Real Estate Loan
CNN/Money: Real Estate Web CNN/Money Home News Markets Technology Commentary Personal Finance Autos Real Estate Real Estate MONEY GALLERY Living la bonne vie Buying a home in the French countryside is a dream worth exploring. See 7 homes on the market now. ( more ) Video California housing market UCLA group predicts that real estate will slow, but state won't succumb to recession. CNN's Andy Serwer reports. ( more ) How to buy and build on rural land Dreaming of the perfect country getaway? Here's how to be sure you don't get taken. ( more ) Most overvalued housing markets Latest analysis of 299 markets: See how your hometown ranks. ( more ) When booms go bust... Home prices can and do go down. Here's what declines have looked like in the past. ( more ) Forecast: 100 markets Help with the loan hunt Most profitable renovations Some home improvements can recoup a lot, even all, of their costs. ( more ) MORTGAGE UPDATE 30-year mortgage: lowest in 2 months Dec 29: 11:14a Rates edge lower in the latest week but remain up considerably from a year earlier. ( more ) RATE SEARCH No points only 15 Year Fixed conforming - $165,000 15 Year Fixed jumbo - $385,000 30 Year Fixed conforming - $165,000 30 Year Fixed jumbo - $385,000 1 Year ARM conforming - $165,000 1 Year ARM jumbo - $385,000 3/1 Year ARM conforming - $165,000 3/1 Year ARM jumbo - $385,000 5/1 Year ARM conforming - $165,000 5/1 Year ARM jumbo - $385,000 7/1 Year ARM conforming - $165,000 7/1 Year ARM jumbo - $385,000 Select State Alabama Alaska Arizona Arkansas California Colorado Connecticut Delaware Florida Georgia Hawaii Idaho Illinois Indiana Iowa Kansas Kentucky Louisiana Maine Maryland Massachusetts Michigan Minnesota Mississippi Missouri Montana North Carolina North Dakota Nebraska Nevada New Hampshire New Jersey New Mexico New York Ohio Oklahoma Oregon Pennsylvania Rhode Island South Carolina South Dakota Tennessee Texas Utah Vermont Virginia Washington Washington DC West Virginia Wisconsin Wyoming ESSENTIALS Money 101: Buying a home Top things to know The hunt Are you ready? Closing the deal Lining up cash For sellers only Picking a team Glossary MORE ESSENTIALS: Choosing the best mortgage Take a bite out of closing costs How to make your home sellable MONEY LIST Latest home prices: 147 markets tracked Third quarter numbers are in for nearly 147 markets. How does your home town stack up? ( more ) Market Growth 1. Phoenix, AZ 55.2% 2. Orlando, FL 44.8% 3. Fort Myers, FL 42.5% 4. Tuscon, AZ 34.7% 5. Daytona, FL 33.8% MORE LISTS: Million-dollar markets Most expensive markets CALCULATORS Renovation Wizard Compare cost of living How much house can you afford? Money Magazine -- Try an issue of MONEY FREE! Subscribe and SAVE! REAL ESTATE ARCHIVE Dec 29: 10:46a Home sales fall, inventories jump Dec 28: 7:22a Mortgage applications at 3-1/2 year low Dec 27: 2:04p 1 BR @ Plaza, no park view: $2M Dec 19: 11:59a Is it time to cash out? Dec 22: 12:37p Fastest-growing states Dec 19: 9:22a Neighbors behaving badly Dec 23: 11:58a New home sales tumble 11 percent Dec 21: 6:29a The boom that won't die Dec 20: 2:39p Feds fret over innovative mortgages Dec 14: 3:50p Least affordable rental markets Dec 19: 3:49p Protect your home in 2006 Dec 12: 2:47p Take this home market...and love it Dec 13: 11:15a Double jeopardy for landlords Dec 8: 2:01p There go 800,000 jobs out the door Dec 7: 1:13p Real estate investors bailing out? Dec 9: 3:02p Overvalued housing markets decline Dec 8: 4:37p 'Take this house and shove it' Dec 1: 4:02p Help with the loan hunt Dec 1: 12:34p Home prices rise but pace slows More »» CNN Money contact us | subscribe to Money magazine advertising -- | site map | glossary | RSS | press room OTHER NEWS: CNN | SI | Fortune | Business 2.0 | Time © 2005 Cable News Network LP, LLLP. A Time Warner Company ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Terms under which this service is provided to you. privacy policy Reprints of site stories are available.
Sell House
Selling a Home - Top Reasons Why Good Homes Don't Sell You are here: About > Home & Garden > Home Buying / Selling > How To Sell a House > Selling a Home - Top Reasons Why Good Homes Don't Sell Home & Garden Home Buying / Selling Essentials 10 Things Home Buyers Shouldn't Do Best Tips for First Time Home Buyers "Must-Do" Tasks Before You Sell How to Buy a Home, Step by Step For Sale by Owner Advice Articles & Resources How To Buy a Home How To Sell a House Celebrity & Historic Credit Reports & Scores Design & Remodel Home Maintenance Inspections & Appraisals Investing & Foreclosures Modular & Manufactured Mold, Radon, Lead, etc. Mortgage Advice Moving & Relocation Real Estate Careers Real Estate For Sale Vacation Homes Buyer's Guide Before You Buy Top Picks Home Buying Books Foreclosure Books Mortgage Books Product Reviews Forums Help FREE Newsletter Sign Up Now for the Home Buying / Selling newsletter! See Online Courses Search Home Buying / Selling Stay up to date! Email to a friend Print this page Home Buying Resources How To Buy a House with Good Resale Potential How To Make an Offer on a Home You CAN Buy a House Home Selling Advice The Importance of Curb Appeal Get the House Ready to Sell How To Measure Residential Square Footage More Home Selling Tips 10 Ways to Make Home Buyers Hate Your House How to Find a Real Estate Listing Agent How Listing Agreements Differ Related Blogs Mortgage Fraud Blog The Real Estate Blog The Money Pit Most Popular Modular and Manufactured Homes Finding Your Best Place to ... Home Buying Don'ts First Time Home Buyer Tips Before You Sell Your Home What's Hot Coping with Unethical People How To Buy Land Real Estate Appraisal Before You Buy a Log Home Package Home Buying / Selling - GuideReviews Related Topics Home Repair Architecture Credit / Debt Management Housekeeping Landscaping Home Selling Essentials From Janet Wickell , Your Guide to Home Buying / Selling . FREE Newsletter. Sign Up Now! Common Home Selling Problems that Slow Down Your Sale There are lots of reasons why offers might not come in when you're selling a home, but let's get past the top home selling killer–overpricing. It's the first thing you should consider if your house is still sitting on the market while others around it are changing owners. Price the House for its Market Some home sellers want to price their homes way above market value, because they think the cushion gives them more negotiating room. But what overpricing actually does is eliminate potential buyers. A home with a true value of $200,000 has a certain set of features that contribute to its value. A house valued at $160,000 in the same market normally has less to offer than the higher priced home and simply can't compete with it. Buyers in the $200K range won't be impressed with the home's features and buyers looking for homes nearer its true market value won't even see it because of the too-high pricetag. It doesn't matter what you want for your property, what's important is what your property is worth . Overpricing is usually easy to correct, but there are plenty of homes that buyers pass on for other–sometimes simple–reasons. If you're a home seller, and your house isn't selling, it's time to anaylze the situation and figure out why. Four Simple Reasons Homes Don't Sell 1. A Horrible Photo in the MLS You might be surprised how many buyers say NO! to houses simply because of poor photos used in ads or Multiple Listing Service handouts. It's even more amazing that agents let them discard a house based on that criteria, but it happens all the time. Good photos are not always easy to get. Houses aren't built on lots with thought to future photo opportunities. The sun isn't always in an ideal position for the photo. The agent might not be capable of taking a good picture. Home selling rule number one is to make sure the house is well represented in all photographs. 2. It's Hard to Sell a Dirty House Some sellers don't bother to clean a house before they try to sell it, and if they don't even clean when they know people will be inspecting the house, they sure won't freshen up the paint, sort through clutter or handle odor control. Home buyers nearly always think that dirty houses need repairs, when all they usually require is some thorough TLC. After a few turned-off buyers, agents hesitate to show dirty houses. No showings, no sale. Take a hard look at the property to make sure your house doesn't fall into the needs-cleaning category. 3. Curb Appeal is the Pits Home buyers like to do drive-bys. Imagine driving by a house that's for sale and finding that the yard hasn't been mowed recently or worse, that it's full of weeds. Or seeing loose items scattered everywhere on the lawn. Or dirty windows. Or discovering that the home's color is just one shade shy of outshining the sun. If the home's curb appeal is terrible, the majority of buyers won't even make an appointment to go inside. Improve your curb appeal before the first buyer has a chance to view your property. 4. Outdated, Worn Out Components We are creatures of habit. That old vinyl on the kitchen floor has worked forever, so why don't the buyers like it? The dated light fixtures are just fine, too, and the sellers wouldn't think of replacing the orange shag carpeting in the family room. Look at the house with a fresh attitude and try to see it as buyers do. How can you make improvements? If your house is listed with an agent, ask for written feedback from buyers who have seen it. If the same negative comments show up repeatedly on feedback forms, you'll know where to start working on the house. Move carefully with updates, analyzing the work to determine which updates make sense from a cost vs. recovery standpoint. You'll find more home selling tips in 10 Ways to Make Home Buyers Hate Your House Important disclaimer information about this About site. Topic Index | Email to a Friend Our Story | Be a Guide | Advertising Info | Work at About | Site Map | Icons | Help User Agreement | Ethics Policy | Patent Info. | Privacy Policy | Kids' Privacy Policy ©2005 About, Inc., A part of the New York Times Company . All rights reserved. Around About Oprah's Life Vacation Ideas Shop Safely Online VIDEO: Craft Rooms VIDEO: Christmas Traditions What's Hot Coping with Unethical People How To Buy Land Real Estate Appraisal Before You Buy a Log Home Package Home Buying / Selling - GuideReviews
Home Loans Home Loans
Countrywide Financial - Real Estate Mortgage Lender - Home Loans - Equity Loan Mortgages contact us | careers | sitemap | help | log in Homepage Home Loans Home Loans Main Page Today's Rates Purchase a Home Refinance Your Home Use Your Home Equity Less Than Perfect Credit Loans en Español Start Your Application Calculators Your Home Loans Accounts Customer Service Banking Banking Main Page Today's Rates Certificates of Deposit (CD's) Money Market Accounts Savings Accounts View All Banking Products Open an Account Your Banking Accounts Financial Centers Insurance Insurance Main Page Homeowners Condo Home Warranty Life Disability Auto Health Commercial Employee Benefits Other Products Planning for Life Insurance Checkup Get a Quote Your Insurance Policies Your Accounts With over 35 years of service and one of the widest selections of loan programs , Countrywide Home Loans is an expert at finding solutions for all kinds of situations. log in to manage all of your Countrywide accounts username: password: destination: my account summary my home loans make a payment view transactions view loan details view statement my banking view account details my insurance view account details register | help forgot password forgot username Find more ways to : See what our customers are saying. purpose: Purchase Refinance Home Equity loan amount: property ZIP code: ZIP code finder Check today's high yield CD and Money Market rates Compare your rate Compare your coverage Get a free online quote home insurance calculator rate watch home loan calculators learn about our loans your credit report I want to: Purchase a home Refinance my home Use my home equity Click here to learn more about our great CD rates. SPECIAL ALERT: If you live in the areas affected by hurricanes, and need information regarding loans-in-process, new loans, or information on your account, please log in or call our customer service line: 1-800-669-6607. Click here for FAQs . PURCHASE REFINANCE HOME EQUITY for more information about new loans 1-800-556-9568 LESS THAN PERFECT CREDIT Countrywide Home Loans' Full Spectrum® Lending Division 1-800-871-1756 Customer service on existing loans 1-800-669-6607 BANKING top CD and money market rates , compare rates and terms 1-800-817-4383 INSURANCE homeowners , home warranty , auto , life , individual health , disability , commercial and employee benefits 1-800-262-4240 Countrywide Financial offers these products through our family of companies.* home loans | less than perfect credit loans | home loans en español | we house america | banking | insurance | investments | your accounts | log in contact us | site map | about us | investor relations | careers | privacy and security | licenses and registrations Countrywide Home Loans, Inc. and Countrywide Bank, N.A. are Equal Housing Lenders. ©Countrywide Financial Corporation. Trade/service marks are the property of Countrywide Financial Corporation and/or its subsidiaries. All rights reserved. If you use a pop-up blocker, you should disable it while using our sites. * Countrywide Financial offers these products through our family of companies. Home Loans provided by Countrywide Home Loans; Banking services provided by Countrywide Bank, N.A., member FDIC; Insurance services provided by Countrywide Insurance Services, Investment Services provided by Countrywide Investment Services.
House rent in Tuscany,
Private villas and holiday rentals Italy. Rental property, villas in Italy for rent. Property rating: Best buy Highly recommended Recommended New listing Unrated Property features: Instant booking Wheelchair friendly Suitable for elderly Suitable for children Suitable for babies Pets allowed Private pool Communal pool Any pool Balcony Garden Cots available Air conditioning Central heating Smoking allowed Location features: Beach Golf Fishing Watersports Skiing Themepark Shopping Good views Available discounts: Last minute deals Early bird deals Long stay deals Sort results by: Default Customer rating Villarenters index Lowest price Highest price Quick Availability Search For Villas & Apartments View rental properties in: All Countries , Italy . Click here for a destination guide to Italy . To narrow down your search for villas to rent in Italy, you can use the following sub regions Abruzzo Basilicata Campania & Apulia Emila Romagna Lazio Marches North West Italy Rome Sardinia Sicily Southern Italy Tuscany Tuscany Coast Umbria Venice & NE Italy Here are the available villas for rental in Italy. House rent in Tuscany, Italy Riverside villa with garden (Ref: 3694) self-catering house in Bagni di Lucca, Italy Price Range: £250 to £400 (GBP) Sleeps: 5 No of Reviews: (6) Beautiful house in the historical village of Bagni di Lucca, with a very large private garden and private access to the river. ...more Pets allowed. Less than 15 mins to: horse riding, mountain biking. Click for details... Long Stay Discounts, Early Bird Discounts Available Location for rental: All Countries / Italy / Tuscany / Lucca Villa rental in Sardinia, Italy Sardinia, Costa Smeralda, La Maddalena (Ref: 1760) self-catering villa in La Maddalena, Italy Price Range: £280 to £1900 (GBP) Sleeps: 6 No of Reviews: (9) Villa in magnificent position, on the sea-side, private beach and buoy. 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, kitchen, dining-room and patio in front of the sea. ...more Pets allowed. On site: beach, sailing. Click for details... Last Minute Discounts, Long Stay Discounts, Early Bird Discounts Available Location for rental: All Countries / Italy / Sardinia Rental cottage in Umbria, Italy Casa Merlo (Ref: 7472) self-catering cottage in Nr. Piegaro, Italy Price Range: £350 to £590 (GBP) Sleeps: 5 No of Reviews: (5) Traditional Umbrian Cottage in unique hamlet setting offering spacious accommodation in tranquil setting. ...more Communal pool. On site: mountain biking. Click for details... Last Minute Discounts, Long Stay Discounts Available Location for rental: All Countries / Italy / Umbria / Lake Trasimeno Holiday apartment in Sicily, Italy Self-Catering-Accommodation PAPERA (Ref: 6756) self-catering apartment in Sciacca, Italy Price Range: £217 to £370 (GBP) Sleeps: 2 No of Reviews: (3) Our estate is situated in a rural and very peaceful idyll of about 30.000 square meters in the middle of a wood of olive-trees. ...more Pets allowed. On site: mountain biking. Less than 15 mins to: beach, sailing, fishing. Click for details... Long Stay Discounts Available Location for rental: All Countries / Italy / Sicily / Agrigento Apartment holiday rentals in Venice & NE Italy, Italy 5, Le Begonville (Ref: 10918) self-catering apartment in Gardone Riviera, Italy Price Range: £325 to £745 (GBP) Sleeps: 6 No of Reviews: (4) Gorgeous residential complex set in the hills above Gardone Riviera, with breathtaking views over Lake Garda and large shared swimming pool. ...more Communal pool. Less than 15 mins to: beach, golf, horse riding, sailing, climbing, mountain biking, fishing. Click for details... No Discounts Available Location for rental: All Countries / Italy / Venice & NE Italy / Lake Garda Rental apartment in Sicily, Italy Self-Catering-Accommodation Gufo (Ref: 6862) self-catering apartment in Sciacca, Italy Price Range: £290 to £430 (GBP) Sleeps: 4 No of Reviews: (2) Our estate is situated in a rural and very peaceful idyll of about 30.000 square meters in the middle of a wood of olive-trees. ...more Pets allowed. On site: mountain biking. Less than 15 mins to: beach, sailing, fishing. Click for details... Long Stay Discounts Available Location for rental: All Countries / Italy / Sicily / Agrigento Room/studio holiday accomodation in Sicily, Italy Aretusa Vacenze - apartment in the cit (Ref: 6229) self-catering room/studio in Siracusa, Italy Price Range: E539 to E540.2 (EUR) Sleeps: 2 No of Reviews: (2) Studios in the city centre of Syracuse, with en-suite bathrooms, linens, TV, equipped kitchenettes, refrigerators and air conditioning. ...more On site: beach, fishing. Less than 15 mins to: horse riding. Click for details... No Discounts Available Location for rental: All Countries / Italy / Sicily / Syracusae Holiday apartment in Venice & NE Italy, Italy 2, Le Begonville (Ref: 13116) self-catering apartment in Gardone Riviera, Italy Price Range: £355 to £745 (GBP) Sleeps: 6 No of Reviews: (1) Gorgeous residential complex set in the hills above Gardone Riviera, with breathtaking views over Lake Garda and large shared swimming pool. ...more Communal pool. Less than 15 mins to: beach, golf, horse riding, sailing, climbing, mountain biking, fishing. Click for details... No Discounts Available Location for rental: All Countries / Italy / Venice & NE Italy / Lake Garda Apartment to rent in Sicily, Italy Self-Catering-Accommodation DELFINO (Ref: 6863) self-catering apartment in Sciacca, Italy Price Range: £250 to £410 (GBP) Sleeps: 3 No of Reviews: (1) Our estate is situated in a rural and very peaceful idyll of about 30.000 square meters in the middle of a wood of olive-trees. ...more Pets allowed. On site: mountain biking. Less than 15 mins to: beach, sailing, fishing. Click for details... Long Stay Discounts Available Location for rental: All Countries / Italy / Sicily / Agrigento Apartment rent in Venice & NE Italy, Italy Pompeo Molmenti (Ref: 15114) self-catering apartment in Moniga del Garda, Italy Price Range: £645 to £1495 (GBP) Sleeps: 8 No of Reviews: (0) Not Yet Rated 3 bedroom, 2 bathroom apartment in an exclusive complex in the heart of the pretty lakeside town of Moniga del Garda. ...more Communal pool, wheelchair friendly. On site: mountain biking. Less than 15 mins to: beach, golf, horse riding, sailing, climbing, fishing. Click for details... No Discounts Available Location for rental: All Countries / Italy / Venice & NE Italy / Lake Garda Holiday villa in Italy Villetta Mimma Vittoria (Ref: 1376) self-catering villa in Gioia Tauro, Italy Price Range: $850 to $2560 (USD) Sleeps: 6 No of Reviews: (11) The ideal touring base on Calabria’s Costa Viola. Villetta Mimma Vittoria - blissful villa rental in the Mediterranean."Handicap Accessible" ...more Wheelchair friendly. Less than 15 mins to: beach, horse riding, sailing, fishing. Click for details... No Discounts Available Location for rental: All Countries / Italy / Southern Italy / Calabria Page: 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 , 11 , 12 , 13 , 14 , 15 , 16 , 17 , 18 , 19 , 20 , 21 , 22 , 23 , 24 , 25 , 26 , 27 , 28 , 29 , 30 , 31 , 32 , 33 , 34 , 35 , 36 , 37 , 38 , 39 , 40 , 41 , 42 , 43 , 44 , 45 , 46 , 47 , 48 , 49 , 50 , 51 , 52 , 53 , 54 , 55 , 56 , 57 , 58 , 59 , 60 , 61 , 62 , 63 , 64 , 65 , 66 , 67 , 68 , 69 , 70 , 71 , 72 , 73 , 74 , 75 , 76 , 77 , 78 , 79 , 80 , 81 , 82 , 83 , 84 , 85 View rental properties in: All Countries , Italy . Click here for a destination guide to Italy . back to top Can't find what you want? Click here to let us find it for you! Conditions Of Website Use | Privacy Statement © myvillarenters. com 2005 New Listing - This property has recently been added to our website. Click for more information... Recommended - This property has at least one good review. Click for more information... Highly Recommended - This property has several good reviews. Click for more information... Best Buy - This property has many excellent reviews. Click for more information... The Villarenters Index evaluates the activity of the owner/manager. Essentially the more bookings that we process for the property, the more confidently we can recommend a property, plus, the more likely the calendar will be up-to-date and accurate. Click for more information... Instant Confirmation - This property can be booked instantly and therefore the availability is completely accurate. If your booking is last minute this is ideal. The property is yours if you want it! Click for more information...
Las Vegas real estate
Real estate investors cast watchful eye on Las Vegas' high stakes housing game SFGate Home Business Sports Entertainment Travel Jobs Real Estate Autos SFGate News Web by Real estate investors cast watchful eye on Las Vegas' high stakes housing game Kelly Zito, Chronicle Staff Writer Monday, March 7, 2005 now part of stylesheet -- More... Printable Version Email This Article Las Vegas' lucky number last year was 52 -- as in 52 percent. That's how much real estate prices jumped in the nation's fastest-growing city in one year, as a housing shortage set off a wave of speculation by investors from California and other states. But as any gambler knows, Lady Luck eventually turns a cold shoulder. Las Vegans wanted to cash in, too, and so many put their houses up for sale that they flooded the market. By the end of the year, some homebuilders were slashing prices. For investors from states like California where prices seem to move in only one direction -- up -- it was a stark example of a deflating bubble. "When you lose money in real estate, you really feel it,'' said Igor Doncov, a software engineer in Half Moon Bay who bought two new houses in Las Vegas early in 2004 but sold them at a loss after his builder, Pulte Homes, cut prices on its new models by $180,000. "I thought I couldn't lose," he said in a telephone interview. "But it turned into a total disaster." Housing analysts don't think Las Vegas' slowdown is a sign that prices will soften soon in other fast-appreciating regions. But they say it is a warning of what could happen in the Bay Area as interest rates go up -- particularly for people trying to "flip" houses for a quick profit. "Everyone is watching Las Vegas with its price appreciation and flipping," said John Karevoll, an analyst at DataQuick, the La Jolla real estate research firm. "If something weird happens, it'll happen there first." For years, Las Vegas real estate was cheap. Myrna Kingham, president of the Greater Las Vegas Association of Realtors, remembers not-so-distant days of driving around in a pickup wearing high heels and showing clients dusty 5-acre parcels listed for $20,000. But as the population of Las Vegas and surrounding Clark County grew 81 percent in the 1990s, adding 621,160 people, housing prices caught up, matching the national median of $145,000 in 2001. Then last year, the market caught fire, boosted by healthy job gains, a growing stream of retirees, Californians drawn to lower home prices and an influx of investor money. Builders, faced with a shortage of workers, had trouble keeping up. Add rock-bottom interest rates, and the scene resembled the go-go days of the Bay Area's tech boom. Hundreds of would-be buyers descended on open houses, and home prices seemed to increase as quickly as the progressive jackpots in the slot machines on the Strip. Record appreciation In the spring of 2004, the median price for a single-family house was $269,000, 52 percent higher than the year before -- a national record for appreciation, according to the National Association of Realtors. "The market was hotter than blazes," Kingham said. "People were looking for affordability -- they wanted a nice home in an area with nice weather that they could buy for $200,000." Californians, who pay some of the highest home prices in the nation, took notice. Golden State residents have snapped up nearly 27,000 Las Vegas properties since 2000, according to DataQuick. In 2004 alone, California residents bought 11,600 homes -- 12 percent of the transactions in Clark County for the year. Bay Area residents bought nearly 7,800 Las Vegas properties over the past five years. In the second quarter of 2004 alone, the number who bought Las Vegas property doubled from the same quarter the year before, to more than 800,surpassing investment in Sacramento, the Tahoe region and Palm Springs for the seventh straight quarter. But in less time than it takes to build a single house, the market changed. Egged on by the stratospheric prices their neighbors were asking -- and getting -- homeowners in Las Vegas flooded the market with "for sale" signs. The number of existing houses posted for sale on the Multiple Listing Service ballooned from about 1,400 in February to more than 16,000 by October. Among them were never-lived-in homes offered by investors who had bought them only months before from national homebuilders -- who were selling their own brand-new houses literally across the street. In early fall one of those builders, Pulte Homes, took the extraordinary step of slashing prices by $25,000 to $180,000 on more than 20 of its Las Vegas-area developments. The move sent shock waves through the Las Vegas building industry and angered investors like Igor Doncov. Doncov, a 57-year-old engineer who was a victim of the technology flame-out, was one of thousands of investors who hoped to turn a quick profit by buying and selling Las Vegas property within a few months. Early last year he bought two new houses from Pulte Homes for $515,000 each. By the end of the summer, he said, the houses were worth well over $600,000, based on Pulte's prices for the same models. Then Pulte cut the price by about $180,000. Doncov sold the two properties in December and January for $480,000 and $490,000; after closing costs and sales fees, he estimates he lost $100,000. He is working with a lawyer to try to recoup the losses from Pulte, on the grounds Pulte misled investors by systematically raising new home prices, then abruptly lowering them. Many people in Las Vegas shrug at tales like Doncov's, saying any plan to get rich quick is fraught with risk. "There are people who come here and lose all kinds of money on the card table," said Keith Schwer, an economist at the University of Nevada at Las Vegas. By December, it was clear the peak of the frenzy had passed. Residential building permits that month were 34 percent below the previous December's, as measured by the Center for Business and Economic Research, which Schwer directs. And 15 percent fewer people were moving to Las Vegas -- some undoubtedly spooked by the region's steep jump in home prices. Pulte officials would not comment on the price reductions. In the wake of Pulte's move, other builders also cut prices but made no formal announcements. KB Home, the region's largest home builder, didn't cut prices but did tighten its policies on sales to investors. Contracts now stipulate, that, barring the loss of a job or other major problem, those who resell their properties within a year have to give KB Home the profit. Despite the builders' moves, Schwer and other experts say the Las Vegas market remains healthy. In recent months, they say, the number of homes for sale has declined and homes are selling faster. In January, however, there were still 13,800 homes for sale. Though the median price for a new home climbed 6 percent to $307,500, the median for an existing home -- $251,000 - was up only one half of one percent from a year before, according to Schwer. Over the long term, the area's job growth -- including a new 8,000-employee casino opening in April -- warm climate, entertainment options and well-equipped airport will continue to draw buyers, Schwer said. On a Friday morning in February, Bill Jeffers, who owns Valley Furniture in Livermore, toured a $731,000 home in a subdivision called Inverness. By buying a home in Las Vegas, Jeffers, who has lived on Maui for several years, will shorten his twice-monthly commute to the store and put his grandchildren into strong school systems. "I tried to get in last year, but there were just too many other buyers," said Jeffers, a Livermore native. Some making profits And some investors who bought wisely are making profits. Stephanie Wedge, a San Jose real estate agent who also brokers property in Las Vegas, bought a house for $625,000 last May. She put the 5-year-old home on the market on Feb. 23 for $775,000, and she expected to get an offer the following week. "That's a really good turnaround," said Wedge, who also has reserved a condo in a yet-to-be built high-rise. "I think it depends on where the property is -- and this is in a gated, country club community." The continued pace of construction serves as an outward sign of the region's confidence. On a stretch of freeway south of the Strip, a sign reads "KB Home, Next 5 Exits." Adding more houses to a market already flush with them would seem to only exacerbate any stagnation in the market. But Dennis Smith, president of Las Vegas' Homebuilders Research Inc. pointed out the vast majority of new homes are presold. The market "is still in correction mode because of the high inventory in the resale segment,'' he said. "It will probably take at least six months for that to end." So, will what happened in Vegas, stay in Vegas? Schwer doubts Las Vegas' deceleration will bleed into the Golden State -- or any other state -- in part because Las Vegas growth rates were so far above the norm. Others say the arc of Las Vegas' recent experience may contain a hint of the Bay Area's future. While the nine-county region saw much lower price appreciation last year than Las Vegas -- an increase of about 17 percent -- Ed Leamer, a UCLA economist, contends that both regions are enveloped in a speculative frenzy. In Las Vegas, an oversupply of homes relative to demand may spell price declines. Back in the Bay Area, Leamer thinks rising interest rates will take some of the air out of the market as fewer people qualify to buy expensive properties -- though any correction would be far less dramatic than Las Vegas'. "Because the market has cracked in Las Vegas doesn't mean it's imminent in other areas," Leamer said. "But it gives you a sense of what may happen in these areas in the face of rising interest rates." E-mail Kelly Zito at kzito@sfchronicle.com . Page A - 1 Get up to 50% off home delivery of the Chronicle for 12 weeks! MARKETING Compelling writer? Action 36 Cable 6 (KICU-TV) MECHANIC SF tugboat co POKER Expert poker player needed REAL ESTATE Sales *FREE TRAINING! Prudential CA Realty SALES Can you sell the President? IPA SALES Benefit package AGI Publishing SALES $125K PLUS In-Home Kitchen Kitchenworks, Inc. 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