[Sheryl_Jones]

Originally Posted by MomMom

I have to be honest Sheryl, all these internet tools are good to use, but there isn't anything like seeing a property and its locale in person.

Only then do you "know", you know that gut feeling that "this" is the house for you?

But I think you know that already!

Oh I do and would never buy anything without seeing it in person first, even if it means traveling excrutiatingly long distance to go see it. But with the modern internet tools online, it at least lets me narrow things down so I'm to the point of almost knowing before going to see it what to expect or not.

[MomMom]

Originally Posted by Sheryl_Jones

Oh I do and would never buy anything without seeing it in person first, even if it means traveling excrutiatingly long distance to go see it. But with the modern internet tools online, it at least lets me narrow things down so I'm to the point of almost knowing before going to see it what to expect or not.

Exactly!

[las vegas drunk]

Here is some good news today for people looking to purchase a house.

News Headlines (http://www.cnbc.com/id/42761877 - broken link)

[bayview6]

Originally Posted by Sheryl_Jones

Also from the Assessor's office, they have the Plat Maps of developments and these often show the architectural drawings of the buildings, elevation lines of the floors on condo developments and also give all the condo unit numbers, where everything was designed to be from the pool to the courtyards to the parking to adjacent streets - and I save those anytime I research a property for reference back again if a different unit comes up and I can tell instantly which floor it's on, which way it's facing, things of that nature which I can compare with the satellite, street views and birds eye views to have a really good idea of what I am looking at.

For example, it being a hot climate zone, facing due south into the sun or due west into the afternoon sun, to my way of thinking, would be less desireable than facing north or east, which would be less heat and less expense cooling things down.

I tend to think that the house facing due south is best. Usually, the garage is in the front of the house and it will absorb a lot of the heat. The house I just bought faces south and I'm replacing the original garage door (plain steel) with an R-17 one so I expect that the garage will be "cool" in the summer and "warm" in the winter with the windows giving some greenhouse heat.

The other benefit is the patio faces north which in the summer will be nice.

[MomMom]

Good advice bayview, and remember, that here in the desert, the hottest temps are usually recorded around 5 pm, so a house facing or backing the West will get a lot of heat later in the day when the heat is most intense.

Sun/light blocking shades for your west facing windows work great if you choose a home that faces that direction.

[jfkIII]

Originally Posted by las vegas drunk

Here is some good news today for people looking to purchase a house.

News Headlines (http://www.cnbc.com/id/42761877 - broken link)

Not really...I don't know of anyone that wants to buy a house and watch it's value drop further after the purchase. In fact the article states this is truly bad news...

"There is very little, if any, good news about housing. Prices continue to weaken, trends in sales and construction are disappointing," David Blitzer, chairman of the Index Committee at S&P Indices, said in a statement. "Recent data on existing-home sales, housing starts,foreclosure activity and employment confirm that we are still in a slow recovery."

Here's another perspective:

http://www.cnbc.com/id/42749735

[MomMom]

Originally Posted by jfkIII

Not really...I don't know of anyone that wants to buy a house and watch it's value drop further after the purchase. In fact the article states this is truly bad news...

"There is very little, if any, good news about housing. Prices continue to weaken, trends in sales and construction are disappointing," David Blitzer, chairman of the Index Committee at S&P Indices, said in a statement. "Recent data on existing-home sales, housing starts,foreclosure activity and employment confirm that we are still in a slow recovery."

Here's another perspective:

News Headlines

Its bad news for anyone who wants to invest in the short term and hear cha-ching when they try to sell without waiting for the values to go back up.

What is the good news is that now...with prices back to the affordable stage, people who wanted to move to Las Vegas, or buy a vacation home, and were priced OUT of the housing market just a few years ago, can now afford to buy and realize their dream of home ownership in Las Vegas.

[Scott456]

U.S. Home Prices May Fall 11% This Year, Morgan Stanley Says

[007 license to sell]

The Latest Bloomberg report shows house prices still going down in Vegas and other cities.

Home prices take a dive

Source: Las Vegas Review Journal
__________________________________________________ _____________
This was in yesterdays paper:
Home prices falling in most major US cities

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Home prices are falling in most major U.S. cities, and at least 10 major markets are at their lowest point since the housing bubble burst.

Source Las Vegas Journal

[MomMom]

Third straight month of rising sales, great market for the buyers, not so good for the investors who want to make a quick turn around profit.

"The resale segment is the key to our housing recovery," Home Builders Research president Dennis Smith said. "It is imperative that the number of resale closings continue to rise and stay strong as we work through the existing-home inventory."


Las Vegas home sales up, prices continue to decline - Business - ReviewJournal.com