Las Vegas Real Estate News

Scheduling Conflicts In The Downtown Urban Core Of Las Vegas

July 3rd, 2009 Categories: Las Vegas Real Estate News

If you're new here, you may want to subscribe to my RSS feed. Thanks for visiting!

Scheduling conflicts can be a huge sign of success. They can also lead to a roller coaster ride of excitement and disappointment. I’m sure I’m not the only one. For example, I ended up working last night. Normally First Thursday is a night out for me. I missed it all – disappointment. I took a listing and wrote an offer instead – excitement!

Simultaneously, we had art openings for Leslie Rowland at Tinoco’s and  Brett Wesley Gallery at SohoLofts; All The Galleries were previewing; Untold stories was going on at the Springs Preserve. I’m told that ALL of the events were well attended.

There seems to be TOO much going on. Regular reader and friend Brian Paco Alvarez raised the subject of trying to get the history stuff scheduled for early in the week, and leave the art stuff for later. How to coordinate that? We’re going to get people to talk about it. Maybe there’s a way, since there’s so much overlap of interest.

The alternative music scene usually starts pretty late at places like the Beauty Bar, and Bunkhouse, but tonight’s going to be one of those Roller Coaster rides. Fremont Street Experience’s “Summer of 69” series features Janis Joplins original band, Big Brother and the Holding Company, BUT it’s also First Friday. What to do? What to do?

The point is, is that we’ve got a bustling, busy, ever expanding art, music, history, and culture machine in the URBAN CORE of Las Vegas. It’s pumping out events, concerts, art happenings, panel discussions, book signings, plays, music, and all kinds of fun things to do. The trick now isn’t finding out about what “The Machine” is offering…..the trick is making the time to catch it all.

No wonder so many people are are abandoning suburbia and moving back into the Urban Core of Las Vegas.

Your comments are welcome.

 

 

Posted by Jack LeVine | Currently 1 Comment »

Graffiti Is Major Topic Of Clark County Commissioner Chris Giunchigliani’s July Newsletter

July 1st, 2009 Categories: Las Vegas Real Estate News

(All 3 articles relating to grafitti are courtesy of the Southern Nevada Graffiti Coalition and are published in  County Commissioner District E’s Chris Giunchigliani’s July 1, 2009 online newletter.

When Art Becomes A Crime

Many people argue that graffiti is art, but when there is no permission given, that is when it becomes a crime. 

A “crime” is generally defined as an act committed by a person who injures another person or another person’s property. There must be intent on the part of the offender, and there must be a victim who wishes for the offender to be criminally prosecuted. When investigating a graffiti offense the police must establish that there was no legitimate authorization for the graffiti to be placed before an arrest can be made.

Often graffiti vandals who deface property without permission describe themselves as “spray-tip artists” or “aerosol artists.” Anyone can label themselves an “artist,” but it is important to understand that when graffiti is placed on property without permission and the owner of the property has not authorized the graffiti a crime has been committed.

Graffiti is one of the most costly property crimes any community has to confront and manage. There is nothing artistic about damaging the property of others and victimizing citizens.

Graffiti placed without permission is not art, it is crime.

 

What to Do If Your Property Is Tagged with Graffiti

With graffiti vandalism continuing to be the most costly property crime our community faces our local public agencies are expanding efforts to curb graffiti and bring vandals to justice. One of these measures includes the use of high-tech camera systems which monitor high-graffiti areas. The cameras snap a photo of the graffiti vandal in the act. Some cameras also give a loud audible warning to the offender that they have just been photographed. The photos may then be forwarded to law enforcement for investigation or provided to the media.

Many graffiti vandals commit their crime in a manner that is clandestine. They often operate under the cover of darkness or in a manner that reduces their visibility. These camera systems are an effective means of documenting the crime as it is happening and then serve as a deterrent.

You can also take steps to report graffiti in your area and have it removed:

To make a police report: Stop by your closest police station and make a report. This report will be assigned to a detective and the matter will be investigated. The owner of the property which was damaged must be the person making the report.

To have graffiti removed: If the damaged property is yours you should remove the graffiti immediately. You can do it yourself with paint or graffiti removal products, contact a graffiti removal company, or call for public removal if the damaged property is a wall that faces a public roadway. For public removal call the Southern Nevada Graffiti Hotline at (702) 455-4509. You may also receive free paint and supplies so you and your neighbors can remove graffiti in your neighborhood immediately when it appears.

To report a known graffiti vandal: To report information about a known graffiti vandal you can contact the police department of the city you live in. If you wish to remain anonymous you may contact Crime Stoppers at (702) 385-5555. If an arrest is made and the charge is a felony (damage exceeding $5,000) you may be eligible for a cash award.

To report graffiti in progress: If you see a graffiti vandal in the act of placing graffiti, notify the police. It is a crime in progress and you may call 911. A police call-taker will dispatch officers to the location. Do not intervene or try to stop the vandal. Do not place yourself in jeopardy or in a position of liability. Be a good witness for responding officers.

AND, a new one on me:

‘Slappers’ A New Kind of Graffiti

Many graffiti vandals use stickers in order to display their graffiti. The vandals call these stickers “slappers.” Often they will take blank stickers or a stack of mailing labels and pre-tag them with their
moniker or message.

They can then use these slappers to place their tag in locations and under circumstances where they cannot readily use a marker or spray paint. Using slappers falls under Nevada’s Placing Graffiti statute because the law describes graffiti as defacement, which includes “affixing” markings to objects as well as defacement with writing or etching. Many graffiti vandals who consider themselves “street artists” do not participate in using slappers because it is considered to be low-class, childish and appealing only to vandals who lack artistic skill.

The use of these slappers however is very prominent in our community and contributes greatly to our overall graffiti problem. Many of these
slappers are placed using adhesive labels which cannot be removed without causing permanent damage.

 

When I was in LA last week, we went to an underground parking garage in an undersold condo building in Hollywood. That’s where my friend Harry stores his 1910 Overland. I was flabbergasted to see that the entire garage was a graffiti covered work of art.

 

 

Harry explained that the owners of the building not only allow it, they encourage it! They even rent out the underground graffiti gallery as a space for raves and parties of all types. Harry went to a fundraiser event for a charity he supports just the week before I was there. It was catered, valet parking, and a dozen of the best artists were on hand discussing their work and giving demonstrations.

I can think of dozens of parking garages right here in Las Vegas that could use some color.

 

 

YES, it’s art and as the articles above state, it’s not a crime when it’s done with permission.

I’d love to see some permission based art space for the local aerosol artists.

We could provide an alternative to the storm drains, and the freeway bridges and walls.

 

Posted by Jack LeVine | Currently 1 Comment »

Downtown Las Vegas And Clark County Centennial In The News

July 1st, 2009 Categories: Las Vegas Real Estate News

The Globe Salon in Downtown Las Vegas

Our friends James Reza and Staci Linklater got an amusing write up on their “Globe Salon” which is in the Soho Lofts Condo Tower at the corner of Hoover and Las Vegas Blvd.

I’ve personally never been to any kind of fancy high end salon, but some of our regular readers such as Megan and Susan swear by them.

Kristen Petersen writes in the Las Vegas Sun:

Why downtown?

Our vision for Globe Salon was always to be an urban, high-end salon like the ones we had seen while walking in downtown Seattle, San Diego, San Francisco and Manhattan. As natives of Las Vegas, we felt it important to put our vision and hearts into action, and become part of the solution rather than part of the problem.

The amusing part of the article was about Parallel Parking, a skill that I’ve never forgotten and that I put to good use in Downtown Las Vegas all the time.

Clark County Nevada Is 100 Years Old Today

 Happy Birthday, Clark County! We’ve mentioned it many times, since Las Vegas History is one of our core topics.

Henry Brean did a nice write up in today’s RJ about the circumstances that led to Clark county breaking off from Lincoln County.

An interesting fact from the article:

The new county’s population, counted officially for the first time during the 1910 census, stood at 3,321 souls.

I’m curious as to whether they all actually had souls.

Centennial Mural On Display At Winchester Cultural Center

Also in The RJ today, a story about the newly installed mural celebrating the 100th Anniversary of Clark County, by artist Brian Porray. The mural is at the Winchester Cultural Center on McLeod, just North of Desert Inn. It’s also home to a very nice “urban forest”, that you should go visit when you want a few minutes of respit from your busy day.

quoting from the article:

“I find the image to be wildly optimistic,” said Porray, an artist who has done work for the county before. “It feels to me like a space shuttle taking off, although it’s a building imploding. Vegas gets to be this weird, quirky place that blows things up and tries something new.”

and:

“Catherine Borg, a visual artist who sat on the committee, said it’s unusual for a mural that illustrates destruction to mark a milestone. But committee members agreed that the mural fits with the area’s continual quest to reinvent itself, she said.”

Though I never celebrate the distruction of iconic buildings such as the landmark, I do agree that there’s a major reinvention of the urban core of Las Vegas going on. In fact, I champion it. Winchester Township has a significant role, as it’s a long skinny township that’s the northern border of county, just below the City of Las Vegas. The Landmark, was in Winchester Township. There’s still a lot of architecturally significant buildings in Winchester, and I hope the township board feels the say way I do, about not destroying it willy nilly. I guess I could say “long live historic preservation”.

 

Posted by Jack LeVine | Currently No Comments »

My Weekend In LA - Part One

June 25th, 2009 Categories: Las Vegas Real Estate News

Let’s start with the most fun thing – The Griffith Park Carousel

It was Harry’s birthday. That was a third of the reason I went this last weekend. We’ve been friends for 30 years. He’s the oldest “kid” I ever met.  He spends his life playing with vintage cars, Edison Phonographs, marionettes, and toys of every shape and size and era.

We took him to ride the carousel for his 100th or so time. It was my first time on one since I was a little kid.

I’m recommending everyone ride a Merry-Go-Round every now and then.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Posted by Jack LeVine | Currently No Comments »

HOW TO BE A PIN UP GIRL

June 24th, 2009 Categories: Las Vegas Real Estate News

Well, this looks like fun!

Besides a travelling Burlesque and Sideshow, they stop in various towns along the way and give classes in vintage make-up, hair and clothing, and do photo shoots of the students as pin-up girls.

Amy needs a place to hold her class on July 9^th. I know one of you has a very cool retro living room, or an art gallery, or a something that would make a great setting for the photo shoot and class.

 

All the pictures are from past classes.

 

Amy tells more, and asks us for help.

Hi UncleJack,
     My name is go-go Amy and I teach a class on vintage pin up modeling called HOW TO BE A PIN UP GIRL. We have taught this class all over the world and are looking to have one in Las Vegas on July 9. We are looking for a location. Usually the class is from 2pm-8pm but we are flexible on time. In the beginning of class we teach our students how to do vintage hair and make up then we get them all dolled up and we do pin up photo shoots with them. If you have a cute space that would make a good background that would be great. If you would like any more information on the class please visit our website www.prettythingsproductions.com or feel free to ask me.

Please let me know if you would be interested in working with us on this event so I can get to work promoting it.

Thanks so much for your time,
go-go Amy

If you’ve got a space, or have a suggestion, please email her at prettythingspeepshow@gmail.com

www.prettythingsproductions.com
www.myspace.com/prettythingspeepshow
www.twitter.com/prettythingsps
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Pretty-Things-Productions/34243079395

 

 

 

Even though they they’re only doing the class here, I think you’ll get a kick out of the vids that are on her website from past performances of the the PrettyThingsPeepShow.

I used to spin a good yo-yo when I was a kid, but now I know I was kidding myself. Check out the best Yo-Yo act I’ve ever seen.

Posted by Jack LeVine | Currently 1 Comment »

First Friday Fundraiser TONIGHT at Dino’s

June 24th, 2009 Categories: Las Vegas Real Estate News

If you’ve been meaning to meet some of the movers and shakers of the Downtown Arts Scene, Wednesday night would be a good time to do it.

Dino’s is one of those downtown bars you ought to know about. It’s at Oakey and Las Vegas Blvd. It’s been there for a little longer than forever.

Come on down and make a small donation to help us keep First Friday afloat.

If you can’t go, then donations are still welcome.

 

 

Posted by Jack LeVine | Currently No Comments »

Breaking News - A 3 Day Vacation

June 19th, 2009 Categories: Las Vegas Real Estate News

I’m going to make myself do it. I’m not even (I hope) going to allow myself to feel guilty. I haven’t really had a day off in over 6 months. It was last August when I left town last, and that was only for 2 days.

If I can finish the to-do list by 7pm tonight then I’ll leave then. If not, then first thing in the morning. The memorial service I’m attending is at 4pm.

My good friend and fellow Realtor, Brad Emens will be covering things for me. He’ll be picking up my messages and taking care of anything that needs IMMEDIATE attention.

I’ll probably post some pictures from LA, but otherwise, I’ll be back to work Tuesday morning, and probably be on the phone all day Monday, while friving back. (I know myself all too well).

I wish you all a great weekend.

Go Downtown. Go to the Springs Preserve. Take in some art, some music, and some good food. Call or visit someone you haven’t seen in way too long. I’ll be doing the same – LA style.

Posted by Jack LeVine | Currently 1 Comment »

The Springs Preserve Needs Help From Every Culturally Minded Person In Las Vegas

June 19th, 2009 Categories: Las Vegas Real Estate News

Right on the edge of Vintage Vegas is one of the most valuable cultural resources in the entire country. It’s called the Springs Preserve. I’m hoping you’ll all read this letter, and act on this call to action.

 

I’m personally a RAVING fan. If you’re not, then all you have to do is go there once and you will be.

 

The following letter made it’s way thru a couple of email lists that I receive. I thought it deserved a wider audience, so I’m re-printing it for you. It’s very well written, and I’d love to take credit for it, but I can’t. I do however share the sentiment. Some things of true value are often quite expensive. Not everything pays for itself, though, ideally, they ought to. Culture, history, conservation and preservation are things that have great value, and require a shared expense, lest they be lost forever.

 

If you agree, then let’s have some grass roots response to the criticism – by telling the RJ and the powers that be at the water authority what we think of the Springs Preserve.

 

In the mist of these very difficult economic times, it isn’t unusual for certain people to look around and try to find targets for their frustration.  It seems that the Springs Preserve has been a choice target over the course of the last week.  In four media pieces (LVRJ last Sunday and Thursday, City Life - 6/18, KXNT AM 840 on Monday), the Springs Preserve, the cost to build it, and the cost to operate it, have all come under attack.

 

To a certain extent, it’s not surprising that such a discourse would be held in a place like Las Vegas, a city that has relatively few cultural institutions of  the scope/scale that are needed to engage significant segments of the local population and reflect the critical role cultural institutions play in communities across the nation.  Without this socio-cultural infrastructure, without a long tradition of public culture in the city, without an appreciation for cultural institutions as social and cultural landmarks of the communities they serve, it is to be expected that some people wouldn’t know what to do with them or what to expect.  It is mindlessly easy to point out that something is wrong if we don’t know what “right” is.

 

Be that as it may, I am contacting all of you today  to ask for your support.  The Springs Preserve folks will address this matter in their own way.  But I think we can do more.  More than an official reply is needed in this case.  We should all want to show that the Springs Preserve can make a difference.  And that it has already made a difference.  I would ask each one of you, if you have a few minutes, to send a short letter to the editors of the LVRJ to indicate why you support the Springs Preserve.

 

Ultimately, the issue is not just cost but also value.  Of course, for those who don’t see the value, no cost is acceptable.  But cultural institutions such as the Springs Preserve remain critical to our individual quality of life and to the growth of our communities, even if the value of these services are impossible to measure.   If you could share what value you see in the Springs Preserve, and why you believe that is important for our community in the years to come, that would be a worthwhile investment in the future of our community, and it would encourage everyone that supports and visits the Springs Preserve, and the staff and volunteers of the Springs Preserve, to continue what they are doing.

 

All of the praise in the recent media coverage of Springs Preserve is well earned. Some of the criticism is just and fair. The comparison to the Monorail that George Knapp makes at CityLife misses the point that the Monorail has no INTRINSIC value to the city in its current form.

 

Yes, maybe the PR spin is similar, but we already have both projects. If the monorail shut down, no one would miss it. Now that we know what the Springs Preserve adds to Las Vegas, lets talk about how to get more people there, and how to make it one of the things that tourists would regret not having visited while in Las Vegas.

 

Since I’ll be gone for a few days, it’s a good time for some great commenting on this post. Share with us your letters to the RJ, and your thoughts on the Springs Preserve.

Posted by Jack LeVine | Currently No Comments »

Las Vegas Market Statistics

June 19th, 2009 Categories: Las Vegas Real Estate News

There’s a couple of “cliche” expressions in real estate. One of course is “location, location, location”. Another important one is “All real estate is local”.

These charts and statistics don’t seem to match what we here on the national news, proving the point that “all real estate is local”. In fact it even goes deeper than that. There’s differences in areas even within a city.

For example, the bulk of the current listings are in the suburban ring. The city wide inventory has shrunk by 35% from a year ago. In the Vintage Vegas area that I routinely cover the inventory drop is about 60% since last summer. In fact, in the entire coverage area there’s only 356 Single Family homes on the market today. That’s not much for an area the covers about 20 square miles in the heart of the valley. In the same area, there’s 246 properties under contract. That’s a 68% listing to contract ratio.

Among the 356 available single family homes, ONLY (are you ready – since this isn’t what you’d be led to believe on the news) 76 of them are bank owned, and I know for a fact that there’s multiple offers already on many of them.

97 of the 356 are short sales. That leaves only 183 homes that are being offered by “regular” sellers. they range in price for 39,000 to 5.75 MILLION.

I’m currently working with 22 buyers. I’m just one guy. I hear there’s other agents out there as well. Some of them are actually still working at selling real estate.   

 

Here’s the break down of how many “regular sellers” are in each price group.

Under 100k – 12

100k to 150k – 25

150k to 200k – 21

200k to 300k – 36

300k to 500 – 35

500 to 1million – 36

over 1 million -21

There’s some new sales that are under contract that are going to be creating new and better comps to use on the appraisals. Many are selling at above the list prices. The bottom line, is that now that the bottom has passed us by…. IF YOU’VE BEEN WISHING TO MOVE UP, NOW MIGHT BE THE RIGHT TIME. Lots of competition for your home among the first time homebuyers, lesser competition against you for that bigger home you’ve been wishing for. Economically, you’ll end up even for the moment, and you can watch the market come back in the house you’ve been wanting. Give me a call if you’ve been cramped up for too long.

Here’s a map of what I generally refer to as VeryVintageVegas. Some parts of it are more vintage than other parts. Almost all of it falls under the category of Mid Century Modern.

There are lots of interesting 50’s and 60’s neighborhoods that aren’t on this map. Before anyone jumps up and down about Charleston Heights or Winterwood or Henderson or North Las Vegas, believe me I know about them, talk about them, and offer them as alternative all the time. But this maps shows what I believe to be the “urban core” since it contains the strip, downtown and UNLV, is predominantly owner occupied, and has  

 

 

Posted by Jack LeVine | Currently 1 Comment »

World’s Largest Casino Collectibles Show

June 18th, 2009 Categories: Las Vegas Real Estate News

It’s the weekend after next, and looks like it might be worth the trek to the south end of the strip.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Posted by Jack LeVine | Currently No Comments »

Cute As Can Be In Ridgeview

June 14th, 2009 Categories: Las Vegas Real Estate News

Ridgeview is small pocket of 86 homes in the northwest corner of 15^th and Oakey. There’s homes on Oakey, 15^th, Griffith, Bracken, Sweeney, Wengert and Franklin. On the east/west streets, all of the addresses are in the 1400 to 1500 block. It’s a quiet, generally well cared for neighborhood. All of the homes were built on crawl spaces, and it’s one of the neighborhoods where I count on finding original hardwood floors, even if they’re hiding under the carpet.

I have new listing at 1412 Wengert in Ridgeview. It’s one of the first properties being listed that were bought as a “bombed out” bank owned repo, and then fixed up for re-sale. As we can see by the flood of for rent signs in front of most of the bank owned properties that have been sold recently, this is a new twist to the market, and another good sign that the market is changing in the historic neighborhoods.

As the final touches being done on the remodel, I put up the sign, and thought I had a few days to find the right buyer before it went into the MLS. Within hours, the sign generated an offer, and when I put it into the MLS it was under the “contingent sale” status.

Things didn’t quite work out, however, and a month later, I’ve put it back on the market, and want to share it with you.

The reason it sold so quickly the first time, besides it being a really nice home now, is that the first buyer had spent countless hours trying to buy a home direct from the bank. She got shut out numerous times. Instead of fixing up one of the beat-up abused and neglected bank homes, she’d just get one that was already finished.

There aren’t a lot of “second chances” in this market, but in this case…….

The thing is, is that there’s actually a shortage of inventory compared to the volume of buyers – both first time and investor. In the “downtown district” between Sahara and Charleston, and from LVBS to Eastern, there’s only 50 properties available. At the peak of the downturn last August, there were 112.

16 of the 50 are priced at over 200,000, which is well outside of the range of the average or typical  average buyer at the moment, though there’s some interesting big houses in that group. There’s 4 listings under 60,000, and everyone of them has multiple offers. All 4 are cash only, and not currently in livable condition. They’re still in available status, because the listing agent isn’t taking advantage of the new contingency field, which is called “subject to bank signatures. They’re essentially already sold, but the final signatures haven’t been acquired.

Only 16 of the 50 homes are bank owned. 12 of them have offers that are being negotiated or already verbally accepted. The numbers are similar in other historic areas including the west side, (McNeil, Glen Heather, all the “ranchos”).  

ALL of the lower priced listings right now are short sales, meaning the seller hasn’t lost the property yet, and is selling for less than the amount owed. We have rules about short sales. Some of those 16 are actually already sold, but the agent isn’t following the rules by putting it in contingent status. Many buyers shy away from the short sales because they’re unpredictable and frustrating. I’ve got 11 under contract for various buyers, but it’s not clear when or if or at what price the existing lender will agree to the deal that was made by the seller.

What’s the bottom line of all that? I have a MASSIVE shortage of nice houses that aren’t bank owned or short sale. There’s pent up demand for nice livable houses that can’t be satisfied with the current shortage of inventory. I think it’s time for some of the folks who “aren’t going to give their houses away” to give me a call. We may have to fight tooth and nail to get the appraisals to come in, but it won’t be hard to find a qualified, ready and anxious buyer.

 

 

Posted by Jack LeVine | Currently No Comments »

KNPR Town Hall Meeting On “The Mortgage Crisis”

June 11th, 2009 Categories: Las Vegas Real Estate News

Tonight, Thursday at 7 pm at the Clark County Government Center.

From The Las Vegas Sun: by Kyle Hansen On Wednesday,

Nevada Public Radio is hosting a town hall meeting Thursday night to address the foreclosure problems plaguing Southern Nevada.

KNPR 88.9-FM’s “Hope@Home: Facing the Mortgage Crisis in Southern Nevada” is part of the radio station’s ongoing efforts to help those struggling with foreclosure and other housing issues, said Catherine Kim, community relations manager for Nevada Public Radio.

“People are still being taken advantage of by less-than-credible organizations,” Kim said. “We are trying to provide resources to help them.”

Dave Berns of KNPR 88.9-FM’s “State of Nevada” and Patricia Cunningham of KCEP 88.1-FM’s “Stimulus Watch” will moderate a panel discussion with community members and social service leaders. Members of the audience will also be able to ask questions.

The event will be at the County Commission Chambers, 500 S. Grand Central Parkway, from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. Those interested in attending can reserve a seat at nvhopeathome.org. Participants can also submit questions in advance online.

The meeting will be broadcast live on Clark County TV Cable Channel 4 and will be taped for radio and later broadcasts on KNPR and KCEP.

The panel includes: County Commissioners Susan Brager and Chris Giunchigliani, Kenneth LoBene of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Leticia Bravo from the Nevada Office of Consumer Affairs, Gail Burks of the Nevada Fair Housing Center, Michele Johnson from Consumer Credit Counseling, and Frank Hawkins of the Community Development Programs Center of Nevada.

Even more telling, in today’s sun,

Posted by Jack LeVine | Currently 2 Comments »

Dependable Contractors And Service Professionals - Who Do You Know?

June 11th, 2009 Categories: Las Vegas Real Estate News

I’m updating my list of vendors again.  I didn’t get much response from the last time I asked our audience for recommendations, so I’m hoping you’ll help this time.

The scariest thing in the world is to put your finger down in the yellow pages and pick a random someone to do something for you (including Realtors). I get a lot of calls from friends, clients and readers asking for someone to fix this, or do that, or install something.

I’m especially looking for handymen. The “jack-of-all trades” with experience in everything from hanging a door, fixing a roof, re-tiling a bathtub or what not. Daryll’s been my guy for 5 years. The problem is…he’s too good, and he’s always booked. He’ll jump thru hoops for ME in an emergency, but he’s not always as available as I’d like. He’s honest dependable, fairly priced, has a magnitude of tools, experience and knowledge. I NEED 3 or 4 MORE DARYLLS. Who do you know?

A recent addition to our list is from a neighbor that had a broken AC. Of course it didn’t break this week when it’s unseasonably cool. It was a couple of weeks ago, when it was unseasonably hot. One of the Murphy’s Law rules for Las Vegas would be “if the AC is going to break, it will happen on Friday Night of the 4^th of July Weekend”. Ditto for the furnace it will go out on Christmas Eve.

Anyway, after a lot of phone calls to a lot of AC people, It was Sam’s Heating and and Cooling that came to the rescue. He not only got it fixed quickly, he did it for hundreds of dollars less than everyone else was quoting. Then he did the remarkable, he actually came back a week later to make sure everything was still working properly. That’s the kind of service we’re looking for. So here’s a shout out and recommendation to Sam. He’s licensed, insured and bonded; as well as reasonable  and dependable. If you need a good AC guy this summer, give him a call at 702–241–4994.

You can leave your recommendations for ANY type of service or contractor in the remarks. I’ll need to know who you are, so if you aren’t putting in a real email address it won’t be of any help to us. No one but me sees the email addresses, and I DO have to follow up with you.

Put them in the comments, or email me directly at jack@unclejack.com

Posted by Jack LeVine | Currently 5 Comments »

In Case You Missed The Sunset

June 10th, 2009 Categories: Las Vegas Real Estate News

Last night’s sunset was spectacularly unusual. It was small and confined, and emanated from a “hole” in the cloud cover.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Usually, when there’s a brilliant colorful sunset, the clouds are higher in the sky, with a broad swatch of open sky along the entire front range of the Spring Mountains.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The rays of sunlight climbed thru the hole in the clouds and lit up bottom of the cloud mass.

Beautiful, colorful sunsets are among my favorite things about living in the desert, and Las Vegas in particular.

Posted by Jack LeVine | Currently 1 Comment »

Just One Last Thing About Domestic Partnership

June 7th, 2009 Categories: Las Vegas Real Estate News

Most of us are still in shock that Domestic Partnership Legislation not only made it out of committee; not only passed one house, but two; and most of all that it’s veto got overridden.

It was a monumental effort whose time had come. I want to thank all of you who took the time to actually engage in democracy by calling and emailing the legislators and the governor. I know a huge number of you did. Your help was welcome and made a big difference. Being in shock is the only excuse I have for not having thanked you all publicly until 10 days after the fact.

I did mention several times, that it was only about about domestic partnership and not about marriage. The reason is that the fanatic religious right had shoved a constitutional amendment down our collective throats several years back. They did it with “end of the world” fear tactics. They did it by quoting some of the bible.

So as a thank you gift, I would like to share with you the thoughts on the subject by Mrs. Betty Bowers, who is America’s “Best Christian”. She very thoughtfully explains traditional biblical marriage to us, in a way that only she (and The Onion, and Steven Colbert) can.

And then I promise to never mention it again. Unless, of course, I get married one day. If that ever happens, you’ll hear about it here, first, and you’ll all be invited!

Here’s a direct LINK to the video on YOUTUBE in case the embedded version doesn’t show up in your browser

Posted by Jack LeVine | Currently 3 Comments »

« Previous Entries