This is a letter I received from Senator Harry Reid today. I was interested to learn about the money being brought into the state to help with the foreclosure crisis.

Dear Shahri,

As I discussed in my message yesterday, job creation must be our top priority in Nevada. However, we can't expect to turn our economy around without addressing Nevada's foreclosure crisis.

And it is a crisis.

Right now, thousands of Nevada families are in danger of losing their homes, struggling desperately to keep their heads above water, and calling out for help. I want all Nevada homeowners to know, I hear those calls -- and I've been working with President Obama to tackle this crisis head on.

Today, I am thrilled to announce that Nevada will be one of only five states to participate in a new foreclosure rescue program. This much needed relief will bring $100 million dollars into Nevada to help struggling homeowners rework their mortgages and stay in their homes.

This funding will be put right to work. It could provide "bridge loans" to help unemployed homeowners pay the mortgage until they land a job. Or even incentivize lenders to rewrite upside-down mortgages -- when a homeowner owes more than the home is worth.

What's certain is that this initiative is exactly what Nevada needs to provide assistance for thousands of families who desperately are in need of a break as they struggle to keep a roof over their heads. So, I hope you will join me in thanking President Obama for working with me on this crucial issue, and for coming to Henderson to talk with Nevadans today.

Over the past year the Recovery Act brought our economy back from the edge of a cliff, but there is still much work to be done. You can follow updates about my efforts to create jobs and get Nevada's economy moving on my website, on Twitter, and on Facebook. I hope you'll connect with us online today, because this campaign isn't about me, and it isn't about President Obama -- it's about you.

We still have a long way to go to create many more jobs and turn our economy around, but this important step will protect thousands of Nevada families from being forced from their homes -- and that's definitely good news in tough times.

Thanks for reading, and thank you for all your do for our great state. I'll be in touch soon.

Sincerely,

Harry Reid

Harry Reid

A new year always brings new hope and this year is no exception. Everyone I have spoken to was happy to kick 2009 out the door and never look back. We have reason to hope, too. It is more than our dreams, things are actually happening. The real estate market is moving, even the press says so, and they are usually the last to know.

According to the Incline Village MLS there are 356 properties on the market. There were only 186 sales in 2009 with 28 sales in the first quarter. But this year is starting strong. There are 44 properties in escrow and seven properties have closed escrow since the first of January. If everything that is in escrow today closes by the end of March, even with no more sales, we will have 51 closings in the first quarter. We are already on track to beat last year and January is only half over!

If you are planning to buy, now is the time. Sellers are motivated - some homes have been on the market for several years. There are tax credits available to certain buyers and interest rates are still reasonably low. Let's make this our best year ever!

Shahri Masters

According to the Incline Village Multiple Listing Service, as of this moment, there are 428 single-family homes, planned unit development homes and condominiums on the market in Incline Village and Crystal Bay. Sounds like a big number. With an average of about 15 sales a month, just 166 sales since January 1st, it still looks slow. But, the tide is turning. There are 41 properties in escrow, almost three times a “normal” month for 2009. It is a great time to be a buyer if you move quickly, momentum is building and the shift will come sooner than we think.

Shahri Masters

As we do every year, our thoughts turn to the people and things we are grateful for. There are hundreds of gratitude lists on the Internet, nay millions, listing the names of spouses and children, parents and friends. There are lists of experiences and lists of things. I even saw a list of games and toys.

Yes, those are the easy lists. I have a wonderful family. My husband takes such good care of me, from making sure I have coffee before I get out of bed to cooking dinner every night. He is loving, kind and gentle. He has a perspective on life that grounds me. My daughter is gracious, smart and beautiful. She is a wonderful artist; she has a special way with kids and animals. She is also loving, kind and gentle. My parents, my siblings, my cousins, all of my family are blessings to me. We get along and enjoy each other’s company. I have a wonderful group of friends. I talk to my best friend, whom I have known since childhood, almost every day. I love my work. Real Estate is rewarding. I have met great people through my business, I get to be my own boss, and I have the respect of my peers. I have my health, my home, a safe and reliable car, a refrigerator full of food and lots of nice possessions. I live at Lake Tahoe, one of the most beautiful places on earth.

In these tough times, the same gratitude list I have had for years has come into sharper focus; it has become more meaningful and more important. Having a loving family, having my health, those things really do mean everything today. It is not just words for the season, it is much more real, much more vivid as it is contrasted with the tough economic times.

The twist is the list of things I have learned. These are things I gave lip service to before, even believed, but only on the surface. These lessons became a part of me in 2009. They are the changes in myself that I am grateful for. I do not need a facial every month, I do not need a pedicure all summer long, and it is not necessary to have a new outfit for every new occasion. It does not matter what other people think of me, it only matters what I think of me. It is okay to take a risk and fail. Winning doesn’t happen every time. The world will not come to an end if I can’t pay a bill or even if I lose a house. Life goes on. I do not have to spend tons of money on the perfect gift. The perfect gift is my time.

Shahri Masters

Up at six in the morning to the smell of coffee, my husband gets up even earlier. Throw in a load of laundry, do some exercise or just have some quiet time. Wake up my daughter. Make breakfast, pack lunch. Get her off to school. Shower, get dressed and swing by Starbucks for another coffee plus a bit of visiting. Stop by the home of a client who is out of town and take out their trash. Turn lights on for a seller who does not live there, the house is being shown later this morning. Get to the office, turn on the computer, write a few notes and make a few calls, answer a few emails. Get a call from the neighbor of a house I sold three years ago. The smoke alarm is blasting and the owners are on vacation. Go to the house, there is no smoke and no fire. Try to reset the alarm. Call the alarm company. Learn that my client quit having the house monitored and no one can help me. Ask for a supervisor. Finally get a special code that will shut off the system. Swing by the house that was shown earlier and turn off the lights. Meet a client for lunch and catch up on the story of their remodel. Head back to the office. Prepare a market analysis, go meet with a prospective seller. Let them know their house is not worth what they want to get for it. They decide to sell anyway. Schedule the professional photographer and the stager. The agent who was going to show the house I turned the lights on and off for calls to let me know he is running late. Go back and turn the lights on. Make a few more phone calls, answer a few more emails. Set up appointments to show property tomorrow. Go to four offices to pick up keys and flyers. Show property to the people I set up yesterday. They spend a few minutes in three of the houses and a half an hour in one of the houses. They love it. Come back to the office and do a market analysis on the house they love. Call my family to let them know I will be late, again. Write an offer. Explain each paragraph of the offer to the buyer. Get a signature, get a check, make copies. Do a group hug for good luck. Call the other agent who is still in the office, too. Go present the offer. Head back to the house that was being shown and turn the lights off. Go back to the office and get my laptop. On the way home swing by the client’s house and put the trash cans back in the garage. Get home and throw another load in the wash. Have dinner and visit with my husband and daughter. Answer emails. Go to sleep. Dream that the offer gets accepted.

Up at six in the morning to the smell of coffee. Wash the kitchen floor, do some exercise or just have some quiet time. Wake up my daughter. Make breakfast, pack lunch. Get her off to school. Shower, get dressed and skip Starbucks since I am meeting the stager at the new listing. Get to the office and turn on the computer. Get a call from the agent I presented the offer to last night. We have a counter offer. Call the buyer. Explain the counter offer and write a counter to the counter. Okay, it’s more than a day in the life of, it could be a year if I keep this up. I will stop here.

You ask me why I do this? Is it the money? I could make money at any job so that is not the reason. It is the people. The relationships I have developed with my clients, with other agents, with title officers and lenders and everyone related to real estate is the true wealth of this business. It is you who has made my life richer. Thanks for being my true wealth.

Shahri Masters