Kirk Sanford News

If you’re interested in finding vacant land in Las Vegas and building your own home, there are many things you should know.  While the desert looks to be open and inviting, there is surprisingly little room for building at this point.  Almost 80% of the land in the Las Vegas Valley is owned by the Federal Bureau of Land Management. This leaves 20% for private owners.

Most of this land has been divided into half acre parcels, with the largest area of land available being about two and half acre parcels.  If you’re hoping to enjoy horses, you should also know that three horses are allowed for every acre of land.

Certainly, not everyone in Vegas wants to build.  Some companies, like Sightline Acquisition, LLC with Kirk Sanford specialize in the acquisition of distressed commercial and residential real estate.

According to the Las Vegas Review-Journal, things are not looking up for the Nevada housing market.  Nevada ranks first across America in residential foreclosures and second in delinquencies for the second quarter of 2010.

As Stephen Brown, the economist who just became the director of the Center for Business and Economic Research at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, said, “The Las Vegas housing market is pretty close to a bottom.” He doesn’t expect to see residential real estate begin to recover for another three years or so.

Unfortunately, Nevada is in good company with their foreclosure rates.  RealtyTrac, a foreclosure listing service, reports that more than 2.3 million homes have been repossessed by lenders since the recession began in December, 2007.

Many banks have tightened their lending standards as a result of these real estate issues.  Certainly, some companies are able to help with these real estate issues. Sightline Acquisition, Inc. with Kirk Sanford, for instance, is a privately held Las Vegas-based investment fund specializing in the acquisition of distressed commercial and residential real estate. While benefiting from a depressed market, companies like this one with Kirk Sanford can, hopefully, help to breathe life into the real estate market and boost sales.

Certainly, the real estate market is one that has been hard hit by the economic downturns. One interesting option for developers and for condo owners is to turn to the rental market in Las Vegas. A number of luxury condo projects have begun renting portions of their units. Several developers are also looking into the idea of time shares.

Housing analyst in Las Vegas, Steve Bottfeld, sees this rental trend as one that will continue. This can become a way to generate revenue for developers.

This information mostly affects developers, but is also of interest to companies such as Sightline Acquisition with Kirk Sanford and others who are interested in real estate in Las Vegas.

For anyone looking into getting a mortgage, or concerned about the future of their mortgage rates, there is good news.  Reports have shown that: “30-yr fixed mortgage rates continue to hold at a record low 4.375% for well-qualified borrowers paying a standard .07 to 1 point origination. 15-yr fixed mortgage rates have dipped once again, setting a new record low, at 3.75%, down from 3.875.”  This definitely spells good news for home owners and those looking to possibly invest in the property market.

Certainly, many real estate collections today advertise that they are “Green” properties. Others, who already own their property, are considering turning their home into a more green home. This blog helps you to see, in dollars and cents, exactly how much going green is worth for your resale value. It’s a very practical blog post for anyone who is considering this real estate option.

Kirk Sanford, CEO of Sightline Real Estate, is probably quite up to date on the Las Vegas real estate market.  Apparently, research has shown that “over 1/3 of second homes are being bought in urban areas, and Las Vegas is one of the top cities to buy in.”  As well, what has traditionally been downtown and Strip areas are now becoming “urban high rise lifestyle centers.”  This is definitely good news for a business real estate man like Sanford.

Las Vegas Land and Kirk Sanford

But what a guy like Kirk Sanford should also be aware of is that there actually is not as much vacant land in Las Vegas available as one might originally think.  When you go into Las Vegas, you imagine that there is indeed much vacant land, as you drive through the city’s stunning, wide landscapes.  This is probably because the federal Bureau of Land Management is the proprietor of the bulk of land in Las Vegas Valley, thus there is only a minimal amount (20%) that is split between the hands of private owners.

The most recent interesting real estate trend in Las Vegas is that Las Vegas is going green. MGM City Center was the first LEED certified project in Nevada and there is now a collection of Las Vegas homes that are following suit.

The best project for green, gorgeous homes at the moment is the Marquis Las Vegas project. They were actually chosen by the National Association of Home Builders as the New American Home 2009. Located in an ultra-exclusive neighborhood off of Tomiyasu Lane that has been home to Wayne Newton, Mike Tyson, the Sultan of Brunei and others, this area offers properties as large as 40 acres.

The area contains several of Nevada’s most expensive properties, including estates ranging to more than 40 acres, but is just minutes from the Las Vegas Strip and Downtown. The energy for the homes is solar and solar thermal and each home is expected to run on natural gas and electricity. If you select the Smart House Package, your home will also be fully equipped electronically. You’ll spend two weeks with Microsoft, programming your home for your comfort and lifestyle!

Certainly, this project is a dream-come-true for private home buyers or companies such as Sightline Acquisition with Kirk Sanford. Anything is possible in Las Vegas!

Certainly, many real estate agents, investors and companies such as Sightline Acquisition with Kirk Sanford, are interested in the changes in the real estate market in Las Vegas. Henderson is the 2^nd largest city in Nevada and the US Census says that it is the fastest growing large city in the United States.

Interesting enough, Henderson is the home to the first large planned community in southern Nevada, Green Valley. At the moment, Henderson has 25 planned communities with even more planned. It’s a wonderful location for school age children, as it has a number of great private schools. It also has one of the lowest property tax cities in Nevada. It’s also ranked as the third best place to retire in the United States.

It will be interesting to see how Henderson continues growing and to watch the real estate market in this area.

In a recent article, CNNMoney.com listed Las Vegas, Nevada as 41.40% undervalued and they said that it was the most undervalued city in the United States at the moment. This statistic is particularly interesting in light of the article that they wrote in 2006 where they said that Las Vegas was 38% overvalued.

The criteria they used to judge a city’s value included median home prices, local interest rates, population densities and income, and historical premiums or discounts that the area has shown over time.

This is certainly good news for companies like Sightline Acquisition Corp. with Kirk Sanford and others who have their sights set on the Las Vegas real estate market.

With the recent economic downturns, those looking to buy a home can, very possibly, get a good deal. Many people have their sights set on purchasing a home from a foreclosure or from a short sale. But, is this really the best way to buy a home?

A short sale is a negotiated settlement between the bank lending the money and the seller, whereby the bank agrees to reduce the amount owed to payoff the home loan. It saves them from foreclosing on the home and it offers a potential buyer the chance to buy the home for a reduced price.

There are, however, a number of pitfalls with this process. A short sale can take a very long time to process, as the bank may take between 30 days and 6 months to approve of the short sale. Each bank has its own process, and it’s very important to make sure that you understand how the bank in question works and what the timeline will look like. You may want to involved a real estate lawyer, or someone in the know, in the process as well to streamline everything and make sure that your needs are met.