For people interested in buying foreclosed homes, Las Vegas is still the place for you. They continue to post the nation’s highest metropolitan foreclosure rate, as one in 28 housing units received a foreclosure filing in the first quarter, said California-based RealtyTrac. This is five times the national average.

The total of Las Vegas foreclosure filings during the first quarter reflected an increase of 13% from the fourth quarter of 2009. Certainly, for individuals or groups looking for investments, like Sightline Acquisition with Kirk Sanford, this news could be very helpful.

There hasn’t been all that much new development in the area of real estate recently due to economic troubles.  This probably isn’t such good news for anyone in that field.  But the future might not be looking so gruesome.  Word on the street is that a “resurgence could come from green building.”   Predictions are that growth in this field could be up to 900% around the world in the next decade.  This could be really good news. 

More than one in five U.S. cities with 50,000 residents or more has a policy to promote green building, an American Institute of Architects survey shows. Some 138 cities have green building programs, or 50 percent more than three year ago.  Three years ago, Las Vegas started a citywide green building program calling for new building projects to meet a minimum silver Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design certification standard, as outlined by the U.S. Green Building Council.  Kirk Sanford is the chairman and CEO of Sightline Acquisition Corp. (an investment fund which acquires distressed properties and other assets) in Las Vegas

Las Vegas is not just about gambling and the nightlife.  It is also a great place to raise a family and have fun. Perhaps this is why businessman and CEO of Sightline Acquisition Corp Kirk Sanford lives there with his wife and three children.  There is much to do and see and kids can have a great time.  It’s just that because of the nightlife the city is known for, these activities are often put on the back burner and not publicized as much.

Enjoying Nature in Las Vegas

For example, there is the Red Rock Canyon jeep tour, which offers a wonderful escape to nature, where you will see fossilised sand dunes at Calico Hills, juniper tree woodland area, willow springs and more.  Or, for something a bit more exciting that might cause your heart to race, why not check out the city’s Titanic artifact 2,500 square foot exhibition?  This can make you feel like you are on the Titanic, hearing the ship’s whistles, seeing the unopened bottle of champagne with a 1900 vintage and more.  These real artifacts were recovered two and a half miles below the North Atlantic surface and “tell the story behind the legendary Titanic’s short journey from construction and destruction to eventual recovery.” These are just a couple of the awesome things to do with families and perhaps show a little bit about why Las Vegas is such a great place to buy a home and raise a family, which is what a guy like Kirk Sanford and a company like Sightline Acquisition Corp. would say as well.

Anyone who is interested in the real estate market in the Las Vegas area will want to know about the various communities. Such potential investors, including Sightline Acquisition with Kirk Sanford, certainly want to have their pulse on the real estate news.

North Las Vegas is one area that is growing at the moment and that offers many benefits to potential buyers. With 300 days of sunshine a year and low property taxes, this is certainly an area of interest. People can enjoy skiing, fishing, hiking, swimming, biking and camping virtually all year round in North Las Vegas and can enjoy the two recreational centers and 28 parks.

One unique offering in North Las Vegas is their safekey program. This is a recreational enrichment program offered to children of working parents where kids can play games, receive homework help, enjoy nourishing snacks and more after school and during vacations.

The good news is that Las Vegas area sales rose 33% during February. The Greater Las Vegas Association of Realtors reported that there were 3,175 sales of single-family homes in Southern Nevada in March; they continued to explain that this figure was 6.5% higher than the figures for March 2009.
The bad news is the end of the homebuyers tax credit at the end of April. Realtors and others are nervous that the tax credit has been boosting sales, and that those sales numbers will slow considerably come May 1.

The homebuyers tax credit requires that buyers have contracts signed by the end of April for homes that must close by the end of June. They will receive a tax credit, worth $8000 for first time buyers and $6500 for repeat buyers under these rules.

GLVAR President Rick Shelton is, however, optimistic about future sales. He thinks that “consumer confidence is coming back as more buyers believe the local housing market is either at or past its lowest point.”

Certainly, investment funds like Sightline Acquisition, LLC, started by Kirk Sanford, and real estate agents will have their eyes set on the coming months to see how the real estate market does.

At least according to CNNMoney.com, now is the time to start buying property in Las Vegas. Why? In a recent article, they calculated that Las Vegas, Nevada is 41.40% undervalued and that it is, at the moment, the most undervalued city in the United States. These figures were based on looking at median home prices, local interest rates, population densities and income, and historical premiums or discounts over time.

This is certainly good news for those who are interested in investing in Las Vegas, like Sightline Acquisition with Kirk Sanford. The statistics are made even that more interesting since a similar study in 2006 by CNNMoney.com said that Las Vegas was 38% overvalued.

The good news is that the housing market in Las Vegas is set to recover. The bad news? The predictions are that it won’t do so until the first quarter of 2012, according to a housing analyst with The Concord Group. Recover, according to this Newport Beach, California real estate firm, means three to four new home sales each month per subdivision.

While Marta Borsanyi, principal of this real estate firm, had originally predicted a full recovery in the fourth quarter of 2011, she is now pushing back her predictions since the 2009 housing purchases were lower than expected.

As an example, new home sales dropped from their 45000 peak in 2005 to only 4500 over the last 12 months. Certainly, everyone has their eye on helping in the recovery effort. The Obama administration has created loan modifications and first time buying incentives; companies like Kirk Sanford’s Sightline Acquisition are trying to bring money to the Las Vegas real estate market; and others are trying to add jobs and opportunities through the Nevada area.

A new study from ceosforcities.org has shown that the more walkable a neighborhood is, the more expensive the real estate prices will be. They have a Walk Score which shows how accessible the neighborhood is without needing a car to get to groceries, parks and more.

Their most recent statistics show that every walk point that’s added to a neighborhood’s score increases the value of the homes from between $500 and $3000. Interestingly, this holds true in almost every city, but not in Las Vegas, where Sightline Acquisition with Kirk Sanford invest, and not Bakersfield. Why? They weren’t sure.

As a symbol of what can be accomplished even during a recession, the mayor of Las Vegas, Oscar Goodman, delivered the annual State of the City address from the Golden Nugget Casino in downtown Las Vegas.

The casino recently completed a major renovation with its acclaimed Rush Tower, despite the fact that the economy is weathering difficult economic times in Las Vegas.

The mayor began his address by describing a recent trip he took to London in order to fly on the inaugural flight of the British Airways new connection to Las Vegas. While in England Goodman visited the bunker where Winston Churchill, as Prime Minister of England during WW II conducted affairs of state and met leaders to discuss war related issues.

Learning a great lesson from Churchill and the people of England who endured the hardships of World War Two, the mayor explained,

“I don’t pretend to say that I have any similarities with Winston Churchill other than we both like martinis and we like Cuban cigars,” Goodman said. “But he was facing the dire times of World War II. And we in Las Vegas have the dire times of the economy.”

The attitude the British maintained throughout the war was, “There is no other course for us but to win.”
“That is the same attitude that must prevail in Las Vegas, and with that attitude we will prevail.”

Businessmen and other leaders in the community were happy to hear such an optimistic outlook, and people like Kirk Sanford, real estate investor in Las Vegas, are looking towards better economic times for Las Vegas and Southern Nevada.

A recent survey from Move.com shows that people have their sights set on their home – not just their diet – for 2010. Nearly 18% of Americans in the survey said that they hope to become first time homebuyers in 2010. With mortgage rates down, prices low and the new $8000 first time home buyers tax credit extended until April 20, 2010, this is certainly a good time to invest.

Certainly, Sightline Acquisition Corp and its CEO Kirk Sanford, and many other similar enterprises, see it as a great time to invest as well. Particularly in locations like Las Vegas, where people are still moving in and real estate is selling cheaply, this is a great time to make that investment.

Nearly 16% of those surveyed are considering buying an investment property this coming year. As Nancy Osborne, CEO of Erate.com, a Santa Clara based financial information publisher says, “If you anticipate inflationary conditions in the future, investment property could be a good bet to hedge against it.”