However, if you have your own lions or tigers, you will need to keep them elsewhere.

I’ve had programmable thermostats in the past. Most of them are hard to program, requiring lots of button mashing with the manual in one hand. The last ones we had would sometimes inexplicably reset themselves to the factory settings. Manufacturer knows best!

Unboxing a Nest is a very Apple experience. The packaging is lovely, designed to unveil your brand new $250 thermostat in the prettiest way possible. It has been called “the iPod of Thermostats.” Alright, but that’s not the nifty part.

First and foremost, it learns from the way you live your life. It will figure out that you like it a little warmer on cold winter afternoons, or that you like it cooler at night — and adjust the temperature automatically. It will in a matter of weeks figure out whether you are out all day or whether you leave around noon. You can of course correct it if it’s wrong.

Second, it has built in energy saving features that will reduce your energy bills. Not only will it adjust itself to you, if you pay attention it will help you save even more. According to their latest press release, an average family can save $1000 a year. That’s 4 times what the device itself costs.

Very few people are mentioning that multiple Nests can communicate with one another. This is a huge plus for any household with multiple HVAC units! They will work together to keep the whole house one temperature. This is why I think the Nest is a must for any larger home.

More people have pointed out that your Nest will actually connect to WiFi. What does that mean to you? It means you can control your thermostat from anyplace that you have an internet connection, including your smart phone! Want to turn on the AC or the heat when you leave the office for the day? No problem. Sitting at the airport and wonder if you remembered to turn off the air conditioner? Just log in and do it remotely. This makes it a must-have item for anybody who travels often or anybody with a vacation home.

Finally, it’s simple to use. The controls are intuitive. The menus use plain English. I have no problem saying it’s a great product and a huge step forward in programmable thermostats.

This item is cross-posted at my other site.

Not sure what to do this weekend? Let The Weekend Map help you out! This one is going into the sidebar.

And let’s not forget this week’s episode of Getting REAL (Estate) in Vegas! This week, Scott helpfully titled the episode “The Lazy Man’s Guide to Searching for Property Online”! What a great description! But if you’re too lazy to sit through 17 minutes, the even lazier short version is to just tell your REALTOR what you want and let her worry about searching.

Well the answer is easy in Las Vegas: participate in the 9th annual Christmas tree recycling program at the Springs Preserve! From now until January 15, you can drop off your tree at any of over 20 locations around the valley for free (search for the nearest one here). If that doesn’t work out for you, call 1-800-Got-Junk, and they will pick it up for a mere $30 — they’ll even vacuum up all those fallen pine needles!

Personally, I don’t get the live tree thing. If a salesman showed up at your door and offered you the opportunity to buy a messy, highly flammable allergen, most people would laugh at him! But to each his or her own.

Let’s have some good news please: violent crime is down in Vegas and Nevada has gained a 4th seat in the House of Representatives.

Also, if you didn’t get a chance to see last week’s Getting REAL, here it is! We’re talking about the South side of town and tips for getting your home sold!

This coming Friday I will be talking with Vic Ruybalid, Property Manager and Corporate Broker of Management ONE Group. Be sure to send in your questions whether you rent property, own investment property, or are thinking of buying a rental property.  On the 29th, we will have HOA Manager Tracy Wozniak of Mesa Management, so send your HOA questions too.

Many economists believe that a significant number of workers will have to move before the employment picture substantially improves.

But workers have proved unwilling — or unable — to relocate. The biggest factor seems to be the large number of unemployed homeowners who have little or no home equity.

This graph should put things in perspective: just about anybody who bought in the last 10 years is underwater, and things may get worse — which some economists think will put us back in a recession (if you in fact believe we really ever got out of one). This is another argument in favor of allowing bankruptcy judges to “cramdown” mortgages.

But here’s a fellow who sees potential good in our underwater home trap:

Out of nothing more than self-preservation, those people will come up with something—maybe the next Zappos or something equally huge?—to get us out of this jam. More important, though, is the part that will come: recovery. And, yes, there will be one someday.

Finding a way out of this mess, he argues, is likely to form a greater sense of community.

Be sure to come back tomorrow afternoon for Friday Figures!