Archive for September, 2007
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Sep
25
Posted by Mark Clawson
The Henderson Pavilion is a haven for artists and musicians. The venue has hosted the Las Vegas Philharmonic, the Nevada Ballet Theaer and Opera Las Vegas. The Pavilion was completed in 2002 at a cost of $12 million and is part of Liberty Pointe where you will find the Paseo Verde Library and the Multigenerational Center and Auatic Complex. The tension-fabric roof over the Pavillon covers seating for about 2500 and there is lawn seating for about twice that number of people.
Here is a glance at the calendar for October:
October 7, 2007 – 8:00 pm – 9:30 pm
Gran Folklorico de Mexico, Ballet Folklorico has been entertaining audiences for over 30 years. The company can vary from 3 to 25 performers displaying the dances in authentic Aztec dress, as well as beautiful Mexican costumes.
October 11, 2007 – 7:00 pm – 9:00 pm
Beehive, The Off-Broadway 60’s Musical is a fast-paced and nostalgic look back at the girl groups and soloists of the time featuring songs by The Supremes, Aretha Franklin, Connie Francis, Leslie Gore, Petula Clark and more. You’ll leave humming the tunes, anxious to pull out the 45’s again!
October 19, 2007 8:00 pm -
Henderson Sympony Orchestra ‘An Evening of Brahms’, The Henderson Symphony Orchestra honors the classical mastery of Johannes Brahms in this evening’s performance.
October 20, 2007 8:00 pm – 10:00 pm
Benise, Nouveau Flamenco guitarist, Roni Benise, brings his fiery Spanish music and dance to Henderson for an unforgettable performance
October 21, 2007 1:30 pm
Deepak Chopra, Acknowledged as one of the world’s greatest leaders in the field of mind body medicine, Deepak Chopra, M.D. continues to transform our understanding of the meaning of health
October 27, 2007 2:00 pm
The Las Vegas Youth Orchestra, The Las Vegas Youth Orchestra will be performing concert pieces for your family’s entertainment. The performers, age 8-18, are the best student musicians from across our valley.
The Pavilion is located at 200 South Green Valley Parkway and the phone number is 702-267-4849.
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Sep
20
Posted by Mark Clawson
The Federal Reserve cut the fed funds rate on Tuesday for the first time in four years. The cut was a half a percent and was a little more than people anticipated. I believe that the half point cut to 4.75% was necessary in order to make a statement. Once again the stock market took off and I just don’t see this as sustainable. The Fed is worried about the economy and the housing market and this just doesn’t seem to bode well for the markets.The Fed has been typically slow in responding to changes in the economy. The stock market crash in 2000 had been in place for over nine months before the Fed woke up and started to cut rates. What a rate cut means to the consumer is that credit card rates, auto loans, and rates of certificates of deposit will decline slightly. Commercial Banks lowered the Prime Rate to 7.75% from 8.25% and this will help businesses and consumers. Home Equity loans are tied to the Prime Rate.The mortgage market may see some relief on the short end, but I expect little help in reducing the rate on a typical thirty year fixed rate mortgage. You can see in the chart below that the 10 Year Treasury Note yield has actually risen since the Fed announcement.
Remember, the Fed can affect changes on short term rates; however, long term rates are more impacted by investors’ expectations of long-term inflation. If investors think inflation will accelerate, mortgage rates will rise. Alan Greenspan, the previous Federal Reserve Chairman, has stated his concerns about the potential for rising inflation pressures in the years to come. “At some point, the flow of people into the workforce in developing countries such as China, which has seen a movement of workers from farms into factories will slow, leading to stronger wage pressures and prices, the impact will be global.” There is a lot of uncertainty in the markets and investors typically don’t like that. We may be in for a longer period of turmoil than any of us expected.
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Sep
20
Posted by Mark Clawson
The latest edition of National Geographic Adventure magazine ranks Las Vegas as the #1 spot to live and play. One of the adventure sites named was China Ranch, so I did some research to pass along to you. China Ranch is located on the southern edge of Death Valley National Park on the Old Spanish Trail. The ranch is an oasis in the desert where date trees soar into the sky. It seems as though there was a man named Quon Sing or Ah Foo who came into the canyon and developed the water, planted fruits and vegetables, and supplied meat to the local mining camps. It became known as Chinaman’s Ranch. Sometime in 1900 a man named Morrison came in and ran the farmer off, at gunpoint, and took over the ranch. There have been many owners of the ranch but in 1970 the property was purchased by Charles Brown Jr and Bernice Sorrells.
The trees were planted in the early 1920’s but they were subject to much neglect and were rarely tended to. The Browns restored the orchards in the 1970’s. During the time of neglect there was considerable cross pollination among the varieties of date trees. This cross pollination created a rather unique date that is said to be prized by many. The male tree produce only pollen and the female bear the fruit. They sell dates, date cookies and date-nut bread and you can have them shipped or you can just take them with you. The ranch survives due to an underground spring that feeds the land.
The website for the China Ranch is www.chinaranch.com.
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Sep
11
Posted by Mark Clawson
The Hotel on Mt. Charleston is a wonderful retreat from the heat of the desert. I relaxed around their koi pond and watched guests feed the ducks. Very pleasant 80 degrees when Las Vegas was probably 100. There is a great view of Mt. Charleston and its just a short drive (13 miles) to the ski and snowboard resort. If you drive up to the Old Town area you’ll find the Mt. Charleston Lodge and a community of homes built into the mountainside. There are a plenty of things to do in the area with hiking trails, biking or just taking an afternoon drive.
The Hotel on Mt. Charleston has The Cut Above Steakhouse for fine dining. It is a spacious round dining room with the rustic feel of an Alpine Lodge.
The Cliffhander Lounge has a big screen television to watch your favorite games or just sit back and have a sip while enjoying the view.
The Hotel has a Friday night “Movie Under the Stars” program that starts at 8pm on the Canyon Terrace. My Cousin Vinny is scheduled for the 14th of September and the admission is $5. The Hotel also hosts wine tasting parties and musical events.
You will want to come back! .
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Sep
10
Posted by Mark Clawson
Friday, I took a drive out of town to the Toiyabe National Forest. This is the home to Mount Charleston and it’s truly unique Alpine Community. Quite a bit of diversity in homes out here You have anything from small cottages to very spectacular homes built into the mountainside. The Mount Charleston Wilderness contains 18,000 acres of bristlecone pine, the most extensive stand of these ancient trees in the Intermountain Region. This is an oasis in the desert. The community is just a short 25 minute drive from the northwestern edge of Las Vegas. Mount Charleston stands at 11,918 feet above sea level and you’ll love the tree lined mountain roads and smell of pine. They tell me that the temperature is 20 to 30 degrees cooler than the city, so in the summer what a great getaway!
I have decided to give you a picture tour. Enjoy.
The Hotel on Mt. Charleston
Las Vegas Ski and Snowboard Resort
Mount Charleston Lodge
A Part of History that is for sale, I think the price was $175,000.
Mt. Charleston Baptist Church
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Sep
03
Posted by Mark Clawson
Is it time to buy a home in Las Vegas? Due to excessive speculation by builders and investors we have a lot of supply on the market. This is a buyers market and it may be that way for another one to two years. One can rarely predict the bottom of any market correction whether it be in home prices or the stock market. People tend to panic and look too much at the present when trying to make decisions.One thing that I noticed when I came to Las Vegas was how the Las Vegas Valley is filling up. I started to think of Seattle, where I was born and raised. The geography of Seattle is quite different; however, each city displays a unique restriction in the growth of new housing. In Seattle, most of the expansion has gone to the east of Seattle since Elliott Bay and the Puget Sound are barriers.
In Las Vegas, the valley of growth is surrounded on most sides by mountains, and there is a finite amount of land available in the valley for building. One might suggest that the builders may be able to move outside the valley. Most of the land is owned by the Bureau of Land Management and they would need to make a decision about releasing more land for development. Expanding the boundaries for development is a hotly contested issue with conservationists.
Why has the demand for real estate been so great over the last five years? Las Vegas which means “The Meadows” is a lot more than The Strip. Las Vegas is surrounded by beautiful mountain ranges and canyons. You will find that many diverse communities have sprung up from the desert in many unique ways. The Desert Shores and the Lake Las Vegas communities were built around man-made lakes and few people in the country would ever envision seeing such a sight in Las Vegas. There are many master planned communities in Las Vegas and you will find parks, trail systems, community centers, golf courses, and wonderfully landscaped thoroughfares.
Las Vegas was just voted the number one Adventure Town in America in the September edition of National Geographic. The reason for this is because of all the opportunities to participate in all kinds of outdoor activities within a short distance of Vegas: hiking, boating, mountain biking, skiing, rock climbing, to name a few. Vegas is not just for gambling anymore. A secret has been revealed that we locals have known about for a long time: Vegas is a good home base for outdoor adventure beyond the city limits.
When one looks at growth in the Las Vegas Valley there are many issues to consider. You have to look at the available water resources, increased energy costs, declines in quality of life as perceived by potential residents, and the physical limitations of Las Vegas Valley. At the present rate of growth, predictions indicate that land currently available for development in Las Vegas Valley will be built-out in the next 7 years.
What does this all mean? Okay, we have had over-building and this will continue to depress home prices until the supply is reduced. However, one must keep in mind the limitations that are imposed on this area. There is a real concern about water resources and there are those who will fight development beyond the Valley. If the demand for real estate in the Valley starts to perk up in a year or two, home prices will move higher in the future. You cannot dismiss the law of supply and demand.
