A full month ago the Hope for Homeowners plan was declared “hopeless“, pointing out that the program designed to help 400,000 homeowners by now had closed a whopping 25 loans. That’s not even a hundreth of a percent of their goal. There were a lot of reasons it didn’t work, including high fees for homeowners [...]
While homebuilder confidence remains near a record low, it turns out that actual housing starts are up 22% mostly due to apartments (official Census report). It sounds like the homebuilders have put in a “panic bottom”. Renters, beware of the NAR lease scam. “In this scam, rental property is offered to consumers, who are led to [...]
Las Vegas is hosting one heck of a New Years Eve party, so if you can’t be in New York City with the Clintons, this is the place to be! Just keep in mind that the Strip will be closed to car traffic. On an unrelated but strange note, maybe you heard that executive at [...]
First, from the “I sure hope so” files, we have the prospect of a high-speed train between Vegas and Los Angeles. The Governor of Nevada is asking President-Elect Obama to consider it for part of his stimulus plan. The Governors of both Nevada and California endorse the plan. I think it’s a great idea that [...]
I’ve had Kitec come up twice in the last week, which is unusual considering that I don’t really work Sun City. If you need information on the ongoing Kitec lawsuit, you will want to visit PlumbingDefect.com. Although a tentative settlement has been reached, it’s not over yet. This story has a little more background [...]
There’s been much said today about the Treasury’s “plan” to force mortgage rates down. Since no government agency actually has the authority to “control” mortgage rates directly — not even the Federal Reserve! — it would have to be done indirectly through the purchase of mortgage backed securities. A whole lot of mortgage backed securities. That [...]
I will be attending BlogWorld this weekend. Specifically, I will be on a panel Saturday called “The Political Blogosphere In Transition.” Here’s the official description: The political blogosphere was born after the divisive 2000 presidential election and has matured rapidly in the eight years since. The selection of a new president in 2008 will be [...]
Do not get me wrong. It is a good idea to make sure your dogs and cats can’t reproduce. Every pet I have ever had was spayed or neutered. Well, fish don’t count. However, I think the mandatory spay and neuter law favored by Clark County Animal Control is misguided at best. Admittedly, the statute [...]
Minyanville has an interesting take on the story that Towbin Hummer will be closing down sales: If any American city is emblematic of the Hummer, it would be Las Vegas. Surrounded by endless desert, Sin City is home to all things big and bling. Which is why General Motors (GM) should be particularly concerned that [...]
I guess the Hulkster won’t be taking that penthouse condo after all. Maybe Jesse Ventura wants it? Las Vegas can make a museum out of almost anything. Guess what state is NOT on the list of 10 most expensive places to get homeowners insurance? Nevada! If you are trying to get money out of your [...]
