Luxury Las Vegas Homes Available for Vacation Rentals

What is Top Destinations, LLC?

Top Destinations is a trendsetting, high-end property management and vacation rental company located in the entertainment capital of the world: Las Vegas, Nevada. Clients of Top Destinations receive the greatest quantity and highest quality of service that the industry has to offer. Our vacationing clients find themselves staying in some of the most lavish and elegant homes in Las Vegas.

Satisfying the needs of our vacationing clients is one of our primary concerns. While Top Destinations is focused on making the vacation experience one of the most pleasurable and memorable events in the lives of our guests, we are simultaneously concerned with meeting the unique needs and high expectations of the Las Vegas investor-homeowner.

To that end, the members of our friendly staff work closely with investor-homeowners to ensure they fully understand the vacation rental process. Our experienced staff inspects each prospective home to ensure the property meets our trendsetting standards of excellence. In this way, all of our vacationing clients are assured the same once-in-a-lifetime vacation experience.

Our investor-homeowner rests comfortably knowing their property will be well-taken care of by our vacationing clients; because, Top Destinations thoroughly screens its prospective guests. In the unlikely event that something is damaged, the vacationer agrees, in advance and in writing, to have their credit card immediately charged for the cost of any damage to the homeowner-investors’ property.

With the homeowner-investors’ approval, Top Destinations arranges for the maintenance of the property. Our staff inspects the interior and exterior of the property on a weekly basis when the property is vacant. Our bonded cleaning service routinely inspects and, when necessary, changes the air-conditioning filters. When the unit is vacant, the staff sets the thermostat on vacation mode to save on energy.

Top Destinations mails monthly statements to the investor-homeowner by the tenth (10th) of each month. The statement details the monthly income received and expenses paid out. In most instances, a check is included with the statement. The investor-homeowner can go on-line at www.topdestinationsllc.com and view their property rental calendar, 24/7. Our investor-homeowners are not concerned about receiving their portion of the rental fees; because, Top Destinations has a $100,000 fidelity bond from American Family Insurance.

Top Destinations is seeking forward thinking investor-owners, who are interested in becoming apart of the $740 billion dollar tourist industry. Top Destinations would like to create synergistic relationships with investor-owners to meet the housing needs of over 232,000 internet users, who visit Las Vegas annually, who stay in accommodations other than a hotel or motel room and who do not stay with family or friends. This market segment produced over $75 million dollars in 2007 and $25 million dollars the first third of 2008. The Center for Business and Economic Research at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas predicts this market will grow at an average rate of 3% over the next five years.

Top Destinations is asking you to allow us to assess your property with an eye towards including it in our growing portfolio of fine homes. If you have any questions, please call (702) 586-2281 or (866) 544-1686; visit our website at http://www.topdestinationsllc.com/ or stop by our office at 2881 South Valley View, Suite #4, Las Vegas, NV 89102.

Next month, we will take an in-depth look at the accommodation and food services industry and focus on some of the issues that effect our industry’s growth.

Going Green with Las Vegas Real Estate

Green, Green and more Green by Lisa Santacaterina, a Tonnesen Team guest blogger and Las Vegas real estate agent


I am not one for "banging on my drum" about turning green or saving the environment or green house gases. That said, I am all for "Green Building" or Environmental Friendly Building" on the basis that it makes sense, and why would you not go green in this case?


Since when was building a home to be durable, energy efficient, built from renewable materials and with a low toxic content a bad thing?


If we turn this around, you have got the following: a poorly built home that is wasting money through poor insulation and energy efficiency, and one that is made from materials that could cause harm to you and your family. And of course, it actually costs you money.


So as I stated earlier, "Why would you not go green?"


And what is "green home building?"


I am fairly sure that if you look around at any Las Vegas new homes construction that is going on, you will not go far before you run into something that is "green." Green building, in short, very short, is building a home with three key elements:



Material Selection (renewable, durable, recyclable, etc.)

Building Performance (Energy Efficiency, Air Quality, low toxicity, etc.) and

Site Development (re-vitalizing existing developed areas, down sizing homes, reduced water run off, providing shade cooling, xeriscaping, etc.).



Making the home as tight as possible will have an incredible impact on your heating and cooling bills.


There are several good websites out there that will give you information on green homes or making you home greener, try www.HGTVPro.com, or www.LowImpactLiving.com for an endless resource of articles and videos. While on the Low Impact Living website be sure to check out my profile and visit my personal web site at: http://www.gotlvrealestate.com/
Or find local organizations like The Las Vegas Green Performance Network (www.LVGPN.com), a local non-profit organization. The Las Vegas Green Performance Network is a community of consumers, corporations and organizations who promote Eco-information for Las Vegas homes, and progress and share a mutual interest in protecting the environment. At The Las Vegas Green Performance Network, information and an open dialogue is expected to both stimulate new interest in the green lifestyle and act as a foundation of action. The Las Vegas Green Performance Network also holds monthly meetings, bringing green products directly to consumers. These meetings allow consumers to see, touch and feel in a no pressure, no sales environment.


To understand what makes a house "green", the US Green Building Council has set up an industry wide certification program, LEED for Homes, to promote, certificate and monitor "green" homes.


Lisa Santacaterina is a valued member of the Tonnesen Team of Prudential Americana Group REALTORS, and she is one of only a handful of certified EcoBrokers in the Las Vegas Valley. To find out more about homes for sale in Las Vegas and how to buy a “green” house, Lisa can be reached at 702-540-2956.

Escrow Officers Say Las Vegas Real Estate Market Improving!

The phones are ringing! This is a good sign that things are happening in the real estate marketplace.

People are beginning to buy Las Vegas homes again, showing more confidence that perhaps the worst of the housing crisis has passed and that housing costs have reached an affordable level. Whether they have found a home in their price range, are negotiating for a short sale, have beaten the builder up on Las Vegas new homes or are looking at a Bank owned property, the contracts are being written.

Increasingly again, more and more properties are coming on the market “in the selling zone.” They are being listed at a competitve price and selling in a relatively short timeframe, while those that are overpriced continue languish on MLS without even generating an offer. Approximately 36% of June 2008 closings (those priced “in the selling zone” at listing) were listed under 90 days on the market, with an average of 60 days on market. The remaining 64% suffered through an average of 230 days on market - that’s nearly 8 months, definitely out of the selling zone.

Listing prices have now dropped 19.5% since September 2007, while closed sales are up 149% since their low in December 2007. June 2008 closed sales represent another 5% improvement over May. More importantly, this is the only the second month since August 2006 that we have witnessed more than 2000 single family home closings.

June closings may also set the tone for the balance of 2008. This is the first time since 2006 that June closings were above the May closings. And inventory is holding steady rather than increasing as it usually does at this time of year. As more of the overpriced Las Vegas homes for sale come off the market in the coming months, inventory levels should actually start to decline.

Previously Escrow Officers were the last to know that a deal was in the works or that a purchase contract was on the way toward an opening. However in these changing times there are many questions about the status of ownership on properties and Escrow Officers are being asked to preview the titles of properties right from the first day of the listing interview. There are more questions and more challenges that need to be overcome before these properties can be listed, let alone get sold, so we become informed of the progress of a property step by step.

All principals in transactions today, Buyers, Sellers, Las Vegas mortgage lenders and Agents, need to be more than patient during the transaction process, as clearing titles, arranging for financing, working with out of State clients and negotiating with banks on the short sales and Las Vegas foreclosures adds to the number of days a property is in escrow before closing. Being prepared to allow lots of extra time and knowing that more than likely the transaction will not close on time will ease the tensions for everyone.

All in all, as long as the phones keep ringing, things are looking great from the Escrow side!

Contributed by guest blogger:
Debra Leatham
Vice President, Escrow Manager
Equity Title of Nevada