Category Archive : Economy

Resorts World to be First “Mega-Resort” on Vegas Strip in Over Ten Years

LAS VEGAS, NV – Genting Group, a developer based in Malaysia, recently announced that they are on-target for the late 2020 completion of construction on the Resorts World Las Vegas Casino, despite some experts expressing doubts that such a goal is currently not realistic given the overall lack of progress since work began on the $4 billion project in 2017.

Genting originally purchased the 87-acre property – situated on the famed Las Vegas strip at the former site of the Stardust Casino – five years ago, but ran into issues that delayed the start of construction; the developer blamed the problems on logistical construction difficulties and negative fluctuations in Malaysian currency, known as the Ringgit. However, Genting has noted that they have resolved all issues pertaining to Resorts World Las Vegas and, in 2017, began work on the casino in earnest.

However, while some progress has been made at the 87-acre construction site as far as the overall structure is concerned, some are expressing doubts that Genting’s stated 2020 goal is attainable as certain major aspects have yet to be completed, such as the proposed glass siding. Some have said, given the lack of progress thus far, that a more realistic estimate would be 2021 at the very earliest, if not later.

Resorts World Las Vegas – anticipated as the first mega-resort to open its doors on the strip in over ten years – is slated to feature traditional Chinese architecture, with a red and white color scheme and a giant Chinese lantern hanging from the top of a tower. It will feature over 3,400 rooms divvied up between three towers, with a 100,000 square foot gaming floor, numerous restaurants with traditional Chinese cuisine, an amphitheatre, swimming pool, and many more amenities.

At this point, Genting’s website notes that the project will be  completed in phases – the company has stated that the project does not need to be 100 percent completed in order to open for business – and will target mid-market Chinese visitors, although the current and escalating trade war between the United States and China may throw a wrench in the works as far as discouraging tourism from that country, experts say.

“The first phase of Resorts World Las Vegas will be done in stages and will include a hotel; multiple restaurants including a variety of authentic, regional Chinese cuisines; over 100,000 square feet of innovative gaming space, numerous retail offerings; and a top-tier nightlife venue” states the Resorts World Las Vegas website.

Resorts World Las Vegas is Genting’s first project in Las Vegas; the developer also operates resorts in the Bahamas and the United Kingdom, as well as Malaysia, Singapore, South Korea.

If you are considering relocating in or around the Las Vegas area, which clearly is experiencing huge growth and a booming job market,  give us a call at 702.376.7379 so we can answer any real estate and home relocation questions you may have.

LAS VEGAS, NV – Steel tariffs instituted by the United States government have begin to make their presence felt upon several high-profile, ongoing construction projects in the Las Vegas area, driving up costs of many beyond the scope of their original estimates, according to reports.

Northwest Vegas’ Centennial Bowl construction has seen some issues related to the tariffs; an estimated $12 million has been added to the project’s original projected costs of the newest phase of work, a huge amount that the Nevada Department of Transportation has attributed to the newly-imposed taxes placed upon imported steel from several foreign sources. It is unknown if attempts were made to procure steel from domestic sources in order to avoid additional cost overruns.

The Centennial Bowl initially began construction in August of 2015, with the stated purpose of the project being a widening and upgrade to a six-mile segment of U.S. Highway 95 in northwest Las Vegas in order to reduce traffic congestion and provide a more efficient and safe corridor of travel for local residents. The project will expand the highway from its current four lanes of travel to an eventual six lanes, running from Durango Drive to Kyle Canyon Road. That work, coupled with a new series of entrance and exit ramps, is expected to create some much-valued breathing room for area motorists.

Currently, over than 52,000 vehicles traverse this section of highway with that amount of motorists anticipated to increase by at least 50 percent in the next 20 years. Needless to say, an upgrade was sorely needed. The first phase of work was finished in 2016; the next phase is due to begin at the end of 2018.

The Department of Transportation selected Las Vegas Paving as the main contractor for the new phase of the Centennial Bowl project, which involves building an additional three parkway ramps that will serve to join the 215 Beltway and U.S. Highway 95, in addition to two flyover bridges.

All of this construction involves a great deal of steel-reinforced concrete, and the initial estimate of $49-$59 million was bumped up to approximately $61.5 million, with the increased costs being attributed to the new steel tariffs. When the project cost was first estimated, structural steel was approximately costing $3.25 per pound and reinforcing steel $.80 per pound; officials now note that structural steel comes in at $9 per pound and reinforcing steel $.94 per pound.

The current deadline for completion of the new phase of the project is 2020.

Considering relocating to Vegas? Give us a call at 702.376.7379 so we can answer any real estate and home relocation questions you may have.

LAS VEGAS, NV – Ground has officially broken and construction is underway on the first of at least 12 buildings that will encompass the Harry Reid Research and Technology Park at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV), a $30 million project that the university says should generate as many as 25,000 jobs once it has been completed.

The first building, is expected to be completed next spring and is slated to come in at four stories and take up approximately 115,000-square feet. Developers working on the project are still in the process of finalizing when the entire twelve-building park will be completed, which is slated to consist of as many as 12-15 buildings with up to 1.5 million square feet of office space. The university anticipates that the facility will attract numerous technology businesses to the Las Vegas region.

Located adjacent to Durango Drive and the 215 Beltway, UNLV acquired the 122-acre property for the park in 2005 but was forced to delay construction efforts until now due to financial hardships brought on by the recession. Once completed, the park will offer UNLV students ample facilities to conduct research and engage in business and economic development projects; in addition, the park will also have space available for numerous businesses and partners, although who these specific enterprises are have yet to be divulged.

One complete and fully operational and with full occupancy, the par is expected to provide a vast array of employment opportunities for local residents and boast of an anticipated economic impact upon Las Vegas in the neighborhood of $2.6 billion. UNLV, considered a research university, has stated their goal as becoming a notable research institute and indents to pour approximately $120 a year into their efforts by 2025, focusing on research into technology and increasing the number of patent applications they submit on an annual basis.

The initial building currently under construction is known as an “innovation building,” and will feature offices, research space and lab space, in addition to amenities such as a basketball court and electric vehicle charging stations. UNLV and a corporate sponsor – to be announced in the near future – will be situated on the top two floors of the four-story building, with the bottom two floors being made available to businesses to lease.

Tenants are currently being sought and will be announced once signed, UNLV officials said.

If you are considering relocating in or around the Las Vegas area, which clearly is experiencing huge growth and a booming job market,  give us a call at 702.376.7379 so we can answer any real estate and home relocation questions you may have.

LAS VEGAS, NV – The Las Vegas real estate market is in high gear and showing no signs of slowing down; however, while the sales of property, both private and for business purposes remains at a level not seen in the region in over a decade and focus on the type of property is in a constant state of flux. While sales of single-family homes remain in the lead by far, recently an uptick has been seen in condominium and townhouse sales, proving that when it comes to homes of any type in Las Vegas, if you build it, they will come.

In June of 2018, Clark County saw yet another increase in home purchases to the tune of 944 home sales, representing an increase of nearly 12 percent over June of 2017; for the year to date, that comes to 5,156 home sales in total, a jump of 19.4 percent from year-to-year. According to reports, however, experts noted that a larger-than-usual number of those sales were comprised of condos and townhouses, illustrating a larger than usual jump when compared to recent figures.

Condo and townhouse sales represented a total of 11 percent of the new home sales during June of 2018, a total of 3 percent over the same period in 2017; June’s home sales median price came to $379,648, an increase of 11.9 percent year-to-year.

Sales numbers are expected to increase going forward, and construction of these types of dwellings are expected to increase in response; communities in particular that are expected to see additional options in terms of condos and townhouses are those set in Henderson, including Tuscany and Cadence, as well as Valley Vista in North Las Vegas.

Competition for affordable housing in Las Vegas has reached a fever pitch over the course of the last year, with the booming economy and job market attracting numerous businesses and newly-transplanted residents, all set on taking advantage of Southern Nevada’s low cost of living. However, the demand for housing for new arrivals to the region has seen home prices swell, especially as demand continues to outstrip supply by a wide margin.

Builders have struggled to keep up, and the latest numbers suggest they are finally beginning to get a foothold; the number of building permits issued in June of 2018 was 946 – bringing this years total up to 6,106 – a dip of 8.6 percent from the same period last year, but a year-to-year jump of 30 percent. With those numbers, experts predict that Las Vegas is on-pace to see over 12,000 building permits issued by the end of 2018.

Considering relocating to Vegas? Give us a call at 702.376.7379 so we can answer any real estate and home relocation questions you may have.

Officials Report Las Vegas Raiders Stadium Construction On-Time, On-Budget

LAS VEGAS, NV – Construction on the Las Vegas Raiders Stadium is going along as planned, according to team officials, with the project currently at the 15 percent finished mark and proceeding both on-time and on-budget since its Nov. 15, 2017 groundbreaking. At this rate, without any surprises or mishaps, the stadium is well on its way of meeting its stated goal of hosting the start of the newly-transplanted NFL team’s 2020 season.

The $2 billion, 65,000 seat project – funded in-part by a bump in the existing Las Vegas hotel room tax to the tune of $750 million – is currently in the process of excavating a million cubic yards of earth for the construction of the stadium, although developers are unable to rule out the possibility of unearthing something that could create an unexpected snag in their timeline. While unforeseen issues are common when involved in project of this scale, but for the time being, things are proceeding smoothly, according to Minneapolis-based general contractor Mortenson Construction; almost 500 workers are now engaged on a daily basis in concrete work on walls and columns that will form the main support structures for the upper levels of the stadium.

August will see the arrival of prefabricated steel from suppliers in Wisconsin, with which developers will begin working on the vertical component of the construction phase; concerns that tariffs ordered by President Donald Trump on steel and aluminium would inflate projected costs of the project which are largely unfounded, developers said, as the majority of the raw materials were already ordered before said tariffs were implemented. There could be some minor price variations in cost when it comes to materials used by subcontractors, it was noted, but nothing that will affect the overall budget of the project.

The arrival of two cranes – each able to lift in excess of 2,000 tons – are anticipated soon, and will be utilized in raising the translucent polymer roof into position once it has been assembled at the construction site; once placed, the structure supported via a crisscrossing network of Swiss steel cables. In addition to the Raiders Stadium, work is also underway on a $100 million training facility and team headquarters located in the vicinity of Henderson Executive Airport, although according to reports that work is not proceeding at the same pace at on the stadium.

Meanwhile, little news has been made public by Raiders representatives as to the pricing of ticket packages, personal seat licenses, or general game admission; despite this, many individuals and organizations have already put money down in anticipation of when ticket information is finally announced, signifying the intense excitement that is being generated by the impending arrival of the Raiders to their new home in 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 – Since the end of the recession and the recovery of the Las Vegas housing market after the the mid-2000’s housing bubble, real estate – and prices – have been steadily climbing, fuelled by intense demand as money and businesses continue to flow into the Southern Nevada region to take advantage of the opportunity that lies within.

With demand currently far outstripping demand, Las Vegas is threatened with eventually losing its attractive status as a city with a very affordable standard of living when compared to much of the United States these days. At the moment – and for the foreseeable future – property prices in Las Vegas are among the fastest-rising in the country, and developers have seen rapid and massive profits as available homes have been snapped up in record time.

In order to combat these concerns, local builders have been attempting to ramp up construction in an attempt to increase the available number of homes and apartments on the market; it is hoped that such efforts will stabilise the rapidly climbing costs of real estate in Vegas as of late. And in order address those concerns specifically, builders have begun to place a greater emphasis on lower-cost housing options when it comes to their construction plans, according to reports.

Of the communities that have been completed and opened in 2018, approximately 25 percent of them have advertised base asking prices below $300,000, which represents an increase of 12 percent in projects with such price points over the same period one year ago; the median sale price of a home as of the end of this past May was $369,990 – an 8 percent jump from 2017 – so it’s easy to see that any home that starts under $300,000 can be seen as a boon to new families attempting to get a fresh start in the Las Vegas region.

Part of the business plans that have resulted in these cheaper home prices center around less expensive land prices as areas that had been previously overlooked by developers toughing it out during the recession are being snapped up for bargains today. In addition, greater numbers of apartments and condominiums in circulation – increasing completion for the dollars of those looking for a new place to live – are also helping to stabilise new home prices.

Las Vegas’ skyrocketing economy and real estate market are a large part of what’s putting it back on the map after over a decade of dormancy during the recession; experts are starting to worry that its sudden and rapid growth and expansion may be a case of too much, too soon, so the fact that local developers and builders are taking note of this fact and – adjusting their output accordingly in order to curb this trend and help retain the affordability that Las Vegas has come to be known for – ensures that the region’s upward financial climb will only continue unabated.

If you are considering relocating in or around the Las Vegas area, which clearly is experiencing huge growth and a booming job market,  give us a call at 702.376.7379 so we can answer any real estate and home relocation questions you may have.

LAS VEGAS, NV –  According to reports, a light-rail system set along the Maryland Parkway corridor is currently being mulled over by Clark County city officials; if brought to fruition, the project would connect the downtown area with the University of Nevada, Sunrise Hospital and Medical Center, and McCarran International Airport. This development is seen to represent a major boon to the region, as once up and running, the nearly 9 mile, $750 million project could possibly result in upwards of $3 billion in local investments in offices, retail, entertainment, and housing development along its planned route. These estimates are based upon the positive financial impacts that similar railway projects have had in other American cities, including Denver, Colorado and Phoenix, Arizona.

The Regional Transportation Commission is currently set to announce their decision on the railway in September; if approved, the project is slated to be up and running by 2025. There are no indications yet if the RTC is leaning one way or the other on the potential light-rail system, but it’s known that they are also considering other, more cost-efficient choices to improve transportation along the Maryland Parkway corridor – an area that many experts feel is ripe for development – including a roadway improvement initiative with an estimated cost of approximately $29 million; however, the addition of some much-needed rapid transit lanes for buses could possibly run an additional $335 million. Expensive, yes, but still cheaper than the proposed train line.

However, the railway system has a great many supporters, and development is already underway; G2 Capital Development has invested heavily in this regard, as they are currently building University Gateway, a $60 million, eight-story mixed-use project along the Maryland Parkway corridor, in addition to a parking garage nearby. G2 has also purchased commercial development situated along the parkway – Campus Village – that may see a face-lift in the future if business warrants it. If the railway project comes to light, developer Mike Saltman has also announced his intention to construct a shopping center at one of the railway stations.

While $750 million isn’t chump change, the taxpayers of Clark County likely won’t have to foot the entire bill if the RTC approves the project; currently, county officials are looking into the possibility of acquiring a federal New Starts grant that could cover up to half of the costs associated with the project. In addition, local residents may get the chance to cast their votes for or against a possible hike of sales taxes that, if passed, would also contribute to the costs of the light-rail system. But before any federal grants would be applied for, the plans for the project would have to pass scrutiny in terms of any possible environmental impact they may have upon the proposed route, as well as review any public concerns along with any potential alternate projects.

If you are considering relocating in or around the Las Vegas area, which clearly is experiencing huge growth and a booming job market,  give us a call at 702.376.7379 so we can answer any real estate and home relocation questions you may have.

Financial Behemoth “Blackstone Group” on Las Vegas Real Estate Buying Spree; Snapping-up Properties Left and Right

LAS VEGAS, NV – The Blackstone Group, a New-York-based real estate and financial behemoth – currently holding $450 billion in assets under management – has been on a spending spree in Southern Nevada recently, snapping up properties left and right as the surging economy in the region has been driving up home and apartment prices. Clearly, Blackstone sees opportunity and is determined to get in on the action in a big way.

In recent years, Blackstone has acquired a slew of single-family homes – many of which were used as rentals – as well as Hughes Center office park, the Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas, showroom World Market Center, multiple apartment buildings, and in May of this year, two Henderson hotels- SpringHill Suites and TownePlace Suites, a deal reportedly worth $36 million.

Apartment buildings are picking up steam in terms of sales as of late; reports indicate that in an 11-day stretch of time, $260 million in rental-based real estate – accounting for five apartment complexes – changed hands among investors; of the five apartment complexes purchased, Blackstone bought the Northwest valley complex Xander 3900 for $69.5 million, reports say.

This development leaves no doubt as to how red-hot the rental scene is in Vegas these days. After all, with the economy booming and new businesses setting up shop in large numbers, people looking for jobs in a hot market – in addition to the attractiveness of Southern Nevada’s relatively low cost of livings when compared to other parts of the U.S. – are transplanting themselves en masse, and just as anywhere else, these people needs places to live.

But that’s not all when it comes to Blackstone’s ambitions in the Las Vegas rental market– since spring of 2017, they have spent a total of $616 million in acquiring rental properties in the region, with their most recent purchase being Solis at Flamingo in the eastern part of the Las Vegas Valley to the tune of $72 million, which represents an increase of over $20 million of the amount paid by the seller just three years prior; clearly, home prices aren’t the only values skyrocketing in the area.

Part of the attractiveness of Vegas’ rental scene for investors is the fact that, despite steadily rising prices, the market is nonetheless still much cheaper than many other parts of the country. With omnipresent construction taking place in an effort to meet the rampant demand from buyers and renters alike, Vegas is experiencing a real estate boom that, while still not at pre-recession levels, is getting close and, according to experts, will eventually overtake those levels unless some unforeseen circumstance occurs. But the bottom dropping out is unlikely, because even though the economy of the region is still largely tourism-driven, industry and the job market are taking hold in a big way not seen in decades, ushering in an era of stability that suggests regular long-term economic growth. Exactly why investors are pouring money into Las Vegas these days.

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 demand outstripping the current supply on the housing market in Las Vegas following a decade of dormancy due to the recession, Clark County is mulling over the possibility of opening approximately 39,000 acres of public land to private development which could be used for real estate and industrial development. An additional 370,000 acres are also being proposed for conservational use, reports say.

The land in question – situated mostly along Interstate 15 south of the valley, among other areas – could be used for development of housing to help alleviate the shortage of homes in the Vegas area, spurred on by the recent economic boom experienced in the region as more and more businesses move in and, subsequently, more people looking for jobs and a more affordable cost of living as well. In addition, the allotted public land could also be used to construct manufacturing centers and distribution hubs, which are also sorely needed in Southern Nevada.

However, due to public outcry by environmentalists, Clark County has also proposed setting aside an additional 370,000 acres of land to help aid wilderness and wildlife conservation; in particular, an emphasis will be placed upon protecting the region’s desert tortoise population, as well as other protected and endangers species. Nonetheless, some environmental groups are expressing concern over what they view as rapid expansion of Vegas’ outer lying areas for construction, instead advocating for a more density in currently-populated areas before the decision is made by officials to expand outward. However, builders argue that doing so would result in higher costs than simply developing on undeveloped land would entail.

Experts and Clark County officials note that offering additional property in the Las Vegas region for developers to utilize would help offset the ever-growing costs of home ownership currently affecting the area, as scarcity has caused new arrivals to scramble for any property they can get their hands on while paying top dollar to do so. In addition, experts say that opening up new areas of Southern Nevada to development will not only help to prepare the region for increased population, but also help to continue to attract new businesses and companies in order to maintain the steady economic growth that Las Vegas has been enjoying the past several years; not striking while the iron is hot, some claim, could ultimately undercut the economic boom that Vegas has been experiencing in the long-term.

Any city undergoing the rapid period of growth – in terms of both economy and population – is due to experience growing pains as a result, and concessions need to be made to ensure that the needs of residents are met and to promote the sustained and continued economic growth of the region, while also ensuring that the environment and endangered animal species are protected at the same time. It can be a tricky tightrope to traverse, but if done with care and intelligence behind it, it would benefit all involved.

If you are considering relocating in or around the Las Vegas area, which clearly is experiencing huge growth and a booming job market,  give us a call at 702.376.7379 so we can answer any real estate and home relocation questions you may have.

LAS VEGAS, NV – Las Vegas real estate has continued to astound the nation, with demand – and prices – still climbing ever since Southern Nevada spectacularly rebounded from the devastating recession of the mid-2000’s. Properties that were previously vacant and unwanted are now being snatched up at a record pace, and according to experts those prices will soon reach levels the region has not seen in over a decade, with no signs of slowing down.

2018 could very well see Las Vegas home prices, which have been rising steadily due to ever-increasing demand, reach their pre-recession peak; media house prices hit their zenith in 2006, coming in at $315,000, but after the housing bubble burst in 2012, that price dropped drastically- all the way down to $118,000.

The Vegas market is currently zeroing in on those pre-recession numbers. For instance, May of 2018 saw the median sales price of single family homes coming in at $295,000, which represents an increase of 2.1 percent from April and a jump of 18 percent from the same period one year prior.

The median sales price of previously owned single-family homes was $295,000 last month, up 2.1 percent from April and 18 percent from May 2017, according to the Greater Las Vegas Association of Realtors (GLVAR). In addition, the number of homes sold increased from April to May – 3,140, up 9.1 percent. This showcases the rapid and continuing growth of the Vegas real estate market, although the increasing scarcity of inventory in 2018 is resulting in a slightly lower number of sales when compared to April of 2017, which saw an additional 10.7 percent in sales over this past April.

However, the amount of homes on the market has been steadily increasing as construction has been working overtime to meet the wants of new transplants to Nevada seeking job opportunities and an affordable lifestyle, in addition to more investors putting their properties up for sale. At the end of May 2018, 4,118 homes were for sale without offers, an increase of 7.9 percent from the month before; however, that number is still down 17.2 percent from May of 2017, showing that inventory is still not quite matching demand yet.

The ever-increasing home prices in Las Vegas are functioning as a double-edged sword; property owners and investors are accumulating a great deal of money as homes sell, but with the increasing number of new residents in the region looking for homes, a question of affordability will soon figure into the equation. Experts, however, don’t foresee any price decline in the Vegas real estate market over the course of the next several years, although some are hoping for price growth to at least slow down to a degree that goes more in line with the income level of local residents. Achieving that slower price growth will be possible, experts say, when local Vegas construction projects introduces more housing units upon the market – slightly curbing demand and giving buyers more options – anticipated to happen in 2019.

If you are considering relocating in or around the Las Vegas area, which clearly is experiencing huge growth and a booming job market,  give us a call at 702.376.7379 so we can answer any real estate and home relocation questions you may have.

LAS VEGAS, NV – For years, the blighted downtown area of North Las Vegas has stood in stark contrast to the glitzier areas of the city as a whole, but along with the resurgence of the local economy, job and real estate market, this neglected region of Southern Nevada is poised for a comeback of epic proportions…and the first step has already began as a new 14-screen movie theater in the middle of one of the region’s many vacant dirt lots has taken ground; a sign of better things to come for an area that has endured a great deal in the past decade or so.

For a number of years, a prominent part of North Vegas’ downtown area has consisted of abandoned storefronts and large, vacant dirt lots, and its overall reputation was essentially the part of town one should strive to avoid. Local government have been working on redevelopment efforts, first by approving a larger fiscal budget in order to restore vital services and manpower positions lost during the recession brought on by the housing bubble burst that occurred in the mid-2000’s. As a result of the city’s $601.2 million 2018-2019 budget, North Las Vegas has announced plans to hire as many as 29 employees on a full-time basis; this marks the second year in a row that North Vegas has made headway in their efforts to grow and enhance their workforce.

Meanwhile, development of the new $75 million, two-story, 65,000 square-feet movie theater – dubbed the Maya Entertainment Center, and located across the street from North Las Vegas City Hall – is expected to be open by Christmas of 2018, and is intended to attract, in part, Las Vegas’ increasing Latino population. The project is seen as the starting point of an overall revitalization of the downtown area that city officials are currently tentatively referring to as Lake Mead Village West.

And on White Street just a few blocks away, city officials are in the process of starting to convert an abandoned Canyon Electric Building into a 7,000 square-foot library, a process that so far is being funded via a $1.2 million federal community block grant.

In addition, the North Las Vegas Redevelopment Agency – part of the City Council – previously purchased a 3.65-acre plot of land at the corner of Las Vegas and Lake Mead boulevards in 2017; this acquisition, along with other neighboring properties that the city owns, essentially fits together to form a 10-acre piece of land that is intended to be the site of a yet-undisclosed large-scale master planned project, with the goal being to attract retail stores, restaurants, a library, and more, transforming the area and raising the standard of living.

Thus far, North Las Vegas’ downtown region has lagged behind the growth and resurgence experienced by Las Vegas as a whole in the last few years, but it appears that city officials finally have a solid plan to putting it back on the map and are taking the first tentative steps to making that achievement a reality.

If you are considering relocating in or around the Las Vegas area, which clearly is experiencing huge growth and a booming job market,  give us a call at 702.376.7379 so we can answer any real estate and home relocation questions you may have.

LAS VEGAS, NV – According to recent reports, the real estate market in Las Vegas is still on an upwards trajectory with little sign of slowing down; substantial year-to-year gains in terms of the value of properties in Southern Nevada are eclipsing almost every other region in the United States, speaking volumes to the fact that Vegas is a hotbed of housing activity in 2018.

Overall, real estate in the United States is skyrocketing, and even in such an environment Las Vegas is standing out; currently, it is ranked number two nationally in property value appreciation, up 6.3 percent in February 2018 from the same period of time one year prior. This is equal to a previous jump in December, which represented the biggest gain in home appreciation in Vegas in almost three years, making it second only to Seattle, Washington. Coming in third is San Francisco, California.

The gains in home values in Las Vegas can be attributed to a number of factors, with experts mainly citing the improving economy resulting in steadily-increasing jobs – which, in turn, is attracting new transplants to the area – as well as an increased amount of young millennials leaving home and getting their own places. And, of course, there is that old adage that supply and demand sets the price; March 2018 saw an increase in home sales over February, although that overall number was lower than a year ago simply due to the fact that there currently aren’t enough properties on the market to satisfy the growing need.

As far as the prices of homes overall, April recorded a whopping 2017-2018 year-to-year increase in April of 16.1 percent, with the median sales price of a single-family home coming in at $289,000; this represents a 3.2 percent jump from March. As for actual sales, 2,878 homes were sold in April, which was a decrease of 8/7 percent from the month prior but still an uptick of approximately 0.4 percent from last year. As for inventory, 3,816 single-family homes in Las Vegas were up for sale but were without offers in April, representing a drop of 0.5 percent from March, and 24,9 percent from the same time one year ago.

But while this is all good news for dabblers and investors in the real estate market, it spells potential issues for actual home buyers, as the gains to home values reported for February signify that they are rising at a level that is currently greater than respective gains in terms of both inflation and the average pay level for the region. While this obviously doesn’t make buying property for the average family impossible, if appreciation continues at this level for the foreseeable future buyers may have to make more frugal choices in terms of lodging. For example, due to increasing mortgage rates, more and more people in the United States are opting to renovate their homes as opposed to selling them, and less families are selling their properties because – especially in areas like Las Vegas – the supply currently hasn’t caught up to demand, yet, although many developers are doing their best to try.

If you are considering relocating in or around the Las Vegas area, which clearly is experiencing huge growth and a booming job market,  give us a call at 702.376.7379 so we can answer any real estate and home relocation questions you may have.