Realtors to host open house events

As part of a worldwide event called Realtor Open House Weekend, dozens of available homes throughout Southern Nevada will be showcased and opened to the public this weekend.

Paul Bell, president of the Greater Las Vegas Association of Realtors, said GLVAR is organizing its second annual Realtor Open House Weekend to give people interested in buying a home the chance to see a wide range of homes.

As of last week, he said Realtors representing more than 50 open houses in all parts of the Las Vegas Valley had agreed to participate in this weekend's event.

For a list of participating properties holding open houses, visit LVRJ.com, or the open house tab on the home page of LasVegasRealtor.com.

After starting on a local level in select markets around the country, Bell said the 2011 Realtor Open House Weekend has become an international event, with Realtors in at least 59 countries planning to participate this year.

"This event has really caught on around the country and has even gone global," Bell said. "For people here in the Las Vegas area, it's really a unique opportunity to find the right home at the right price and to save time and money in the process. We expect to have multiple open houses in every part of the Las Vegas Valley."

The event is also designed to attract and inform home buyers, offering Realtors opportunities to educate the public about the benefits of home ownership.

For every two homes sold in the U.S., national studies show that one private-sector job is created.

Bell added that each home sold at the national median price generates an average of $60,000 in economic activity.

Potential buyers are encouraged to look at the participating homes without being pressured to buy, Bell said.

Also participating in this year's Realtor Open House Weekend is the Community Development Programs Center of Nevada, a nonprofit organization that is hosting open houses for potential buyers at 17 homes in and around the Stallion Mountain neighborhood on the east side of Las Vegas.

Home shoppers will be able to tour rehabilitated properties and speak with homebuyer counselors and lenders about qualifying for the CDPCN program.

CDPCN's open house event is based at Stallion Mountain Golf Course, 3736 Budenny Drive, and will take place noon-3 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. A list of available homes will be provided.

For more information about the program, contact Tracie Lockett-Green at 702-873-8882, extension 112.

CDPCN and its events are part of the Neighborhood Stabilization Program, a federal funded program designed to provide financial assistance to homebuyers for the purchase of foreclosed and abandoned residential properties in eligible areas of unincorporated Clark County.

Bell said GLVAR is providing signature blue Realtor "R" balloons for participating agents to display at open house events.

GLVAR is also promoting the Open House Weekend locally to its nearly 11,500 local members, via traditional and social media and at all GLVAR events.

All open houses this weekend will be highlighted in GLVAR's Multiple Listing Service, on LVRJ.com, and displayed on the home page of LasVegasRealtor.com.

GLVAR was founded in 1947 and provides its nearly 11,500 local members with education, training and political representation.

The local representative of the National Association of Realtors, GLVAR is the largest professional organization in Southern Nevada.

For more information, visit lasvegasrealtor.com.