Category Archive : Area Living

LAS VEGAS, NV – A new mid-year report released this week by Maryland-based RCLCO Real Estate Consulting has listed the master planned Las Vegas community of Summerlin among the top five best-selling in the entire nation. 

Summerlin, located on the western edge of the Las Vegas Valley, came in at number five on RCLCO’s list of the best-selling communities in the United States, having achieved that prestigious ranking by having sold 544 homes through the end of June. But despite that impressive number of sales, it actually represents an 8 percent drop year-over-year, as reportedly 592 homes changed hands in Summerlin by the end of June 2022. 

Frank Stephan, Nevada region president for The Howard Hughes Corp. – the company that began development of the community in 1952 after business tycoon Howard Hughes bought the 25,000-acre parcel of land for $3 an acre – said that the popularity that led to its inclusion in RCLCO list is driven by Summerlin’s all-American family appeal. 

We believe Summerlin’s long-term success is due, in large part, to its thoughtful master plan that established design guidelines that have stood the test of time,” he said. “Planning for schools, shopping centers, cultural centers and office buildings as places of employment have also been integral to the community’s success, creating a place where residents can live, work, learn and play.” 

Stephan noted that Summerlin currently has 15 active neighborhoods – comprised of 120,000 residents – and still has almost 5,000 acres remaining to develop. In addition, it also boasts a bustling downtown that includes retail, restaurants, office space and major sports venues such as the City National Arena and Las Vegas Ballpark. 

With thousands of acres left to develop, Summerlin will continue its trajectory as the best place to live in Las Vegas,” Stephan said. “There is significant ongoing development in Summerlin West. We remain excited about Summerlin’s future and its insatiable momentum.” 

Topping RCLCO’s list of best-selling communities was The Villages in Florida, with 1,960 sales so far this year. 

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 – A new report from UNLV’s Lied Center for Real Estate confirms an ongoing trend in Las Vegas as of late where rents are increasing in poor and middle-class neighborhoods, where in contrast they are consistently lowering in more affluent areas, with several factors contributing to this developing issue. 

Las Vegas-area realtor Michelle Gamble said that many of her lower-income clients are facing a hard time out there in terms of the increasing amounts of money they must devote to rent, noting that currently, “the market is tough.” 

I’ve had clients who came into Nevada, they moved here about four years ago where they were paying like $900 a month,” she said. “Now their rent is up to $1500 and $1600. And no upgrades.” 

Another realtor, Steve Hawks, confirmed the ongoing issue where lower and middle-class rents are rising, whereas rents in rich areas are dropping; this is a phenomenon that he attributes to the low home mortgage interest rates that many buyers took advantage of during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

The higher-end rents are coming down quite a bit. The lower-end to mid-range rents are staying steady. Maybe going up a little bit,” he said. “Many sellers are no longer selling their home to buy another. Instead, they’re renting their home out because their interest rate is so low and their payment is so low.” 

In contrast, Hawks said, the recent price increases at the lower end of the rental spectrum can most likely be attributed to out-of-state hedge funds that snapped up a great deal of affordable housing in the region who are now looking to turn a quick profit. 

They pretty much control the rental market in that arena under $500k. They have by far the most rentals,” he said. “This is what happens when you have big corporate America buy single family houses where people can’t rent. People can’t buy. What does that do? It causes prices to go up. It causes rents to go up. That’s the number one problem right there.” 

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 – At a recent meeting of NAIOP Southern Nevada’s Henderson Commercial Real Estate panel, a great deal of talk was dedicated to what many of its members were referring to as an “up and coming area” in terms of hot real estate: West Henderson, which many of the meeting’s attendees were saying is currently “the place to be” in terms of the region’s housing market. 

Panelist Neil Sansone of Henderson-based Sansone Companies noted that he was born and raised in the area and said he’s always felt that West Henderson had massive untapped potential that was only now just becoming realized. 

There is a lot of opportunity out there,” he said. “I don’t know why they called it ‘Old Henderson’, it was always just Henderson, so I guess it’s now West Henderson because it’s the last part of Henderson to develop out.” 

West Henderson’s footprint, as per reports, is considered as running “from Las Vegas Boulevard to the west, St. Rose Parkway to the north, the master-planned communities of Seven Hills and Anthem to the east, and the Sloan Canyon National Conservation Area to the south.” 

Laurie Norkus, a broker with NewMarket Commercial Real Estate, said that many developers consider West Henderson to be incredibly “hot” right now, and many of her clients have been asking her about the possibility of expanding its residential development, which people are increasingly willing to pay top dollar for. 

West Henderson is the place to be right now,” she said. “The landlords (in West Henderson) keep asking for pricing and I will give them the average pricing for Vegas, and they’re basically doubling it and they’re running with it and people are paying it. So I’m kind of excited about it and hopefully it doesn’t skew our comps (comparable real estate in the area) too badly, but we’ll see what happens.” 

Currently, West Henderson has a population of approximately 332,000 people, with experts estimating that number to increase to at least 500,000 or more by 2035 as development of currently unused land continues. 

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 – Las Vegas residents are being cautioned about a new trend that is sweeping across the nation involving brazen scammers clandestinely attempting to sell other people’s real estate right out from underneath them without their knowledge, a move that can obviously be extremely disorienting and distressing to the victims involved. 

One recent example of this fraud comes from Nevada’s neighboring state of California when Laguna Hills resident Bernie Gates received a shocking letter in the mail informing him that a property he had owned in Boulder City had been listed for sale in March for $175,000 – without his knowing about it – and had just found a buyer. 

The scammer had listed the property with a real estate agency, and then upon news of the sale a title company had sent Gates – still legally listed as the owner-of-record – a certified letter informing him of the transaction. 

Gates, quite understandably, was utterly blindsided since he had never listed the property for sale. He subsequently had the sale cancelled and notified the authorities, narrowly avoiding falling prey to a new form of fraud that Landmark Title of Nevada President Greg Hulett noted is especially worrisome due to the utter brazenness of its perpetrators. 

You hear about people stealing cars, but who the hell steals houses?” he said. “Who steals land?” 

While it may be difficult to understand how such a scam could actually take place in this day and age, experts say that attempting it can actually be fairly easy, as a fraudster attempting to sell another person’s property may not actually be required to prove they actually own it, at least initially. 

Nevada real estate agents are not mandated to verify that their clients own the properties they’re attempting to sell, as per state law; practically any individual can list a property for sale online without offering any proof whatsoever that it belongs to them. These scammers are also able to carry out sales utilizing phone and e-mail correspondence, and often will use fake forms of identification to hoodwink their victims into believing that they are the actual owners of the property in question. 

While some victims are able to discover the scam and thwart it before it is too late, others who fall prey to it are often forced to go through extensive court proceedings to get their property back; in addition, hoodwinked buyers often will have to file insurance claims to get their stolen money reimbursed, which can often be a lengthy and stress-inducing process.  

So, if you are a property owner or buyer in Southern Nevada – or anywhere else in the country – it pays to take extra precautions whenever buying or selling real estate and to make sure that the individual you are dealing with really is who they claim to be. 

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 – A mansion located in Henderson’s Ascaya neighborhood – a private luxury community overlooking Las Vegas – has sold for $20.5 million after having previously changed hands back in June of 2021 for $14.69 million, illustrating the high level of price appreciation in southern Nevada’s luxury home market in recent years. 

The hillside home had been featured in the Las Vegas Review-Journal’s “Real Estate Millions” column in 2018, where it was dubbed the “house of wow and water.” The one-story estate – designed and built by Sun West Custom Homes – is situated on a 2.27-acre plot of land and offers a total of 12,101 square feet of space. It features six bedrooms, six full bathrooms, and two partial bathrooms, as well as a mammoth six-car garage. 

Developer Sun West notes that the mansion boasts many resort-style amenities and caters to both indoor and outdoor living, offering breathtaking views of the famed Las Vegas Strip as well as local mountain ranges. 

The backyard has a 5,900 square foot swimming pool that has a cold plunge and a spa. The great room also features views of the Strip, and the house has an entertaining kitchen with a separate prep kitchen, a game room, theater, study, casita, sports court, and an outdoor kitchen. 

The listing for the Ascaya estate, provided by real estate broker Ivan Sher, describes the home as containing a luxurious aesthetic combined with the natural beauty of the desert surrounding Henderson. 

This is where modern luxury intertwines with breathtaking vistas. When you pull up your car to the porte-cochere you look toward the house and you have dead-on Strip views. Everything is massive in scale. It’s a best-in-class home,” the listing says. “The home is enhanced by six generously proportioned bedrooms, including a mini suite and a full casita, offering versatility and privacy for guests and loved ones, alike.” 

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 a new report released by national property broker Redfin, Las Vegas, Nevada is currently among the top three destinations for family relocations in 2023 so far. 

The report notes that currently, a record number of metro-based homebuyers – 25.4 percent, to be exact – across the country are looking to pull up their roots and move to a different metro area, representing an increase year-over-year from 23 percent in 2022 and less than 20 percent prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. 

The main driving force behind the increase in migration for American families is the fact that mortgage rates are currently at record highs, driving up prices of housing and greatly increasing the need for many to move to more affordable areas where they can get more bang for their buck. 

The order of the top three areas where families are relocating to, according to Redfin, are Phoenix, Arizona; Las Vegas, Nevada; and Miami, Florida. These three cities have grown greatly in popularity because the average home is significantly less expensive than in major coastal metropolises such as New York or San Francisco, where the cost of housing has made life almost impossible for many middle-class families. 

However, despite Phoenix, Las Vegas, and Miami topping the list of the most attractive places for families to relocate to in 2023, Redfin notes that the overall number of homebuyers looking to relocate to new metro areas has actually decreased year-over-year by 7 percent – the biggest decrease on record so far – due to the fact that current skyrocketing mortgage rates have put off many Americans from actually purchasing new homes these days. 

However, the report notes that if people are willing to relocate, then they’re willing to move as far as it takes in order to score a bargain; in contrast, the number of homebuyers looking to relocate within their own home city or town has decreased also by a record-breaking level, in this case a whopping 18 percent.

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 – Las Vegas commercial real estate developer Rob Lauer on Tuesday reportedly began attempting to gather investors to put up $310 million to construct a private spaceport in Clark County. 

If his endeavor is successful, Lauer plans to use the investment capital to form a publicly-traded company that would build the Las Vegas Spaceport, an extensive facility which would consist of a launching pad, a runway for spaceplanes, a control tower, a flight school, and a 200-room casino resort. 

The spaceport is slated to be built on a 240-acre plot of land located between Las Vegas and Pahrump that Lauer previously purchased in November 2022, and the developer notes that this is a long-term project for him, having already been brainstorming the details for the past year. 

Currently 37 companies are in the process of developing aircraft, and Lauer anticipates at least one of them being able to develop a vehicle within the next decade that would be able to achieve Earth orbit in order to begin a wave of so-called “space tourism,” including the possibility of such vehicles visiting an orbiting hotel. 

Lauer said that the location outside of Las Vegas that he has picked for the spaceport is perfect due to the fact that the city attracts millions of tourists on an annual basis, with many of them willing to shell out big bucks in order to enjoy a unique travel experience. 

The forward-thinking entrepreneur said that safety will be of a paramount concern to the facility, and to that end Lauer noted he has extensively consulted with numerous aerospace experts in order to educate himself on the best way to build the Las Vegas Spaceport from the ground up. 

However, despite how impressive Lauer’s plans may look on the surface, Amanda Bellarmino, an assistant professor at UNLV’s William F. Harrah College of Hospitality, said that they realistically don’t appear to be feasible for a number of reasons. 

The challenges I see with space tourism are safety concerns and cost. Right now it seems like an activity for a few very wealthy people,” she said. “There would also be safety concerns, especially with the recent tragedy with the Titan submersible. Unless there is the type of changes we saw with airline travel in the early 20th century in terms of safety and cost reduction, I do not think it will have mass appeal.” 

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 – Actor Dean Cain – who grew to national fame playing Superman in the popular television series “Lois and Clark” in the 1990’s – is the latest example of California residents leaving their home for the improved quality of life offered by the neighboring state of Nevada, with Clark County property records showing that he closed on a $4 million home in Las Vegas’ Henderson suburb late last month. 

In a recent interview, Cain said that he enjoyed living in California but had decided to move from Malibu to Las Vegas because he was beginning to find the political climate in the Golden State becoming unbearable for his tastes.  

However, the actor recalled thinking “I believe I’ve done a very, very smart thing” almost immediately after moving to Southern Nevada. 

I love California. It’s the most beautiful state. Everything’s wonderful about it except for the policies. The policies are just terrible. The fiscal policies, the soft-on-crime policies, the homelessness policies,” Cain said. “If I wanted to do anything out of Malibu, it took me 45 minutes to an hour to get anywhere. Here, the longest I’m driving is 20 minutes.”  

Cain sold his ocean-view Malibu home in May for $6.25 million, a $1 million reduction from his original asking price. His new residence, located within Henderson’s guard-gated Terracina at Seven Hills development, comes in at 6,600 square feet with five bedrooms, seven bathrooms and a three-car garage, boasting modern, contemporary architecture with views of mountains, city lights, and the famed Las Vegas Strip. 

The interior, which is accessed through a walled courtyard with an elegant “walk on water” entrance, boasts high ceilings and glass walls, with a great room with two fireplaces and three wall mounted televisions and a huge gourmet kitchen. Other high-end amenities include an elevator, movie theater, glass and closed wine cellar, a game room, and a backyard putting green. 

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 planned move of the Oakland Athletics to Southern Nevada took one more step to reality as the Nevada state legislature approved on Wednesday the expenditure of up to $380 million in public funds for the construction of the Major League Baseball team’s proposed new stadium on the Las Vegas Strip.

Senate Bill 1 was approved by the Nevada Senate on a vote of 13-8, after which it was sent to the State Assembly, where it also passed on a 25-15 vote. From there, it is slated to the head to the desk of Governor Joe Lombardo where he is expected to sign it into law, given the fact that he has been steadfastly in support of the project since its inception.

Once Lombardo signs the legislation, as much as $380 million in public funds will be earmarked for the A’s new stadium; in addition, the project in its current form could potentially also receive up to $180 million in transferable tax credits.

Tonight, we thank the members of the Nevada State Legislature and their staff for their hard work, due diligence, and attention to detail as we work to bring the Athletics to Las Vegas,” the A’s said in a statement. “We are especially grateful for the legislators’ time and dedication to shepherding this bill through the process. We look forward to Governor Lombardo’s signature as our next step.”

The new home of the Athletics’ 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 – the project is expected to cost a total of $1.5 billion – is slated to take the form of a 35,000-seat retractable roof stadium, with the project currently pending the passing of state legislation for public financing. Once the monies are obtained, full development of the ballpark will be in the hands of Bally’s.

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 – Numerous listings for rental properties in Las Vegas are showing that landlords and property managers in increasing numbers are offering various incentives to draw in tenants, a situation that until recently was not the norm. This situation is begging experts to question if Southern Nevada is slowly transitioning into a renter’s market after years of skyrocketing rents and low vacancy,

Kiara Ringgenberg and her boyfriend were moving in April from Helix on Alta Drive to Ely at Fremont Street in downtown Las Vegas, and were surprised to discover that their new landlord was only too happy to go out of their way to accommodate their moving schedule.

We were going to move in May since that’s when our lease was ending, but we wanted to move sooner rather than later,” she said. “Ely offered us two weeks of no rent to get us moved in on the timeline we wanted.”

In addition to the free rent, Ringgenberg also noted that Ely now also offers tenants free passes each month to local events that provide food and entertainment, a growing situation in Las Vegas as of late.

Listings for multifamily developments in Las Vegas recently are offering more and more perks to lure in or retain tenants, reports say, such as a free month’s rent or parking, echoing trends that are occurring across the United States.

According to real estate listing company Zillow, approximately 27 percent of rentals who advertise via its platform are offering at least one concession or more, representing a 6 percent increase when compared to the same period of time in 2022.

In Las Vegas rents decreased by 2.2 percent year-over-year during the first quarter of 2023; the average rent in the valley is now $1,430 per month.

According to the Nevada State Apartment Association (NSAA), renters in Las Vegas are currently getting a bit of an edge in the housing market due to high interest rates that have resulted in a “decrease in rent prices with growth in available units.”

Reasons for this shift include upcoming inventory increases, current vacancies and changes in renter patterns,” the NSAA said. “It is not uncommon, when these trends exist in a market, for landlords to offer concessions to renters to incentivize them to renew their lease or to attract new tenants to a unit. These concessions could include a free month of rent, reduced security or rent deposits, upgraded parking or more.”

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 committee hearing on Monday for a bill for the proposed Las Vegas ballpark stadium of the Athletics – which recently announced they would be transplanting themselves from California to Nevada – the Southern Nevada Building Trades Union (SNBTU) has publicly shown their support for the project, saying that the construction of the famed MLB team’s new home would benefit the local economy by generating over 5,000 new jobs. 

The A’s recently reached an agreement with Bally’s Corp. to purchase a nine-acre plot of land currently occupied by the Tropicana Resort & Casino, where they will now construct their new stadium. Currently, the plan is to demolish the Tropicana to make way for the A’s stadium – which is slated to take the form of a 35,000-seat retractable roof venue – and to build a new 1,500-room hotel and casino on the remaining acreage.  

SNBTU has launched a new campaign to support the A’s move to Las Vegas, dubbed “A+ Jobs,” which will “educate the community about the positive impact building the stadium would have on Las Vegas.”  

The reason for SNBTU’s support of the A’s move, according to the organization’s Secretary-Treasurer, Vince Saavedra, is that the development of their stadium will allow “SNBTU to expand its roster to put the construction trades to work.” 

Vegas has proven itself as a major-league sports town, so it makes sense for us to add a Major League Baseball team,” he said. “Our roster of skilled construction workers have always built the biggest projects in Vegas and we’re ready to step up to the plate to build the stadium. By showcasing our members on baseball cards, we are highlighting the impact this project will have on jobs and working families in our community.” 

SNBTU noted that the development of the A’s new stadium will create over 5,000 “good-paying” jobs for individuals in numerous trades, including ironworkers, bricklayers, laborers, electricians and more; in addition, its construction would also spur new investment opportunities in Las Vegas, in addition to increasing tourism as well. 

The stadium is projected to spur billions in new investment and bring 400,000 additional visitors to the area each year – all without raising taxes,” Saavedra 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 – Currently, Asians and Polynesians are making up some of the fastest growing ethnic groups in Las Vegas, and according to experts they are starting to make a serious impact on the Southern Nevada real estate market. 

With May representing Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, realtor Shane Nguyen – who has worked in the local industry for the past 26 years – said that approximately 12,000 members of the Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) community are moving to Las Vegas on an annual basis; at the time of the 2020 U.S. Census, there were 335,000 individuals who identified as being AAPI living in Clark County alone. 

Nguyen noted that the reason Vegas is so appealing to AAPI people is because housing prices are more affordable compared to many other large metro areas in the country, with most of the members of the community that are moving here hailing from California. 

The real estate over there is almost three times more than over here so as you can see it is very affordable and it’s close to California,” he said. 

In addition to the more affordable housing, another reason why many AAPI people are moving to Southern Nevada is due to the extremely business friendly climate when compared to neighboring states such as California. This makes for a significant lure to Asians and Polynesians, whom Nguyen noted tend to be very hard-working and entrepreneurial. 

We invite small businesses, we don’t have a corporate tax, personal tax, involuntary tax, we don’t have franchise tax, gross receipt tax, so it makes it very attractive for business owners,” he said. 

As of late, Las Vegas’ Chinatown has been expanding rapidly and the AAPI community has, as a result, been spreading throughout the entire valley, providing significant contributions to the local economy as well as the real estate market. 

We help the real estate market in terms of buying homes, there are many investors out there that are not from Las Vegas or Nevada, and they come from other states to invest here because it is so affordable,” Nguyen said. “Las Vegas is an amazing city it is a melting pot and It welcomes all walks of life.” 

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.