LVAM - May/June 2016 - Issue 15 by Las Vegas Agent Magazine

May/June 2016

The

TRADEWIND FAMILY

Zachary, Jordan, Jill & Tiger. Seated: Sarge & Bambam

ALSO INSIDE: Newsletter Newsletter

Newsletter

Company Profile: Findlay Cadillac

ONLY THOSE WHO DARE DRIVE THE WORLD FORWARD. INTRODUCING THE FIRST-EVER CADILLAC CT6.

Cadillac 993 AUTO SHOW DRIVE | VALLEY AUTO MALL

702-558-2600 | FINDLAYCADILLAC.COM

CONTENTS Created Exclusively for the Las Vegas Real Estate Agent

PUBLISHER

Melodie C. Miller

How SMART Are You?

Organizing Your Garage

Scott Beaudry

Mike Klimek

Qualifying for Financing After Short Sale or Foreclosure Rick Piette

Publisher@LVAgentMagazine.com

COPY EDITOR

Melanie Cardano Ceditor@LVAgentMagazine.com

Automated Cars: My, How Times Have Changed Scott A. Trombley

Why You’re Not Delegating And Why You Should Start

Your Home Is Your Family’s Castle…Are You Protecting The Family? Sam Peters

A Cry for Leadership from Parents and Grandparents JC Melvin

Amber De La Garza GRAPHIC DESIGN

COMPANY PROFILE

Lisa Gouveia

Newsletter

Art@LVAgentMagazine.com

PHOTOGRAPHY

Jamie Thomson Jlthomson85@gmail.com

Findlay Family Values Newsletter COVER STORY

For more information please email or call 702-530-5033.

Newsletter Las Vegas Agent Magazine is distributed bi-monthly, via U.S. Mail to Realtors® in the Las Vegas Valley. We welcome reader correspondence and are always looking for the best possible content to offer our subscribers. Please send all comments, suggestions and inquiries to Publisher@LVAgentMagazine.com Las Vegas Agent Magazine assumes no responsibility for, or endorses the thoughts expressed or advertised. No portion of Las Vegas Agent Magazine may be reproduced without the written permission of the Publisher. All rights reserved.

A Family Dynasty: TRADEWIND INVESTMENTS LAS VEGAS AGENT MAGAZINE: 702-530-5033

Housing Statistics

10 1

11 8

3 9 2

215

1 6

215

FROM THE PRESIDENT

How SMART Are You?

By: Scott Beaudry, 2016 GLVAR President

Whether a fan, critic, or all around abstainer of Robert Zemeckis’s “Back to the Future” film trilogy, one thing remains true, the future is now! The second film in the series, “Back to the Future II,” aimed to depict American life on October 21, 2015 from a 1989 perspective. That date actually occurring this past year has drawn much attention and speculation on how the film measured up to reality. Although the film didn’t perfectly match our dayto-day uses of technology, the message is clear: technological advancements are possible, attainable, and necessary! I am not here to give the movie a “thumbs up” or “thumbs down,” but rather invite homeowners and buyers to appreciate this ever-evolving world of technology, as it can be life enhancing and profitable. Today, the Smart Phone has become as American as Apple (no pun intended) Pie. Next came Smart Tablets, and Smart Watches to sync to our Smart Phones, with of course Smart Cars soon to follow. This technology was designed to give people something to make their lives easier to a degree that evokes willingness to invest in it, and do so continually and on a regular basis. The genesis of the smart device was one to help people specifically while on “the go.” That being said, you may be surprised that the next offspring of the Smart Family, and one of the most cost effective, will be the Smart Homes. One of the top devices I would recommend to homeowners and sellers is the Smart Thermostat. A Smart Thermostat connects to the Internet, allowing you to control it from anywhere you have Internet access; most commonly, it will be monitored by a user’s Smart Phone application. An extremely practical usage of the Smart Thermostat for day-to-day use is programming it to heat or cool your abode so it is the perfect temperature when you get home from work. This is far more cost-effective and energy conscience than just “letting it run,” and extremely timesaving versus the old-fashioned “Beep. Beep. Beep.” while you “toggle... toggle... toggle...” through the digits to set the timer. A Smart Thermostat is a busy person’s new best friend, the guilt and shame of leaving the AC on 65 degrees when you’re out of town for two weeks is a thing of the past. Another Smart Thermostat bonus is it keeps you abreast of your home’s climate even when you aren’t there! For example, the long-trusted Honeywell brand’s Smart Thermostat’s application will display indoor/outdoor temperature, relative humidity, and also alert you to extreme temperature changes and when you should change the filter of your furnace for optimal efficiency. An investment in a Smart Thermostat will easily pay off with this customizable usage strategy. A homeowner is sure to be pleased with the overall convenience factor, and should they decide to sell their home, an attractive touchscreen Smart Thermostat has major curb appeal to a buyer.

The appeal of the Thermostat is just a tipping point when it comes to the aggregate of Smart Technology available for the home. Security systems are now high-tech without being bulky, and their capabilities have reached far beyond sounding alarms and setting off motion lights. With Smart Security, users have the option to invest in multi-camera systems installed (or placed, rather) in and around their home. The result is the availability of full-featured footage of the property at the user’s fingertips via a Smart Phone (or any internet enabled device). Perhaps you don’t need a complete security control room monitoring every inch of your home, but it’s still wise to have some protection as well as peace of mind. A single unit Smart Security system will afford you many advantages when you are away from home. This system will send alerts to your phone about motion detection and can even sync with a smoke alarm. If you get a notification, you can tap into the live feed and see what’s going on no matter what time of day as these Smart Security systems are equipped with Night Vision. Piggy-backed on the video feed idea is the Smart Doorbell, such as the Ring Video Doorbell Pro, which works with an existing hardwired doorbell. This slimly designed doorbell records 1080p HD video, has advanced motion detection, night vision, and even recorded video with cloud storage. The Ring Doorbell is also just as useful when you are at home as when you are away. When the doorbell rings, and you’re not expecting anyone, you can tap into the application to see who’s there, and make your own decision if you want to open the door. The innovation of technology to Smarten Up our home is pretty miraculous. It should be said that all of these Smart products begin to learn your behavior patterns, as do other products like the Smart Refrigerator that can order you more milk or eggs, for example, when you are running low, or the Amazon Echo who can call you an Über or stream your favorite playlist on your home stereo system, amongst other things. These are the kinds of features that make even the biggest techies sit back and say “Wow.” You, as the end user, and your guests, will likely feel the same. Home buyers are certainly wising up to what’s out there and you can most certainly impress them and leave them in awe with these ultra modern and highly convenient systems. Having this technology at the time of showing reads deeper than “Meet George Jetson” (i.e. the homeowner just buys every existing craze because it’s out). It shows how you, as a real estate professional, care for your client and want them to be protected and at the same time, aid in the value of their home. Unless the buyer plans to tear down the home and rebuild, there is no way the Smart features of the home will go unnoticed, and can even speed up a sale, in which case, everybody wins.

Scott Beaudry, a Las Vegas native, is the Broker/Owner of Universal Realty. Since opening in 1988, the company continues to be family owned but more importantly, operates as a family-oriented brokerage that supports of all its agents. He has volunteered on multiple Realtor® committees. As the 2016 President for Greater Las Vegas Association of Realtors, Scott has insight into the needs of consumers in and the future of the real estate industry. For more information, contact Scott at Universal Realty:: 702-938-7700, cell: 702-353-2170 or fax: F: 702-946-1184.

LAS VEGAS AGENT MAGAZINE | May/June 2016

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May/June 2016 | LAS VEGAS AGENT MAGAZINE

QUALIFYING FOR FINANCING AFTER SHORT SALE OR FORECLOSURE • VA Financing – if you are eligible for a VA loan, you can purchase two years after a short sale or a foreclosure. • FHA Financing – the FHA program becomes available three years after a short sale or foreclosure. But note that the current maximum FHA loan amount in Clark County, Nevada is $287,500. So your purchase choices may be a little bit limited. • Conventional Financing - when using conforming conventional financing (loan amount $417,000 or less), there is a big time wait difference between if you had a short sale or a foreclosure.

By: Rick Piette

et’s face it, we all know someone in Las Vegas who lost their home to a short sale or foreclosure. And let’s note that it was their “home” and not just a house!

The most recent numbers show that there are somewhere around 28,000 homeowners in our valley who have not made a mortgage payment for at least 90 days. Some folks have not made a payment for years. I thought it would be a good idea to recap what financing options are available to purchase a home after a short sale or foreclosure. There are options to purchase immediately “one day after” using private money or portfolio financing… and “waiting periods” to qualify for a traditional loan. • Private Money Financing – is available as little as one day after a short sale or foreclosure. This financing normally requires a minimum 25% down payment. Interest rates will range around 4%-5% higher than traditional loans. Loan fees will run between 3%-4% origination fee. This type of financing is ideal if there is no prepayment penalty as it allows you to own your own home again now, while prices are still attractive, and then refinance as soon as you can qualify for a traditional loan.

* Short Sale – you will need to wait four years after the short sale event before you can qualify. But the good news is… you can buy a new home with as little as 5% down payment at that time! * Foreclosure – it will be seven years after the event before you can obtain a conventional loan. Regardless of how much you are putting down. • Jumbo Financing – this is for loan amounts above the conforming limit of $417,000. Similar to conventional financing, there is a wait difference between a short sale and a foreclosure. A short sale wait is typically five years while a foreclosure wait period is typically seven years. Note that if you have an established “banking relationship,” some banks may provide Jumbo portfolio financing without the extended wait times. Some things to remember! The “date” which starts the “wait time clock” is the day that the house title is transferred out of your name. And when applying for the loan to purchase your ‘new home,’ all standard qualifying conditions still apply. It’s not just the wait – you still need to qualify. Working with a lender who has lots of experience in nontraditional, “2nd Chance” financing can go a long way in getting your transactions closed. As they say, “if you don’t know the road ahead, ask someone who has traveled it.”

Rick, a long time native of Southern Nevada and of the mortgage industry, currently owns and is Broker of Premier Mortgage Lending, with offices in Henderson, NV. In his career in the mortgage business, he has held the positions of Loan Officer, Manager, Vice-President, Sr. Vice-President… and now, is an Owner/Broker. The full-service lender is a member of the Las Vegas and Boulder City Chamber of Commerce, Better Business Bureau, the Southern Nevada Homebuilders Assn., and was recently honored as the “2013 Affiliate of the Year” by the Greater Las Vegas Assn. of Realtors. He enjoys many outdoor activities including mountain climbing, skiing, backpacking, Harley rides, and river running. For more information, please call Rick Piette of Premier Mortgage Lending at 702-485-6600 or visit www.PremierMortgageLending.com. Premier Mortgage Lending, NMLS #393282.

LAS VEGAS AGENT MAGAZINE | May/June 2016

Are Your Hands Tied? • Is your broker forcing you to take 6% listings? Hawk can help you create buyers and sellers! • Did you know that approximately only 12% of the homes in Vegas have more than 10% equity AND are owner occupied! • Did your broker miss that memo counting your money? Ask your broker when was the last time they got a 6% listing? • We sold several homes for agents recently whose hands were tied. Plus you get 30% referral.

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May/June 2016 | LAS VEGAS AGENT MAGAZINE

AUTOMATED CARS My, How Times Have Changed By: Scott A. Trombley

ho ever imagined that a vehicle would parallel park itself? Or stop all by itself to avoid hitting something. Now, there is talk of self-driving cars with robotic navigators that will chauffeur us about. My, how times have changed. The new technological advancements of today’s vehicles can boggle the mind. They may also seem like an unnecessary expense, given that most drivers are not aware of the exact benefits they provide. Here are a few of the latest upgrades and options that are now being featured in newer vehicle models. Pedestrian AutoDetector Who couldn’t use an extra set of eyes on the road? The new Pedestrian Collision Mitigation technology is often available as part of a Driver Assist Package.* This package includes the use of a camera that scans the road ahead of the vehicle to check for pedestrians. If one is detected, a series of indicators and alerts is activated and the vehicle will auto brake to avoid a collision. Night Vision Night Vision systems increase a driver’s visibility at night. Through thermal technology, you will be shown people and large animals that are ahead of you on the road. This feature can enhance safety in the dark by making you aware of potential hazards before it’s too late.*

LAS VEGAS AGENT MAGAZINE | May/June 2016

Rear Camera Mirror with HD Video Newer vehicles offer a dual rear view mirror and camera feature that streams HD video through the rearview mirror itself. With the simple touch of a finger, you’ll have a less obstructed view and 300 percent more vision than an ordinary standard mirror allows. Then with another touch, you are reverted back to a traditional rearview mirror. Surround Vision Surround Vision* provides a 360 bird’s-eye view of the vehicle and the areas immediately around it. This projected view helps reduce blind spots, increases awareness and assists when maneuvering in and out of tight spots. It can also automatically record video when something touches or comes near the vehicle, storing the footage on an SD card for later review. Even More Safety Features and Options Other safety features and convenience options include 3-D GPS navigation, Doppler weather reports, hands free calling, adaptive cruise control, Bluetooth streaming and considerable higher horse power motors. The list goes on and on, and there is so much more to come. But are they worth the added cost? In the long run, the safety systems, other comfort and convenience options are what people seem to want – making them well worth the cost. Scott A. Trombley has 28 years of experience in the Automotive Business, having begun his career washing vehicles as a kid and has had since, every position possible in the automotive retail industry. Scott’s father is a retired UAW worker, so Scott literally grew up in the car business, and in Detroit! Now a resident of Henderson, NV., Scott happily hangs his hat at Findlay Automotive Group, which is still a family owned, local business, since 1961.

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May/June 2016 | LAS VEGAS AGENT MAGAZINE

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Why You’re Not Delegating And Why You Should Start By: Amber De La Garza

Do you waste your time on pointless activities? I’m not talking about social media or hours in front of the TV. I’m talking about all of the tasks and activities you spend your time completing when you don’t need to be the one doing them. If you are not currently delegating any of your tasks, you are likely wasting a lot of your precious time. As a busy business owner, time is probably the last thing you want to waste! So which excuse is holding you back from delegating? Not Knowing What to Delegate Many people refrain from delegating tasks simply because they do not know what they should be delegating. The key is to recognize the activities that are not maximizing your success. For example, if you need to wear clean, ironed shirts to work every day, you probably drop them off at the dry cleaners every Friday and pick them up every Monday. That’s two times per week you’re running errands instead of working on your business. Can you have an assistant handle your dry cleaning instead? Or maybe a local dry cleaner offers affordable pick-up and delivery? Workable solutions are usually at your fingertips. Stop committing to and engaging in such unskilled activities and instead, put them on someone else’s plate. You should also delegate skilled activities that don’t make the best use of your time. Do you spend an hour preparing to lead a weekly team meeting but are aware that you not efficient at it? If you struggle to start and end meetings on time and have a hard time keeping them focused, your greatest contribution to meetings may be your expertise and experience alone. Delegate someone else to prepare for and facilitate meetings if that is their strength. By minimizing your weaknesses, you’ll be able to capitalize on others’ strengths as well as your own. Cost You may believe it’s more cost effective to complete tasks yourself but that’s not always the case. You need to consider not only the initial monetary cost but also the opportunity cost, especially when it comes to specialized tasks requiring education-based knowledge or involving a unique skill set such as bookkeeping, graphic design, blog and video editing, and marketing. According to Jeff Shore, “Too many business owners impede their revenue growth doing everything just to save a few bucks.” You may save money in the short term by completing specialized tasks on your own, but the outcome in the long term is often better when such tasks are completed by a more qualified person. Sure, you can develop your own website and design your own logo. The vortex of DIY videos online has made completing just about any task possible on your own, but that doesn’t mean you should. A highly-qualified professional would likely create your

LAS VEGAS AGENT MAGAZINE | May/June 2016

website with more creative graphics, easier navigation, better site words, and more plug-ins, thus drawing many more clients to choose you over your competition. Specialized tasks are excellent opportunities to delegate to skilled labor.

Lack of Qualified Labor Like many successful business owners, you may think you’re the only person qualified to do certain work. That may be true, but it doesn’t have to be. Heather Nunez said her motto for delegating is “Move it from my To-Do List to their To-Learn List.” Brilliant! For you to invest your best time into your best activities, you have to invest in others. Teaching capable employees how to complete skilled tasks frees up your time and empowers them with more responsibilities, thus increasing their purpose and job security. Also, tasks that feel like burdens to you, could feel like blessings to them. What you’re delegating may not be your best activities, but may be theirs. Time is a finite resource so how you choose to use it is of utmost importance. If you are kept busy by tasks that are not bringing you closer to achieving your goals, delegating is the obvious choice. Delegating tasks that can be completed by others is essential to increasing your productivity because it frees up your best time for your best activities. Determine what to delegate so you can focus on your highest value activities and work toward achieving your goals and vision of success. Download a FREE Time Maximizers Resource at www.TimeMaxizers.com Amber De La Garza, The Productivity Specialist, works with business owners and entrepreneurs who are ready to transform the way they work so they can reduce stress, maximize time, and grow their business. Amber provides her clients with precisely what they need – the best in productivity training and consulting to meet their maximum potential and accomplish their goals. For more information or to reach Amber: 702-527-2307 or Amber@TheProductivitySpcialist.com.

May/June 2016 | LAS VEGAS AGENT MAGAZINE

COMPANY FEATURE

Findlay Family Values

Findlay Cadillac

jou can’t exactly blame General Motors or the Findlay Automotive Group for the dozens of loyal Cadillac owners being pulled over.

When they drive some other make, rented or borrowed, they just expect it to act like their Caddy.

“Ma’am, did you k now you were driving with your headlights off?” “You mean I have to turn the headlights on? Doesn’t this darn car do anything for itself?” A family legacy Clifford O. “Pete” Findlay, who founded Findlay Automotive Group, was a visionary, but his vision for the Car of the Future didn’t include that particular wrinkle. Nearly 60 years ago the weathered, square-jawed fourthgeneration Nevadan launched what would become an automotive empire in a dusty used-car lot out on Boulder Highway. That’s when long, lean cars came in “two-tone” colors, auto commercials starred Florence Henderson and dancers in swirling skirts, and a full orchestra played the lilting Oldsmobile theme song—“Come away with me, Lucille/In my merry Oldsmobile”— in the background. Pete’s Used Cars was just a stepping stone on a journey that began in the 3-square-mile, 300-person farm community of Panaca, where Pete and his wife, Mary Jo, settled down after World War II to raise a family. The Findlays and their children, Cliff, Ed, and Karen, left Panaca in 1959 to take on a General Motors franchise in Las Vegas. The big city then housed only 75,000 souls but held enormous promise. John Saksa, General Manager

Interviewed by the Las Vegas Sun in 1990, Findlay said, “Las Vegas always has been a place where the opportunity for growth has been excellent. I don’t see that changing.” He got that right. Findlay Automotive’s growth exploded, from the moment he opened Findlay Oldsmobile, in 1961, at 3024 Fremont Street. With its soaring trapezoidal red roof, the current Findlay auto body shop remains an astonishing piece of classic roadside architecture—1960s Dairy Queen pyramid meets Frank Lloyd Wright. It looked designed to take off into the future, just like the Findlay name would. By 1980, Findlay Olds had become one of the top 100 Oldsmobile dealerships in the nation, after which Findlay went on to land one of the first U.S. Saturn franchises. Today the firm has 28 dealerships in five states, with brands from Acura to Volkswagen. It employs more than the population of the patriarch’s hometown—nearly 1,700. Findlay is one of the largest privately held dealership groups in the country. But current president and CEO Cliff Findlay didn’t even want to be in Las Vegas. At the time his dad uprooted the family and moved, Cliff was becoming a Panaca sports all-star and missed his friends. But, after college at UNLV Business School, he joined the family firm, becoming CEO when his father retired. His own sons,

The Finlay Cadillac team is here to serve you.

Justin, Robby, and Nathan, now carry the family legacy into a third generation. All have dealerships. Says Findlay Cadillac General Manager John Saksa, “Cliff Findlay is a guy who’s not afraid to take a risk. He’ll put himself out there. Every time a franchise came up, he’d raise his hand and take it, and make it a success.” Portrait of a dealership Findlay Cadillac in Henderson is one franchise that exemplifies what this company’s all about. Each dealership is its own household within the extended Findlay family, and each bears the imprint of its general manager. If they’re anything like John Saksa, they even publish their own slick house magazines, like Findlay Voice. Each dealership cultivates camaraderie and loyalty among its employees. Saksa is typical of numerous Findlay people whose longevity stretches into two or three decades. He’s been with the firm since July 2000 and in the Cadillac franchise since 2003. Following in the footsteps of Findlay’s humanitarian founder, past recipient of the Nevada Muscular Dystrophy Association’s Humanitarian of the Year Award, and current CEO Cliff Findlay, founder of the Findlay Education Foundation and the Southern Nevada Sports Hall of Fame Foundation, general managers individually decide which charitable organizations to support

Findlay Cadillac’s award winning sales team is here to make your dreams come true.

during the year. These might range from the American Heart Association and American Cancer Society to local little league teams. But for most people shopping for a vehicle, it’s the Findlay personal touch that matters the most. Customer endorsements say it all. “I’ve personally experienced the care, the personal relationship, and the knowledge. You feel no pressure, and you can pre-shop all of the new and preowned vehicles, with fully detailed data, on the Findlay website.” “The staff goes above and beyond to make you feel important, and the enthusiasm in the service department is overwhelming. Wouldn't go anywhere else.” The people who work here know the industry and their products inside out. Most of them own a Cadillac and are passionate about the brand and the service. Saksa explains, “One company philosophy, and the reason why we remain private and not sold to a big corporation, is to be more hands on with the customer. “None of us is untouchable, at some 800 number. You can walk right into my office and talk with me. If there’s ever an issue, you can reach general managers, sales managers, the CFO, all the way up to Cliff Findlay if need be.” In fact, Cliff Findlay still has an office upstairs at Findlay Cadillac. Indeed, the whole staff appears to be there all the time, as if they live upstairs and roll out of bed to come downstairs in the morning.

LAS VEGAS AGENT MAGAZINE | May/June 2016

“This is the biggest reason why you’d want to buy from a family dealership. Unlike an impersonal corporation that’s all about the profit, we’re very much about the customer, and very involved in the community. The community is our customer. Without you, we wouldn’t be here. “And it isn’t because of the Cadillac price point. We have a Fiat dealership next door that has the same customer service. It’s that the customer is a guest in our home and should be treated as such. We always do everything we can to make customers’ experience the best it can be.” They even have a complimentary breakfast and lunch café, where customers might hear, “Would you like some pot roast?” while they’re waiting. Cadillac, a leader since 1902 Established back in 1902, Cadillac Automobile Company has grown with the times—just like Findlay. A Cadillac is no longer the floating ark that your grandparents drove. Now it will keep up with, if not outperform, Mercedes, BMW, Audi, or Lexus. Says Saksa, “One thing you can rest assured about with a Cadillac—it’s an industry leader and a benchmark for quality. Our standard models have more features than most other loaded cars. People want safety, handling, speed, and fun, and Cadillac offers all that. “General Motors has always been the technology leader—the first to come out with just about everything on a car, and then others follow. Cadillac had OnStar before anybody else. It was first with cruise control, first with intermittent wipers, first with automatic headlights.”

In 2003 Cadillac invented Magnetic Ride Control, the world’s fastest-reacting suspension. Ferrari only just acquired it. “These cars have almost reached the point where they’ll drive themselves and then train you! They have a feature now that corrects you if you veer out of your lane. They buzz your butt if you’re about to back into somebody.” Realtors in particular need a vehicle that’s attractive, with style and quality. Pull up in a big, beautiful Escalade and customers think: This is a successful Realtor who knows what’s what and can negotiate a great house deal for us. “One great thing with Cadillac is that you have OnStar with 4G LTE. You become a rolling, paperless office, with WiFi in your car, and you and your clients don’t have to rely on spotty cell service.” “Realtors really love our SRX, a crossover that’s Findlay Cadillac’s number one seller.” Cadillac waxes poetic about the SRX: “Combining bold looks with advanced technology, its athletic exterior complements an airy cabin that’s home to a thoughtful combination of high-tech features and cut-and-sewn details. Seamlessly blending beauty, technology, functionality and performance, the SRX leaves no room—or need—for compromise.” In layman’s terms, it’s comfortable and sporty, but not too big.

In anecdotal terms, a realtor reported, “I pulled up in my driveway after a really long day, that big moon roof was open to the stars, some nice music was playing ... and I didn’t want to go into my house. If it had a restroom in it, I’d probably live in there!” Saksa adds helpfully, “The first thing we hear is often ‘I can’t afford a Cadillac.’ But we regularly lease ATSs (the smallest Cadillac model) for about $299 a month and the SRX for about $339 a month. Nissan, Honda, and Toyota dealerships have the same payments. “We also offer certified preowned vehicles. All of them have a full bumper-to-bumper warranty. Plus, Cadillacs hold their value very well.” What are you waiting for? Visit Findlay Cadillac’s Showroom, located at 993 Autoshow Drive, situated in the Valley Automall in Henderson, right off I-515 past Sunset Plaza. Sales can be reached at 702-545-6781; service, at 702-430-6660. Sales hours are 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday to Saturday; service and parts, 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday to Friday and 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday. Closed Sunday.

General Manager John Saksa is happy and proud to have Cadillac Top Performers Jason Clouse and Deb Topham on his sales team.

MORTGAGE LOAN DENIED?

Premier Mortgage Lending Offers Options for Buyers! You spent weeks searching for the home of your dreams. You found ‘The One.’ You did your homework and found the best mortgage lender. You’re making exciting plans for the future – and your lender just called with the bad news: ‘Your loan was denied.’ Oof! That just took the wind out of your sails, didn’t it? If you’ve ever been there, you know that having your loan application turned down can be demoralizing. It may even make you feel that your dream of owning a home will never come true. But think again – because the truth is you may have options, according to Rick Piette, owner of Las Vegas-based Premier Mortgage Lending. “Since the collapse of the banking industry nearly ten years ago, many potential home buyers have been unable to obtain mortgage loan financing,” states Rick Piette. “In fact, traditional financing is still difficult to obtain even today for reasons that aren’t always clear. Even those with a high credit score aren’t guaranteed approval. But buyers should know there are alternatives to traditional loans that they can pursue – and this is where some knowledge of current mortgage rules can be very helpful.” Today, there are three main categories of mortgage loans available: Qualified Mortgages (commonly referred to as Traditional Loans); Higher Priced Mortgage Loans (called HPML’s or Non-Traditional Loans); and High Cost Mortgages (Hard Money Loans). “Of course, Qualified (or Traditional) Mortgages are always going to be the optimum choice for borrowers, as they provide the best interest rates and terms available,” reveals Piette. “However, the good news is that if your overall credit

is good, and you have a good income but just can’t meet the stringent rules for a traditional Qualified Mortgage, a Higher Priced Mortgage Loan is a viable option,” Piette states. “As the name implies, an HPML will have a higher interest rate and possibly additional fees over the cost of a Qualified Mortgage. But it gives many buyers the chance to get into a home of their own again sooner. A High Priced Mortgage loan is also a viable option for those who have poor credit but have been able to gather a sizable down payment. Due to the economic downturn, many prior homeowners experienced a short sale, foreclosure, or bankruptcy. At Premier Mortgage Lending, we’re able to get you back into a home of your own now and then refinance you as soon as your credit meets traditional standards agai n,” says Piette. “Buyers who have recently experienced a loan denial are encouraged to ‘think outside the box.’ At Premier, we’re unique because we offer a variety of home mortgages to our clients. For those who are still on the road to financial recovery, our access to Higher Priced Mortgages can offer great benefits for buyers,” Piette remarked. Premier Mortgage Lending owner, Rick Piette, goes on to state: “We believe the path to economic recovery is being led by getting people back into homes. But these days, traditional loans just don’t work for everyone. Several years ago we created our ‘Another Chance Nevada’ programs specifically to give those buyers options for non-traditional financing. For those who have a good income with money saved for a larger down payment, these programs may be the answer to getting their family back on the road to financial freedom.” Paid Advertisement

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ORGANIZING YOUR GARAGE

By: Mike Klimek

f you can barely squeeze through your garage to get to the car, maybe it’s time for a garage sale… or for a little garage organization. One of the easiest things to do is to get your belongings off the floor and on to the wall. You can get fancy and buy garage cabinets, but let’s assume you like the minimalist (and less expensive) approach. There are lots of options here. The most basic and inexpensive method is a tool organizer. These are heavy gauge steel strips with prongs that stick out. They cost about $10 for a set of two, and are 4 feet long. You can hang shovels, rakes and other tools from them. Use a stud sensor and anchor these organizers into the wall studs. If you don’t, the weight of the tools will pull the organizer down and then you will have nice holes to patch. The hardware is included with the package. A similar organizer features spring-loaded clips that clamp around the handle of the tool. The downside of the springs is that you have to rely on the springs to hold the tool, whereas with the other style, you just have to rely on gravity. There are many different types of hooks for specific jobs. You can buy large hooks to hang bicycles or ladders from either a wall or ceiling. They are vinyl-coated and won’t scratch the bike. Again, these must be anchored into lumber. These hooks have large threads and shanks so you will need to pre-drill a hole before you screw in the hook. Choose a drill bit that is just a little smaller in diameter than the shank of the hook and screw it all the way in (you might get a little testy if the ladder fell to your car). If you have lots of hand tools you want to hang on the wall, you can go crazy with pegboard. It is sold in 4x8 sheets for less than $20. You can cut it to any size you want and then insert peg hooks into the holes. However, you must create a space behind the

LAS VEGAS AGENT MAGAZINE | May/June 2016

pegboard so that the peg hook can go in. This is easily done with furring strips, which are just strips of wood that will shim the board out slightly from the wall. After you cut the pegboard to your liking, cut some lengths of the strip so that you can go around the perimeter on the back of the pegboard. Depending on how large the pegboard is, you will likely have to add some strips inside the perimeter to stiffen it up. Glue the strips to the back of the pegboard and use some brads to hold it in place while the glue dries. Grab the stud finder and locate the studs in the wall. You want to use screws at least 1 1/2 inches long so that you can anchor into the stud at least three-quarters of an inch. Screw the pegboard to the wall by going through the furring strips. Depending on how much weight the pegboard will have to support, you should screw it in about every 12 inches (that goes for the interior strips, too). When the pegboard is in place, you can install the peg hooks. They make peg hooks for hanging just about anything. The only caution here is not to put too much weight on the peg hooks, since they can tear out the pegboard. Another good (and cheap) idea is to use discarded jars for storage. You can use the underside of a shelf or cabinet and screw the lid to the bottom of the shelf or cabinet. Fill the jar with whatever and then screw the jar back into the lid. Baby food jars work great for small items and mayonnaise jars are good for bigger stuff. Not only is your junk off of a work surface, but you can see it when you need it. Mike Klimek is a licensed contractor and owner of Las Vegas Handyman. He has written hundreds of newspaper columns and magazine articles regarding home repair and remodeling and has been published in Southern Nevada Home & Garden Magazine, Finishing Touches Magazine, Zip Code Magazines, and Real Estate Success Magazine. He has written a weekly column for the Las Vegas Review-Journal & Sun since November 2000. Watch for Mike’s regular column here and in the Las Vegas RJ.” He can be reached by email at: questions@pro-handyman. com or by phone at (702) 896-0000.

A Family Dynasty: Tradewind Investments

Story By: Melodie C. Miller

COVER STORY

Photography By: Jamie's Pix

By: Melodie C. Miller

L-R: Zachary, Jordan, Jill, & Tiger.

wenty-four years ago, when Tradewind Investments founders Tiger and Jill Mynarcik went to work for their first broker, Las Vegas was a different place.

It was all about the Strip.

Harrah’s, Luxor, Casino Royale, MGM Grand, and Treasure Island were just opening their doors. The venerable Dunes and Sands were destined for the wrecking ball. Las Vegas development back then consisted of imploding the old and starting all over from the sand up. But something hopeful was already afoot in the historic Downtown, the original city center that had been plotted and auctioned by railroad investors a century ago. And a new Downtown would eventually build on, rather than bulldoze, the past. Now heavily involved in the Downtown Project, Tradewind is building on its own past, by keeping things in the family. Then and now “When we started,” recalls Jill, president and CEO, “we were one of the first company to have a property management website, created pre-Windows on an old DOS-based computer. I can’t believe how things have progressed in such a short time.” They remember carbon copies and “The Book” (a reference to the monthly, pre-MLS catalog of properties), its girth almost that of a Manhattan phone directory, stuffed with listings, black-andwhite photos, and sketchy write-ups. The fax machine seemed magical. Tiger still has all the cell phones he’s owned over the years. He might just put them in a display, one day. “How did you do business?” young son-in-law and Tradewind

broker-salesman Zachary Dickmeyer inquires pleasantly. The Mynarciks’ 24-year-old daughter Jordan, now vice president, and her husband, Zachary, are quickly maneuvering the company into a new era. “They’re bringing technology to the old dogs, and they’re keeping us fresh,” says Tiger. “Because they’re our kids, they can push us harder than we would allow employees to do,” Jill adds. Besides, it’s a vested interest for those kids. The company is their future. Today, Tradewind manages over $175 million in incomeproducing properties. “As we were coming up through the ranks, people always said, ‘Pick a niche and stay in it.’ So they became one of the first companies heavily involved in single family home rentals, well before rentals were just fallback moneymakers for many other Realtors, during the real estate crash. Today, Tradewind has broken out of that niche to embrace a vast array of diverse properties. Tiger says, “Over the past 16 years, we’ve done everything from single-family rentals to construction and development. We’ve expanded beyond being a residential property management company, into subdivisions, builder representations, facilitating owners with acquiring land and development loans. That really propelled us into the realm of commercial real estate.” Jill adds, “But property management is our base, the stability that helped us through the market crash. We had a lot of accounts, we helped our owners through, and that in turn helped us get May/June 2016 | LAS VEGAS AGENT MAGAZINE

through. Now that the market is booming again, commercial is really starting to explode.” Change must come This kind of exponential growth demands change. The Tradewind staff has ballooned to include property managers, bookkeepers, maintenance managers, in-house handymen, housekeepers and groundskeepers, HOA administrators, receptionists, and full-time sales agents. Though still passionate about the business, Jill has stepped away from the office day-to-day, turning more toward the life in the arts that she’s always wanted. “While I was still running the company, I bought a house in Taos, New Mexico, went there every month for ten years, became an art collector, and met a lot of famous artists, musicians, and actors. “After hanging out with them for a while, I started painting with them. Now, I’m in my studio at least 6 hours a day and loving it!” Jill’s mixed-media work, on display in a Taos gallery, ranges from noirish renderings of neon motel signs and funky U.S. flags to a series Jill with original artwork of dancing dresses that embody her newfound freedom. “It’s hard to go from left brain to right brain and back again, but now, we have the company at a place where I’m able to pursue art, and Jordan and Zachary are able to step up. I’m excited to let these kids come up and do their thing.” In a pressure-cooker industry that deals in the single-largest purchases people ever make, not all familybusiness dynamics are as effortlessly functional as this one. Tradewind is one family enterprise that can carry on. The next generation

It didn’t always look as if it would work out that way. Daughter Jordan worked in the office since she was six. It was fun filing and answering the phone. “Everyone loved her answering the phone!” Jill remembers, smiling. It was the last thing on earth that Jordan wanted to do for a living. Growing up around her mom’s circle of artist friends, she envisioned a future in graphic design. A year of study abroad in Buenos Aires proved to be a pivotal situation. There, in a houseful of other college kids, Jordan realized what an opportunity she was about to throw away. The average 18-year-old has no idea what FICO is, but that was just a tiny part of the fund of knowledge she’d grown up with and took for granted. Jordan admits, “After meeting people from all over the world who were hundreds of thousands of dollars in debt, had no jobs, and were spending their last money on study abroad, I suddenly had no interest in an undergrad or master’s degree. The company was definitely the best option for me.” Jordan got her real estate license when she returned, officially

Downtown Arts District, with pallet board, brick, and whimsical touches like Jill’s folk-art flags and a neon “Bates Motel—No Vacancy” sign. Under Tiger’s direction What’s patriarch Tiger doing these days? “I’m mainly focused on bringing new business in the door and I’ve been helping Jordan and Zachary to understand commercial leasing and construction, so that they have as wide a perspective as possible. Now, they can talk to someone relocating their restaurant here from another state as easily as to somebody selling their home.” Indeed, the company’s business is evenly divided between property management and sales. “What’s really important is actually doing the work. We were developing and building a 150,000-square-foot project where larger national companies were hired to lease the facilities since we hadn’t leased commercial property before. But they didn’t lease anything! So thinking the project was going to fall apart, we took on the leasing as well. Our just showing up and doing the job of an agent, letting people into the properties, allowed us to lease the entire facility. “We realized that was something we needed to continue. That’s one of the things Jordan and Zachary are doing now. They’re heavily into the Arts District, representing multiple owners, signing up retail, restaurants, office users, tech companies, galleries.” The Downtown Arts District It’s really no surprise that this family team with business and the arts coursing through its collective veins should converge joining the family firm at the age of 20. Not long afterward, she and Zachary met on spring break at Lake Havasu, where they were surprised to learn that they lived in the same town. Fate had taken a hand. They were married two years later. In a serendipitous, roundabout way, Jordan and Zachary ended up being nearly genetic replicas of Tradewind’s founders. Zachary’s background and instincts are in sales. He was about to become an inside sales rep at MGM when Jill and Tiger proposed bringing him aboard the family business. Now, he handles 95 percent of all Tradewind’s selling and buying, and oversees the in-house maintenance department. Jill says, with some relief, “It’s really a miracle that he can handle the kinds of things that Tiger does. It takes a special guy to comprehend all that.” Jordan mirrors her mother in more ways than one; not only in day-to-day operations, staff oversight, company books, and corporate taxes. She’s applied her own artistic talent to advertising and to redecorating the whole office. Jill laughs as she admits, “It did look like grandma’s house before!” Now the office’s hip, faux-industrial look echoes that of the

on such a spot.

District.

Its minimalist moniker is “18b,” for 18 city blocks. Artists and entrepreneurs in the bohemian new Arts District are repurposing what might otherwise have been teardowns into a colorful jumble of trendy young bistros, thrift shops, galleries, and coffee bars.

“The Downtown master plan that the city is getting approved is incredible. I love commercial, which I never thought I’d do, so I want to stay there and maintain a presence.”

Jordan says, “We have construction going up in the heart of the Arts District, on the corner of California and Casino. It’s the first new construction in the Arts District in nine years. We have 15,000 square feet of office, retail, and restaurant space. Pretty much all of it is filled while construction was going on.” She explains, “the traditional Vegas style is really somewhat of a style oddity for Zachary and me but Downtown and the Arts District don’t feel like ‘Vegas’ to us. It’s where we spend our free time; it’s really our vibe. We’re going to the Arts District committee meetings and everything.” Jill, the proud mom, chimes in: “They’re going so above and beyond what a normal agent would do.” When the Mynarciks started, Jill’s aesthetic instincts sensed that something special would happen Downtown. “We managed 20 apartment buildings, and I’d spend half of every day there with senior citizens in low-income housing. It was just beautiful. It had a sunny, happy feel to it. It’s just so cool that we’ve stayed involved in the Downtown area, where so much is changing.” Tiger, too, saw it coming. “Tiger is really good at seeing trends,” Jill says. “So we went from multifamily in the early nineties to flips in the midnineties, foreclosures, buying on the courthouse steps, managing apartments.” Tiger adds, “The most important thing to me, after being in the industry this long, is trying to watch trends to give the best advice to clients. One client was thinking about investing in multifamilies; I had to tell him, you can’t come here and have the same experience you had in southern California.” Tiger directed him instead toward Downtown and the Arts District. Solid, boots-on-the-ground information completely changed the client’s direction. “What Tiger does is find the investment opportunities, put the money together to purchase the property, reinvent the property, put tenants in it, work with the investor and the builder, and make it all happen.” Zachary is coming up right behind him and having no problem doing the same thing. Back to the future The company’s future in 10 or 20 years is clearly in Zachary’s and Jordan’s hands. Jordan says, “Mom’s original lifelong goal was to reach 500 properties, and we ended up doing that two years ago. For me, 700 is the new 500. Tradewind performing at max capacity.” Zachary? He’d like to break 1,000. Were they to bury a time capsule today, they might find, 10 years from now, that they’ve overshot their goal again. On the development side, Jordan wants to stay in the Arts

LAS VEGAS AGENT MAGAZINE | May/June 2016

“When Project Neon is done in 2020, overhauling Charleston Boulevard and the Spaghetti Bowl, it will transform the area beyond what First Fridays is doing. Jordan and Zachary will be in their thirties then, and they’ll be there for it! Thirty-something is when you get all your real work done. “Now we have the energy here to keep the company going for another 20 or 30 years. “‘They say second-generation businesses have a 60 percent fail rate, and third-generation 80 percent. I don’t know where ‘they’ get those stats, but they don’t fit us. “I’m so glad everything we’ve built can be continued by our family.” It’s clear that the Mynarciks are relieved to be able to keep the last quarter-century of collective knowledge in the family. Like the expression: …houses as filled with love as theirs have elastic walls that expand as they grow. Thirteen years ago, Tiger and Jill spread their love further by adopting a six-week-old foster child, who became a permanent part of the family through adoption. Young Gabrielle is too young to work in the office just yet, but there might just be one more face in the Tradewind “About Us” gallery one day in the future. To reach any of the Tradewind family, please call: (702) 870-5500 or visit: TradeWindPropertyManagement.com To view Jill’s original art, visit: JillMArt.com

Your home is

YOUR FAMILY'S CASTLE

...are you protecting the family?

By: Sam Peters

ome ownership. A great concept that can bring with it feelings of empowerment, community responsibility and perhaps more than a little anxiety. As with anything, we have to take the good with bad. Are you and your clients prepared for the bad? In the last issue of Agent Magazine, we talked about the possibility of earthquakes and other threats to the home. To further that discussion, it is vital for us to explore other pitfalls in home ownership that are often overlooked. Have you ever discussed, either with your family or with a potential buyer/client, how they would pay to keep the home in the family if they were to die unexpectedly? If your answer is no, you are not alone. All too often, the excitement of home ownership or the busyness of the daily grind keeps most people from ever considering this important question. Alternatively, I’ve been asked by a client, “Since only one name is on the mortgage, we won’t have to pay it if that person dies, right?” While this was a well-intended question, the answer, of course, is that someone will be paying the mortgage. Or everyone will likely be leaving the home. So, how do we avoid the potential eviction, foreclosure and/or short sale? Very few families have the assets on hand to pay off a mortgage if the primary breadwinner passes. Even in dual income families,

the death of one breadwinner can leave a serious void in family finances. The questions in the preceding paragraphs and possible scenarios lead to the obvious answer: Life Insurance. But wait! Don’t stop reading – what kind of life insurance? We talked about the various disability policy options in the January/February issue of Agent Magazine and how these options can cover expenses in the event of illness or injury. In the case of life insurance, there are also a couple of very different options that can be equally appropriate, depending on the desires of the family. The first type of life insurance available is term insurance. This is a great option and generally the much easier understood choice for what we call “Mortgage Protection.” Term insurance is, as the name implies, life insurance that covers a selected duration or “term.” During this time period, the policy will guarantee a chosen death benefit (i.e., an amount large enough to cover the mortgage) at a given cost or premium. Term policies will vary in duration, usually between 5 and 30 years. Some companies offer layered protection to lower the death benefit as time goes on; diminishing with the mortgage balance and lessening the price along the way. If you die within the time frame of the term policy, the insurance company will pay the chosen death benefit to your beneficiary. If you outlast the length of the term policy, the policy will usually end and hopefully, so continued on page 28

May/June 2016 | LAS VEGAS AGENT MAGAZINE

A Cry for

LEADERSHIP

from parents and grandparents

By: JC Melvin

uicide is the topic and life is the issue. A rather serious topic for me to cover in my monthly article, however, since we are seeing more and more child and adolescent suicides in our society, as leaders, it’s time to move this issue to the forefront of conversation. The first question has to be; why is this happening? And the common thought by older adults is generally; didn’t we have it tougher than they did growing up?

With a variety of research on this subject and an assessment of today’s social climate, I believe it comes down to two major contributing factors. Yes, there are always going to be additional and individual factors which contribute to suicide on the part of our youth. I simply want to address what we, as parents and grandparents, have the opportunity to influence. 1. Social Media: It is funny how “social media” can play such a big role in a young child’s life. How un-social that social media actually is… because we are not able to put any tonality into articles, Facebook posts, tweets and the various other social posting outlets. It is up to the reader to input or imply, in their minds, the emotional tonality the writer intended. Peer pressure has driven many young and immature people to write things in these “social” posts which they may never say in person. Unfortunately for the person receiving and interpreting the meaning of these posts, coupled with their own personal insecurities, it can be devastating. Adolescent insecurities are part of growing up. Just as their bodies are changing, so is their emotional makeup. Their spiritual self is being questioned and determined at the same time during these important formative years. These years vary from individual to individual but generally occur between the ages of 11 and 19.

Where do the parents and grandparents come in? It is up to us to help put these “social media” outlets in perspective for our children and grandchildren. The first check may be asking yourself these questions; am I totally consumed in this social media frenzy? Have I given it more value and respect that it deserves? Am I focused on how many friends I have or how many likes I get? Yes, it’s true that we have some parents and grandparents who are, quite frankly, living their entire emotional lives on Facebook. It is both alarming and disturbing to see some of the pitiful language and emotional baggage being placed on various social outlets. In some of these situations, it becomes obvious that the parents can’t possibly be teaching their children the concept of values and responsibility, since they display little themselves. What is most concerning is that our children learn most of their life lessons by example; hence, these same parents are teaching their children how to live their lives on Facebook. On the social media scene, let’s re-evaluate ourselves and make sure we’re teaching the right lessons to the younger generations. 2. Personal Values: It seems that with the advent of all the technology in the past 60 plus years, the teaching of personal values has been all but eliminated. It probably started in the ’50s when almost every family in the neighborhood got themselves a TV. Yes, it was a black and white TV but a good spot for the parents to put their kids for an hour or two. By the time we hit the ’80s and ’90s, a variety of “children’s educational” programs had been developed for our now colored TVs. And since it was “educational,” we put our young children in front of Sesame Street and the rest of these tailored programs for several hours per day. continued on page 28 May/June 2016 | LAS VEGAS AGENT MAGAZINE

continued from page 25

continued from page 27

does the need for the coverage. This simple type of policy can provide the financial means and peace of mind for the family left behind to remain in their home. A second type of life insurance policy is one that, as I like to say, “lasts as long as you do.” I’m, of course, talking about permanent life insurance such as Universal Life and Whole Life policies. These types of policies offer a cash value component and can be guaranteed to last well past age 100. Unlike the term policies mentioned above, these permanent policies often offer competitive rates of return and flexible payment plans. If set up correctly, you could, at some point in the future, 20 years perhaps, use the cash value of the policy to pay off the mortgage. Or take loans against the policy to cover home improvements. Whatever you chose to do with the cash balance, as long as the policy is in force, it can provide the mortgage protection that is the focus of this column. As a bit of a sidebar, I want to highlight that there are potential benefits of life insurance policies that don’t require you to die to take advantage of the policy. Many companies offer what is known as an “accelerated death benefit.” An accelerated death benefit is a feature that allows the policy holder to receive a cash advance on the death benefit in the event of being diagnosed terminally ill. An example of this benefit is that you can draw up to 80% of the death benefit, up to a certain dollar amount to take a family trip, pay for experimental medical care or pay off a mortgage prior to your passing. Simply having the assets to pay off a mortgage to save the family home would be a great place for all of us to be. If those assets are not immediately available to your family, perhaps a life insurance plan is in order. Remind your clients or yourself to call your insurance person and protect the castle… and the family.

Sam is the Owner/Operator of Peters Family Insurance, LLC in Summerlin, Las Vegas, Nevada. Sam, his family, and their business partners have a collective 40 years’ experience in the industry. Sam has earned his Master’s Degree in Administration from Central Michigan University, a Graduate Certificate in Organizational Finance from the University of Maryland University College, is a Retired Military Officer, and is licensed in Nevada for Property, Casualty, Life, and Health insurance (#1104086) and South Carolina for Life and Health insurance (#781880). His agency supports local youth baseball and The Animal Foundation, a no-kill animal shelter and adoption center. PH: 702-360-8564. Fax: 702-331-1524. 1945 Village Center Circle, Ste 150, Las Vegas, Nevada 89134.

The result of this was a decrease in our children’s attention span, teaching them to want and buy garbage products from sophisticated advertising and raising a generation of fat and unhealthy children from eating a fast food diet. So, what can we do today? A good first step would be to restrict television to an hour or two per week. I know more and more young families who only have a TV in their house for the purpose of watching movies together and they have no broadcast television in their home. Next, let’s get back to some basics. Many personal values are taught while doing things with our children and grandchildren. I’d suggest a hike or maybe going fishing. I learned a lot about patience while fishing. My daughters learned to climb trees with me at Lorenzi and Sunset parks. Feeding the ducks was a life lesson in itself. We are fortunate to have a professional baseball team here where tickets in the bleachers are still very reasonable. We can camp on Mt Charleston or take a trip to Zion. There are valuable lessons which can be taught with real life adventures and human interaction with parents and grandparents that can never be taught on Facebook. These might include things like honesty, integrity, compassion, empathy and understanding. One way to look at this is to reflect back to some of the lessons you learned from family and friends as you grew up. The more I talk with people about life lessons, the more they tell me a story about a major lesson they learned. As they share the story, it always seems to relate to a simple time or event where they were with a friend or family member doing something simple when the opportunity to learn a life lesson presented itself. The life of a generation is at stake. Let’s all do our part to get back to some simple family values and take on the leadership roles we were designed for.

Revisit all our past issues at

ISSUU.com/lvam 28 LAS VEGAS AGENT MAGAZINE | May/June 2016

JC Melvin is the founding dean of the NVAR and the GLVAR Leadership Programs. JC is an international speaker and Certified Trainer for “The ONE Thing” Workshop. He is the Corporate Broker for KW Realty Southwest in Las Vegas. For more info on “The ONE Thing” or to schedule a program, add him on Facebook or email: jc@jcmelvin.com. 702.595.5024.

November/December 2015

January/February 2016

March/April 2016

Scott Beaudry

A Very Merri Perry

Real Estate Black Belt

The Voice of TIM KELLY KIERNAN

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ASIAN REAL ESTATE ASSOCIATION OF AMERICA LAS VEGAS

WOMEN'S COUNCIL OF REALTORS LAS VEGAS

MEGA CHAPTER AWARD

WE WO N!

Under the leadership of President Merri Perry, WCR has doubled its memberships within 2 months, winning an award for MEGA Chapter from WCR National. We couldn’t be more proud! Thank you to incredible past Presidents; Jillian Batchelor, & Chantel Tilley for your leadership. Thank you to our Board of Directors; Linda Naw (President Elect) Marie Harrod (Membership) Marie Cling (Treasurer) Shanta Patton (Secretary) Last, but not least, a HUGE thank you to all our Members! We wouldn’t have a chapter without you!!

Merri Perry, 2016 Las Vegas President

May/June 2016 | LAS VEGAS AGENT MAGAZINE

WOMEN'S COUNCIL OF REALTORS LAS VEGAS

Top 25 Women in Real Estate April 22nd, 2015 at Treasure Island Hotel & Casino

Nora Aguirre Mary Baca Dani Bald Jillian Batchelor Michelle Bush Leslie Carver Delinda Crampton Ellen Fahr Laura Harbison Tamara Heidel Valentina Herzog Genesis Jameson Michelle Manley Melissa Marchat Trish Nash Joanna Piette Mary Preheim Joyce Reed Kristen Routh-Silberman Shari Sanderson Robin Smith Iryna Sysenko Cheryl Van Elsis Diane Varney Brandy White Elk

WOMEN'S COUNCIL OF REALTORS LAS VEGAS

JUNE MEETING • Wednesday, June 1, 2016 • 11:30 a.m. - 1 p.m. • Cili’s at Bali Hai SPECIAL PRESENTATION by: JULIE YOUNGBLOOD of YOUNGBLOOD COACHNG & CONSULTING Join us as we discuss sales strategies, overcoming objections and many other topics to boost your career! RSVP Now...While Seats Available: www.wcrlv.org

May/June 2016 | LAS VEGAS AGENT MAGAZINE

SOUTHERN NEVADA HOME BUILDERS ASSOCIATION NEWSLET TER

The Not-So-Obvious Benefits of Buying a New Home

Home buyers have the choice of two types of houses on the market: resale or new. Home buyers planning to buy a brand-new house or condominium often cite energy efficiency, open layout, a warranty, and being able to select appliances, flooring, paint colors and other design elements as factors driving their choice. But builders say that buyers can be drawn to a new house for reasons that aren’t so obvious. Here are a few more benefits of a brand-new home that you may not see in the sales brochure. Building a Community Together A brand-new community is one of the built-in benefits of many new homes. When families move in to a subdivision at the same time, they often form lasting bonds of friendship and neighborliness right away. Nobody is the “new kid on the block,” and many home builders host community parties in new developments to help owners meet and connect. Popular amenities like pools, walking trails and tennis and basketball courts offer additional opportunities for interaction among neighbors of all ages. Often new communities are comprised of home owners in the same stage of life, such as young families or active retirees, so neighbors can get to know each other through carpools, PTA meetings, tennis matches or golf games. Entertaining Throwing a party in an older home can be a challenge because smaller, distinct rooms make it difficult to entertain guests in one large space. Today, new home layouts feature more open spaces and rooms that flow into each other more easily. While you are preparing dinner, you can still interact with guests enjoying conversation without feeling closed off. The feeling of spaciousness in today’s new-home layouts often is enhanced with higher ceilings and additional windows that bring in more

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light than you would find in an older home. A Clean Slate For some buyers, parking the car in a sparkling-clean garage or being the first to cook a dinner in a brand-new kitchen is part of the appeal of new construction. In addition, you won’t have to spend time stripping dated wallpaper or repainting to suit your own sense of style — creating your own home décor from the get-go! The advantages of being the first owner extend to the outdoors. Instead of inheriting inconveniently or precariously placed trees, or having to tear up overgrown shrubs, you can design and plant the lawn and garden you want. Outlets, Outlets Everywhere Homes built in the 1960’s and earlier were wired much differently than houses today. Builders had no way of anticipating the invention of high-definition televisions, DVRs and computers that we enjoy today — and the very different electrical requirements they would introduce. New homes can accommodate advanced technologies like structured wiring, security systems and sophisticated lighting plans, and can be tailored to meet the individual home owner’s needs. Anyone who has ever lived in an older home can also attest to the fact that there are never enough outlets, inside or out! Today, home builders plan for the increased number and type of electronics and appliances used by today’s families, so you can safely operate a wine cooler, Christmas lights and your laptop — and more. –from NAHB.org For more information, visit your local SNHBA.com

LOCAL HOUSING STATISTICS Greater Las Vegas Association of REALTORS® April 2016 Statistics

Single Family Residential Units AVAILABILITY AT END OF PERIOD # of available units listed Median list price of available units Average list price of available units

*AVAILABILITY AT END OF PERIOD # of available units listed w/o offers Median list price of available units w/o offers Average list price of available units w/o offers

Change from Change from Mar 16 Apr 15 13,799 +2.8% +0.4% 259,900 +4.0% +10.6% 380,457 +1.9% +12.0%

Apr 16 $ $

Change from Change from Mar 16 Apr 15 7,357 +2.0% +0.8% 300,000 +0.0% +9.2% $ 477,101 +1.4% +11.9% $

Apr 16 $ $

Change from Change from Mar 16 Apr 15 3,928 -2.8% +2.0% 255,000 +0.0% +6.7% $ 338,362 +2.5% +6.0% $

Apr 16

NEW LISTINGS THIS PERIOD # of new listings Median price of new listings Average price of new listings

$ $

Change from Change from Mar 16 Apr 15 2,818 +1.3% +2.4% 220,600 +0.3% +3.8% $ 253,320 -3.9% -1.7% $

Apr 16

UNITS SOLD THIS PERIOD # of units sold Median price of units sold Average price of units sold

$ $

TIME ON MARKET FOR UNITS SOLD THIS PERIOD 0-30 days 31-60 days 61-90 days 91-120 days 121+ days

Apr 16 52.2% 18.6% 9.7% 6.2% 13.3%

TOTAL HOME SALES DOLLAR VALUE FOR UNITS SOLD THIS PERIOD

Mar 16 49.0% 16.5% 10.4% 8.0% 16.2%

Apr 15

Apr 16 3,581 129,900 233,825 Apr 16 2,231 139,000 285,003 Apr 16 935 127,900 177,439 Apr 16 700 119,900 165,746

Change from Change from Mar 16 Apr 15 +0.3% -1.2% +0.3% +12.0% -1.3% -1.2% Change from Change from Mar 16 Apr 15 -3.2% -8.5% +2.6% +12.1% -0.7% +0.4% Change from Change from Mar 16 Apr 15 -6.9% +3.2% -4.5% +6.6% -9.4% -2.2% Change from Change from Mar 16 Apr 15 -0.7% +11.8% +1.6% +4.3% +9.9% +5.3%

Apr 16

48.4% 17.0% 9.4% 6.5% 18.7%

Mar 16

49.7% 18.3% 9.4% 6.6% 16.0%

Change from Change from Apr 16 Mar 16 Apr 15 713,854,635 -2.7% +0.7% $ 116,022,067 Apr 16

Source: Greater Las Vegas Association of REALTORS®

Condo/Townhouse Units

Apr 15

47.0% 17.9% 10.5% 8.4% 16.3%

45.0% 20.8% 9.6% 7.3% 17.3%

Change from Change from Mar 16 Apr 15 +9.1% +17.8%

*This category reflects the existing market availability of listings without pending or contingent offers.

For media inquiries, please call George McCabe, with B&P Public Relations, at (702) 325-7358 DISCLAIMER: This data is based on information from the Greater Las Vegas Association of REALTORS® (GLVAR) Multiple Listing Service (MLS). This information is deemed reliable but is not guaranteed. MLS collects, compiles and distributes information about homes listed for sale by its subscribers who are real estate agents. MLS subscription is available to all real estate agents licensed in Nevada, but is not available to the general public. Not all licensed agents subscribe to the MLS. MLS does not include all new homes available or listings from non-MLS agents, nor does it include properties for sale by owner. The territorial jurisdiction of the GLVAR as a member of the National Association of REALTORS® includes Clark, Nye, Lincoln and White Pine Counties, Nevada, and such other areas as from time to time may be allocated to the GLVAR by the Board of Directors of the National Association of REALTORS®.

Source: Greater Las Vegas Association of REALTORS® For media inquiries, please call George McCabe, with B&P Public Relations, at (702) 325-7358.

Availability Without Pending Or Contingent Offers DISCLAIMER: This data is based on information from the Greater Las Vegas Association of REALTORS® (GLVAR) Multiple Listing Service (MLS). This information is deemed reliable but is not guaranteed. MLS collects, End compiles Of and distributes information about homes listed for sale by its subscribers who are real estate agents. MLS subscription is available toin all ofPeriod Units Period Greater Las Sold Vegas Association REALTORS® Statistics real estate agents licensed in Nevada, but is not available to the general public. Not all licensed agents subscribe to the MLS. MLS does not include all new homes available or listings Lasproperties Vegas Association of REALTORS® from non-MLS agents, nor does itGreater include for sale by owner.Statistics The territorial jurisdiction of the GLVAR as a member of the National Association of REALTORS® includes Clark, Nye, Lincoln and White Pine Counties, Nevada, and such other areas as from time to time may be allocated to the GLVAR by the Board of Directors of the National Association of Units Sold in Period REALTORS®.

Thousands

Availability Without Pending Or Contingent Offers End Of Period

14 12

Single Family Residential Units

10 8 6 4 2 0

Condo/ Townhouse Units

4000 3500 3000 2500 2000 1500 1000 500 0

Single Family Residential Units

Condo/ Townhouse Units

Month Source: Greater Las Vegas Association of REALTORS® For media inquires, please call George McCabe, B&P Public Relations, at (702) 325-7358.

DISCLAIMER: This data is based on information from the Greater Las Vegas Association of REALTORS® (GLVAR) Multiple Listing Service (MLS). This information is deemed reliable but is not guaranteed. MLS collects, compiles and distributes information about homes listed for sale by its subscribers who are real estate agents. MLS subscription is available to all real estate agents licensed in Nevada, but is not available to the general public. Not all licensed agents subscribe to the MLS. MLS does not include all new homes available or listings from non-MLS agents, nor does it include properties for sale by owner. The territorial jurisdiction of the GLVAR as a member of the National Association of REALTORS® includes Clark, Nye, White Pine and Lincoln Counties, Nevada, and such other areas as from time to time may be allocated to the GLVAR by the Board of Directors of the National Association of REALTORS®.

ABOUT THE GLVAR

Month Source: Greater Las Vegas Association of REALTORS® For media inquires, please call George McCabe, B&P Public Relations, at (702) 325-7358.

GLVAR was founded in 1947 and provides its more than 11,000 local members with education, training and political representation. The local representative of the National Association of REALTORS®, GLVAR is the largest professional organization in Southern Nevada. Each GLVAR member receives the highest level of professional training and must abide by a strict code of ethics. For more information, visit www.HomeLasVegas.com or www.lasvegasrealtor.com.

May/June 2016 | LAS VEGAS AGENT MAGAZINE

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