Happy 2013! It’s a new year and the start to make the dream of homeownership come true for you or possibly someone you know.

With new home designs ranging from 1,608 to 4,770 square feet, there is a variety of American West homes to fit everyone’s needs.

2013 is going to be a great year to be a homeowner. Some reasons why you should buy now:

Mortgage rates are still crazy low Low mortgage rates can be like rainbows – they’re pretty incredible but when they’re gone, they’re gone. A few years ago, 30-year fixed rates were above 6.00%. For December 2012, they averaged 3.35%. Interest rates have a huge impact on your mortgage payment. When the low interest rates disappear, they probably won’t be coming back for a long, long time (if ever).

Protection against rental increases Rents have a tendency to increase each year or two to accommodate for inflation. Owning a home and having a fixed-rate mortgage means you’ll have the same mortgage payment each month for the life of your loan.

Home prices are low – FOR NOW Home prices are on the rise and by waiting you will miss out on these incredible prices.

Save on taxes There are a lot of great tax benefits to being a homeowner.

Build equity Homeownership is still one of the most sound investments you can make. The difference between renting and owning a home is that homeownership lets you build your own monetary value, instead of your landlord’s.

Contact us today and let us help make 2013 your year to own the home of your dreams. For more information on American West’s communities and new homes, visit our website www.AmericanWesthomes.com or call (702) 308-1111.

Watch a video of a sampling of the homes built by American West…

I wish you the courage to be warm when the world would prefer that you be cool.
I wish you successes sufficient to your needs;
I wish you failure to temper that success.
I wish you joy in all your days;
I wish you sadness so that you may better measure that joy.
I wish you gladness to overbalance grief.
I wish you humor and a twinkle in the eye.
I wish you glory and the strength to bear its burdens.
I wish you sunshine on your path and storms to season your journey.
I wish you peace in the world in which you live and in the smallest corner of the heart where truth is kept.
I wish you faith to help define your living and your life.
More I cannot wish you, except perhaps love, to make all the rest worthwhile.
- Robert Ward

Everyone at American West hopes that your holiday season is filled with love, joy, family and good friends.

Everyone has a favorite holiday movie. Whether it was one you grew up with or one that you may have discovered later in life, they each hold a special place in our hearts. It is tradition for a lot of us to take many of the classic holiday movies and re-watch them year after year. They never seem to lose their appeal and always manage to put a smile on our faces.

Here are some clips from some classic holiday movies – ENJOY!

A Christmas Story:

A Year Without a Santa Claus:

Elf:

National Lampoons Christmas Vacation:

A Charlie Brown Christmas:

The Grinch Who Stole Christmas:

Rudolf the Red-Nosed Reindeer:

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

• St. Francis of Assisi introduced Christmas Carols to formal church service.
• Silent Night was written in 1818, by an Austrian priest Joseph Mohr.
• In 1836, Alabama is the first state in the U.S. to declare Christmas a legal holiday.
• In 1907, Oklahoma became the last U.S. state to declare Christmas a legal holiday.
• In 1843, the first Christmas card was printed in England for Sir Henry Cole.
• The first American Christmas carol was written in 1649 by a minister named John de Brebeur and is called “Jesus is Born”.
• The Christmas tree was first decorated with lights in the 16th century. It is believed that Martin Luther, the Protestant reformer, was the first to add lighted candles to the tree. He was so taken with the Christmas night sky that he wished to bring “the lights of the stars” into the home of his family.
• Christmas trees have been sold commercially in the United States since about 1850.
• Hanging the Christmas stocking on the hearth on Christmas Eve in the hope that it will be filled with presents the next morning is a custom that goes back about 400 years. It derived from the custom in Holland of children placing wooden shoes next to the hearth the night before the arrival of St. Nicholas. The children would fill their shoes with straw and food for St Nicholas’s for the donkey that carried the gifts. In exchange he would leave them a small gift such as small cakes, fruits and other gifts. Stockings were substituted for the shoes in Britain, most of Europe and in North America.
• The world’s largest Christmas present was the Statue of Liberty. The French gave it to the US in 1886. It is 46.5 meters high and weights 225 tons!
• Bing Crosby ‘s ‘White Christmas’ was released in 1942 and is considered to be the best-selling Christmas song of all time!
• The U.S. produces 1.7 billion candy canes each year.
• Americans send 1.5 billion Christmas cards annually.
• U.S. towns with Christmas-y names: North Pole, AK; Santa Claus, GA; Santa Claus, IN; Noel, MO; Rudolph, WI; Dasher, GA; Snowflake, AZ; Holly Springs, MI.
• Christmas trees take an average of 7-10 years to mature.
• Christmas tree lights were first mass produced in 1890.
• All the gifts in the “Twelve Days of Christmas” would equal 364 gifts.
• The traditional three colors of Christmas are green, red, and gold. Green has long been a symbol of life and rebirth; red symbolizes the blood of Christ, and gold represents light as well as wealth and royalty.
• Christmas wasn’t declared an official holiday in the United States until June 26, 1870.

It’s okay if you’re a little bottom heavy.
Hold your ground, even when the heat is on.
Wearing white is always appropriate.
Winter is the best of the four seasons.
It takes a few extra rolls to make a good midsection.
There’s nothing better than a foul weather friend.
The key to life is to be a jolly, happy soul.
It’s not the size of the carrot, but the placement that counts.
We’re all made up of mostly water.
You know you’ve made it when they write a song about you.
Accessorize! Accessorize! Accessorize!
Avoid yellow snow. Don’t get too much sun.
It’s embarrassing when you can’t look down and see your feet.
It’s fun to hang out in your front yard.
Always put your best foot forward.
There’s no stopping you once you’re on a roll.

For more information, visit any of our sales offices which are open daily from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

American West would like to wish you and your family a very Happy Thanksgiving. We hope your day is filled with many blessings.

May you be blessed with all things good.

May your joys, like the stars at night be too numerous to count.

May your victories be more abundant than all the grains of sand on all the beaches, on all the oceans, in all the world.

May lack and struggle only serve to make you stronger,

And may beauty, order and abundance be your constant companions.

May every path you choose lead to that which is pure and good and lovely.

And where there is darkness and the storms of life are closing in,

May the light at the core of your being illuminate the world.

May you always be aware you are loved beyond measure and may you be willing to love unconditionally in return.

And when you are tempted to judge may you be reminded that we are all one and that every thought you think reverberates across the universe touching everyone and everything.

And when you are tempted to hold back may you remember that love flows best when it flows freely.

And it is in giving that we receive the greatest gift.

May you always have music and laughter.

And may a rainbow follow every storm.

May gladness wash away every disappointment.

May joy dissolve every sorrow.

And may love ease every pain.

May every wound bring wisdom and may every trial bring triumph

And with each passing day may you love more abundantly than the day before.

May you be blessed and may others be blessed by you.

This is my heartfelt wish for you.

May you be blessed.

- Kate Nowak & Live More Abundantly

• The first Thanksgiving was celebrated in 1621.
• A female turkey is called a hen.
• A male turkey is called a tom.
• A mature turkey has about 3,500 feathers.
• A wild turkey can run 25 mph.
• The Wampanoag tribe celebrated the first Thanksgiving with the colonists.
• Abraham Lincoln specified that Thanksgiving would fall on the last Thursday of November.
• The first Macy’s Thanksgiving parade took place in 1924.
• Felix the Cat was the first balloon in the 1927 Macy’s Thanksgiving parade.
• The drink that the Puritans brought with them on the Mayflower was beer.
• President George Washington issued the first national Thanksgiving Day Proclamation in 1798. The presidents prior to 1863 used to specify the day when Thanksgiving was to be held.
• Sarah Josepha Hale, an editor with a magazine, started a Thanksgiving campaign in 1827 and it was the result of her efforts that in 1863, Thanksgiving was observed as a day for national thanksgiving and prayer.
• Congress passed an official proclamation in 1941 and it observed that now onwards Thanksgiving will be observed as a legal holiday on the fourth Thursday of November every year.

Interested in a distressed foreclosure property? It can look enticing, especially one with a below-market price. However, the true price of a foreclosure seldom ends with the sales price. When you compare a distressed property to a new home from American West, it’s easy to see why a new home just makes more sense.

What makes buying a new home a better value?

• With a new American West home, you are protected by a warranty.
• New homes are more energy efficient. Every American West home has received the NV Energy Plus certification. This means huge savings on your energy costs.
• Your new home offers better technology, construction and the latest design trends. You don’t have to do any renovating or updating.
• You get to choose your dream home and not have to settle with someone else’s choices. Your new American West home can be customized with your hand-selected design choices. It is “As you want it” and not “As is”.
• You are the very first owner. Everything is pristine, sparkling and brand new. There are no out of pocket costs for repairs.
• Buying a new home built by American West is hassle-free without the mountains of paperwork associated with a distressed property. Our process is quick and simple.
• Opportunity to live in the community and location you desire. You are not limited to where you can find an acceptable foreclosed home.
• Financing provided by an American West Preferred Lender instead of having to figure out the financing on your own.
• Peace of mind. Your new home is built by a local, family owned builder who has been in business since 1984.

Can you really imaging living in a foreclosed/distressed home? Don’t sell yourself short. Own the brand new home you have always dreamed of from a builder you can be proud of. American West, American’s best.

American West has communities located throughout the Las Vegas valley. Our new homes range from 1,608 to 4,770 square feet. If you have not yet had a chance to do so, explore our website to see the many innovative home designs we offer. For more information on any of our communities or if you have any questions, contact Candee Gleason at (702) 308-1111 or CGleason@AmericanWesthomes.com.

This is one of the final opportunities to own one of our most popular home designs at our Lexington community located in Highlands Ranch. The New David home measures 2,452 square feet with 4 bedrooms, 3.5 baths, family room, great room and incredible gourmet kitchen. The front balcony on this home will take your breath away and is the perfect setting for enjoying a night relaxing after a long day. As you step into this beautiful home, you will think you were in a model. Some of the highlights in the home include nutmeg stained maple cabinetry, tan brown granite countertops with a granite backsplash in the kitchen, rear yard stucco walls, soft water loop, designer selected custom flooring, home wide highlight package and so much more. This home is ready for immediate move-in so you can be in a new home before the holidays. For more information or to view the home in person, call (702) 308-1111.