Category Archive : Appraisals

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 – In contrast to its recent history as a housing market that experiences numerous highs and lows in terms of pricing, a new report by Las Vegas Realtors indicates that Las Vegas’ marketplace has remained relatively stable so far in 2023. 

According to their report, Las Vegas Realtors noted that the median price of existing single-family homes sold in Southern Nevada during March was $425,000, which represents virtually no change from the month before and a decrease of 7.6 percent year-over-year, when that price was $460,000. 

That price is also lower than Southern Nevada’s all-time record price of $482,000, which was set in May 2022. 

In addition, the marketplace for condominiums and townhomes sold in March was relatively stable as well, with the median price coming in at $260,000, a 2 percent increase from February but a 3.7 percent decrease year-over-year, when that amount was $270,000. The all-time record for condos and townhomes was also set in May 2022, when that price was $285,000. 

Las Vegas Realtors President Lee Barrett noted that the growing stability of the local real estate market shows that there is a “strong underlying interest and demand for owning a home here in Southern Nevada.” 

“Southern Nevada was one of the first places to experience this recent shift in the housing market,” he said. “It seems logical to me that we may also be among the first to come out of this recent slowdown. Our median home price hasn’t changed since December. Local home prices had previously been declining by 1 percent or 2 percent per month. This may be a sign that we’re near the bottom of this cycle.” 

Las Vegas Realtors reports that at the end of March, there were 4,196 single family homes listed for sale without any offers, which represents a 109.3 percent increase year-over-year. In addition, there were 1,103 condos and townhomes listed without offers in that same month, which is a 179.9 percent increase from March 2022. 

2,962 existing homes, condos, and townhomes were sold in Southern Nevada in March, which was a 27.8 percent decrease year-over-year for homes and a 35.6 percent decrease for condos and townhomes. There was approximately a two-month supply of inventory of homes on the market by the end of March, which shows an improvement over the same period of time last year, when there was less than a one month supply available. 

Typically, a six-month supply represents a balanced market between buyers and sellers. 

LAS VEGAS, NV – While the prices of pre-owned homes in Las Vegas continue to shatter records nearly each and every month, prices of newly-built homes have been continuing to break records of their own, actually surpassing their pre-owned comrade in the month of November by a significant margin.

According to Las Vegas homebuilders, the median price of a newly-built home in the Southern Nevada region for the month of November 2021 was $444,677, as compared to the median price of pre-owned homes during the same period of time, which was $420,000.

The median price of newly-built homes noted for November represents an 11.5% increase over the same period of time in 2020, and due to non-stop demand and supply chain issues brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic, that upward trajectory is not expected to end anytime soon, experts say.

November’s numbers mark the sixth time that the record for prices of newly-built homes in Las Vegas shattered all-time records, illustrating that 2021 was a year of significant growth for the industry.

Builders closed 1,054 new-home sales in November, which is a 26% increase year-over-year; this brings the total of newly-built homes sold in Las Vegas for 2021 up to 10,915, a jump of 17% from November 2020. And of course, that’s not taking December’s numbers into account, which should be out later this month.

In addition, 1,293 new-home permits were issued in Las Vegas last month, up 28% from one year ago, for a total of 13,774 so far this year – a massive 32% increase over November 2021.

The majority of residences that builders have been concentrating on constructing as of late are single-family homes, and sales have flourished throughout 2021 due to rock-bottom mortgage rates that have allowed buyers to lock in low-interest loans, getting them the most for their dollar when it comes to purchasing a house.

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 the months go by and the economy continues to improve emerging – ever-so-slowly – away from the COVID-19 pandemic, records continue to be broken on a regular basis in Las Vegas’ housing market. But according to experts, while home prices are the highest they’ve ever been in Southern Nevada, there’s at least one way that home values are still underneath their pre-recession levels.

According to local media reports, signs that the Vegas housing market is on fire can be plainly seen in the numbers, with buyers for homes in Spring Valley and Summerlin last week paying a whopping $22,000 and $75,000 over their respective asking prices. And if you don’t think that’s a sign of intense competition, let’s not forget about the Henderson home that recently sold for approximately $160,000 more than its owner had paid for it just a few short years ago.  

But while real estate records are falling by the wayside with increasing regularity as of late in Las Vegas, one way experts note values remain in question is that they are still shy of the levels achieved prior to the burst of the housing bubble in the mid-2000’s, and that’s due to inflation.

In July 2021, the median sales price of previously owned single-family homes in Vegas was an all-time high of $405,000, representing a 22.7 percent jump from the same period of time in 2020. But the previous peak of median house prices in the region was in the middle of 2006, when they reached $315,000… which, in 2021 dollars, would come to $423,834.

Experts say that factor alone illustrates a great many things about Las Vegas real estate, such as the extreme bloat of the pre-recession marketplace and how circumstances today – despite prices rising again to the point of creating affordability concerns – are far more stable overall, leading to less risk of another hosing bubble pop and subsequent financial disaster.

Many analysts predict that the current boom in Vegas will eventually level off as developers continue to construct new homes and rental properties to satisfy demand, although exactly when that will happen is anyone’s guess.

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 – Following a slight dip due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the real estate scene in Las Vegas has not only recovered, but is currently in such a state that an offer for the requested price point of any given home is quickly becoming a “weak offer,” according to recent reports.

Jordan Rodriguez, 26, had placed a two-story house on the market in Las Vegas less than a month ago; he had originally purchased the home in 2016 for $293,000, and was selling it for $560,000, which was $10,000 over the asking price.

Rodriguez received multiple offers immediately, and before he knew it, the residence was under contract. And he’s not the only seller in the Southern Nevada region that’s cashing in on the recent real estate boom that’s taking place.

Sellers are regularly getting significantly more than they paid for properties just a few years ago, although some real estate experts have expressed concerns over the rapidly rising cost of homes in Las Vegas and if this level of rapid growth – despite still being significantly cheaper than the national average – will eventually result in affordability issues.

But however you look at it, the Las Vegas real estate scene is very much a seller’s market, with those looking to unload their homes being firmly in control and able to command top dollar for their investments, especially considering the fact that inventory in Las Vegas has been plunging recently while prices have reached their highest point since well before the COVID-19 pandemic.

Despite the local economy being otherwise negatively impacted by COVID, the housing market has not only survived, but rebounded more quickly than anyone expected, aided in part by cheap borrowing costs that have allowed buyers lock in lower monthly payments and get more for their dollar.

In short – nowadays in Southern Nevada, if you’re offering the asking price on a home, you’re bidding too low, according to Urban Nest Realty agent Christina Chipman.

“Now a full-price offer is a weak offer,” she said.

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 – According to recent reports, the mad scramble for local real estate and the subsequent record-setting months of rising median single-family home prices during the pandemic has real estate experts speculating that Las Vegas may potentially be in another bubble, reminiscent of the mid-2000’s that eventually gave way to a recession.

Multiple sellers are reporting that despite the ever-increasing prices of homes on the market – October 2020 saw the single-family homes median sales price reach and all-time high of $340,000 – multiple offers are often being made on new inventory as soon as they are available, with the activity surrounding it being described as “frenzied” and “defying logic” – lending itself to fears of a new recession in the works.

However, according to experts, there are several important differences between today’s real estate market and the one that eventually lead to the mid-2000’s recession; in the past, loans were easy to come by and the strong Southern Nevada economy led to skyrocketing property values, house-flipping, and mass construction. When the recession hit and the bottom dropped out, few regions were hit as badly as Las Vegas, with property values tanking, construction projects halted, and countless homes foreclosed upon.

Fast-forward to today, and while on the surface circumstances may seem similar, requirements for loans are mort strict now. While record-low interest rates are making it easier for people to get loans with monthly payments that they absolutely can afford, lenders are going to far greater lengths to verify a borrower’s income, employment, and assets; in the mid-2000’s, this often didn’t happen at all, leading an expert to note that “if you could walk and chew gum, you got a mortgage.” The result? A large increase in defaulted home loans, which experts say is unlikely to happen today.

So while experts are still scratching their heads over the current state of home pricing and demand in 2020 Las Vegas amid the pandemic and it’s uncertain what the market will ultimately look like within the next few years, it’s safe to assume that another bubble is, in fact, not around the corner.

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 – Soaring prices in the Las Vegas housing market are being shaped by one vitally important factor above all others – dwindling supply of residences available for buyers, according to recent reports. October 2020 saw yet another record broken when it comes to the median price for an existing single-family home sold in Southern Nevada, with prices now up to $340,200, representing a jump of approximately 11 percent from October of 2019.

Real estate experts are noting that thanks to COVID-19, the house buying season that normally hits its peak during the summer has continued into the fall with no signs of slowing down; that, coupled with demands for housing not being met in terms of new construction – in some instances slowed down by the pandemic – have resulted in home prices that seem to get higher month-after-month.

Townhouses and condominiums are also growing in cost, with the median sales price in October coming in at $186,500, compared to $171,250 during the same period of time last year.

Typically, to maintain a balanced real estate market, a six-month supply of homes is needed; currently, Las Vegas finds itself far below that threshold, with only a 1.5 month supply of homes for sale. Approximately 4,000 homes were sold in October 2020 alone.

Experts are also attributing the demand for homes to historically low interest rates on home loans, in addition to an order issued by Nevada Governor Steve Sisolak that allowed real estate agents statewide to be able to resume open houses for prospective buyers; the latter move has been attributed to more people getting out and buying homes and more homeowners putting their residences up for sale.

Ultimately, developers must find a way to increase their output of home construction in order to not only meet the continuing demand, but to also help stabilize prices, lest they continue to increase on a monthly basis.

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 – According to reports, despite Las Vegas house sales dropping significantly in the month of May due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, prices actually increased and the number of sales contracts signed showed some growth.

Sales of single-family homes in May were down 13.6 percent from April 2020 and down a whopping 48.1 percent from May 2019, with only 1,703 dwellings changing hands. However, the median sales price of homes sold in May was $315,000, which represents an increase of 1.6 percent from April and a 5 percent increase from May 2019.

The number of homes on the market also rose slightly – up 3,231, a 28.4 percent increase over April – but still down 29.7 percent from the available inventory of May 2019.

Previously, the Las Vegas real estate market was a hotbed of activity, with 2020 starting out strong before the advent of the conronavirus. When the pandemic hit the United States, Nevada Governor Steve Sisolak made the decision to shut down non-essential businesses and issued stay-at-home orders to curb the spread of the virus; the tourism-dependent economy of Las Vegas suffered great damage as a result, with a record-breaking 33.5 percent unemployment rate reported in April.

Even the housing industry – while suffering less than many other businesses – still saw sales drop, due in-part to the great number of local workers laid off or furloughed and therefore afraid to make the large financial commitment that purchasing a house requires.

However, with the Las Vegas economy currently in the process of re-opening as the pandemic appears to be abating in the Southern Nevada region, homes have retained their value and the housing market is showing signs of recovery, with experts predicting that Vegas may bounce back faster than expected.

The current numbers for May, while still below last year’s figures, nonetheless give credence to that positive prediction.

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 now infamous coronavirus outbreak has brought the city of Las Vegas to a near-standstill, with casinos and hotels closed in an effort to head off the rate of infection. However, reports indicated that the real estate and construction industries are nonetheless doing their best to continue to meet the needs of the population in these historically difficult times, and despite the expected uphill battle, have made some progress in doing just that.

After several months of strong home sales and following a massive recovery of the local real estate market and economy, Las Vegas home sales have taken a hit due to the worldwide coronavirus pandemic, with some deals being delayed while other cancelled outright. The issues are fueled about concern over the long-terms effects of the coronavirus on the economy, as well as the local job market and the performance of stocks.

However, there are just as many real estate transactions that are still ongoing, and the local real estate and construction markets are doing what they can to adapt to changing conditions as best they can. Motivated buyers are still pounding the pavement to get good deals, and many agents and builders are still showing homes and apartments, albeit by appointment only for now.

Likewise, some buyers are avoiding the concept of “social distancing” to potentially find better deals while many are holed up in their homes in self-imposed quarantine. However, reports indicate that builders are not currently considering price drops, seeing this as a temporary situation that will eventually right itself.

In addition, due to the housing demand in Las Vegas – and the fact that the virus will eventually blow over with life returning to normal, although unknown how long that will take – people are still researching homes via the internet, with some even buying homes without even visiting them in-person, instead going by photo galleries and video tours.

January and February of 2020 both saw over 1,100 home sales in Las Vegas, and before the coronavirus scare March 2020 was on course to produce similar strong numbers, reports say, with 589 sales already recorded. Buyer traffic in new homes overall dropped this week to less than 4,000 people, down from 5,000 two weeks ago, reports indicate.

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 – 2019 was a big-money year in terms of apartment complex sales, according to recent reports. As an affordable alternative to the rising costs of home ownership in the Southern Nevada region, apartment rentals have surged in popularity in Vegas as more and more people move to the area in search of employment due to the vastly improved economy in recent years.

Several apartment complexes have changed hands in Vegas throughout 2019 for some impressive dollar amounts; one example is Evo, a complex situated in the suburbs that went for $104.5 million shortly before the beginning of the 2020. The complex is indeed impressive, as it offers high-class amenities for residents such as an indoor basketball court, steam and sauna rooms, and a rooftop lounge.

Other apartment complexes that have sold for big money in Las Vegas in 2019 include Allanza at the Lakes for $152 million; Elysian at Flamingo for $104.6 million; Vegas Towers for $104 million; and Pointe at Centennial for $100 million.

However, despite these impressive total dollar amounts, there’s another aspect of these sales that need to be taken into account in order to estimate the true value of these properties- price per unit. Price per unit is relatively simple to figure out- it is the price paid for the complex divided by the number of rental units.

For example, the Evo is a 367-unit complex; since it sold for $104.5 million, the price per unit comes to approximately $284,741. Allanza at the Lakes, which sold for $152 million, has 896-units; that brings its price per unit to approximately $169,643. These contrasting prices per unit totals underscore the fact that there is far more to any rental property purchase than the initial buying price.

The Las Vegas valley is currently the epicenter of investor activity in terms of interest in apartment properties; one property owner recently noted that when he put up three Vegas-based properties in a $241 million bulk deal, he quickly received 40 offers; 30 of those were for individual buildings in the offer, whereas 10 of those offers were for the entire three properties. Clearly, Las Vegas is in the midst of an apartment boom; however, it’s up to landlords to make sure it stays that way with stable rents that take long-term affordability concerns into consideration.

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 – After an extended period of intense real estate growth, Las Vegas home prices have begun to drop after hitting their highest peak in over ten years, according to reports; experts say that this could benefit the market in the long-term, as the decrease could spur increased home sales, which had been slowing recently due to affordability concerns.

While experts consider the Las Vegas real estate market to be on solid ground overall, it did experience a drop after a considerable amount of time where prices increased and available inventory dwindled. But after a swell of new homes and apartment buildings were put on the market – thanks to the work of numerous developers – the increased inventory and rising prices have resulted in a small decrease in closings. 

The market is on much stronger footing today but has slowed considerably this year, after a heated run in 2018 sparked affordability concerns (some of which caused worry that the local cost of living was spiraling out of control). There’s no way to predict whether we’re in the early stages of a crash, but the cooling, at least in theory, could help jump-start home sales — and there are signs that buyer activity has picked up lately. As a result, the growth rate of Las Vegas dropped from its typical first or second place nationally to eighth among 20 cities ranked by S&P Dow Jones Indices.

However, experts are seeing this drop in sales – and a resulting drop in prices, coupled with a late-2018 drop in interest rates – as a good thing; it could be a means to an end in terms of sparking new sales as buyers who may have been holding out due to affordability concerns will be willing to finally take the plunge.

That hesitation, on the part of buyers, can be understandable; in August of 2018, Las Vegas house prices had jumped 14 percent from the same period of time one year prior, whereas the year-to-year increase from August 2018 to August 2019 was a more manageable 3.3 percent, reports say.

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 – In keeping with current market trends that see the demand for housing options in the Las Vegas real estate market, housing prices have continued to climb in the region, recently hitting a high point not seen in over a decade, according to reports.

For the first time in 11 years, the average median price of a home in Vegas in 2018 has reached $300,000, which represents an increase of 1.7 percent from August and a whopping jump of over 13 percent from the same period one year ago, when the median price was $265,000.

The last time Southern Nevada saw house prices such as these was way back in 2007, while the region was on the cusp of the recession; at the time, prices topped out at approximately $305,000. The highest the market ever reached in terms of peak pricing was June of 2006, where the average median price of a home was $315,000.

In contrast, the bust of the housing bubble in Las Vegas saw that average hit a shocking low in January of 2012 of $118,000.

Meanwhile, condominium prices have seen similar climbs recently, as many new families and individuals moving to the area are scrambling to get their hands on anything they can; the median price of Vegas condos and townhouses hit $170,000 as of this past September, a huge leap of over 21 percent from September of 2017.

A great part of these skyrocketing prices is due to the fact that, despite the best efforts of local developers, Southern Nevada is still in the grips of a housing shortage, with realtors reporting a mere two month supply currently available. For what is considered a “stable” market, typically a six-month supply is needed in order to keep prices from driving up too quickly.

As a result, developers and contractors have been doubling their efforts and increasing hires, but the needed workforce is still not at levels that needed, despite increased salaries being offered. However, nonetheless, work is progressing – albeit slowly – and new homes and condos are being erected as a gradual pace that should serve to balance Las Vegas’ real estate market, ensuring that home prices don’t box out first-time home buyers on a budget.

Another issue contributing to the housing shortage – and the subsequent rise in housing prices – are the large number of rental homes owned by local investors that are not being put on the market for sale; if these investors decided to sell as opposed to hanging onto their numerous rental properties, it could also help alleviate some of the strain on the market.

Housing prices in Las Vegas have been increasing at the fastest rates in the United States over the past 12 months. If you are considering investing in or around the Las Vegas area give us a call at 702.376.7379 so we can answer any questions you may have.