So what’s keeping me so busy? I mentioned in my last entry that business keeps pulling me in other directions. In fact, many exciting new developments have commanded my attention, making it difficult to sit in front of my computer to blog.

The Robin Camacho Team moved to Sellstate NRES in June. Not all of my Team members were invited to join me. Five-Star Service is what clients should expect from a “Top 10” agent, so it was time to cull the herd before handpicking a few more of the best. My agents are equipped with market knowledge and tools that allow them to provide the best service in the industry. Call me demanding, but my agents must provide superlative service or they’ll be very unhappy short-timers. I remain in the top 50 buyers’ agents in southern Nevada, thanks to my loyal clients. I like to think it’s an acknowledgement of my efforts on their behalf.

I admired Realty One Group, and it was hard to leave. But what’s best for my clients is best for me. Sellstate NRES owner Michael Krein, the visionary President of the National REO Brokers Association, is a successful broker on the cutting edge of the short sale stampede. Strategic defaults are rising while loan modifications are rejected daily; to keep ahead of market shifts, I surround myself with other experts. I’m a Certified Distressed Property Expert (a black belt in foreclosures and short sales), but Mike is the short sales Sensei. In my quest for enlightenment – okay, at least continual improvement – I align myself with the best.

I’m enjoying another record-breaking year. Even with the distractions of a big move, our momentum continues to build. I’m Sales Leader for my first two months at Sellstate. Big hugs to all of you who helped me get there (I’m into free hugs after Burning Man). My only goal for the next 12 months is to continually provide award-winning service to my clients. That’s it.

Sellstate NRES provides me with a bigger toolkit, allowing me to be even more responsive to my growing list of clients. Weekly advanced training for my agents, state-of-the-art technology and Mike’s keen insight enhance my ability to meet my fiduciary duties to my clients. I’ve been told by many clients that I walk on water; not true – I make it look much easier than it actually is. Helping my clients meet their real estate goals is fun; it’s also challenging. An agent who isn’t abreast of rapidly-evolving policies and trends shouldn’t be in the business. (Do you want fries with your burger?)

Many of my clients are now working with Danna Hagenburger of Academy Mortgage, one of my preferred lenders. Academy is now the #1 independent lender in the nation. Like me, Danna never gives up. She’s creative, and her troubleshooting skills parallel mine. I know, her last name is ridiculously long – but you can’t call someone that good-looking The Hag. I put up with all 4 syllables because Danna is another great resource for my clients. (I almost said tool…heh heh, did she just call Danna a tool?!) When confronted with a challenge, Danna always finds a way to make a difficult loan work – she’s that experienced.

Speaking of mortgage lending – I’m going to blog on this topic soon. Danna has promised to pitch in, as has my preferred private investor lender (read “hard money”). My investor and vacation home buyers love Homepath, a loan program for eligible, Fannie Mae-owned homes that allows for lower down payments and a larger portfolio of financed homes. Other innovative programs exist, but I love this one right now. No appraisal, and no mortgage insurance. 3% down for primary residences, and 10%-20% for non-occupant.

I’ll blog on Homepath and other mortgage topics next week. While LVA readers are for the most part high-dollar earners and rainmakers, the short sale stampede is reaching even this group. Those who’ve lost or short-sold a home in this terrible economy may find that private investor lending, while pricey, might be their ticket back to homeownership. A topic for another day.

Okay, I’m back. A loyal Las Vegas Advisor reader mentioned that several forum readers have asked where Robin went. Robin is just damned busy, and I hate to keep restarting my blog, telling my loyal readers that I’m back for good, and then having business pull me in other directions. Please forgive my long absence, and I’ll do my best to keep in touch at least every few days.

I just got back from Burning Man, so I’m feeling quite cocky. (If you’ve been there, you’ll get that.) I’m excited! The smell of the playa – still in my nostrils – wafts through my brain, business is thriving, and it’s all good. I haven’t had more than an occasional weekend off since my trip to Exuma last October; this 5-day immersion in a human carnival was just what I needed. The tent is packed up, Ron is uploading the photos, and we both feel rejuvenated.

We returned to see that foreclosure listings have risen to 2300 – an increase of just about 200 in the past week. With more REOs coming to market, and fewer buyers as the slow season arrives, you will see this number continue to climb. I expect to see house prices begin to slip, but not a great deal. Don’t panic if you recently bought – it’s most likely to be a slight dip in the 4% to 8% range over the next year. Just don’t buy a house today if you plan to flip it tomorrow. If you bought recently expecting a quick profit, you probably shouldn’t be allowed to make your own investment decisions anyway – better turn this over to your mom. She’ll tell you the obvious: don’t buy high and sell low.

Speaking of mom; I’m thrilled that my 86-year-old mom is coming to visit for 3 weeks. My 87-year-old dad can’t be torn away from his karaoke contests and bicycling, but it’ll be fun to show Mom around Vegas. I love Vegas – there’s always so much to show off when we have visitors.

Demand has remained very strong, with monthly sales well over 3000 homes. With consumer confidence blowing in the wind, it’s amazing that sales are as strong as they were early in this decade, when we all thought money really did grow on trees. After some pruning, Las Vegas home prices are such a bargain that people across the globe continue to buy here.

That reminds me – if you missed me live on Fox Business Network a few weeks ago, that was fun! I was asked to comment on whether this was a good time to buy a home in Las Vegas. Oh, hell yes. But somehow the other agent, Hazel, thought we were invited for “Realtor Smack-Down: Las Vegas vs. Miami”. It was really quite funny. I’m sure Miami is probably a good buy right now – but I know Vegas is!

Las Vegas bank-owned home prices rose 4% over the past month. For those of you not following me on Twitter yet, you are missing out on important “snapshots” of the Las Vegas real estate market. 

REO sales prices rose from $126,372 in March to $131,756 in April.  This reverses the downward trend in REO prices that have set the “floor” for home prices in the Las Vegas area for several years.

It appears that banks are now asking higher list prices for REOs, and accepting an average of 1.03% of list price. This is down, and appears to be the result of fewer active buyers making offers right now. Buyers can still expect to pay a little above list on average for an REO.

Short sale prices have risen slightly as well. Private party sale prices have dropped slightly.

The weather was gorgeous today, and I couldn’t resist a drive around Lake Las Vegas with the top down on my Vette. I have 2 clients who want to buy in this stunning community, but they’ve had their reservations – as have I – about the community’s future.

The closing of  the MonteLago Resort Casino and 3 golf courses (one since reopened), and the upcoming closing of the Ritz Carlton, have homeowners and prospective homeowners concerned about home values.  With the announcement that Lake Las Vegas should be coming out from under bankrutpcy protection in late June, one of my clients believes this might be a great time to buy. So off I went to view a home with a casita for $193,100. I enjoyed the wildflowers and the view of the lake while soaking up a little sun and a gentle breeze. Nice.

In other positive real estate news today, the Cosmopolitan is on track to open in December, and Texas homebuilder Dunhill Homes was chosen to manage and develop the bankrupt Rhodes Homes communities of Tuscany and Rhodes Ranch.

Readers, my apologies. I’m sure I look somewhat tech-savvy given my awesome Top 10 and the fact that I pretty much own Craigslist. But it’s my researcher who gets all the credit for that.

Getting up and going on Twitter depended on me alone, so 269 days since the first tweet announcing that I’m on Twitter – voila! With the help of my son, I figured it out. If you haven’t tried OpenBeak on your cell yet, I highly recommend it. Even I can Tweet with this simple application.

If you aren’t yet following us on Twitter, you can find a Twitter icon on my site, Top10RealEstateValues.com. The Twitter icon on my LasVegasAdvisor.com Top10 Real Estate Values page will link you to LVA_Tweet…an awesome Twitter that I highly recommend, but not us. I think we’re working on getting a Twitter icon on LVA, but you can always sign up on my flagship site. My Twitter name is Top10RealEstate.

While Twitter won’t replace my blog entirely, Twitter followers are already hearing from me frequently.

Lots of changes in the works for 2010, including a revamp of our website. No, the Top10 isn’t going away…it’s popularity is evident by the inquiries from across the U.S. and Canada. We will be making some value-added improvements including information on Second/Vacation homes, commercial properties and short sales. We’ll also be introducing other Top10 agents from the Robin Camacho Team.

Who knows, maybe we’ll even add one of those local weather gizmos. Oh, wait – it’s always sunny in Las Vegas.

Time is running out to take advantage of the extended (and expanded) home buyer tax credit. The $8,000 credit is still available to first-time home buyers – but it’s going away very soon. And those of you who wait until the last minute might not find a home at all when the feeding frenzy begins as the deadline nears.

“First-time home buyers” who purchase homes between November 7, 2009 and April 30, 2010 are eligible for the credit. To qualify as a “first-time home buyer” you may not have owned a home during the past three years.

Current homeowners are also eligible for a tax credit up to $6500, so long as the home being sold or vacated was their primary residence for 5 consecutive years within the last 8. You don’t have to sell your existing home, but you must occupy the new home for three years or risk recapture of the credit.

The maximum allowable credit for first-time home buyers is $8,000 or 10% of the sales price, whichever is less. Single buyers with incomes up to $125,000 and married couples with incomes up to $225,000 may receive the maximum credit. The credit decreases for higher-earning homebuyers. Single homebuyers earning more than $145,000  and couples earning over $245,000 aren’t eligible.

To qualify, you’ll need to have a written binding contract to purchase in effect on April 30, and the deal must close by July 1, 2010.  Those buyers who are waiting until the last minute are going to be competing with all of those other buyers who made the same mistake!

The market hasn’t slowed down much at all. A few people are still sleeping off the holiday spirits, so those who are shopping now are getting offers accepted a bit more readily. I’m busier than I’ve ever been during a holiday season, and I expect sales to continue to rise. So much for the winter slow season. As buyers realize they can’t wait any longer if they want the tax credit, we’ll see more competition for an already-short supply of REOs.

Three months it took me to get up the nerve to tackle a new blog format.  I can sell real estate with my eyes closed (hey, have you seen some of these REOs?), but learning a new blog format paralyzes me every time.

I couldn’t help but think about Ted Kaczynski and his hatred for the modern world. So I did a little research, and the similarities between Ted and I were just freaky.

Ted was born on May 22. I was born on May 22. Ted is an American. I’m an American. Ted is male. I’m female. See, even the dissimilarities are surreal.

Ted decided to start a bombing campaign after watching the wilderness around his home being destroyed by development. Say what? Okay, Ted…you lost me on that one. I’m kind of missing development about now.

Three months. So many changes – all exciting.

The Robin Camacho Team has grown rapidly to keep up with the demands of our clients. Many LVA readers will remember when it was just Ron, our Top10RealEstateValues.com researcher, and me. Anyone who’s been in my new office lately has been amazed that , despite our size, we’ve been able to remain focused on what’s important – helping our clients do well .

First and foremost, I have moved up to Realty ONE Group. Realty ONE is now the largest real estate company in Nevada, with over 1600 active agents. The offices of Robin Camacho & Associates are located in Realty ONE’s location in southwest Las Vegas. There are Realty ONE offices scattered throughout the valley, making us very accessible to our clients.

There are now 9 agents on our Team, as well as full-time transaction coordinator Phyllis Washburn, and of course our full-time researcher.

I’m very pleased to announce that my sister, Sheri Wilson, has recently joined our Team. Sheri is a 33-year resident of Gardnerville, and a former top-producing agent in northern Nevada. Ron Branson brings 30 years of experience as a top-producing agent, former broker and association President in Coeur D’Alene. Lucy Stewart is a former current planning administrator for Clark County, and maintains a land-use consulting business in addition to her real estate license. Along with Lucy and Ron, Shawn Preston, a former Range Rover salesman, concentrates on serving our commercial real estate buyers. Judy Mitchell is a former nonprofit director with a reputation for great client service. Linda Masciola, Lana Jones and Nick Marquart round out the Team. Every Team member shares my core philosophy of understanding and adopting our client’s thinking. When your focus is correctly placed on the needs of your client, their success becomes your success.

Enough about me – let’s talk about you.

If you’ve purchased a home in Clark County recently, you should be aware that the deadline for appealing your property’s assessed value  is January 15. If your tax rate is too high when compared to comparable homes, it would be prudent to contact Clark County’s Assessor’s Office (702.455.3882) immediately to request the proper form for filing an appeal.

Just a few quick statistics on the market before I run to show homes to a client looking for a second home:

     Median price rose to $138,000

     4039 homes were sold in September

     44% of sales were cash

That cash figure is phenomenal. It's the investors. Easy to see where the smart money is being invested right now.

I wrote 3 offers on Thursday and had 2 of these accepted on Friday. I think I'll sell one or two more before the weekend is out. At this pace we may not see our normal holiday slowdown until December 24.

With Reflection Bay Golf Club closed at Lake Las Vegas, homes there are selling unbelievably low. If you're looking for a second home, this is a great time to look. Do your research on this one so you are aware of the bankruptcy issue. It's the uncertainty that's driven the prices so low. I never recommend this to investors (too far out for most renters), but for a second home in a postcard-pretty setting, this might be ideal for you. Plan to hold until they get their issues resolved.

If you've made more than one offer on a Las Vegas foreclosure lately, you'll totally get this.

With banks finally trying to spread their REO listings among more than a small handful of listing agents, we come up against new roadblocks, er I mean navigate new systems, daily.

Prices have climbed, albeit a nearly imperceptible rise. With multiple offers on nearly every home, some buyers are getting very frustrated. With fewer than 1600 REOs on the market today, you need to have the right offer to get it accepted.

Expect a roller coaster ride if you are shopping for a bank-owned home in the Las Vegas area right now. Not one of those smooth new highspeed coasters that glide quietly and seemingly effortlessly through the ride. More like that old mad mouse coaster on the Santa Cruz Boardwalk that jars your spine and frays your last nerve.

Use an experienced Realtor, friends. That's my best advice for today.

I got home from the Bahamas on Saturday planning to spend a few more days in my sun/rum/time continuum, that zone of complete relaxation. I made the mistake of letting my office know I was back in town. So here I've been since Sunday working 15 hour days again. Not that I'm complaining – I LOVE what I do. Being a Realtor is better than being an astronaut or a major league pitcher. I'm just no longer moving like I'm wading through molasses.

The market has barely slowed, with a nominal drop in sales in August. September is usually slow as a new school year begins, but the pace remains brisk.

Dean and Jan just had another offer rejected; this one was more than $70,000 over list price. This time I'm shocked; this was a great offer. There must have been a very strong cash offer.

First-time homebuyer Dustin just made an offer on 3 homes, and was very fortunate to have an offer accepted. It's not easy getting FHA offers accepted right now. When the bank asked for Dustin's "highest-and-best" offer on another, they had 80 offers on the house.

Flying back in to find temperatures in the mid-90's, I had an "aha" moment. People come to Las Vegas for the casinos, the great food, and the shows – but they move here for the weather. My clients who buy their 2nd homes and retirement homes in Las Vegas buy here because they can wear shorts when they come here in November.

FOR SALE: Snowblower, shovel and ice scraper. Never used, still in box. Ahhhh, Las Vegas. It's fall, and it's gorgeous today.