Reno-Sparks Home Prices - What's Next?With the rapid rise the local area has seen in home prices since early 2012, a common question we are hearing from clients looking to buy or sell homes is: Are we in a bubble? and... of course, When might it burst? For starters, scan the chart below:Reno Sparks Home Prices - A 15 Year Look Back (click for full size PDF)Where Are We Now?The green line shows the median price, by quarter, of Reno-Sparks single family homes - if it looks a little scary, trust me, it was while navigating these lines every day! The red line shows a sustainable rate of median home price growth - it is a growth rate of 1% per quarter which is just a bit more than the actual growth rate of .92% per quarter from the first quarter of 1995 through the fourth quarter of 1999.At ... 07/13/2015

Reno parks ranked Top 10 overall by WalletHub.  We also made high marks in other areas on their 2015 Best Cities for Recreation list.  Anyone who lives in our Reno community is not surprised.  We've known how great our recreational opportunities are for years now!Reno Parks Ranked Top 10 OverallWe are currently in the middle of National Park Month.  In honor of that, WalletHub decided to compare 100 of the largest metro areas in the United States against one another.  Parks were just one portion of the equation.  Recreation means much more than just outdoor activities.  For WalletHub's purposes, they also included the types and amount of museums available in the area.  For some people, they enjoy going to live concerts as their form of recreation.  Others like food festivals.  In this c... 07/13/2015

WELCOME TO RENO Click Here to Get Your Free List: 10 Of the Best Restaurants in Reno. See if your favorite made the list! Reno | Homes for Sale in Reno Reno was established in 1868 in the state of Nevada. Reno is in the Reno-Sparks Metropolitan Statistical Area. With the exception of Las Vegas, Reno is the most populous city in Nevada. Reno is 103.01 square miles in total land area. Reno has a population of 233,294. The percentage of people over the age of 65 in this county is 11.7%. The percentage of females living in this county is 49.2%. The median household income is $46,770. The median home value is $202,100. Residents of Reno travel an average of 19 minutes to work. The percentage of people in Reno with a high school diploma or higher is 85.7%. There are approximately 17,474 Veter... 07/10/2015

The May 2015 Reno Home Sales Market Report is in.  Washoe County as a whole saw increases in both total sales and median prices.  The Reno community saw even larger increases in both.Breakdown of May 2015 Reno Home SalesThe figures discussed in this May 2015 Reno Home Sales Market Report are based on the reported stats from the Reno/Sparks Association of REALTORS®.  They gather information from the Northern Nevada Regional MLS.  According to their findings, Washoe County showed that 567 existing single-family homes were sold in May 2015.  This was 4% higher than the same time last year.  There were 368 existing single-family homes sold in Reno between May 1 and May 30, 2015.  That was 5% higher than the amount sold in May 2014. The median sale price of a Washoe County single-family home... 07/06/2015

Her is the Questions many of us are asking :  Should I Refinance my Mortgage ?Or should I live by the Slogan :  " I MISS THE BOAT !" Here are couple of Hints. You Should Refiance if :  a, Interest rate have decreased since you took out your current Mortgage.b, Your Credit has improved sicne you took out your current Mortgage leading to a better interest rate. The Top 7 Reasons Homeowners Refinance : 1, To Save Money on Interest Payments2, Lower Monthly Mortgage Payments3, To Consolidate Other Debt4, To Invest Home of Life Projects5, To Adjust the Term of the Mortgage6, To Consolidate Muliple Mortgages ( Like HELOC ) 7, To Adress Recent Family Matters  So here is the bottomline :Many of us have different reasons and it is up to the individual to determin their financial Goal . The best w... 07/02/2015

Every summer Living Stones organizes the Midtown Art Walk as our largest outreach of the year.  Our heart behind this event is to build relationships with our neighborhood and community while bringing awareness to the amazing local businesses right around us.  Living Stones has been organizing this event for the last 5 years, and has since built some great friendships with business owners and artists in Midtown who wouldn’t normally come inside the 4 walls of the church.  God calls us to be a light in dark places, and this is a great opportunity to show the Love of Jesus in your community.   Living Stones is to be in the city for the city, so come enjoy your city, invest in your city and build relationships with non-believers in your city. The MidTown Art Walk is a FREE family-friendly ... 06/29/2015

July's 2015 Reno Artown offers a month long celebration of artistic expression.  Are you a lover of the arts?  Do you enjoy music?  What about live theater?  Whatever your preference, the 2015 Reno Artown Festival will have it.What Can I Expect from 2015 Reno Artown?The 2015 Reno Artown extravaganza transforms our Reno community into an artist's retreat for the entire month of July.  This is the 20th anniversary of these festivities.  Wednesday's Opening Night Celebration is sure to be one you won't want to miss.  Starting at 4pm, the McKinley Arts and Culture Center celebrates their 20th anniversary of Discover the Arts' Family Night.  Directly following that will be the MarchFourth! Parade at 6pm.  Kids will parade down Riverside Dr from 6pm to 7:30pm.  Head over to Wingfield Park at ... 06/29/2015

Midyear Housing Market Report At the midpoint of 2015, the U.S. housing market is on track to have one of its best years since the market collapsed in 2008. • New home sales increased for the second month in a row in May, totaling 546,000 units. New home sales volumes are the highest they’ve been since February 2008. • Existing home sales are at their highest level in almost two years, and May marked only the third time since April 2007 that monthly sales have exceeded 5.3 million. • Nationwide, the median price of existing homes sold was $228,700, which is an increase of 7.9 percent year-over-year. • Rent prices are increasing in most markets at a similar pace or at an even greater pace than home prices. As a result, in a number of U.S. markets it would actually cost less to purchase ... 06/26/2015

Things to Do on July 4th In and Around Reno, NV It’s time to pull out your best red, white and blue outfit and make plans for your Independence Day celebrations! You could host a barbecue for friends and family. You could spend the day soaking up some sun by the pool. Or, you could choose something from our list of things to do on July 4th in and around Reno, NV.Kick Off the Party EarlyStart your celebration early by attending the Day on the Village Green located at 960 Lakeshore Boulevard in Incline Village, NV on July 3rd. This address is in the 89451 zip code area. Expect to hear world class music from Grand Funk Railroad, Foreverland, Ike & Martin, and Luke Stevenson. The music begins first thing in the morning and continues throughout the night. Of course, it wouldn’t be a proper ... 06/26/2015

How do you cool off energy costs during hot summer months?  Yesterday was the first official day of summer.  According to Weather.com, we can expect to see triple digit temperatures in our Reno community by the end of the week.  When the A/C is turned on, energy usage spikes.  It's time to evaluate how and where you can save.Four Simple Steps to Cool Off Energy CostsThermostat Settings.  It's time to move the thermostat up.  Many Reno homes have thermostats with timers on them.  If you don't, you may want to get one.  You can find them at any big box home improvement store.  Set the A/C to 78F whenever you are home.  Set it above 80F when you are and your family are gone.  With a timer, you can schedule it to begin to lower to 78F about a half an hour before you normally get home.Fans A... 06/22/2015

Reno San Jose flights will set a more convenient schedule beginning on July 1st, 2015.  First there was the Apple data center.  Then Amazon set up shop near the Reno community.  Tesla has their gigafactory that is set to employ as many as 6500 people when it is fully up and running.  The current schedule of flights between Reno and the Silicone Valley needed to be changed.Changes to Reno San Jose FlightsUp until now, only one outbound and one inbound Reno San Jose flights were scheduled per day.  These are direct flights between Reno-Tahoe International Airport and San Jose International Airport.  Commuters between the two areas can fly out of Reno every day at 8:55pm.  That puts them in San Jose at 9:53pm.  The flight in to Reno leaves San Jose at 11pm and doesn't land until around mid... 06/16/2015

The 2015 Reno Rodeo shows off cowboy skills like no other.  There is a reason that this is known as the "Wildest, Richest Rodeo in the West"!  And it will be here in our Reno community before you know it.What: 2015 Reno Rodeo Where: Reno-Sparks Livestock Center (1350 N Wells Ave) When: June 18-27, 2015 Cost: $12-$27 Contact: Reno Rodeo WebsiteWhat's Happening at the 2015 Reno Rodeo?I think the real question is what ISN'T happening at the 2015 Reno Rodeo?  Ropin'?  Check.  Ridin'?  Check.  Cowboys?  Check.  Bulls?  Check.  Food, music and carnival rides?  Check, check and check!  It's ALL going on at the Reno-Sparks Livestock Center.From June 14th to June 18th, horse riders can join in on a Cattle Drive.  You don't have to be an experienced horse man or woman to participate.  It does hel... 06/08/2015

Here is some Reno Southeast Connector Project news you can use.  Keep up to date with information on the project.  This will help you navigate around any closures or construction.  How do you do this?  By visiting the Regional Transportation Commission's website.What is the Reno Southeast Connector Project?The Reno-Sparks community has experienced tons of changes in the last several months.  Some of this stems from companies like Tesla setting up shop in the Reno area.  More companies are scheduled to set up shop in Reno soon.  That means that more workers will be looking for places to live.  More people mean more traffic.  More traffic means transportation corridors need to be expanded.  This project is meant to address this need.How Will the Reno Southeast Connector Project Help Trans... 06/01/2015

The Reno/Sparks Association of REALTORS® recently released their April 2015 Reno Home Sales report.  The RSAR gathered information from the Northern Nevada Regional MLS to create their report.  The Reno community saw an increase in total sales as well as median sales price.What Did the April 2015 Reno Home Sales Report Say?According to the April 2015 Reno Home Sales Report, a total of 533 Reno homes were sold  between April 1st and April 30th, 2015.  This made up 67.9% of the total sales for the entire Washoe County.  It was also a 3% increase from total sales in April 2014 and an 8% increase from just one month prior.  The median sale price for a Reno home was $281,000, a 21% increase from the same time last year.  This was less than 1% higher than the median sale price in March 2015.T... 05/26/2015

Buying a home can sometimes feel a bit stressful.  The paperwork alone can be a little overwhelming at times.  As of August 1st, 2015, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau will have new rules and new forms for the home loan process.  Since these changes will increase the amount of time it takes to close your loan, this post offers an explanation of the new rules and Loan Estimate form to give you a better understanding of what is involved.Lenders are required by law to provide Buyers with several forms from different agencies during the loan process to help explain costs to the consumer.  This could be confusing to the consumer because they appear to be very similar to one another yet they provide very different information.  Under the Dodd-Frank Act, the Consumer Financial Protecti... 05/18/2015

Last year, the Reno Gazette-Journal reported on abuses that were suffered by many Northern Nevada homeowners who got caught up in short sale flipping schemes.  The investigation revealed that several agencies took advantage of legal loopholes to increase their earnings by as much as double, triple and, in some extreme cases, quadruple what they would have.  Recently, though, signs show that Nevada has cracked the whip on short sale abuse when a local Reno broker and his agent were brought up in front of the Nevada Real Estate Commission.The Reno Gazette-Journal's investigation found that some local agencies provided special privileges to certain investors by keeping listings off the open market long enough to allow the cash Buyer to come in and purchase the properties for way below mark... 05/11/2015

  Things to do in Reno for Mother’s DayThere are many things to do in Reno for Mother’s Day. If you are looking to show your mother how much she is loved and treasured, there are many options for you to fit your mother’s tastes. Below is a list of things to do in Reno for you to do with your mother for Mother’s Day.Moms on the RunIf you are looking for a fun activity on Mother’s Day, the 15th Annual Moms on the Run will be held on May 10th. This is a fundraiser for women with cancer who are living in Northern Nevada. Whether your mother is an avid runner or if you plan on having a nice long walk with others celebrating their moms, this event has options for everyone. This run starts at Foster Feld of Reno High School and runners can begin the run at 7AM. The costs is $50 but kids ticket... 05/08/2015

Buying a home can sometimes feel stressful.  There seems to be a lot of "hurry up and wait" going on.  You put in an offer.  You wait for the offer to be accepted or countered.  Paperwork is signed.  Then, you wait for the home inspection results, the appraisal to come in, the loan to be approved and the sale to be finalized.  It feels like one long edition of Home Buying: The Waiting Game.Let's say you were a Reno homeowner that got caught up in the financial crash that happened a few years ago.  Maybe you lost your job because your company had to downsize.  This then caused you to declare bankruptcy or have your home foreclosed on.  Maybe you were so far underwater on your loan that you had to short sale it in order to move on.  This all affects your credit score and, in turn, your ab... 05/04/2015

This Market Report covers Reno and Sparks Nevada. May Issue 2015.The total number of homes for sale and under contract at the time of May 1st was 2106. Out of these 2016, onlly 870 are still available. With available homes for sale in Reno and Sparks, Nevada being so low, anyone interested in truly buying must be tenacious in their approach. A savvy Realtor® in Reno will be able to educate a buyer on what inventory is available and what homes are likely to sell for given the recent sales in the neighborhood of the property. The buyer will be able to use this information to prepare an offer more likely to receive an acceptance or at least a counter offer.  Total sold homes in Reno through April was 608. The greatest number of sales took place in South Meadows. This is a development only ... 05/03/2015

First there was Apple, Amazon and Zulily.  Then, Tesla called Reno home.  High tech security company Ghost Systems moved their main headquarters into the Reno area.  Both high tech and manufacturing companies have seen what our Reno community has to offer and are moving operations here.  The latest announcement of a move to our area came just a few days ago.  Plans are currently in the works for recreational gear company Cascade Designs to set up shop in Reno.Cascade Designs manufactures almost 1,000 different outdoor products through eight different brand names: MSR, Therm-A-Rest, Seal Line, Platypus, ECase, PackTowl, Hummingbird and Tracks.  Chances are, if you have gone camping, hiking, kayaking, boating or just about any other outdoor activity in the last few years, you have probabl... 04/27/2015