Summerlin Undressed

Summerlin Golf Courses – Siena

Summerlin golf courses offer some of the most dramatic views in the Las Vegas Valley. The towering background of the Spring Mountain Range is a perfect backdrop for an early round of golf with your buddies.

I dropped by The Siena Golf Club a couple of weeks ago and thought I would share my experience. Siena’s rolling fairways and artful bunkers are the first thing that meets the eye. Remember, artful can sometimes be tough and these look to be!

The golf course was designed by Brian Curley and Lee Schmidt. They have worked extensively with golf’s biggest names – including Jack Nicklaus, Pete Dye, Fred Couples and Nick Faldo on numerous high-profile projects. This one is a beauty.

I met with Tony Lenzie the Director of Golf at Siena and he provided me with the photos for the post. The ability to use a lot of photos on a blog is a big advantage; it does give you a feel for what you can experience.

So, if you are heading to Vegas avoiding the rain or snow; Siena is a course that you want to put on your list. Locals are the heart and soul of our courses in Las Vegas and are always welcome.

There is a definite Italian influence in the architecture at the Club.

The Siena Golf Club is a gathering place for fine dining and many other social events. The Siena Bistro, a 2,500 sq. ft. Italian-themed restaurant and bar features a private patio with fireplace and a casual patio that provides beautiful panoramic views of the golf course, Lake Siena and the Las Vegas Strip.

Chef Daniel Concepcion’s desire to serve great food has rewarded Siena with “The Best Kept Secret Restaurant”, “Best Wedding Venue” from Five Star Reviews Magazine.

Siena Bistro also offers a regular daily menu serving breakfast, lunch and the most recently added “Siena Nights” dinner menu available on Wednesday and Thursdays from 5:00-9:00p.m.  Other favorite seasonal buffets such as the Sunday Brunch, Easter Champagne Brunch, Mother’s Day Brunch and the Thanksgiving Day Brunch always bring a crowd.

Kinda draw you in? Their website can be reached by clicking here.

Summerlin Parks – The Kellogg-Zaher Sports Complex

The Kellogg-Zaher Sports complex off of Washington, in the Summlin area, is a park where you can do just about anything that you want. The park is another monument to urban planning in Las Vegas. They may pack the homes together rather tightly but the communities all seem to have an abundance of parks and facilities that provide our children with endless hours of enjoyment.

Soccer is big time in Las Vegas and you will find many fields of dreams.

I actually drove by the complex to take a few photos of the Dog Park. It was a quiet day; not too many of our furry friends were around. This is a photo of the dog park for larger dogs over 25 pounds.

The action was at the park for dogs 25 pounds and under; pretty laid back.

A great place to sniff around and be with your pals.

Just spending some quality time with your best friend ranks up there pretty high.

Home Staging Las Vegas Part Four

Here is the last post from Kathleen Cragun on Home Staging.  

Before I get to that rocket science part, I want to refer to an article in last Sunday’s Seattle Times (June 3). In the Real Estate section was an article on tips to make your house sell fast, introduced by a huge picture. Much good advice was given BUT a few things made me cringe, so I just want to warn you what NOT to do.

Do not paint your kitchen cupboards Gloss white. I already mentioned not to use gloss white on walls in an earlier post. When was the last time you saw a new model home that had GLOSS white cabinets? White maybe, but NOT gloss. If you are redoing old cabinets Gloss white will show every flaw, every brush stroke, every imperfection! It is a finish that should only be done by professionals ( sprayed on) but also one that is not really a “with it” thing to do.

If your cabinets are stained wood, there are products you can get, like Cabinet Magic, Liquid Gold, that will cover scratches and revitalize cabinets, sometimes miraculously. They are also easy to apply, most are rubbed on with a soft cloth. Oak cabinets almost always look bad painted. Regarding painting anything, it is very important that it be done well. If you can’t do it well, you shouldn’t do it yourself. It takes time and patience and skill to do a good job. Prepare to give it that. It isn’t called sweat equity for nothin’.

Other advice in the article regarding fixing up Kitchens and Bathrooms, “You can do all this for cheap.” If it looks like you did it “on the cheap”, it will not help you sell your house. A very good bit of advice given was to hire a home inspector yourself to go through your home and get a list of things that need to be fixed. That way you shouldn’t have any unpleasant surprises when your buyer’s inspection is done. I have done this and it was very helpful and brought peace of mind.

The idea of staging is to present your home to stand out from the rest. It should be a well-maintained home, not just looked like one on the surface. We want the buyer to be happy living in the home, not just happy buying it, don’t we? No cover ups, no law suits.

Many of the clients I have advised on fixing their homes before they sold, did quite extensive things like replacing very outdated kitchens and bathrooms. When they saw how good they looked, every single one wished they had done these things as they lived there and enjoyed it themselves as well. Something to think about!

OK, OK, The Rocket Science part. Presentation. Now that you have done all the things recommended in the first three posts, the fun part begins but also the part that you may want to call in your staging advisor to complete. Not all designers and stagers are created equal. Some are better than others just as some home builders, lawyers and hairstylists are better than others. This is advice I should have given you in the beginning.

Ask your real estate agent for a referral to someone who does it right. Check out a portfolio of before and after photos. Look at model homes they have done or if you have the chance to see, what does their own home look like?

For the full article click here.

Home Staging Las Vegas – Part Two

Here is the second post on Home Staging in Las Vegas; again my thanks goes out to Kathleen Cragun who authored this article.

In my first post on staging your home in preparation to putting it on the market, I mentioned Clean up…Clear out…Fix In…Fix Out. Let’s start with Fix Out. Backwards, yes but the saying sounds better that way! Take a note pad with you and go outside. Better than that go across the street and look at your house. Pretend you don’t live there. Can you see the house? Does it look inviting? Is the yard mowed, trimmed, clear of stuff. Is the paint peeling or does the driveway, sidewalk or the roof have moss on it. Imagine the For Sale sign out front. If you (remember you dont live here) drove by and saw that sign would the house beckon you to take a look? We are talking Curb Appeal.

The pots out front add charm but the base of the pots could stand a little scrubbing. You cant see it here but a tree near by is overgrown and parts are dying. Time for a replacement. If you are selling right away get bigger plants instead of waiting for them to grow a bit. Some nurseries will help you select plants and even plant them for you, but there are all kinds of books and magazines that tell you how to do that. And don’t forget to water them daily if the weather is warm. Make sure your front door is in good shape and painted a pleasing color. Spray painting the door is preferable so you don’t have brush strokes. And you need to take the door OFF to do that. New bark in the planting beds is usually a good idea.

For the full article click here.

Luxury Homes in Summerlin

Sun West Custom Homes (The Ridges) 2009

Luxury homes in Las Vegas are as plentiful as are the designs and character that have been built into them. Some are strikingly beautiful and unique while others are often just large boxes with high ceilings and little character.

Signature Custom Homes (McDonald Highlands) 2002

This got me thinking about the time I spent in the School of Architecture at the University of Washington. The vision was to create new structures using imagination, new materials and technologies in the building of homes. Sadly, most builders continued to build what the client wanted rather than build something new that the public would come to see as a better alternative.

Slade Development (Red Rock Country Club) 2009

You can see from the above photos that the creative mind is still at work in Las Vegas!

When I was still in school I visited Taliesin West. Built by Frank Lloyd Wright, this complex was designed as a school for architects. Students, at the time that I was there, learned everything from operating construction equipment, framing to architectural design.

For the full article click here.

Desert Shores – Las Vegas Real Estate

Desert Shores is a unique community in Las Vegas just bordering the Summerlin neighborhood.

This community has always intrigued me with its use of man made lakes; the atmosphere is a pleasant one. The grassy knolls provide a great place for a picnic or just some quiet time with a friend.

The Community Club, for homeowners in the neighborhood, has a great beach facility. You can just relax on the beach and take in the sun or enjoy a swim in the lagoon. Tennis memberships are available at the Desert Shores Racquet Club.

This community was developed by RA Homes in 1988. You will find a lot of diversity with everything from condominiums to median priced housing and large custom homes behind private gates.

All of the lakefront homes have direct access to the lakes and the option of private docks. They allow electric boats, sculls, paddleboats and of course row boats to venture onto the lakes.

You may ask if there is fine dining in the area?

Looking for a romantic evening on a patio overlooking the lakes? Mache Bacchus is the place that you are looking for. 

The view is sensational and the reputation that the restaurant has garnered over the years is quite impressive. It has been voted the Best French Restaurant by the staff at the Review Journal and in a reader’s poll was named the Best Patio Dining in Las Vegas.

Here is a link to a post that I wrote awhile back. 

Red Rock Country Club Homes

I ventured out to Red Rock Country Club yesterday to meet with a client and was able to get a few photos that I wanted to pass along.

This Howard Hughes community in Summerlin is one of the most prestigious in the Las Vegas Valley. There are many communities built around golf courses in Las Vegas. However, Red Rock Country Club is true country club living. You’ll find two Arnold Palmer designed golf courses; one is private and the other is public. Members also have access to their sister golf course, Sienna Golf Club.

The Red Rock Country Club offers a number of different memberships to suit your tastes. If you are thinking tennis, they have Court Think. Court Think is the owner of the Vic Braden Tennis College; one of the finest tennis teaching organizations in the world. Pool and Spa facilities are available as well.

The Red Rock Country Club is in the shadows of the Spring Mountain Range and just minutes from the Red Rock Canyon. This is a community of elegant custom homes and you find a tremendous amount of architectural variety. There is a display of creative imagination rarely seen in most of Las Vegas.

Enjoy the photos!

To view a slide show with larger photos you can click here.

Summerlin New Homes

I was out exploring Summerlin and happened upon Traccia. This is a new community in Summerlin  built by Toll Brothers. The community is nestled in the shadow of the Springs Mountain Range and the Red Rock Canyon.

I don’t know how many of you are visiting model homes right now, but, I thought I would give you a bit of a tour.

The photos that I took are from their three collections. I have not indicated which photo belongs to which collection. I think you will find that they have done a good job of design and finishing on all of these homes.

The prices range from $337,995 to $507,995. Remember these are model homes with all the bells and whistles; you can upgrade the construction of your home to suit your individual taste.

The community has a number of amenities that are common to other Summerlin communities. The focal point of the community is the club house that has a fitness center, swimming pools, tennis courts and a neighborhood park.

Leave a comment and let me know what else you might like to see!

Green Homes Las Vegas

This post is the first of a series of articles that I will be presenting on Green Homes in Las Vegas. I was fortunate to meet Brian Plaster, vice president of operations, for Signature Custom Homes here in Las Vegas. Brian is about half way through building his own LEED-platinum custom home here in Las Vegas.

Through photos and interviews we will bring you updates as the construction moves forward. Hopefully, on this journey, you and I will become more knowledgeable about green home building and protecting our environment for our children.  I’m hoping to have photos of Brian’s “Hacienda Verde” next week. You’ll find that I have inserted photos of some LEED certified homes just to perk your interest!

What follows is a kind of prep class on Green Home Building. The U.S. Green Building Council has a Green Home Guide that is very extensive. What you will read, in this post, is a much shortened version of their guide.

Let’s start with something very basic.

What does LEED stand for?

The answer to that question is

Leadership in Energy and

Environmental Design.

LEED has a Green Home Rating System that is essentially divided into 8 categories. You must realize that this is a very detailed process. I’m just trying to give you the basics; there are many sub parts.

1.  Innovation & Design Process

The Innovation & Design Process category encourages the coordination and integration of the various elements that go into building a green home. Project planning and design is the key to this integration.

2.  Location & Linkages

Site locations should promote environmentally responsible land use. LEED homes are encouraged to be built near or within existing communities.

3. Sustainable Sites

Good design decisions can result in attractive, easy-to-maintain landscaping that protects native plant and animal species and contributes to the health of local and regional habitats

4. Water Efficiency

New homes that use water efficiently have lower water use and reduced sewage volumes. Many water conservation strategies involve either no additional cost or rapid paybacks. Consideration of water reuse, irrigation systems and indoor water use are essential. In Nevada, we have a very clear picture of the need to be good stewards of our water resources.

5.  Energy & Atmosphere

Over the last 50 years the average size of a new home has doubled; fossil energy use in homes has been steadily increasing. The average American consumes five times more energy than the average global citizen, 10 times more than the average Chinese person.

Building green homes is one of the best strategies for meeting the challenge of climate change because the technology to make substantial reductions in energy and CO2 emissions already exists. The average certified LEED home uses 30% to 40% less electricity and saves more than 100 metric tons of CO2 emissions over its lifetime. Modest investments in energy-saving and other climate-friendly technologies can yield immediate results and make our homes more durable, energy efficient and environmentally responsible places to live.

6. Materials & Resources.

The choice of building materials is essential to sustainable homebuilding.  Activities to produce building materials may pollute the air and water, destroy natural habitats and deplete natural resources.

Construction and demolition wastes constitute about 40% of the total solid waste stream in the United States. Recycled-content materials reuse waste products that would otherwise be deposited in landfills. Use of local materials supports the local economy and reduces the harmful impacts of long-distance transport. Use of third-party-certified wood promotes good stewardship of forests and related ecosystems. Use of low-emitting materials will improve the indoor air quality in the home and reduce demand for materials with added volatile, toxic compounds.

7. Indoor Environmental Quality

Americans spend on average 90% of their time indoors, where levels of pollutants may run two to five times — and occasionally more than 100 times — higher than outdoors, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Preventing indoor air quality problems is generally much less expensive than identifying and solving them after they occur. Filtering the supply air stream removes particulates that would otherwise be continuously recirculated through the home. The use of fresh outside air to ventilate a home and exhaust pollutants to the outdoors. This may also help control moisture within the home. Most new homes in the United States do not have mechanical fresh-air ventilation systems.

8. Awareness & Education

Some homebuyers may know very little about green home construction. They may be unaware of the green features in the home, or they may be unfamiliar with how to use and maintain them. Without adequate training, the full benefits of the LEED measures likely will not be achieved.

Next week we will take a look at the Green Home Las Vegas.

Here is a link to a Green Home in Chicago.

Enjoy your Memorial Weekend!

Summerlin Real Estate

I was just browsing the internet and found an article from the Las Vegas Sun talking about develpoment in Summerlin.

Nothing earth shaking here! However, you live in this community so I thought I would pass it on.

Click here to read the article in full.