Las Vegas man beats the odds and cheats death twice - buys his dream home with support from unlikely strangers

Goodwill alive and well in Las Vegas real estate market when disabled man faces impossibility finds hope with the help of strangers. End Quote

Las Vegas, NV-AZ (1888PressRelease) October 07, 2010 - Given his success with trying to purchase a piece of the American dream, the doom and gloom of the current Las Vegas real estate market didn't offer much hope to 30-year old homebuyer Jose Bernal. In 2004, a near fatal motorcycle crash wiped out Bernal's savings, left him under a huge pile of medical bills and debt and crushed his goal of ever owning his own home. Then in 2005, after tremendous sacrifice Bernal set out again to find his dream house, when he fell asleep at the wheel after a day on Lake Mohave, totaling his truck. This time when Jose woke he had not only lost the bid on a house, but was paralyzed from the waist down. At just 25 years old, Jose had 'crapped out'.

Yet against all odds and two near-death experiences, on Wed, Sept 29, 2010 Bernal finally closed on his very first home; aided by realtor, Lisa Simpson and the support of an entire community. Simpson, an agent affiliate with Coldwell Banker Premier Realty admits she wasn't confident at first that she would be able to even find a suitable house for Bernal and forewarned him of all the obstacles he was up against. "As soon as I heard his story, I wanted to help. But it was such a dismal search initially; for the first time in my 10 year career, I literally had my friends and family who didn't even know Jose, praying that we would find the perfect house for him." Bernal's disabilities required among other things a 1-story older home with doorways wide enough to accommodate his wheelchair and suitable bathroom features.

In a deep depression, getting his hopes up again was almost insurmountable remembers Bernal, "I knew it would be next to impossible to find the right house that met my special needs and still be something I could afford." Bernal also discovered that in this current market most realtors didn't return phone calls to buyers looking for houses in the $50,000 range because of the small financial return for the agent. "But I couldn't give up! Bernal recalls. With a deadline looming and competition from multiple offers, Simpson acted quickly when they stumbled upon what Bernal called his 'dream home'. Simpson frantically wrote the offer sitting with Bernal in a nearby Burger King then begged the manager to allow her to fax their offer and personal letter over to the seller's agent. "I explained that he would be helping to change this young man's life, and he was eager to help us." said Simpson. Bernal's offer was accepted within hours and he picked up his keys a few weeks later to a home that had been 6-years in the making.

Bernal's housing plight is not unique. According to information supplied by On My Own, Inc., one in five people are living with at least one disability. This year marks the 20th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act, which was enacted in 1990 by President George H. Bush and protects more than 50 million Americans.

Coldwell Banker Premier Realty is headquartered at 8290 W. Sahara Avenue, Las Vegas, NV is ranked among the nation's leading brokers in sales and innovation. The company is ranked number 8 out of more than 1,200 Coldwell Banker companies nationwide. The company, acquired by Bob and Molly Hamrick in 1998, has three offices in Southern Nevada (Las Vegas, Henderson and Centennial Hills) and presently has over 300 agent affiliates. In addition, Bob Hamrick serves as senior vice president and broker of CityCenter Realty Corporation and is recognized nationwide as an expert on the Las Vegas real estate community. Coldwell Banker Residential Real Estate's parent company was ranked the No. 1 residential real estate brokerage firm in the U.S. in Realtor Magazine's Top 100 Companies list; posting approximately $107 billion in closed sales volume.

For more information on CBPR, please visit their website at www.lasvegashomes.com

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