Nevada Officials Caution Residents of New Widespread Real Estate Scam

LAS VEGAS, NV – Officials representing the Nevada Division of Insurance and the Nevada Real Estate Division have issued warnings to state residents over a new and increasingly widespread real estate scam known as “vacant lot fraud” or “seller impersonation fraud.”

This particular scam involves individuals pretending to be owners of properties or vacant lots and attempting to sell them before the owners and/or buyers wise up to the scheme. Officials say that there are numerous telltale signs that people should look out for – which are detailed below – before these bad actors are able to separate them from their hard-earned money. 

The fraud works like this: the perpetrator will look through public records in search of real estate that is free of mortgages or liens, and then pretend to be the owner of the property and list it for sale through a real estate agent. The most common targets of this scam are unoccupied properties such as vacant lots and vacation or rental properties that the owner does not personally reside in. 

These scammers normally list the properties below their established market value and quickly accept the first offer they receive; from there, they send falsified documents for the closing and then quickly collect the proceeds and disappear, with the victims completely unaware that they’ve been bamboozled until the fake documents have been recorded with the county. 

The Nevada Division of Insurance and the Nevada Real Estate Division have provided a comprehensive list of the telltale signs of seller impersonation fraud, and they are as follows: 

• Seller refuses to attend signings; always claiming to be out of town.  
• Seller requests to use their own notary. 
• Seller demands proceeds be wired. 
• Seller has a different address than the owner’s address or tax mailing address. 
• Seller refuses or is unable to complete multifactor authentication of identity verification. 

In addition, the following precautions can also help you avoid being a victim of this scam: 

• Send mail to the seller at the address listed on tax and property records. 
• Ask the seller’s real estate agent if they have personal or verified knowledge of the seller’s identity. 
• If using a remote notary, be sure the notary is fully vetted and approved by your state; otherwise, the title company should arrange for an in-person notary signing at an attorney’s office, title agency, or bank. 
• Contact the seller directly at an independently discovered and validated phone number. 
• Verify the sellers identify by sending the seller a link to complete a third-party identity verification. 
• Run the seller’s email and phone number through a verification program. 
• Ask conversational questions to ascertain seller’s knowledge of property information not readily available in public records. 
• Compare the seller’s signature to previously recorded public documents. 
• Use a wire verification service or confirm wire instructions match account details on seller’s disbursement authorization form. 
• Require a copy of a voided check with a disbursement authorization form. 
• Require that a check be sent for seller proceeds rather than a wire. 

Shelter Realty is a Real Estate and Property Management Company specializing in the areas of Henderson, Las Vegas and North Las Vegas, NV. Feel free to give us a call at 702.376.7379 so we can answer any questions you may have.

LAS VEGAS, NV – With high mortgage rates, decreased sales, and complications due to a currently-high inflation rate, the real estate market can be incredibly complex and competitive to navigate, and Las Vegas, Nevada is no exception to that rule. So, local experts have pitched in to offer some tips on house buying in Southern Nevada, a market which is still proving to be a hotbed of sales activity despite the financial trials and tribulations being experienced across the country. 

First and foremost, a prospective buyer should always make sure to select a qualified realtor to aid them in their search for a home; buying and selling properties without the aid of one throughout the course of the transaction is NOT recommended. 

Looking up reviews of realtors on reputable real estate websites is a good idea, and conducting plenty of research to make sure you’re finding the right person for the job is essential when it comes to the largest purchase you’re ever likely to make in your lifetime. 

Next, you should establish a budget that is both clear and realistic, taking into account how much you can realistically afford; this may narrow the options available to you, but it also helps you to avoid getting into a serious financial bind down the road. When determining a budget, a buyer should take into account numerous financial aspects, including their income, debt, any possible future expenses, and the currently high level of interest rates on home loans. 

High interest rates on mortgages have resulted in a bit of a slowdown in the Las Vegas real estate market due to the fact that many current homeowners are locked into lower interest rate loans and are loathe to sell. This has placed a limit on the amount of available housing inventory at the moment which is presenting budget challenges to buyers, with more and more of them remaining in the rental market for the time being while waiting for conditions to improve. 

However, experts recommend that for those with the financial means to do so, there are indeed a growing number of home buying options available to them in Southern Nevada – especially in the suburbs – and potential refinancing options could be available in the future if and when interest rates drop to a more manageable level. 

Home buying these days may be more difficult than it used to be, but with effort, financial savvy, due diligence, and the right realtor by your side, it’s still an achievable dream for many. 

Shelter Realty is a Real Estate and Property Management Company specializing in the areas of Henderson, Las Vegas and North Las Vegas, NV. Feel free to give us a call at 702.376.7379 so we can answer any questions you may have.

LAS VEGAS, NV – California-based Realty Income Corp. announced on Friday that it has signed an agreement to invest approximately $950 million into acquiring equity interests from New York-based Blackstone Real Estate Income Trust, Inc. in a new joint venture that now owns a 95 percent interest in the real estate assets of The Bellagio Las Vegas. 

Subject to customary conditions, the transaction is expected to close in the fourth quarter of 2023; at that time, Realty income will acquire a 21.9 percent indirect interest in the property by way of an initial investment of $300 million of common equity into the joint venture. Blackstone will retain a 73.1 percent indirect interest, with the remaining 5.0 percent interest being held by MGM Resorts International. 

In addition, $650 million will be invested by Realty Income into the joint venture to acquire a yield-bearing preferred equity interest. 

Sumit Roy, Realty Income’s President and Chief Executive Officer, announced his firm’s sizable investment into Las Vegas, saying that it is expected to yield huge benefits for their investors. 

We are pleased to initiate our Credit Investment platform through a preferred equity investment in the Bellagio joint venture,” he said. “Credit Investments are a natural adjacency to our traditional business, allowing us to provide additional value to our clients while leveraging our core competencies in transaction sourcing and structuring, and real estate and credit underwriting and monitoring.” 

Located on the famed Las Vegas Strip, The Bellagio is a luxury hotel and casino that was purchased from MGM Resorts by Blackstone back in 2019 for $4.25 billion; MGM retained a small stake and continues to operate and maintain the resort on a day-to-day basis. 

Realty Income Corporation is a real estate investment trust that owns and operates a portfolio of over 12,237 commercial properties. 

Shelter Realty is a Real Estate and Property Management Company specializing in the areas of Henderson, Las Vegas and North Las Vegas, NV. Feel free to give us a call at 702.376.7379 so we can answer any questions you may have.

LAS VEGAS, NV – An avid football fanatic has listed his Las Vegas home on the open market – after having lived there for 23 years – for $1.15 million, and one only need look inside to realize the depths of his esteem for the game, as his home is filled to nearly bursting with a mind-blowing 2,000 collegiate team helmets. 

In fact, that’s why Pug Winkler, 77, is finally looking to move out of the 2590 East Viking Road residence, as his collection – one of the world’s largest – has simply outgrown its 6,000 square-feet of space. And while the helmets – which are prominently mounted and displayed on the walls of practically every room of the house, even the kitchen and bathrooms – are not included in his current asking price, he noted that they can be included for the right amount of money. 

Obviously there’s a price for everything, but I would never break them up and sell them individually,” Winkler said. 

Winkler, originally hailing from Brooklyn, New York, said he’s been collecting football helmets for 50 years; unmarried, he said he had the luxury of not being forced to confine his hobby simply to a man cave or side office, but instead was able to spread it out to encompass the entirety of his home. 

2590 EAST VIKING ROAD, LAS VEGAS – $1,150,000.00

I have no wife to answer to, and if I did, and she said no, she wouldn’t be my wife anymore,” he said, who never actually played football himself in college but “loves watching the kids play.” 

Winkler began acquiring his helmets after selling a previous substantial collection of sports memorabilia; proceeds from that sale were large enough that he was able to retire, build his home, and go on numerous trips around the world. 

The property for sale consists of two houses – the main and an attached guesthouse – with Winkler’s collection spread out amongst the two of them. The main house comes in at 3,770 square feet and has four bedrooms and three bathrooms; the master bedroom boasts numerous amenities, including a jacuzzi, a sauna, and two walk-in closets, where he stores his collection of 150 football uniforms. 

Meanwhile, the guesthouse is 2,169-square-feet in size with four bedrooms and three bathrooms and can bring in as much as $4,800 per month in rent. 

Upon making the sale, Winkler said he plans on moving to Arizona.

See full listing details for 2590 East Viking Road, Las Vegas

Shelter Realty is a Real Estate and Property Management Company specializing in the areas of Henderson, Las Vegas and North Las Vegas, NV. Feel free to give us a call at 702.376.7379 so we can answer any questions you may have.

LAS VEGAS, NV – The Athletics’ ownership has hired the pair of industry-leading construction firms responsible for building Allegiant Stadium to build the Major League Baseball (MLB) team’s proposed new $1.5 billion ballpark on the Las Vegas Strip. 

 The A’s announced this week that the Mortenson | McCarthy Joint Venture will be responsible for handling all construction-related duties on the upcoming stadium, including estimates prior to the start of construction, scheduling and logistics planning, bidding, coordinating and managing labor, as well as engaging with the community. 

According to a statement released by A’s President Dave Kaval, the decision to go with this joint development team –  who are considered standouts in their field – was an easy one based on their previous efforts, particularly with the work they did on bringing Allegiant Stadium to life for the Las Vegas Raiders. 

Mortenson | McCarthy brings an exceptional level of expertise and experience to our project,” he said. “Their focus on innovation, safety and efficiency makes them the best in their field.” 

Despite the announcement, hiring of Mortenson | McCarthy still must be approved by the Las Vegas Stadium Authority before the deal can go down, although that is considered merely a formality. 

The new home of the Athletics – who are joining the Raiders in moving from their former hometown of Oakland, California – will be on a nine-acre plot of land situated on the 35-acre site of the Tropicana, located at Las Vegas Boulevard and Tropicana Avenue. Currently, the plan is to demolish the Tropicana to make way for the A’s stadium and to build a new 1,500-room hotel and casino on the remaining acreage. 

The A’s home stadium – a project expected to cost a total of $1.5 billion – is slated to take the form of a 35,000-seat retractable roof stadium. $380 million in public funds have been earmarked for the A’s new stadium, and the project in its current form could potentially also receive up to $180 million in transferable tax credits as well. 

Shelter Realty is a Real Estate and Property Management Company specializing in the areas of Henderson, Las Vegas and North Las Vegas, NV. Feel free to give us a call at 702.376.7379 so we can answer any questions you may have.

LAS VEGAS, NV – Hard Rock International, the new owners of the Mirage Las Vegas, have gained the approval of the Clark County Zoning Commission to replace the resort’s iconic volcano attraction with a massive guitar tower-themed resort and casino, reflecting the eventual rebranding of the property into the Hard Rock Las Vegas. 

The Mirage Las Vegas transferred operations in December 2022 from MGM Resorts International to new owners Hard Rock, the gaming arm of the Seminole Tribe of Florida, who purchased the rights to operate the resort for $1.075 billion; this marks the first time that a Native American tribe has run a Las Vegas Strip-based casino in history.  

While Hard Rock plans to continue operating The Mirage under its current name for the time being, the eventual plan is to re-brand the resort with the Hard Rock name in 2024 and redevelop the building into the same trademark guitar-style shape as other Hard Rock resorts. 

The eventual plan for the resort includes a 600-room, 660-foot-tall project along Las Vegas Boulevard – slated to be built exactly where the existing Mirage volcano currently is – with 49,000 square feet of gaming area and 96,000 square feet of retail and restaurants; amenities will include a pool, spa, fitness center, and salon. 

According to Jennifer Lazovich, a land-use attorney with law firm Kaempfer Crowell, the design of the proposed tower that Clark County approved last week will see it take the form of giant back-to-back guitars featuring “brightly lit strings” and massive floor-to-ceiling glass panes. 

Hard Rock had been repeatedly questioned about their plans for the volcano attraction since taking over the property, which has entertained tourists and visitors to the city for years; unfortunately, earlier this year the company confirmed their plans to eventually demolish it, citing the fact that it does not generate any revenue. 

For the time being, MGM will license the “Mirage” name to Hard Rock until the rebranding project is complete; Hard Rock Las Vegas is expected to open in 2025 or 2026. 

Shelter Realty is a Real Estate and Property Management Company specializing in the areas of Henderson, Las Vegas and North Las Vegas, NV. Feel free to give us a call at 702.376.7379 so we can answer any questions you may have.

LAS VEGAS, NV – Real estate agents in Las Vegas – and, across the country – are paying very close attention to a current class action lawsuit filed by home sellers that, if successful, could have serious ramifications upon how realtors are compensated for the property transactions they handle. 

How compensation is currently handled for a real estate agent is that they are essentially paid the same commission from the seller regardless of their degree of experience; a newcomer will make the same exact amount as one that has been in the industry for many years. 

However, the plaintiffs in Moehrl v. National Association of Realtors (NAR) – a lawsuit filed in the state of Illinois against both NAR and several major real estate brokerage companies – argue that home buyers should pay for their own agents; this is opposed to the current practice in the industry, where the commission paid by the seller between buyer and seller agents is split, which the plaintiffs claim is anti-competitive. 

Speaking to a local Fox affiliate news station this week, Las Vegas-based real estate agent Steve Hawks expressed concerns that – should the plaintiffs prevail in their case – it could result in buyers being much choosier about who they work with, which could force many new real estate agents out of the industry altogether.  

If this lawsuit goes through, it would probably cut the agent count from 1.6 million to about 200,000,” he opined. “It’s going to impact agents that aren’t experienced.” 

Hawks said the reason that inexperienced realtors would be disproportionately affected in a negative way if the plaintiffs win their case is because if buyers are forced to shoulder the burden of paying fees in the event of a home sale, they will almost certainly want to go with an agent who has more experience in the field. 

If you’ve been in the business one day or 30 years, when you do a transaction on the MLS (Multiple Listing Services), you’re getting paid the same amount,” he said. “In the future, when the buyers see that it’s going to cost them money one way or the other with their agent, they’re going to start interviewing their buyer’s agent similarly to how sellers do their listing agent.” 

Jaime Solorzano is a newly licensed real estate agent in Las Vegas, and said that he isn’t worried about the outcome of the case considering how hot the local market is currently. 

It doesn’t scare me. There’s many obstacles you always have to overcome. That doesn’t put fear in me,” he said. “It’s actually going to become even better. People are attracted over here more. People are coming in often, often. Way more than usual.” 

Moehrl v. National Association of Realtors is expected to be decided at some point in 2024. 

Shelter Realty is a Real Estate and Property Management Company specializing in the areas of Henderson, Las Vegas and North Las Vegas, NV. Feel free to give us a call at 702.376.7379 so we can answer any questions you may have. 

LAS VEGAS, NV – As per a new report released this week, when prospective homebuyers nationwide are looking for a new place to relocate, the Las Vegas valley is currently the most searched location out of entirety of the United States. 

Real estate brokerage Redfin noted that home buyers are being inspired to flock to Las Vegas by several notable factors, the most prominent of which being its extremely high degree of affordability when compared to other parts of the country. 

Buyers with the freedom and inclination to relocate are choosing Las Vegas largely because their money goes a long way there,” the report said. “Its typical home sells for $412,000, less than half the price of a home in Los Angeles, the most common origin for buyers moving to Las Vegas.” 

The data in the report was accumulated from searches conducted by approximately 2 million Redfin.com users between April 2023 and June 2023 and encompassed queries for homes currently on the market across over 100 major metropolitan areas. 

In addition, the Redfin report notes that in the second quarter of 2023, a full 25 percent of their users indicated that they were looking to relocate to a different metropolitan area other than where they currently reside, which constitutes a record number of the site’s users looking to move. 

The Redfin report is backed up by newly released research from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas’ Center for Business and Economic Research, which indicates that 115 people are moving to Clark County on a daily basis. In fact, Clark County’s population is expected to grow by approximately 42,066 residents in 2023 alone, and the number of people moving there will continue to increase, according to UNLV, with that number possibly increasing to as many as 56,000 new residents in 2026. 

Shelter Realty is a Real Estate and Property Management Company specializing in the areas of Henderson, Las Vegas and North Las Vegas, NV. Feel free to give us a call at 702.376.7379 so we can answer any questions you may have. 

LAS VEGAS, NV – The new high-rise apartment complex is slated to be constructed in Henderson – the first-ever located in the city – with the developers stating they plan to raise the bar in terms of luxury accommodations in the region. 

The complex – dubbed Four Seasons Private Residences Las Vegas, a fully-serviced luxury residential project – is set to break ground and begin construction at the end of 2023. It will take the form of two towers containing 171 homes, as well as six additional private villas to be located off-site in McDonald Highlands.  

Four Seasons, upon completion, will encompass 7,300 interior square feet and 5,000 exterior square feet, and is being built in partnership with Azure Resorts & Hotels and Luxus Developments. 

The developers describe the project as being a “single-family home, but in the sky,” with the units being marketed to families who are seeking to downsize from high-maintenance houses to a high-rise home with a similar layout. 

The project is also pioneering what they refer to as a “lock and leave” concept, wherein residents can leave their keys at the front desk when going away and have management watch over and maintain their home in their absence. 

Four Seasons will boast 24-hour staff and over 90,000 square feet of amenities, including media rooms, gyms, a golf simulator, an indoor jacuzzi, cryotherapy chamber, wine cellars, meeting rooms, indoor pools an on-site world-class chef with food delivery service, and more. Residents will also be able to access their units through private garages – complete with electric vehicle charging stations – or private elevators. 

Such lavish accommodations certainly don’t come cheap: the homes start at $3.5 million, with some of the high-end penthouses costing as much as $45 million and featuring extras such as large terraces and outdoor kitchens.  

50 residences have been sold already, according to the developer, totaling $250 million in sales so far; the project is expected to open in the first quarter of 2026. 

For more information on Four Seasons Private Residences Las Vegas, please visit https://www.fourseasons.com/residences/private_residences/las-vegas/

Shelter Realty is a Real Estate and Property Management Company specializing in the areas of Henderson, Las Vegas and North Las Vegas, NV. Feel free to give us a call at 702.376.7379 so we can answer any questions you may have. 

LAS VEGAS, NV – New data released by Las Vegas Realtors indicates the number of listings for new homes within the Las Vegas Valley have decreased by approximately 52 percent year-over-year in July, representing a historically low inventory of homes currently on the market. 

The housing market in Las Vegas is currently a one-of-a-kind occurrence, experts say, due to the limited number of homes available for sale along with numerous other mitigating factors – including high interest rates on home mortgage loans – that is creating a degree of demand not otherwise reflected by the majority of the real estate market in the rest of the country at the moment. 

A major example of this phenomena, according to Redfin, is the fact that out of all of the metropolitan areas in the United States, only Las Vegas saw an increase impending home sales in July. In fact, the new Las Vegas Realtors report notes that only 3,524 single-family homes were listed for sale last month without any offers, which represents a 4.2 percent decrease from June, and a whopping 51.9 percent decrease year-over-year. 

Redfin also reports that Las Vegas had a 43.4 percent drop in new listings over the course of the past month, the largest such decrease nationwide during that span of time. 

In addition to high demand, other factors that are reportedly driving the low housing inventory in the Las Vegas valley include a forbearance program instituted by the Federal Housing Administration during the COVID-19 pandemic, which is allowing some homeowners to remain in their residences by means of reducing or outright pausing their mortgage payments. 

The number of homeowners currently taking advantage of this forbearance program potentially number in the thousands, reports say, with the period of time where mortgage payments don’t have to be made ranging anywhere from six to 18 months. 

And finally, homeowners who made purchases during the midst of the pandemic – when interest rates were historically low – are currently hesitant to put their homes on the market due to the low monthly payments they currently benefit from, especially with new interest rates at much higher levels. 

All of these factors have combined to create what experts say is a “perfect storm” in the Las Vegas housing industry, driving up demand – and subsequently, prices – of what homes are left available on the market.

Shelter Realty is a Real Estate and Property Management Company specializing in the areas of Henderson, Las Vegas and North Las Vegas, NV. Feel free to give us a call at 702.376.7379 so we can answer any questions you may have. 

LAS VEGAS, NV – The housing market in Las Vegas continued its upward trend in July 2023, with the median price of a pre-existing, single-family home increasing by over $9,000 month-over-month, showing a sustained degree of growth that unfortunately was not shared in the city’s condominium and townhome markets. 

A new report released by Las Vegas Realtors indicates that the median value of a home in Las Vegas for July was $450,000, in contrast to just one month prior in June when that number was $440,990. 

That price increase can be contributed to several factors that continue to persist despite the fact that interest rates for home mortgages remain historically high. These factors include the high degree of demand combined with a shrinking amount of housing inventory in Southern Nevada, which is serving to drive up the value of what homes are remaining available on the market. 

The all-time record for the median price of a home in Las Vegas was $482,000, which was achieved in May of 2022. 

While the prices of homes in Las Vegas continued to climb in July, the lower demand for condos and townhomes resulted in the median price dropping to $273,500, a $1,500 month-to-month difference from June when that number was $275,000. 

In their report, Las Vegas Realtors noted that 83.2 percent of homes and 85.6 percent of condos and townhomes sold within 60 days in July 2023; this represents a significant year-over-year decrease, as 95.2 percent of homes and 95.7 percent of condos and townhomes sold within 60 days in July 2022. 

Another decrease in July came in the form of cash buyers for real estate, as they made up one-quarter of all sales for the month; in contrast, that percentage was one-third during the same period of time one year ago. 

Shelter Realty is a Real Estate and Property Management Company specializing in the areas of Henderson, Las Vegas and North Las Vegas, NV. Feel free to give us a call at 702.376.7379 so we can answer any questions you may have.

LAS VEGAS, NV – Since the use of short term rental services such as Airbnb and VRBO were legalized in unincorporated Clark County, the ability of local officials to properly license renters and establish a series of regulations governing the industry has been slow and wrought with speed bumps, causing a great deal of frustration for those waiting to make their properties available to the many tourists that visit Southern Nevada each week. 

An initial batch of guidelines rolled out were received negatively by renters and were eventually ruled as being unconstitutional by a judge. A lawsuit is now pending with the Nevada Supreme Court against Clark County brought by the Greater Las Vegas Short-Term Rental Association (GLVSTRA), which claims that an overly complicated application process – including what they say was an inadequate amount of time to submit paperwork, prompting the county to extend deadlines – has been financially damaging to their members. 

In their process of writing these new regulations, they just threw anything and everything they could think to make it as difficult and as hard for people to get a license and to operate even after you have a license,” said GLVSTRA President Jacqueline Flores. “We really didn’t have a seat at the table.” 

According to a website that tracks properties listed on short term rental sites Airbnb and VRBO – known as AirDNA – the Las Vegas metropolitan area has approximately 13,000 active rentals, and officials in Clark County have said that they are attempting to “methodically” fine-tune their licensing process to ensure they are taxed properly. 

The issues originally stem from the passage of AB363 in 2021 by the Nevada State Legislature, which mandated that municipalities create licensing processes and regulations for short term rentals; previously, such rental units were illegal in Clark County, although enforcement of this ban was practically nonexistent.   

Since the passage of AB363, cities such as Henderson, Las Vegas and North Las Vegas have created procedures covering application, inspection, and enforcement, but many renters in Clark County have claimed their process in particular has been needlessly convoluted and overly strict. Some points of contention include a 1,000 feet minimum distance between rentals, a 10 p.m. curfew for outdoor activities, and radios, stereos and sound speakers being relegated to indoor use only. 

Issues with the application process – which included a pre-application lottery and tight deadlines the submission of paperwork – have resulted in extreme frustration on the part of renters, according to Flores, who claimed that Clark County has “purposefully created this convoluted mess” as a means to purposely discourage short-term rental owners from applying for licenses, reportedly in response to quality-of-life complaints issued by residents that have short term rental hosts as neighbors. 

Shelter Realty is a Real Estate and Property Management Company specializing in the areas of Henderson, Las Vegas and North Las Vegas, NV. Feel free to give us a call at 702.376.7379 so we can answer any questions you may have.