One of the best things about living in Reno is the accessibility of good food.  Besides the hundreds of Reno restaurants that serve mouth-watering masterpieces every day, the Reno area is host to several cooking competitions throughout the year.  One of these finger-licking good contests is the Best of the West Rib Cook-Off near Reno that takes place August 29th through September 3rd. Every Labor Day weekend, Victoria Square in Sparks hosts the Best of the West Nugget Rib Cook-Off, the biggest competition of its kind in the entire country.  Twenty-four competitors vie for title of Best of the West.  In addition to the rib contest, Reno area residents are invited to shop the arts and crafts booths, purchase food from any of the concessions stands open during the event and listen to free ... 08/06/2012

Financing Information you need to help you buy a home in Reno, Sparks or Fernley. Brought to you by Sandra Mathewson, A RE/MAX premier agent! The annual percentage rate (APR) is an interest rate that is different from the mortgage note rate. It is commonly used to compare loan programs from different lenders. The Federal Truth in Lending Law requires mortgage companies to disclose the APR when they advertise the rate. The APR does NOT affect your monthly payments. Your monthly payments are a function of the interest rate and the length of the loan. The APR is a very confusing number! Even mortgage bankers and brokers admit it is confusing. The APR is designed to measure the "true cost of a loan". It creates a level playing field for the lenders. It prevents lenders from advertising low ... 07/21/2012

Reno/Sparks Homes and Real Estate Report, Your Guide to Buying or Selling a Home! Reno/Sparks Median Sales Price June 2012 median price was up 3% to $170,000 compared to $165,000 in May 2012 and up 10.4% from June 2011. Median price is defined as the mid-point, where, for the time period identified, the price for one-half of the sales are higher and one-half are lower. Reno/Sparks Number of Homes Sold June ended the month with 492 sold homes, down 5.2% from the prior month and down 8.6% from the same period last year. Reno/Sparks Average Days on Market The average days on market are 145 days. Reno/Sparks New Listings 641 new listings were taken in June compared to 606 in May, a 5.8% increase and a 16.9% decrease from June 2011. Properties listed at under $250,000 made up the 68% of new ... 07/13/2012

Every Wednesday evening, from July 11 to August 29, the free concerts are offered at 6:30 p.m at Lazy 5 Regional Park. Kicking off the series this year is The Critical Mass Band on July 11. The concerts include a free hamburger or hot dog provided by Summit Christian Church, which has paid more than $2,000 to sponsor the series each summer for the past few years. There will be weekly raffle prizes provided by Club Cal Neva Silver Legacy, Bobos Ski-Board, Vista Grill and Western Nevada Supply. The raffle funds will support parks programs. Other sponsors are Spanish Springs Pack N Post, Laurie Brazier of State Farm Insurance and Simply Thai. The Lazy 5 park is conveniently located for Spanish Springs residents but certainly accessible for anyone in the Sparks area or Reno that would like... 07/10/2012

Before you decide to purchase property or lease out your existing property within the City of Sparks, be aware that you may be required to obtain a City of Sparks Business License. SMC 5.04.020, “Business” means and includes all professions, trades, occupations and callings of every kind carried on for profit, including labor unions, labor organizations and trade unions, but excepting activities conducted as a hobby or for the purpose of supplementing a person’s major income and which gross receipts do not exceed one thousand dollars per year. “Business” includes the renting or leasing of any commercial or industrial property or more than ten separate residential units or four or more residential units under one roof in the City.Source of Information: City of SparksShould you have any q... 07/09/2012

  Nevada Humane Society's "Walk for Animals" Saturday, June, 2, 2012 at the Sparks Marina Park,  You can help homeless dogs and cats and have a great time! Registration 8 a.m to Noon    Festivities 9 am to 1 pm. The animals really need your help!  In 2011, 9,340 dogs, cats and other animals found great new homes through Nevada Humane Society.  In fact, over 10,000 homeless dogs and cats are counting on us to provide lifesaving care and to find great new homes for them this year. More information for walkers: The scenic two-mile walk route is on a paved path surrounding the 77 acre lake at Sparks Marina. The walk is rain or shine, so please dress for the weather. Your canine friends and other pets who would safely be able to do the walk with you are welcome. Dogs must be leased at all t... 05/30/2012

The Information You Need to Buy or Sell a Home in Reno/Sparks Nevada April 2012 sales are the fourth highest in the history of the MLS and were only exceeded by the boom years in 2004 and 2005 as well as April 2010, which was influenced by the first time homebuyers tax credit. Reno/Sparks Homes Median Sales Price April 2012 median price was up 1.7% to $152,500 compared to $149,000 in March 2012 and down 2.3% from the April 2011. Median price is defined as the mid-point, where, for the time period identified, the price for one-half of the sales are higher and one-half are lower. Median Price by Special Conditions Median price on properties with no special conditions are up 8% from the prior year and up 9.2% from the prior month. Median price on REO (Bank Owned) properties are down 10% f... 05/10/2012

Reno/Sparks Homes and Real Estate Report, All the information you need!                          March 2012 sales are the second highest in the history of the MLS and were exceeded by the boom year in 2005. Although the volume of bank owned listings has declined, they have been replaced by traditional or equity sellers in the market. This trend may be caused by investors who are seeing Reno/Sparks entering a seller's market and see this as an opportune time to sell. Reno/Sparks Median Home Sales Price March 2012 median home price was up 3.4% to $149,950 compared to $145,000 in February 2012 and down 6.3% from the March 2011. Median price is defined as the mid-point, where, for the time period identified, the price for one-half of the sales are higher and one-half are lower. Reno/Sparks... 05/03/2012

A Reed High School student is currently competing for $30,000 in cash prices as part of the "Art of Dairy" contest. The seventh annual Lucerne "The Art Of Dairy" contest is now underway! By voting you could help make this local student's cow design "Legen-Dairy!" The theme for this years contest was Red, White & Moo! Student artists from across the country were challenged to illustrate what American ingenuity means to them by incorporating Lucerne Dairy produces into their Artwork.  Anne Mueller is a Junior  at Reed High School in Sparks, NV.  and designed her cow with great American Heroes in mind.  Thousands of entries were sent to Lucerne where nine finalists were chosen. Each student artist had to transfer his or her artwork onto a life-sized fiberglass cow. They are competing for t... 04/20/2012

Homes is Sparks, Nevada are in demand and hard to find! You can't believe my buyer's face when we walked into this charming home. Everything he wanted in a home and more......1333 square feet, 3 bedrooms, 2 bath, brand new carpet and paint and granite countertops. Not just fully landcaped, but beautifully landscaped with a covered, private patio. It didn't take but a few minutes for Clayton to tell me he wanted this home. Clayton and I had been looking at homes for over a week. Everything we found in his price range, was a structural disaster or in need of too much interior work (cleanliness). From the begining, Clayton's friends had told him it would take months to find a home and be able to move into his first home. When I work with a client, I have my methods of finding new listings ... 04/16/2012

Reno/Sparks Homes and Real Estate Information for Veterans If you are a Veteran and thinking of purchasing a home it is important to be pre-approved through a lender that has a good track record of closing VA loans. A VA loan is a mortgage loan guaranteed by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), and helps eligible veterans purchase properties by supplying them with home financing. A VA loan is backed by the federal government, making it one of the only loans that requires no downpayment. Additionally, banks do not require private mortgage insurance on VA loans, so monthly payments are significantly lower. The qualification standards for a VA loan are very different. Because they are government backed, the bank assumes less of a risk and as long as military status is verified, t... 04/12/2012

For the Second Consecutive year, February had the highest volume of Home Sales for a Month of February in the History of the MLS! Reno/Sparks Median Home Sales Price February 2012 median price was up 7.4% to $145,000 compared to $135,000 in January 2012 and down 9.9% from February 2011. Median price is defined as the mid-point, where, for the time period identified, the price for one-half of the sales are higher and one-half are lower. Reno/Sparks Price Per Square Foot Solds Price per square foot is at $85.93 Reno/Sparks Number of Homes Sold February ended the month wtith 453 sold transactions, up 1.6% from the prior month. Sales are up 17.1% from the same period last year. Reno/Sparks Average Days on Market (DOM) The average days on market are 132 days, down 9% from January 2012. Days... 04/01/2012

January 2012 homes sales was the highest January sales number in history! Reno/Sparks Homes Median Sales Price January 2012 median price was down 12.9% to $135,000 compared to $155,000 in December 2011 and down 14% from the January 2011 Median price is defined as the mid-point, where, for the time period identified, the price for one-half of the sales are higher and one-half are lower. Reno/Sparks Price per Square Foot Solds Price per square foot is at $84.86. Reno/Sparks Number of Homes Sold January ended the month with 436 sold transactions, down 17.1% from the prior month. Sales are up 19.5% from the same period last year. January reported home sales are the highest in history. January 2012 sales are up 15% from January 2004 homes sales which was the second highest reported home sal... 03/31/2012

In a recent tragedy two teenagers died in an apartment fire in Reno. The Fire Department stated that the smoke detector didn’t contain a working battery. Death from fire can be prevented and a working smoke detector is essential to the safety of the people inside. Fire spreads fast and the smoke detector can provide notice before it’s too late. Almost two-thirds of home fire deaths in 2005-2009 were in homes with no smoke detectors or no working smoke detectors. About 25% of the smoke detectors that fail to work have dead batteries. http://www.rgj.com/article/20120305/NEWS/120305014/Officials-Two-children-last-week-s-Reno-apartment-fire-died During a Home Inspection I always check the accessible smoke detectors. I also comment in my report that the buyers should change the batteries and... 03/06/2012

I am so excited the Boys & Girls Club here in Northern Nevada is hosting a sporting goods drive this week. Many if us have school aged children involved in youth sports that seem to out grow their sports attire  rather quickly and we are left with relatively new, or gently used sports attire wondering what we should do with all of it.   This week we have a place to donate these items and know they will be dispersed to kids who will be happy to have them and who really need them. The Boys and Girls Club of Truckee Meadows is hosting a sporting goods drive this week. The Give Back Like Jack Food and Sporting Goods Drive is accepting nonperishable food items and sporting goods from noon to 6 p.m. today through Friday. Collected food items will be donated to the Food Bank of Northern Nevada... 03/06/2012

Looking for a home under $100,000 to buy in Sparks, Nevada? This HUD home could be for you! Sparks Nevada Real Estate Home For Sale: List price = $84,000 Single story home great for first time home buyers (home is eligible for FHA 203K), investors (this is a great neighborhood for renters & home buyers) and those who are downsizing.  This HUD home features 3 bedrooms and 2 full bathrooms with 1326 sq ft. The home has a converted 2 car garage not included in the sq ft that would make a great bonus room or bedroom as well as den-office built off the rear. The kitchen is spacious with electric range, microwave, dishwasher and large pantry as well as a glass door to a spacious covered deck in the rear yard. If you are looking for a single family home in a wonderful Sparks, NV neighborhood t... 03/02/2012

Sparks Nevada Real Estate ~ A new Ferrari-Lund home for sale at Vista Terrace in Sparks ~ Regular Sale Listed with Ferrari-Lund at a great price of $289,000! Features include: Four Bedrooms 2.5 Bathrooms Three Car Garage RV Parking/Access 3700+/- square feet Cul-De-Sac  Game Room Laundry Room Pantry Tile/Carpet Flooring Gas Range / Double Ovens / Microwave Views of Canyon No rear neighbors School District: Washoe County Grade School: Beasley Junior High School: Mendive High School: Reed Vista Terrace is an established Sparks, NN PUD neighborhood that is close to public schools, parks, hiking and biking trails, the community center, shopping center, Golden Eagle Sports Complex and is approximately 30 minutes from Downtown Reno and the airport that makes commuting easy!! Vista Terrace is ... 02/28/2012

02/16/2012

The Washoe County School District, in collaboration with Northern Nevada's Hamilton Solar Company, recently installed a collective 1.5 megawatt solar power system at Reed High School and North Valleys High School. The system is designed as  covered parking car ports for student parking at each high school.  The estimated cost for the Reed project was $7 million. With no "Out-of-pocket" expenditures for the School District, the solar installation was entirely funded by rebates through NV Energ's Generation Program. The savings in electric costs from the two systems is estimated at $270,000 annually. The savings will go into the Washoe County School fund and should go back to the school for teachers, textbooks, supplies, etc. The public is invited and welcomed to join the Washoc County Sc... 02/01/2012

Summary December home sales at 524 are the highest home sales for a December in history. This number outpaces December 2010 sales by 8% and is up 6.1% from November. Year-end sales for 2011 were the second highest in the history of the MLS. We are optimistic that these are early and positive signs of a move toward recovery. Reno/Sparks Homes Median Sales Price December 2011 median price was up 3.9% to $155,400 compared to $149,506 in November 2011. For the past two months we have seen moderate increases in median sales price. It is too early to call it a trend, but it is positive to see the modest price increases after five months of bottoming. Median price is defined as the mid-point, where, for the time period identified, the price for one-half of the sales are higher and one-half ar... 01/29/2012