The Mesquite Nevada Real Estate Blog: April 2008

Mesquite Nevada is still a small town, a great place to retire or relocate!

You know those hectic days full of endless and thankless errands?  Too much to do and not enough time ?

One thing after the other, the list goes on and on and on…… 

I had one of those days today.

Too many chores and not enough time.

I was getting pretty darn edgy!  One more chore!

I pulled up to the drive-through window at Wells Fargo Bank,

Waited for an eternity (about 1 minute) for my turn to pull up.

And how did the teller greet me?

“Hi, Virginia, how are you today?”

And a beautiful big smile.

Mesquite NV Community Recreation Center offers activities and fitness for all ages.

Our state of the art Rec Center is a large and diverse facility that a city twice our size would be proud to have.  Fitness and sports activities are available and even an indoor climbing wall if you dare!

The Rec Center has an indoor heated pool with showers and lockers that is open 7 days a week.

It also has a huge outdoor pool with a wading pool and water slide for kids, young and old. The outdoor pool and lounge area is open in the summer months and is available to rent for private parties.

This modern Center has 2 full size gymnasiums, 2 raquetball courts, and basketball courts.

Also inside are meeting rooms, youth and adult gathering areas with pool tables, foosball, ping pong tables, climbing wall, fitness room, and an aerobics/dance room.

Dance, fitness, aerobics, cheerleading, swimming and many other classes are available to all with a discount to Rec Center members.  Daily, monthly and annual passes are available at a discount to any resident of Clark County.  Guest Passes for visitors and families are available at a nominal fee.

   Mesquite NV Recreation Center

100 West Old Mill Road
Mesquite, NV 89027
Phone: (702) 346-8732

visit Rec Center website 

NO, Really, it's Garage Town USA - What a great idea!  Looking for a second home?  How about a second garage? People ( by people I mean men - I had to say that! )  become really attached to their garage.  How many times have you found the 'perfect home', but the husband did not like the garage?

You could buy your own garage condominium for all of that extra stuff instead of renting a regular old storage unit by the month.  Build equity in a garage condo instead of just throwing away rent on that storage unit!

This would be a wonderful opportunity here in Mesquite NV.  Residential lots are small and pricey.  We have a lot of 3 car garages, but only a few are big enough to put an RV in.  CC&Rs are strict and most do not allow RV PARKING or boats in driveways or on the street.  (What a bunch of fuddie-duddies!)

The first garage condo community started out in Coeur d’ Alene, Idaho as an expanded storage facility for a new residential community with strict CC&Rs that did not allow oversized garages or street parking for recreational vehicles or boats.  This idea turned into Garage Town USA with 19 partnerships and franchises in 6 states.  (Why can’t I have good ideas like this?)

What a great little second home - add a few little homey touches and use it as a vacation getaway!

It would be perfect for car buffs as well.  You wouldn't want that restored '65 Mustang crammed in there next to the Minivan, would you?  How about Dad's baby - the speedboat with the $3000 paint job?  He really gets POed when the kids throw the soccer equipment and muddy shoes in the boat, so that Mom doesn't know they didn't put them away in those crowded storage cupboards!

The one in Coeur d’ Alene has a clubhouse and restrooms - owners pay a condominium fee for maintenance.  The clubhouse can be used for parties, poker tournaments, weekend football games - why mess up your own house with all those beer cans and pizza boxes?  You could give the church a little competition and have Bingo!

Some garage condo units in other areas have up to 2000 sq ft, with custom floors and sofa beds.  The price can be as high as $200K.  Owners get a deed for their own unit and pay their own taxes and utility bills.  This would be my husband’s dream home, a garage and a bathroom - let’s not tell him about this!

And if it qualifies as a second home, can you write off the mortgage interest?  According to IRS, a qualified home must have sleeping, cooking and toilet facilities.  So if a mobile home, house trailer or a boat qualifies, why not a garage condominium?  As long as there is a bathroom, sleeper sofa, and a mini-kitchen, would that be enough to qualify as a second home?  ( Ask your tax advisor before you consider the purchase of a garage condo, I am just guessing here! )

For more details and history of Garage Town USA read Tom Kelly's article at Inman News. 

Garage Town USA - Is it coming to a town near YOU ? 

The cactus in the desert surrounding Mesquite, Nv bloom in the Spring.  For just a few weeks in the spring we are treated to a colorful display as the desert cactus reveals it's colorful blooms.

The roadrunner is a desert survivor.  He adapts to the brutal heat by day and extreme cold at night.  When spring arrives in the desert, the roadrunner knows it is time to mate and raise his family while the desert is teeming with life, providing him with a bountiful food supply for his mate and their young. 

He hunts for food to offer morsels to a female to entice her to mate.  He dances around her while she begs for food.  After a short breeding session, he rewards her with the food. 

                                                                                                
The couple then collect the small sticks and brush to build their nest.  The female is the builder, constructing their nest in a small tree or cactus.

She will lay up to a dozen white eggs over a 3 day period.

Another generation of roadrunners will be born, to repeat their parents courtship when the desert cactus blooms a year later.

photos compliments of Rob Lenthe @ RoboTours

When I first got my real estate license in 1985 in Fairfield Ca, I scheduled 4 interviews for 1 day with the 4 brokers that I thought I might want to work for.

You know the old saying - Dress for the part you want to play!

So I went to the mall and bought the perfect Interview for a Real Estate Agent Dress, new not-too-high Real Estate Agent Heels, a small professional Real Estate Agent Purse, a new gold Real Estate Agent Pen, gold hoop Real Estate Agent Earrings, and a simple gold Real Estate Agent Necklace.

I had my long curly hair cut in a shoulder length layered Real Estate Agent Style.

I had my shiny new Real Estate Agent Briefcase with pens, pencils, paper, folders, breath fresheners, calculator, candy bars - all the things that would prove that I was a real estate agent ready to go to work.

Oh, yes, I carried the briefcase with me to the interviews - what professional real estate agent doesn’t carry a briefcase to be prepared at all times?

All 4 interviews went really well.  All 4 brokers were obviously impressed by my poise and potential - how could they not be ?  I knew I looked like a professional real estate agent.

I went home and set my Real Estate Agent Purse and my Real Estate Agent Briefcase on my dresser and decided to change clothes before dinner - I couldn’t risk spilling barbecue sauce on my new Real Estate Agent Dress.

As I stood before the mirror, I turned and looked again at the perfect real estate agent image just one more time.

The first thing I noticed was that I had forgotten to take the price tags off the Perfect Real Estate Agent Dress - they were all hanging down the back of my sleeve.

That red $19.99 sale tag really stood out!