Home4Sale

The huge backyard

If I may be a little less than humble and state that I think I have a lot of nice features for a home. My owners paid for a lot of upgrades and the Harvard model itself is the largest and nicest of all the Del Webb homes in Anthem Coventry. With a jacuzzi tub and marble tile in the master bath, double ovens in the kitchen, pergo flooring downstairs, a beautiful children's mural in the front bedroom, and more -- there is a lot to choose from for my best feature. But I think what is really going to sell me is my lot size.

Here's a the lot map that was provided by Del Webb when my home owners bought me. The lot itself is .62 acres. It's about 225 feet across the back wall and 280 feet from the back corner to the curb. The side yards in my back are each the size of the typical Las Vegas back yard for any home that was build since 1999. It's impossible to find a new home with a yard approaching this unless you're willing to build a custom home. And I don't know if you've looked at the prices for custom homes in Las Vegas, but they're up there.

There's plenty of room in my backyard to build a pool, a basketball and tennis court, a guest/pool house, a lawn area, and a entertainment patio/barbeque complex. Even after all that you'll still have the side yards to put something in (my current home over was thinking about a chip and putt practice green). You might think about Xeri-scaping (water smart land use) part of the back yard and even consider putting artificial turf in the back yard. No I'm not talking about that old green rug stuff, today's artificial turf is designed to closely resemble the real stuff with different varieties to choose from. You can also lay artificial turf over foam to make a safe, but cool, child's play area.

I hope you'll print out the picture I've provided and play around with your ideas for the lot. I know I've had a lot of fun doing just that.

Open House

I hosted an open house today. Met a lot of nice people and a few that I think are potential buyers. It's tough being the house and having strangers walk through you. They're very critical, look at the landscaping, look at the floor, etc. But I guess they should be expected to be critical. After all they're trying to decide if I'm their next home. I thought I'd take the time and answer some of the questions that I hear being asked around the house. What better forum than here.

1) How far is it to _______? There are a lot of variations of this question. I've included the map link below to help you get a better idea. But here are a few of the major points. Nearest park - 3 blocks or about 2 minutes. Nearest Supermarket - 6 blooks or about 3 minutes (4 if you hit the red light). Nearest school - A middle school is being built in the park that is 3 blocks away. The elementary school is just down the hill from that (about 6 minutes drive time). The high school is about 7 minutes away drive time. Many kids walk to both from this area, but a bus does come buy and pick up the children. We're about 20 minutes away from the strip, but a nice local's casino (Green Valley Ranch) is about 12 minutes away. Green Valley Ranch is also the closest hotel. But a new hotel is supposed to be going up just about 5 minutes away on Eastern. The airport is 20 minutes away to pick up or drop off. The drive to Disneyland is 3 and a half hours if you're lucky enough to miss all the traffic and don't mind going about 75-80 mph most of the way.

2) How are the schools here? There are no school age children in the house, but the cul-de-sac has at least 6 of them. Most attend the elementary school and moved here partially because of that school. The other parents talk highly of the teachers there and parent involvement in the school is very important.

3) Why isn't the backyard landscaped? The short answer is that my owners were hit doubly hard by 9/11 and then a drunk driver. So money was a little tight for a long time. But since they decided to put the house up on the market, everyone told them to just leave it a blank slate for the next home owner to draw on. No sense in planting anything or laying paths and rocks if the next home owner has a different vision for the back yard.

I hope that answers some of your questions about me. If you have any other feel free to drop me an email, just use the link to the left so it cuts down on spam, or leave a comment below.

ChasingMarquee

ChasingDaisy asked to read more of the story concerning the Disneyland Marquee and how it ended up in my sideyard. It's a long story, and I can't tell you parts of it because my owners signed a non-disclosure agreement. But here's what I can tell you:

On June 14th, 1999 Disneyland dismantled the Disneyland Marquee. This was the second marquee in the park's history. Parts of the first one are owned by a collector, however at last glance it is just sitting in his backyard getting progressivly rusted out. The second one was put up for bid by Disneyland in two parts. The first part being the Large Disneyland letters. They were bid on and won by John Stamos for a sum of around $30,000. My home owners have spoken with him regarding his plans for the Letters. At the time they were being stored in his barn on his Malibu Property. Now that he's divorced his lovely wife, I don't know what has happened to the letters). The second part was the gold castle that sat at the top of the marquee.

In May 2000, The Castle was auctioned in a closed bid auction to celebrate the anniversary of the remodeled Disneyana Store on Main Street USA at Disneyland. Here's where it gets interesting. The sales material for the castle marquee auction mentioned that the Castle was a one of a kind piece. When Disneyland Cast Members in charge of the auction were questioned about the other side of the marquee and the second castle, they claimed it was either damaged or destroyed and would never come on the market. They said that the current castle up for auction was indeed a one of a kind and would have a certificate of authenticity stating such (which it did).

So my home owner happily bid on and won the Disneyland Marquee Castle thinking it was a one of a kind museum quality piece. It sat in storage for a while, then was moved up to my side yard (the photos you see in the gallery), when my owners moved in in March 2001. The plan was to install the piece in my front room that has vaulted ceilings high enough to house the castle.

When in 2003 Disney Auctions issued a press release stating they were going to auction the Disneyland Marquee, you can imagine my home owners confusion. They contacted Disney and asked about the auction, and the answers did not make them any happier. The item, which turned out to be the second side of the castle, went up for auction on Ebay Disney Auctions and closed at an amount significantly lower than the winning bid for the first auction.

Confused, and a little upset, my home owners contacted the people at Disney and asked what could be done to fix the problem. Unfortunately this is the part we really can't talk about because of the NDA. But suffice it to say that Disneyland settled with my owners and sent someone to pick the sign back up. Thus ended a curious saga in the life of the Disneyland Marquee and my short lived claim to fame as the house that once held it.

Here's the closer, and it's a real kicker: a few months later Ebay Disney Auctions put the Disneyland Castle Marquee that had rested in my sideyard for many months back on ebay. It sold for $508.

-- 2001 story regarding Disney Auctions messing up another collectible, this time a Ford Thunderbird convertible movie car.

Why move to Las Vegas?

Why move to Las Vegas? Well for one it's got a growing economy.

"Job creation is also rising, state data showed. Nevada created 8,200 jobs in May, the Department of Employment, Training and Rehabilitation said June 19. In the past year, 47,600 new jobs have been added to the state's work force, which is growing at a 4.4 percent annual rate, compared with 1 percent nationally." ( LVRJ July 6th 2004 )

The rest of this article talks about how Las Vegas is now the number one community for issuing new building permits. But not everbody wants a new home, I hope. Plus, if I may toot my own horn for a moment, you're not going to able to find a new home with a land lot my size unless you plan to buy a custom home.

News you can use

Las Vegas is a two Newspaper town. There's the Las Vegas Review Journal (the locals call it the RJ) and The Sun. The RJ publishes in the morning and The Sun arrives in the afternoon. On Sunday they combine to form one morning paper. You can subscribe to the RJ for a weekly cost of less than the Sunday paper (a hefty $2.50). Both papers rely heavily on the national news services for news outside the Vegas Valley, and, as you would expect, do an admiral job reporting the Sports News.

The Las Vegas Weekly, the Las Vegas Mercury, and City Life all provide an alternate take on the news and latest happenings in the city, but on a weekly schedule. All art part of larger chains of alternate publications that might have a sister publication where you live.

The Las Vegas Business Press does a good job providing the pulse of the city's economy. There's also the Henderson Home News which provides a targeted look at the city of Henderson.

I'll post a review of the local TV scene soon. But as a preview if you like Bow-tie wearing weathermen then you'll love the Las Vegas newscaster scene.

I'm on the Map

I'm busy dusting and mopping myself to make myself all pretty for any of you potential buyers who want to stop by and get a closer look. But in the meantime, here's a link to the Yahoo Maps page of my neighborhood. You'll see there is lots of great golfing nearby, plenty of shopping and dining, and we're close (but not too close) to the major freeways and surface streets.

Map of Anthem Pkwy At Reunion Dr
Henderson, NV 89009

I've opened comments on this post in case you want to ask me anything specific about the area.

Culture

People say Las Vegas doesn't have any culture. But that's not true. Here are just a few of the places that sing out 'Viva Las Vegas' every night and day.

Elvis-A-Rama Museum - It wouldn't be Vegas without Elvis, right? So it makes sense that the world's largest public collection of Elvis memorabilia and collectibles is right here in the new city of lights. Take the tour then stay for the Elvis impersonator, I'm sorry, Elvis tribute artist.

Hofbräuhaus Las Vegas - An replica of the famous German Beer Hall. You can't get any more cultural than that.

Liberace Museum - Perhaps the most famous of all the Las Vegas Museums and a must stop on the tour. You'll be blinded by all the amazing costumes, the rhinestone piano and car, and swept away by the music. I promise.

Of course if those great destinations don't do it for you there is always the Natural History Museum, The Lied Children's Discovery Museum, or the many fine art museums on the strip. But that's a topic for another day.

Fine Dining and More

My current owners love cooking in my kitchen. The wife bakes, the husband cooks, and together they fill the house with wonderful smells most nights of the week, and especially on the holidays. But every so often they just want to get out and enjoy the fine cooking of someone else. Judging by the smell of the doggie bags they bring back, these are some of their favorites.

Carrabba's Italian Grill - If you've ever seen those two brothers Johnny and Damian who have the 'Cucina Amore' italian cooking show on PBS, then you have no doubt wanted to taste some of their marvelous food. Carrabba's is the restaurant they started to share their passion for cooking with the world. Yes, it was bought by Outback, but they took the best parts of the Outback chain, the great service, good prices, and large portions, and kept the amazing flavors of the italian dishes the Carrabba's brothers dished up. This restaurant is just 5 minutes away from me and is a sure bet to bring guests to. My owners are very happy there are Carrabba's in the town they're moving to.

Black Mountain Grill - Just a little ways down the hill is another great resturant that is run by someone who loves food and loves shareing it with guests. Part of a larger group of resturants (so they can offer lower prices by saving on orders), this is the showcase restaurant where the best chefs work. The menu is constantly shifting, but that's a good thing as you'll find old favorites and new wonders on each visit. BMG also has a wonderful bar area where you can plunk down a few quarters in the slots, or just kick back in a leather recliner and enjoy an after dinner drink. If you like wine, BMG keeps a large selection of some great ones.

The Hawaiian Plantation House - A truely unique dining experience where you can find the magic and wonder of the Hawaiian islands right down the street. Once you step inside you're swept away by the spices and the friendly 'ohana' service of this great restaurant. The prices are on the upper end of the family restaurant scale, but for that price you'll receive some amazing dishes.

Green Valley Ranch Resort and Casino - The flagship resort of the Station Casino's collection of Local Casinos. This is the 'Bellagio' of locals casinos with decor, diversions, and dining to match. The Feast Buffet hosts some of the best meals every day, and really kicks it up a notch for holidays. Grazing here for hours is one of the best parts about having a spectacular local's casino so close. Also located at GVR is 'The Original Pancake House'. When my homeowner grew up in Portland, Oregon he spent many a fine sunday morning at the original OPH loving every minute of the wait knowing that an amazing breakfast was being prepared for him. That same great food has been brought to Las Vegas and the GVR. The OPH is the place to go for breakfast when guests are in town. Don't miss the Dutch Baby/German Pancakes.

The District at Green Valley Ranch - Finally, right next door to GVR is a brand new area called 'The District'. There's plenty to do here from shopping and dining, to listening to the open air concerts. Also a perfect place to dine prior to an evening of entertainment at Henderson's wonderful outdoor (but covered) concert hall, The Pavillion at Liberty Pointe.

There are many more excellent dining experiences nearby, I hope to get time to share them all with you. But with the market these days you never know.

A Dr Seuss Adventure

Today is my chance to tell you about the room that excites me the most. It's the children's room located on the second floor at the front of the house. You can see pictures of it here and here. My homeowner's wife did this amazing 360 degree mural. It features many characters from the Dr Seuss stories, including The Cat in the Hat, Sneeches, Horton the elephant, Sam from Green Eggs and Ham, and more. The trees are Tuffula trees from the "The Lorax". The Lorax himself even makes an appearance himself standing on a tree stump right next to the closet. Speaking of the closet, inside there is a Wha'sit. The beautiful blue sky features fluffy white clouds and Seussian birds soaring around the room. If you look close you may even see a cloud formed as a homage to the home owner's favorite character, Mickey Mouse! A perfect room to use as a playroom, guest room, or children's room.

Around the Neighborhood

Part of the reason behind this blog is to tell you why I like living in this neighborhood. Today it's about the parks.

I'm just 3 blocks from one of Henderson's newest and nicest parks, Anthem Hills Park. So far there have been big events there every few months or so. Whether it's del webb sponsoring a party, the city hosting a holiday celebration, or some local sporting events, you can find something to do there. The park features a large playground, baseball diamonds, soccer fields, an outdoor hockey rink, a skatepark, and for family outings there are picnic areas with barbeque pits!

Henderson Parks and Rec also has a great Multi-generational center just a few minutes away that's perfect for hosting events, playing a game of pickup basketball, working out at the gym, or going for a swim in the community pool.

While you're at the City of Henderson site, check out some of the other exciting stuff that happens around town.