LETTER
FROM THE PUBLISHER
Hello Readers and Happy February!
Unless you have been high
on a secluded mountaintop vacationing somewhere, you have
heard that the Fed cut the key interest rate twice (an unprecedented
1.25 percent in 10 days) to help stimulate the economy and
alleviate fears of a recession that many feel that we are
already experiencing. What a great way to start the year!
As you know, this type
of cut is designed to help motivate the on-the-fence buyer
to jump in the water, but more importantly, to stop the
flood of homes on the market from those interest rate resets.
Homeowners are trying to dump their homes before their ARMs
adjust, so the effort is to stop homes from unnecessarily
coming onto the market.
Add to this equation
that we are very lucky to be Real Estate professionals in
Las Vegas where the casino development doesn’t stop.
Rather, it drops tens of thousands of new jobs in our laps,
which means more renters and buyers in our marketplace each
year. It is a time to smile again, my friends. The storm
isn’t over but the rainbow is visible. The more we
stay positive and realistic, the better it will be for all
of us to endure this bad weather. OK, enough storm metaphors.
Our Feature Article
this month is on Lisa Hester and the Las Vegas Parade of
Homes. Doug Shields tells us in “Tour Luxury with
Vegas Pizzazz” some of the interesting sites we will
see in this Spring 2008 event, which is sure to be a fun
experience for all, but especially for Real Estate professionals.
I am personally really looking forward to experiencing it
for the first time.
Tricia Brisendine of
Century 21 JR Realty is our REALTOR® Local Profile this
month. This gal is a poster child for professional REALTORS®.
She strongly believes in education and supporting her customers
in a way that makes them feel extra special. She loves what
she does and that shines through in her continued success,
which is built on referrals. Rita Templeton brings this
Local Profile to life for us in “A Passion for People.”
Teresa Story-Turner,
president of Principal’s 1031 Exchange, holds our
Local Profile spot for service providers. Her experience
and commitment bring calm and confidence to an industry
that, over the last year, made investors very nervous and
shaky. Learn about Principal’s 1031 Exchange and Teresa
as valuable resource for your clients.
In National News, Michelle
Savage’s article “Bankers as Agents—The
Real Scoop” has been a subject that I have heard buzzing
about for years. How will the banks get involved in Real
Estate? This Bank of America transaction spurred the subject
again, and so we decided to take a serious look. We would
enjoy your comments on the article and the subject in general;
either send us an e-mail or log on to our Business Social
Network and blog about it. (www.erealestateexec.net)
In her usual manner,
Rita Templeton takes a no-nonsense look at couples’
time in the Lifestyle article, “The Couple-Minute
Couple.” As half of a couple myself, I found these
suggestions simple and very doable. We live in such a fast-paced
world and couples’ time often suffers. I am a firm
believer in nurturing the garden of relationships. Ignore
it and the garden will shrivel up and blow away. Here are
some great tips to help you nurture your relationship garden
in these busy times.
This issue features a
very timely Legal Notes article by John Benedict, Esq.,
Attorney at Law, “Mortgage-Backed Securities—Who
Owns Your Property?” This is one for your information
archives. Could this be a Hail Mary for thousands facing
foreclosure in the United States? The future will tell.
In Vertical Update,
“Art Rising: High-Rise Architects and Their Sculptures,”
Brenda Calvin once again writes informatively and passionately
on a subject that is all Las Vegas—high-rise. Brenda’s
three well-chosen architects for this piece will inspire
you and show you how to look at architecture a little differently—as
art.
I asked Stephen Leon,
our Design Connection writer, to take this month’s
article and write about himself. I am always interested
in how professionals sustain careers long term and what
they have done to keep up with the changing times. In Stephen’s
eloquent and stylish way, he tells us a bit about what he
has been up to lately.
In Beyond Green, Dale
Rowse, principal of Viridian Group, tells us how the vertical
revolution creates sustainable urban living in his article
“Higher Ground.” This is a fabulous article
and it reminds me of just how far we have come with sustainable
living from those dome- and octagon-shaped igloo-looking
structures that first came on the scene for sustainable
living years ago. Thank goodness architects and developers
started getting on board to provide us with style and environmentally
responsible living options.
Eve Mazzarella of Distinctive
Real Estate and Investments brings us up to date on downtown
with “Urban Update: Navigating the Urban Jungle.”
As much as we read, stay well connected, and interact with
our peers, there is still so much that is not readily known
unless you are specializing in that area. I am always reminded
of this when I speak with Eve about downtown revitalization
or read her articles. This Real Estate professional, whose
firm handles Streamline Tower, is in the know downtown.
Please refer to her article for additional information that
will help you understand what will happen over the next
few years that will change the look and feel of our downtown
significantly each step of the way.
I am ending my Publisher
Letter with the strong suggestion to read Rebecca Ragland’s
Technology article called “Network. Network. Network.”
It is an amazing resource and a plethora of information
that you should save, archive and print. OK, maybe not print—for
environmental reasons—but definitely save it and read
and reread. If you only do one new thing this year to help
bring you into The New Real Estate, do what she suggests
in this article.
Have a great month and
enjoy the process. Remember, life is supposed to be enjoyed.
Find fun in the mundane.
Lee Papa, Publisher
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CONGRATULATIONS
Rocco La Spada
Las Vegas Financial Group, LLC
You have won the
"Charlie" Collection
in the February
Registration Drawing |
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