Business

TahoeChamber is pleased to announce the participants for the Leadership Lake Tahoe Class of 2013/2014. 25 applicants have been accepted in to the upcoming program due to start next month. Leadership Lake Tahoe is an intensive 10-month experience in which participants meet once each month for a full class day.

In what appears to be a strong vote of confidence for the future of the electric car, Harrah’s unveiled on Friday the installation of two electric vehicle (EV) charging stations in the parking lot at its casino in downtown Reno.
The charging stations will be among 16 at the casino’s Reno/Tahoe properties, which include Harveys Lake Tahoe in South Shore. And they’re not just for guests.
Go here for the full story.

Real estate agents on Lake Tahoe's Nevada side say they're making sales to Californians trying to escape to Nevada after recent tax hikes in California.

In November, Californians approved Proposition 30, which raises taxes on earnings over $250,000 for seven years. Nevada has no state income tax.

We are still seeing a lot of action in the South Lake Tahoe real estate market! The July, 2013 figures were just released and they continue to show that interest in buying a home in Lake Tahoe is still growing. During the last year we saw home buyers flock to Lake Tahoe for a few reasons: low interest rates and an increased interest to buy something before they felt it was too late. When we saw more home listings enter the market this summer we saw the sales frenzy subside a bit.

The Coyote Grill has announced their entertainment line-up for the Grand 'Re Re' Opening beginning this afternoon at 4:00 PM, with the live broadcast of Captain Tom 'Buzz' Conley's 'Blues Cruise' program originating from their broadcast facility in 'The Den' of the Coyote Grill and continuing throughout the evening on 96.1 FM and AM 590, KTHO; and streaming on the World Wide Web at www.kthoradio.com.

Location

The next Cash Mob Lake Tahoe is right around the corner. TahoeChamber started the Cash Mob trend in South Lake Tahoe almost a year ago as a way to infuse money back into our local economy one business at a time.

Does your business or home have inadequate Internet service? Or maybe you don't have Internet service at all.
The Gold Country Broadband Consortium is working to provide choices for affordable Internet service throughout a four-county region, including the California side of the Lake Tahoe Basin.

The Consortium is hosting a meeting on Monday, June 24, to hear residents' and business' concerns about Internet service in the South Lake Tahoe and Meyers areas. The meeting will be from 6:45 to 8 p.m. at the South Lake Tahoe Recreation Complex, 1180 Rufus Allen Blvd. (Aspen Room).

South Shore Lake Tahoe casinos were among the top earners for Nevada casinos during month of April, netting a 14.48 percent increase in gaming profits over April 2012 figures, the state's gaming control board reports Monday.

Casinos at Stateline had a casino "win" of $5,728,649 for the month, compared to $13,739,313 in April 2012. Statewide, gaming profits in Nevada fell slightly by 0.16 percent. Nevada casinos made $854,293,047 for the month.

TahoeChamber’s next Tech Tuesday will feature Alexis Robin of Nourish Life Coaching. Alexis will be teaching attendees how to harness the power of smartphones, calendar and web apps to be more productive at work.

The workshop will look through the technology lens to help you sell smarter, stress less, capture ideas, leverage your strengths and get things done! Attendees will walk away with a new bag of tricks using the apps and programs they already have.

A new marketing campaign “Improve the State of Your Business,” developed by the Northern Nevada Development Authority has received national media attention for its recent launch of marketing materials and a website targeting the relocation of business to Douglas County. The campaign includes material specific to Douglas County and has been successful in bringing new jobs to the local area.

TahoeChamber’s next Business After Hours Mixer (BAHM!) will be held this Wednesday, from 5:30-7:30pm at Lakeside Inn & Casino. The Poker Run BAHM will send you on a tour of the casino property and give you a chance to see the newly renovated “Timbers” restaurant. Try out a featured signature cocktail and delicious food, get a Lakeside Inn Player’s Card, check out the guest rooms, and mix and mingle with fellow business professionals.

Tahoe Regional Young Professionals will host its May mixer at Naked Fish's recently remodeled Lounge, tonight, May 15, from 6:30 – 9:30 p.m. Festivities will consist of a free sake beverage, discounts on the entire menu, networking and several raffle prizes including a $50 Naked Fish gift card.

Median price of homes sold continues to increase

The median sales prices for homes sold in April of 2013 rose 48% from April of 2012 to $334,500. When analyzing the figures in more detail, you see some interesting things.

There was a story in this week's USA Today that caught my interest and made me research facts here in Lake Tahoe. The article said that the number of signed contracts to buy homes in the U.S. rose in March to the highest level in 3 years.

Lake Tahoe closed sales

115 homes are currently in escrow on the California side of Lake Tahoe and 37 homes are in this status on the Nevada side. The Lake Tahoe California figures are 10% higher than last year at this time and the Lake Tahoe Nevada figures are up 60%!

Tahoe Regional Young Professionals will launch its ongoing scholarship/continuing educational program by offering one qualified member the opportunity to take part in Leadership Lake Tahoe for the 2013-14 term, valued at $900.

TRYP’s Continuing Education: The mission of TahoeChamber.org Leadership Lake Tahoe is to identify and develop current and future leaders through a comprehensive professional development program designed to increase knowledge and awareness of the issues and challenges facing the South Shore of Lake Tahoe.

The Annual Tourism Forum is presented in partnership between the Lake Tahoe Visitors Authority, the South Tahoe Alliance of Resorts and TahoeChamber.

Each year, the organizations strive to bring highly sought after speakers and the most current information on the travel and tourism industry to South Lake Tahoe. This year’s forum will focus on the expectations of the international traveler.

TahoeChamber has partnered with the CONNECT Community Education program at Lake Tahoe Community College to offer a certified QuickBooks workshop series designed to save you money and time. This three-part series, taught by Nationally Certified Expert QuickBooks Instructor Christa Peterson, will help you learn to use QuickBooks properly and with confidence.

The Nevada Rural Housing Authority (NRHA) has named DeBug Computer, Inc., “Most Valuable Partner, ” in providing guidance, support and solutions in implementing major software changes at the rural housing agency.

The current Lake Tahoe real estate market is a tough one for buyers because it has turned into a big seller's market for homes priced under $500,000. Homes are selling so quickly that the moment a buyer sees a home they are interested in it's already in escrow.

TahoeChamber’s new monthly series, “Tech Tuesday” covers the hottest trends in technology. From smart phones to social media, each month features a different guest speaker and an exciting new topic.

The series takes place the first Tuesday of the month, from 8-9:30am in the TahoeChamber Conference Room.

These workshops are free for TahoeChamber members and $15 for prospective members.

Our upcoming Tech Tuesday will be held on April 2. Join guest speaker, Jay Kapp, from Sterling Buying

According to a recent article in the Wall Street Journal there are 6 reasons why there is a declining inventory of homes for sale in the United States. These 6 reasons also apply to Lake Tahoe, on both the California side and Nevada sides of the Lake.

Their 6 reasons why housing inventory is declining

1.  Many homeowners are underwater (owe more than their home is worth) so they are unlikely to sell until home values rise more than they have already. More than 10 million home owners are in this position in the US.

The South Tahoe Chamber of Commerce will hold a business mixer on Thursday, March 21. Borges Chiropractic and Tahoe Valley Pharmacy will host the event, from 5:30 to 7 p.m. at the Tahoe Valley Pharmacy center, 2074 Lake Tahoe Blvd. (across from Staples near the “Y”).

The event is open to chamber members as well as the public and is free.

There will be food and prizes, including a pair of sunglasses valued at $160 donated by Lake Tahoe Eye Care. Other sponsors for donations include Tahoe Valley Pharmacy, Borges Chiropractic and Ross Groelz, DDS.

With dozens of local business lined up to show their stuff, TahoeChamber’s annual Business Expo is the premier event of its kind at South Shore Lake Tahoe. And it is right around the corner with a wide open invitation to the 2013 Business EXPO — “The South Shore EXPOsed” — set for March 22 from 4:30-8:30 p.m. in the Convention Center at Harrah’s Tahoe.

I'm watching our Lake Tahoe Buyer's market turn to a Seller's market as I write this blog. The recent actions of Lake Tahoe home owners indicates to me that we are at beginning of a seller's market. In the last 30 days, 12 California homeowners withdrew their Lake Tahoe homes for sale off the market. On the Nevada side of Lake Tahoe, 4 homeowners pulled their homes off the market during the same period.

Median Price Going Up