Homeowners

A cold front will move through the Sierra and western Nevada late Monday night through Tuesday morning bringing strong winds and much colder temperatures, according to the National Weather Service in Reno.

Lawmakers are considering a measure that would make it easier for homeowners to kick squatters off their property. Democratic Assemblyman Edgar Flores and ......

A long period of mostly fair and warm weather will be coming to an end this weekend as a series of low pressure systems moves into the California Sierra and some spillover into Western Nevada.
The greatest impact will likely be to the western Sierra, where potentially a foot of snow could fall along the passes over the course of a few days, according to the National Weather Service. However, snow amounts at Lake Tahoe and rain or snow in Western Nevada likely won’t be as dramatic, forecasters say.

The California Energy Commission has given the OK to award a $200,000 grant for the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency to create a plug-in Electric Vehicle Readiness Plan for the Lake Tahoe and Truckee region.

The plan will assess potential public and private charging locations. The grant comes as the Tesla Gigafactory takes shape in Nevada with operations to start sometime in 2017.

The Nevada Rural Housing Authority is hosting a free Homebuyer’s Expo on Saturday, April 18, from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. in the Bonanza Room at the Nugget, 1100 Nugget Ave, Sparks.

The Expo is designed to educate prospective homeowners on the process of purchasing a home and ways to prepare for homeownership down the road. There will be presenters from NRHA, USDA Rural Development, Financial Guidance Center, lenders and more.

Republican Assembly members pushed forward a bill today to further protect contractors and subcontractors from construction defect lawsuits by homeowners. The Assembly Judiciary Committee ......

UPDATE 9:45PM: A 19-year-old man and two male juveniles face charges of felony home invasion after allegedly breaking into a Siskiyou Drive home Monday night, said Carson City Sheriff’s Lt. Brian Humphrey.

After detectives interviewed the subjects, it was determined they are not the ones believed to be involved in a rash of residential burglaries that have happened primarily on the west side of Carson City, said Humphrey. Investigators learned the suspects knew the person living at the home and knew of property inside they wanted to steal.

The Nevada Rural Housing Authority is offering an online course in the responsibilities of owning a home. The court, titled “After the close — Homeowner Education,” was originally created for new homeowners who take advantage o...

Forty-five years ago, in December 1969, President Richard Nixon signed a unique Bi-State Compact approving California and Nevada’s plan to create the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency. It was the first such undertaking of its kind, uniting two states, six local jurisdictions, and the federal government in a shared mission to protect Lake Tahoe’s sensitive environment from overdevelopment.

That effort has shaped the Tahoe we know and love today, and will help shape the Tahoe that we bequeath to future generations.

Testing is The Only Way to Know. Since you can't see, smell or taste radon, testing is the only way to find out if you have a radon problem. Homeowners can measure radon concentrations in their homes themselves using inexpensive and easy to use test kits, or professional, certified testers can test a home.

Certified testers may charge $150 to $250 for the test, but results can be made available within 48 hours. When testing for a real estate transaction, it is recommended a qualified (certified) tester be used.

Nevada certified radon testers

More than $161 million was invested in rural Nevada in 2014 by the Department of Agriculture's Rural Development agency to support housing, business and community facilities. Since 2009, the rural agency has provided more than $987 million to strengthen rural Nevada’s families and communities.

University of Nevada Cooperative Extension is offering workshops Nov. 17 – 20 in Gardnerville, Yerington, Fallon and Lovelock for Nevada agricultural producers to help them plan for the possibilities of a fourth year of drought. “Agriculture in Times of Drought,” will give farmers and ranchers information on how to be resilient to variable weather in Nevada.

UPDATE 10PM: Kingsbury Grade has re-opened. The Douglas County Sheriff's Office says the wildfire is around around 4.5 acres.

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UPDATE: 6:40: Fire crews and aircraft have halted the forward advancement of a wildland fire Wednesday night off Kingsbury Grade in Douglas County. Firefighters from the U.S. Forest Service Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit, the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest, the Nevada Division of Forestry, and local fire districts, including East Fork, Tahoe Douglas, Lake Valley, and South Lake Tahoe responded to the Kingsbury Fire.

The Builders Association of Western Nevada Women’s Council, which serves Carson City, Douglas and Lyon counties, continues its Helping Hands program this year by giving single female homeowners some help with upgrades and repairs to the homes they own.

Helping Hand signups continue with an August 29 application deadline.

University of Nevada Cooperative Extension will present six “Grow Your Own, Nevada!” classes at seven locations across northern Nevada to provide information to homeowners, gardeners, landscapers and farmers who want their lawns to survive and thrive in a desert climate.

“Recurring droughts are a fact of life for Nevadans,” Cooperative Extension Horticulture Specialist Heidi Kratsch said. “This program will teach homeowners how to create and care for landscapes that are resilient to drought events, yet outstandingly beautiful. Yes, it is possible.”

A mountain is being destroyed, and the neighborhood below it is being polluted by off-road vehicles in Douglas County.
Hot Springs Mountain is on BLM land, and it towers right above the neighborhood known as Johnson Lane.
The mountain has been cut up by a web of trails created by off-road vehicles.
Heavy use of the trails pulverizes the soil and the trails become loose and unable to support even foot traffic yet alone the vehicle traffic. The off-road operators then cut new (bypass) trails. Ultimately the new trails get pulverized and the process starts again.

Douglas County Commissioners and Douglas County Emergency Management’s decision not to file a disaster declaration has come under question, been criticized, and created opportunities for much public comment and debate. The recent flash flood event in north eastern portion of the Johnson Lane, Central Johnson Lane, and Fish Springs areas of the county was a significant event that many would think would warrant a disaster declaration.

(Carson City, Nev., July 17, 2014) – Local talent, Sarah A. Chichester, returns to the area and accepts associate position with Allison MacKenzie Law Firm effective May 15, 2014. Committed to providing exceptional service to clients, Sarah will practice in various legal areas with emphasis in family law and probate law.

UPDATE 440PM: Firefighters have contained the fire by 35 percent. Resources have managed to keep a hold of the fire. There were two small slop overs that are being held in place by helicopter and crew work.

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UPDATE 1020AM: All roads are now open. Residents can go back to their homes, however be alert and aware of the fire, and weather patterns in the area. The evacuation center at the Carson City Community Center is now closed. Animals can still be taken to Fuji Park.

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UPDATE 926AM: The Clear Creek fire remains at 300 acres, 25 percent contained as of 9 a.m., according to Sierra Front Interagency Dispatch Center. No injuries reported. Vista Grande to Golf Course Drive is only open to residents. Around 40 homes in Clear Creek subdivision are under voluntary evacuation. Residents can go to the Carson City Community Center. Animals can be taken to Fuji Park.

The weather seems to be favoring the firefighters battling the Clear Creek Fire today. According to CarsonWeather.com, winds are expected to be light, with humidity above 60 percent.

The northwest flank of the fire (the steep side on the south side of Clear Creek Canyon) is still active. As a precaution, structure engines are staging in the Jacks Valley and Clear Creek subdivisions.

UPDATE 3 AM: Evacuation orders were instructed for Golf Club Drive, Jeffery Pine Lane to Old Clear Creek Road. There are about 20 to 30 homes in the area. Evacuees are urged to go to the Carson City Community Center. Animals can be sent to Fuji Park. The orders came down at around 1:45 a.m.

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Nevada Attorney General Catherine Cortez Masto announced this week a $550 million joint state-federal settlement with mortgage lender and servicer SunTrust Mortgage Inc. to address mortgage origination, servicing, and foreclosure abuses. It is estimated that eligible Nevada homeowner’s will receive approximately $2.8 million in loan modifications as part of the settlement.

CARSON CITY — Homeowners who install solar systems to reduce their power bills could one day find themselves paying more for the privilege.

With record drought conditions in the West, the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency Governing Board underscored its commitment to improving forest health and protecting Lake Tahoe communities from wildfire Wednesday by adopting a resolution supporting the 2014 Lake Tahoe Wildfire Awareness Month and giving special recognition to two departing Lake Tahoe fire chiefs at its meeting in Kings Beach, Calif.

Laura Lau has joined the Nevada Rural Housing Authority in the position of Management Assistant. In her new role, she will be responsible for providing administrative support of the Home at Last programs in the Northern Nevada office.

Lau has spent the past five years as a licensed real estate agent in the Carson City and Dayton areas. A 25-year resident of the area, she has also spent more than 16 years working for Carson City and Douglas County reviewing residential plans for new construction and remodeling projects.

A homeowner assistance program that will help about 450 Nevadans stay in their homes with loan modifications has been given final approval and is underway.

The Nevada Division of Forestry is hosting “Junk The Junipers,” 8 a.m. to 1 p.m., May 10, at its Eastlake Office. Residents of local communities are encouraged to bring their junipers, pines, rabbitbrush, sagebrush and other woody vegetation to be chipped for free. Participants will receive a coupon from Moana Nursery for 30 percent off a “good plant choice,” Moana-grown replacement shrub.

Residents across Nevada are being encouraged to attend “Living With Fire” Regional Conferences being held this month to interact with their neighbors, firefighting representatives, natural resource specialists and others to learn how to prepare for wildfire at their homes and in their communities.

Lyon County, Nevada was the fastest-growing county in the United States prior to the 2008 economic collapse took one of the biggest hits statewide in the foreclosure crisis. The state overall was one of the hardest hit nationally and the housing market is still in recovery.
A glimmer of hope was seen in 2013, as home values headed up while foreclosure rates headed down, according to a report from the Lied Institute for Real Estate Studies at the University of Nevada Las Vegas.

With the 2014 drought looming, University of Nevada Cooperative Extension has partnered with other agencies to help Nevadans prepare for and cope with the drought. Today, Cooperative Extension launched its Living With Drought website, a one-stop shop where homeowners, gardeners, farmers, ranchers, natural resource managers and others can find information to help them respond to their various drought-related challenges.

The Nevada Rural Housing Authority will host a free Homebuyer’s Expo on Saturday, April 5, from 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. in the Ponderosa Room at John Ascuaga’s Nugget, 1100 Nugget Ave, Sparks.

The Expo is designed to educate prospective homeowners on what goes into buying a house, as well as maintaining the home after purchase. There will be presenters from NRHA, as well as lenders, builders, title companies and non-profit partners.