Category Archive : Area Living

LAS VEGAS, NV – In what was perhaps a case of seller’s remorse, legendary professional basketball player, actor, and current sports analyst on TNT’s Inside the NBA Shaquille O’Neal has decided to pull his private 1-acre estate in the southeast Las Vegas valley from the open marketplace, a mere two weeks after he first listed it for sale and just one year after he originally purchased it.

Shaq originally closed on the 5,980 square-foot, two-story, five bedroom residence located east of Sunset Park for $1.95 million in July of 2021; according to Clark County records at the time, the buyer was Lester J. Knispel Trust and Chexy Trust, which has been previously utilized for Las Vegas real estate deals by O’Neal.

The retired champion basketballer had originally listed the blue stucco home for $3 million, but the news that his son Shareef had signed a six-figure deal to play for the NBA G League team Ignite – based out of neighboring Henderson – was most likely Shaq’s reasoning for deciding to keep his Las Vegas estate after all.

In addition, O’Neal has heavy business ties in the Southern Nevada region, including co-ownership of Big Chicken sandwich shop east of the Las Vegas Strip.

The estate features numerous high-end amenities, such as multiple seating areas, a fireplace, a formal dining room adorned with an oil painting of Shaq himself, and a first-floor master bedroom hidden behind a secret door. The entire house is filled with a wide variety of basketball-related memorabilia, including multiple trophies and framed photographs.

The backyard – with a private second-floor balcony overlooking it – boasts a brand-new swimming pool and hot tub, golf putting green, built-in barbecue, and poolside casita that can serve as a small guest house.

While O’Neal spends the majority of his time working in Atlanta, Georgia on TNT’s Inside the NBA, he reportedly does utilize the southeast valley residence as a regular abode when not working.

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 muscle-bound stars of “Australia’s Thunder from Down Under” – an Australian male revue who perform in Las Vegas and tour internationally – are set to star in a new HGTV/Discovery+ cable television series entitled “Flip the Strip,” where they go to various Vegas-based real estate properties to help renovate and/or build them in some manner.

The Nevada Film Office – part of the Governor Steve Sisolak’s Office of Economic Development – shared the content of the application for the series presented to them on August 4 by the producers of show, which states that “Australia’s Thunder From Down Under” has been a “fan favorite for visitors of Las Vegas for decades, and now they’re taking their talents to the construction site to show what they’re made of!”

Currently, it is unknown what sort of work the cast will be engaging in – or if any of them even have any construction experience at all – during each of the show’s proposed six hour-long episodes. However, during each episode – according to producers – camera crews will “follow the guys as they work to transform properties around the Las Vegas area.”

The show is slated to have a budget of $1.6 million, and as part of their application, its producers have asked the city of Las Vegas for approximately $206,000 in tax incentives. The show will be filmed in Las Vegas from September 2022 to January 2023, although no specific filming locations have been revealed as of yet.

“Flip the Strip” will be another in a series of reality TV shows that have been filmed in Las Vegas, including “Flip or Flop Vegas” and “Flipping Vegas.”

In 2001, “Australia’s Thunder from Down Under” officially moved into the Excalibur Hotel and Casino; in 2006, the 400-seat showroom was officially renamed “The Thunder from Down Under Showroom” in their honor, and currently holds 12 shows per week.

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 – Hollywood actor Mark Wahlberg, known for starring in a slew of blockbuster movies such as “Transformers,” “Boogie Nights,” and “Pain and Gain,” is currently snapping up real estate in Las Vegas, having just completed his second pricey and high-profile purchase in two months.

In July, Wahlberg had bought a 2.5 acre plot of residential land for $15.6 million in the Summerlin-based The Summit Club, a stylish, private neighborhood catering to affluent families and individuals. Wahlberg followed up with the purchase of a new 7,327 square-foot, two-story, four-bedroom townhome in the very same community earlier this month.

The Summit Club’s website describes itself as a “555-acre extraordinary sanctuary” that is nestled between Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area and the Las Vegas Strip, located off Town Center Drive south of Flamingo Road. The website goes on to say “The Summit Club is the only private residential lifestyle club community in Las Vegas. Sit back and enjoy five-star amenities, a championship golf course, a robust outdoor pursuits program and unique terrain-to-table culinary offerings.”

The website also notes a plethora of wellness and recreation programs for residents, as well as snacks-laden golf course “comfort stations,” pickle ball and tennis courts that are adjacent to Wahlberg’s new residence.

According to Clark County property records, Wahlberg purchased the townhouse directly from the developers of The Summit Club; in response to media requests for further information, the developer merely said they do not comment on specific transactions in order to safeguard the “privacy of our owners and members.”

However, while the sale appears to have been private, reports indicate that the townhouse was not marketed via any regular listing sites, and The Summit Club’s map on its website merely shows a rendering of the residence and an indication that it has been “sold,” but no specific information on the property is given.

Previously, reports indicated that Wahlberg previously had also nearly purchased a pre-owned Summit Club residence for over $35 million in July, but then changed his mind and bought the vacant plot of land instead, followed by the new townhome purchase earlier this month. It is currently not known what the plans for the vacant plot of land are.

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 parent company of casino operator Red Rock, Station Casinos, has announced that a new Wildfire Casino is currently under construction in downtown Las Vegas on Fremont Street, with the opening date still to be determined.

According to a statement released by the company this week, Station Casinos “is excited to bring a new Wildfire Casino with fresh new amenities to the local residents of downtown Las Vegas.” The new establishment is being developed upon the former location of the old Castaways Hotel and Casino, the land of which has been owned by Red Rock for the past 18 years.

Red Rock currently operates multiple venues in Las Vegas under the Station Casinos umbrella, including gaming properties in Summerlin and Green Valley Ranch in Henderson. However, Wildfire Casino remains the organization’s most prominent brand in the region, with 10 of the venues already up and running, including seven in Henderson alone.

Wildfire Casinos typically cater to local area residents as opposed to tourists, and offer a plethora of casual gaming options such as slot machines and video poker, in addition to numerous casual and affordable restaurant options.

Red Rock has been increasing their presence in Southern Nevada after a large infusion of cash from their sale of the Palms in 2021, which went for the impressive sum of $650 million. In addition to the Wildfire Casino, the company also began development of the Durango Resort in Southwest Las Vegas earlier in 2022.  

The Durango, which is being developed at the intersection of Durango Drive and Interstate 215 in the southwest Las Vegas valley, is estimated to be completed in 18 to 24 months, and will boast a 73,000 square-foot casino, sportsbook, a 200-room hotel, four restaurants, and meeting space.

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 – Arioso, a 195-unit affordable rental community for low-income seniors in southwest Las Vegas, recently held its grand opening celebration, and the developer – Ovation Design & Development – said that more accommodations catering to low-income residents are vitally needed as rents continue to climb throughout Southern Nevada and the nation.

Ovation founder Alan Molasky said that as affordable rental options continue to shrink for local residents – especially seniors, many of whom live on tight, fixed incomes – Ovation’s commitment to serving this venerable segment of society is their number one priority.

To that end, Molasky – who was accompanied to Arioso’s Grand Opening with numerous local dignitaries, such as Governor Steve Sisolak and Clark County Commissioner Justin Jones – said that Ovation’s high-quality apartment complexes are not only lower-priced for qualified seniors, but also offer a number of amenities, such as recreational and resident service components.

“The need for affordable housing and supportive elderly housing in the Las Vegas Valley is well-documented,” Molasky said. “Southern Nevada already has a desperate shortfall now, and with a growing senior population, it is estimated that 85,000 additional affordable housing units will be needed in the next 10 years to meet the demand.”

Governor Sisolak stated at the event that one of the biggest problems facing residents of Nevada is rental options they can afford, especially as rents have been skyrocketing following the end of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“I’m proud of the work being done across all levels of government and with community partners, like Ovation, to address the affordable housing crisis in Nevada,” Sisolak said. “With my $500 million ‘Home Means Nevada’ investment, we will be working with partners across the state to build more affordable housing, get Nevadans into homes and keep them in their homes, as well as create good-paying jobs.”

The Energy Star-rated Arioso represents the 13th affordable senior housing community built and managed by Ovation, and includes one and two-bedroom apartments, and offers a recreation/wellness center, swimming pool and Jacuzzi, social gathering spaces and other amenities for residents.

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 – One of Las Vegas’ most unique and eye-catching entertainment venues hit a major milestone in its construction this week, as construction crews working on the MSG Sphere topped off its steel exosphere on Tuesday, placing it one step closer to meeting its 2023 opening date.

Over 1,400 members of the construction crew held a celebration of the venue’s progress – which has been in development since 2016 – by signing a steel beam that was then affixed to the top of the sphere, which represented the “completion of primary structural work on the project,” according to developer MSG Entertainment.

When completed, the MSG Sphere will be a 400,000-square-foot, 18,000-seat, 366-foot-tall, 516 foot wide, globe-shaped arena – the largest spherical structure on Earth, according to the company – located on 63 acres of property located behind the Venetian Resort Hotel Casino on the Las Vegas Strip.

The exterior of the sphere will feature 36 miles of variable intensity LED lighting – the aforementioned exosphere – enabling the structure to allow outside spectators to peer through a transparent facade to watch the concert within; at higher lighting intensities, outside vision will be obscured.

The attendee capacity of the MSG Sphere will be scalable, MSG Entertainment said, ranging from approximately 17,500 seated to 20,000 with a mix of seated and standing. The venue will typically not feature sporting events, but rather cater to musical performances and concerts; however, the occasional boxing or MMA contest could be held there if needed.

MSG Entertainment, though a wholly-owned subsidiary, has been handling the “strategic planning and the construction timeline, as well as management of all subcontractors,” with the previous construction manager, an engineering firm called AECOM, serving the project in a supporting role.

Originally slated to be opened in 2020, the project had fallen behind scheduling estimates, but is now on-track for its revised 2023 opening date.

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 board of directors of the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority (LVCVA) voted to approve its 2022-2023 budget last week, and among those funds are an impressive $600 million that is earmarked towards an extensive renovation of the Las Vegas Convention Center (LVCC) as the end of the COVID-19 pandemic has seen a significant uptick in the number of organizations holding large-scale events in Vegas once again.

As one of the largest convention centers in the world, the LVCC has 2,500,000 square feet of exhibit space and can host shows that can accommodate as many as 200,000 participants. The venue is adjacent to the Westgate Las Vegas Resort and Casino and the Renaissance Las Vegas Hotel and is accessible from the Las Vegas Monorail at the Convention Center station.

The reasoning for the large allocation of its 2022-2023 budget towards renovating the LVCC, according to LVCVA Chief Financial Officer Ed Finger, is the fact that life is returning to normal after over two years of lockdowns, and with a new slew of convention-goers beginning to frequent Vegas once again, the funds are needed to bring the venue up to modern standards.

Finger noted that the $600 million will be applied in-part towards to renovating the convention center’s three main exhibition halls.

“The LVCVA has scheduled construction around major conventions so that they won’t have to go elsewhere during the building process,” he said. “A major part of the renovation will be construction of a climate-controlled corridor linking the North, Central and South halls.”

The LVCVA is anticipating that tourism will finally be returning to normal in Las Vegas as the pandemic is (hopefully) seeing its final days, with the origination expecting to receive room tax revenue in 2022 in the amount of $306.2 million; full recovery of the tourism trade is expected to take place in 2023-2024.

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

LAS VEGAS, NV – The Palms Apartments, an apartment complex adjacent to the famed Las Vegas Strip, has been sold for $33 million, via an announcement last Wednesday by the real estate agents that brokered the deal.

The 200-unit apartment building, located at 713 East Sahara Avenue, was purchased from Miami-based Florida East Coast Realty, LLC by an undisclosed buyer on May 2 via a limited liability company based out of California, according to Clark County property records.

The garden-style Palms Apartments is a two-story building that offers units ranging in size from 700 to 1,500 square feet, and offer floor plans that have up to three bedrooms and two bathrooms, according to Thomas Dean of Coldwell Banker Commercial Premier, who represented the buyer.

“This older, vintage property provided my client with a great value-add opportunity in a very hot market,” he said. “They have an extensive Capex plan and are excited to add this to their Las Vegas portfolio.”

Las Vegas has been experiencing a large number of apartment building sales in 2022; Topaz and Viridian, two large apartment communities that are located adjacent to one another on West Viking Road, were announced as having been sold earlier in May in an off-market transaction worth a total of $129.7 million.

In addition, in March the 220-unit luxury apartment complex South Beach was bought from Griffin Capital Company by San Diego real estate firm Logan Capital Advisors for $97.5 million, and Fremont9, a ritzy apartment complex located in Las Vegas’ downtown area whose constriction was funded by late entrepreneur and former Zappos CEO Tony Hsieh, sold for $80 million and will soon be christened with a new name.

And finally, Jade, a 287-unit luxury apartment complex located near the Rio in the Las Vegas Valley, sold for $124.5 million in late January.

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 inflation still hurting most Americans in the wallet and prices in the housing market skyrocketing nationwide, a new report indicates that among the major metro cities where costs are increasing the most, Las Vegas is now currently ranked number two in terms of rising rents, leading to concerns over affordability despite signs that the market may be starting to stabilize.

Among the 15 major metros covered in the report where rents are rising the fastest, residents of the Las Vegas-Henderson-Paradise area are experiencing one of the highest percentage rent increases from pre-pandemic 2019 to 2022, as per a study released by San Francisco-based rental software firm Stessa Inc.

Southern Nevada is ranked number 2 in terms of rent increases, with the median rent in 2022 currently $1,485, which represents a jump of 24.8 percent when compared to the median rent in 2019, which was $1,190.

The Las Vegas region comes in closely behind the Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, California metro area, which took the number 1 spot with its 2022 median rent increasing 25.3 percent to $1,830, compared to $1,461 in 2019.

The main factors driving the rent increases in Southern Nevada include limited inventory, coupled with a rapidly-recovering post-pandemic economy that has driven fierce competition among prospective tenants, leading to many – especially those with a degree of affluence – paying for rentals well above the initial asking price, according to the Stessa report.

With rising real estate prices, 70 percent of the growth of the rental market since 2009 has come from higher-income earners who might otherwise have bought a home,” they said. “And as more high earners enter or stay in the rental market, builders and developers are incentivized to provide more luxury units, which means less new stock to meet the needs of low and middle-income earners.”

Nationally, median rents rose 12.5 percent in 2022 to $1,445, up from $1,284 in 2019.

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 – Formula 1, the highest class of international racing for open-wheel single-seater formula racing cars sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA), has revealed the extent of their considerable investment in their upcoming Las Vegas-based Grand Prix location, which is slated to take place in the center of the city – with the track situated partly on the Las Vegas Strip – starting in November 2023.

Formula 1 will be putting $240 million into the street-based night race as part of a multi-year deal with the city, making the event their third annual Grand Prix in the United States, following the United States Grand Prix at Austin, Texas and the Miami, Florida Grand Prix.

The $240 million that Formula 1 will be investing will be going to the acquisition of a 39-acre site in Las Vegas – located north east of East Harmon Avenue and Koval Lane – in order to build a permanent pits and paddock facility, according to Greg Maffei, CEO and President of Liberty Media, Formula 1’s commercial rights holder.

“Liberty Media did enter an agreement to acquire 39 acres east of the strip to lock in circuit design and capacity for the pits and paddock, among other hospitality and race support venues,” Maffei said at a press event last Friday.

Maffei noted that Colorado-based Liberty Media’s decision to promote the Grand Prix in Las Vegas in conjunction with local partners was driven by several factors.

“One is proximity: It’s fairly easy relatively to being in Denver to get to Vegas for us to do the work and we have knowledge of local US market relative to many other markets,” he said. “But more importantly we see the opportunity of being a promoter is a way to expand our understanding of the business, understand how to be the best F1 product on the track for other promoters as well, and to look at the opportunity to grow our knowledge and understanding and potentially promote other races down the road.”

“Vegas is going to be large and a perhaps unique opportunity so from a financial perspective we think this one sets up pretty well to be worth the time/extra focus to become the promoter,” Maffei added.

Formula 1 cars are the fastest regulated road-course racing cars in the world, and the Grand Prix races take place worldwide on both purpose-built circuits and closed public roads.

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 private guard-gated MacDonald Highlands is set to receive a new $900 million luxury resort-style condominium development, as the Henderson City Council has officially granted their approval for the project, with construction expected to commence in early June of this year.

Pinnacle Residences at MacDonald Highlands – the name bestowed upon the new high-rise condo project, the first of its kind to be built in the valley since the mid-2000’s recession – is ready to go now that the City Council has given the green light to a development agreement, zoning changes, tentative maps and a design review.

The 11-acre project, which will be co-developed by Las Vegas and Mexico-based Azure Resorts and Canada- and New York-based Luxus Development, will consist of two towers with 171 luxury condo units split between them. In addition, there will also be 10 single-family luxury homes built upon the property as well, along with two model homes two blocks away; work on the model homes is expected to commence within 90 days, with a completion deadline set within 14 months.

Azure President and Founder Jim Reilly notes that the project already has multiple reservations, despite the fact that the firm has yet to do any advertising; currently, Pinnacle Residences is still accepting fully-refundable reservations – in amounts anywhere from $10,000 to $100,000 – for interested parties.

The initial terrain blasting is expected to begin in June, with full construction on the project – starting with foundation work – commencing in either December 2022 or January 2023. The initial 24-story tower is slated to take 27 months to complete, with an anticipated opening in the second quarter of 2025; the second 25-story tower will take an additional 44 to 60 days to finish afterwards.

Currently, prices are anticipated to start “at the $2 million range and go up in excess of $20 million,” according to Reilly, who said that the community is aiming to appeal to empty-nesters in the 45-to-65 age range.

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 former Royal Links golf course is finally on its way to providing numerous affordable homes for Southern Nevada residents, having recently held its officially groundbreaking ceremony to signify that impending start of construction efforts for the eastern Las Vegas Valley-based housing tract.

Touchstone Living founder Tom McCormick, who purchased the shuttered Royal Links golf course in December 2021 for $33.7 million, said that the new housing community his company will be building – now dubbed Independence – is currently due to commence on the third quarter of 2022, initially starting with model homes to entice buyers before moving on to the proper homes they will be offering.

Already, the grass from the original golf course has been removed, with the landscape now covered with various pieces of construction equipment in anticipation of the start of work, which is expected to produce up to 1,600 homes, in addition to numerous residential amenities, such as parks, pools, and playgrounds.

Independence – located along Vegas Valley Drive east of Nellis Boulevard – is hoping to attract first-time buyers and will offer homes in the $200,000 price range; McCormick has noted there are no other projects producing new homes in Southern Nevada in such a buyer-friendly price range.

To drive home that point, those attending the groundbreaking on Monday were wearing blue-and-white Independence shirts with the slogan “why rent?” on them, touting the affordability that the new community will be offering to local residents.

In Southern Nevada, home development is predominantly carried out in suburban areas such as the southwest valley, Summerlin and Henderson; in comparison, the east valley is relatively ignored by developers, allowing the 162-acre Independence a degree of distinction among its peers.

The affordable prices that Independence will be offering for housing will run in direct contrast with the average median home price in Las Vegas, which recently hit $483,000 in March.

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.