas Business Press.

Another article recently appeared in the LVRJ, titled 'Change is Coming: Experts say now is the time to buy'. In this article they say they anticipate a 'thaw' in the credit freeze and think it's doubtful that you'll find any better deals in 2009 than today. There's also a comment from one of the experts interviewed that envisions the potential for housing appreciation in 2010 or 2011. I think you'll find that most Las Vegas Real Estate agents have been saying for some time now that the values available in today's market are exceptional.

So while there obviously isn't a rebound at the moment, it appears there are a number of people anticipating the real estate market in Las Vegas turn around. Not for the quick flippers, but for those in a more stable, longer term investment. For those priced out during the wildly escalating prices of the past few years, today's prices may offer them an opportunity to purchase.

While it's impossible for anyone to predict exactly when any real estate market will rebound, as it also points out in that last article... if you wait for good news to make it to the front page headlines, you've missed it, it's already happened.

<<<< UPDATE >>>>

Some other stories just out today, 11-11-08. This one from the LVRJ about Las Vegas home sales... "Home Inventory Shrinks; Sales Surge" Now in Breaking News, they add that the number of foreclosures in Las Vegas have fallen according to Foreclosures.com. This comes on the heels of the announcement of a private and government plan to help homeowners avoid foreclosure. If that succeeds fewer foreclosed properties would be entering the market, potentially stabilizing prices and could allow for a faster market rebound.

If you are interested in relocating to Las Vegas or would like information on Las Vegas real estate, please email me, Roberta LaRocca, at roberta@search4lasvegashomes.com, or call me at 702-354-8988. I look forward to hearing from you!

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