Category Archive : Investing

LAS VEGAS, NV – A new report released by the Nevada State Apartment Association (NVSAA) with data from CoStar notes that the market for apartments in the Las Vegas region is currently doing far better than anyone had predicted it would given the current COVID-19 pandemic, according to reports.

Apartment rents in Southern Nevada have continued to increase at levels faster than average nationally; by the very end of 2020, rents had increased over the course of the year by 4.8 percent when compared to the same period of time in 2019. Actual rents averaged at $1,138 per month in the fourth quarter of 2020, representing an increase over the third quarter – when average rents were from $1,128 – and a significant jump from the fourth quarter of 2019, when the average asking price for an apartment  was $1,080 per month.

The national average for apartment rent in the fourth quarter of 2020 was $1,373, which only represents an increase of 0.2 percent over the same period of time in 2019.

In addition, the number of apartments for rent on the Las Vegas market during 2020 dropped. During the fourth quarter of 2019 the vacancy rate was 6.5 percent, but fast forward to the fourth quarter of 2020 and that number had dropped to 5.9 percent.

In addition to general demand, another reason that the Las Vegas apartment market is performing at such a level despite the pandemic is due to the fact that, in recent months, a growing number of properties are offering renters concessions, which is when the landlord or property manager agrees to a compromise to the original terms of the lease, often in the form of a rebate, monetary compensation, discount, or something else.

Las Vegas apartments also continue to see competition from single-family home rentals, as well as rampant development of new apartment complexes in the region that will likely stabilize rent increases as more living options become available to 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 – According to reports, Southern California investment firm Sakioka Farms has purchased Crossroads Commons, a large retail plaza located near Las Vegas’ Summerlin community, for the price of $50.75 million.

Crossroads Commons, located on the busy intersection of Charleston Boulevard and Fort Apache Road, is situated on 16.6 acres and is home to numerous major retailers, including Chick-fil-A, Barnes & Noble, and Whole Foods Market. In addition, several other tenants have recently signed on the dotted line for space in the shopping center as well, such as Dick’s Sporting Goods, a Greek restaurant, and Mastroianni Fashions.

While the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has reduced the overall number of consumers who venture out of their homes to buy things – resulting in a major drop in retail sales in 2020 – many people are still heading out to make purchases, leading to firms and investors to sink their dough into various retail properties in the Southern Nevada region.

Investors have been closely studying the economy of the Las Vegas area throughout the pandemic, and clearly if money of this level is being poured into retail at this point in time then experts are clearly seeing a major retail resurgence in the near future, especially considering the fact that COVID-19 vaccines are currently in the process of being rolled out nationwide.

Again, it helps that Crossroads Commons is located at a very busy intersection, and that there are other retail shopping centers located nearby, making the area a destination for shoppers who are tired of being cooped up in their homes all day long. 

Before the pandemic hit physical retail had taken a significant hit from online retailers such as Amazon, but sales at brick-and-mortar stores – especially sporting goods – have had a resurgence in the past few months as people who have been isolating themselves grow restless and feel the need to shop.

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 one-acre site of the former White Sands Motel has been put on the Las Vegas real estate market for a whopping $18 million, according to recent reports.

Originally built and opened for business in 1959, the once attractive and clean motel – offering free amenities such as TV, air conditioning, and coffee – now stands as a dilapidated, boarded-up shell of its former self, surrounded by weeds, garbage, and chain-link fencing topped off with barbed wire.

One might look at such a property – located on the South of the Las Vegas Strip, across from the Luxor – and wonder why, in its current state, it would potentially command such a high price on the open market. However, the broker has stated that the motel would most likely be torn down and demolished in favor of retail or a restaurant.

But regardless of the usefulness of the land and its ideal placing on the famed Las Vegas Strip, some experts think that the property may have trouble finding a buyer, especially considering the large asking price. After all, the country is still in the grip of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, and much of Vegas’ economy – especially tourism, its very lifeblood – is still reeling from the blows. Now might not be the time that a developer wishes to step up and invest $18 million into a fixer-upper catering to out-of-town visitors.

Still, experts note that any land on the Strip is a valuable commodity, especially when the pandemic eventually ends and tourism ramps up again, as it inevitably will and the White Sands Motel is in a prime area, located only one mile from Allegiant Stadium, so foot traffic will be there for whatever business the property will eventually host.

The White Sands Motel, located at 3889 Las Vegas Boulevard. South, originally closed in 2008.

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

LAS VEGAS, NV – According to reports, a recent $11.25 million Henderson mansion purchase has set a record for the highest luxury home sale in the well-known Southern Nevada community in 13 years, showing that the market still has the ability to set monthly sales records despite the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

The mansion, located at 750 Dragon Ridge Drive in the luxury master-planned community MacDonald Highlands, was purchased on December 4 for a whopping $11,250,001. The buyer exceeded the price of yet another mansion sold in the same community earlier in 2020 by just one dollar; that mansion, sold in August for exactly $11.25 million, and was owned at the time by gaming icon Diana Bennett.

The record-setting mansion – purchased by a business owner from Silicon Valley, according to reports – was built in 2017 by developer Blue Heron and comes in at 12,386 square feet with four floors. It is situated upon a 2.2 acre plot of land and boasts seven bedrooms, 11 bathrooms, and two three-car garages. The mansion has a two-lane bowling alley, a movie theater, a bar, a wine cellar and a game room in the basement.

The home also has a professional-grade indoor basketball court featuring a locker room and electronic scoreboard located in its own separate building on the mansion’s grounds; the building can also be utilized as an extended car garage. Outside is an outdoor tennis court and a garden, in addition to a separate guesthouse with two bedrooms, a living room, and a rooftop deck.

The lot the mansion is located on was originally bought in 2014 for $2.4 million by Mike and Linda Huhn, according to Clark County records. The mansion has been on the market since 2018, at which time the seller was originally asking just under $15 million.

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 – Despite the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, Las Vegas continues to turn the real estate industry on its ear as it has set yet another record – for the sixth month in a row – for the median prices of existing homes in the Southern Nevada region, reports say.

In November, the median price of a single-family home in Las Vegas was $345,000, as per the Las Vegas Realtors trade organization. This represents the sixth month in a row where – despite the financial hurdles being presented by the pandemic on the local economy as a whole – home prices have continued to escalate, defying and confusing industry experts, according to a statement issued by Realtor association’s president Tom Blanchard.

“Like other places around the country, we’re seeing multiple offers on properties listed for sale,” he said. “The supply of available homes is very low, and demand is high. I hope the new year will bring some additional inventory as local homeowners start to feel more comfortable moving.”

At the end of November, approximately 8,400 homes were listed for sale on the Las Vegas real estate MLS, representing a decrease in inventory of 19 percent from the same period one year before and an 11 percent drop from October 2020.

As reported previously, the increasing prices on the market are likely in-part fueled by record-low interest rates on home loans brought about by the pandemic, as well as lower-than-average inventory being available.

Experts are also speculating that COVID-19 mortgage forbearance opportunities have played a part, where homeowners who had experienced financial hardship related to the pandemic where able to – for a limited time – avoid foreclosure without having to make home payments. Many of these homeowners would then have no choice but to turn around and sell their homes, albeit while taking advantage of the high prices offered by current market conditions.

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 Nevada Governor Steve Sisolak lifted the state eviction moratorium on October 15 – originally put into place in March due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic – nearly 4,000 eviction cases have been opened in Las Vegas Justice Court, according to reports.

Despite the state eviction moratorium ending October 15, the earliest landlords could start eviction proceedings against tenants for non-payment of rent due to pandemic-related financial reasons was October 29 due to official court timelines.

Since that date, October 29, 3,981 cases have been opened, although the overall number of evictions could actually be higher due to the fact that cases are often filed with the court after the initial serving of the eviction notice by the landlord, not before. Once an eviction notice has been served, a tenant has seven business days to make good on back rent owed or vacate the property; if they do not, then the landlord or property manager can open a case in court and start formal eviction proceedings.

Governor Sisolak originally put the eviction moratorium in place after the pandemic wreaked havoc with the economy, costing thousands their jobs and creating wide-scale financial hardship. However, after several extensions of the moratorium – and complaints from landlords who were suffering financially themselves – Sisolak finally lifted the moratorium approximately one month ago. Despite the moratorium, landlords were still able to evict tenants for some safety-related issues.

A Centers for Disease Control and Prevention eviction order remains in place throughout the end of the year, although to be eligible tenants were required to opt-in to it; if a tenant has not done so, the federal order would not apply to them, and eviction proceedings would be allowed to begin if they did not make good on back rent or arrived at a repayment plan with their landlord.

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 – Despite the COVID pandemic continuing to flare up around the country – and the economic woes that follow in the disease’s wake – Las Vegas has nonetheless managed to set records as home prices have managed to hit all-time highs for the fifth consecutive month in a row, according to recent reports.

October 2020 saw the demand for residences in Las Vegas to continue to climb, with the median sales price of previously-owned single-family homes – which make up the majority of the marketplace – reach $340,000, representing a 0.9 percent increase from September, itself a record-making month for the real estate industry. In addition, jumps in home prices last month saw an increase of 10.8 percent from October 2019, showing that despite the economic impact of COVID still being felt, it hasn’t done much to slow down home prices.

Market inventory is still growing smaller as well, with the end of October seeing only 4,501 single-family homes on the market without offers, a decrease of 6.2 percent from the previous month and a decrease of 37.6 percent from October 2019. 3,225 homes were sold in October, representing a decrease of only 1.4 percent from the previous month but a jump of 11.2 percent from the same time period in 2019.

While negatively affected early on in the pandemic, the Las Vegas housing market bounced back far more quickly than anticipated and has been described as being “on fire” in recent months, due in part to much lower interest rates on loans as of late.

Before the pandemic hit, the record median sales price of single-family homes was $316,000 in February, a milestone that had taken 13 years to reach after the mid-2000’s recession; in mid-2006, right before the market crashed, the record median home price was $315,000.

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

LAS VEGAS, NV – In a recent report, the lengths that Southern Nevada real estate agents have gone to in order to reinvent themselves amid the challenges presented by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic were laid out, and it paints a picture of an industry that has not only managed to survive adversity, but actually thrive despite it.

The pandemic initially caused issues for the local real estate market due to mandatory stay-at –home orders and business closures to help contain the spread of the coronavirus, which causes the respiratory disease known as COVID-19. While real estate was considered an “essential business” and thus was allowed to continue to operate, it was nonetheless hamstrung by high unemployment levels and the resulting extreme financial uncertainty in the region, not to mention restrictions caused by social distancing guidelines.

However, the real estate industry has bounced back amid the chaos by adapting to conditions; many agents, according to the interview, have moved everything to a “virtual platform,” setting up 3D online tours of properties in their inventory and producing far greater amounts of video content highlighting the homes and rental units on offer.

In addition, Zoom – a popular video conferencing app – was highly utilized to conduct open houses, a move that may have actually changed the way real estate business is conducted going forward, even after the pandemic is eventually a thing of the past. After all, these steps can greatly decrease the amount of time a sale takes, and it allows people who live in other areas to check out a property without having to travel; instead, they can get all the information they need about their potential new home right in the comfort of their current abode.

That said, Las Vegas has seen a bump in the number of real estate buyers from both out of town and out of state throughout the course of the pandemic, particularly from California, mainly due to the affordable lifestyle in Nevada when compared to their home state.

As for what the future could potentially bring – especially now that Nevada is slowly but surely coming out of lockdown – experts believe that the real estate market will continue its impressive rebound, although that enthusiasm is tempered by the fact that is a so-called “second wave” of the pandemic hits in the fall, the economic damage could be just as bad as the first time… if not worse.

However, the current low interest rates in the market have encouraged many U.S. residents to purchase homes, with noted mortgage loan company Freddie Mac noting that current purchase demand activity has actually gone up 20 percent from the same time period in 2019, placing it at its highest level since 2009.

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

LAS VEGAS, NV – According to reports, 38 acres of undeveloped land located on the famed Las Vegas Strip recently sold for $108.6 million during an online auction that garnered four separate bids by undisclosed buyers.

The virtual auction was the first of its kind held in Clark County due to social distancing guidelines brought about by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, which made a traditional in-person auction problematic. The land has been designated as a “qualified opportunity zone,” meaning that it can be developed for a variety of uses, including as a casino, hotels, retail, restaurants, parking, resorts, in addition to a variety of other establishments. The land is just west of McCarran International Airport, which would mean that different parts of the property would have varying degrees of maximum height allowances.

The property is located on the corner of Hacienda Avenue and Las Vegas Boulevard, and is within walking distance of Allegiant Stadium, the upcoming home of the NFL Las Vegas Raiders and the University of Nevada Las Vegas Rebels. The land includes 750 feet of frontage on Las Vegas Boulevard across from the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino.

The auction involved the sale of six separate lots in the area which were owned by Desert Land, LLC, Desert Oasis Apartments, LLC and Desert Oasis Investments, LLC. The property came into Clark County ownership after the aforementioned firms filed Chapter 11 bankruptcy petitions in the District of Nevada.

At the time, Kavita Gupta was appointed by the Chapter 11 Trustee, and oversaw the sales process and was given management of the debtors’ business and property dealings. The trustee, in turn, engaged Keen-Summit Capital Partners LLC and Colliers International as the real estate agents for the auction.

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

LAS VEGAS, NV – In a recent research report, financial analysis firm Moody’s noted that out of the numerous states feeling the pinch due to the ongoing coronavirus outbreak, Nevada is the one most likely to be hit the hardest financially.

The spread of the coronavirus is making it difficult for experts to pin-point all of the specific factors that can determine what regions will be hit harder than others in terms of statewide economy. However, Moody’s research focused on several key factors – including demographics, trade and travel, tourism, finance, and commodities – and they have used those factors to determine the areas that are most assuredly to be the hardest hit financially.

Unfortunately, Nevada – and the city of Las Vegas in particular – is forecast to be the most affected, due to the fact that it relies on the lucrative tourism industry more than most states. As a result of non-essential business closures and stay-at-home orders instituted by state officials in the early days of the pandemic in order to help prevent the spread of COVID-19 – the respiratory disease caused by the coronavirus – the city has already suffered great financial losses.

This early and deep impact upon Vegas’ economy does not bode well for the speed of its recovery, according to Moody’s Analytics Chief Economist Mark Zandi.

“If you’re getting hit hard now and businesses are failing, and there’s bankruptcy and people are taking on debt or starting to default on debt, it’s going to be harder for those economies to recover,” he said. “So the No. 1 criteria for determining who recovers more gracefully will be who gets hit least hard during this period.”

Hawaii and Washington come in at number two and three, respectively, as states that are expected to experience severe financial woes due to the impact of the coronavirus upon the tourism industry. New York also ranks highly on the list, and currently contains the most cases of COVID-19 out of anywhere else in the nation.

In contrast, West Virginia and Missouri have seen the least coronavirus exposure – at least for the time being – and as a result their economies have been damaged far less, making their eventual recovery a less arduous task. But given the nature of the coronavirus outbreak, these factors and their effect upon statewide economies are subject to change as time goes on.

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 the disturbance that the ongoing coronavirus pandemic is causing in the real estate industry word-wide, house-flippers in Las Vegas – as well as across the nation – have taken a temporary pause while riding out the effects of the devastating outbreak upon the economy, according to recent reports.

Among the organizations putting the brakes on buying homes to quickly renovate and put back on the market to make a profit is the Zillow Group, which is ceasing such activities in Vegas as well as 23 other markets where it engages in flipping, through its “Zillow Offers program.”

The main driving factor behind Zillow’s decision, reports say, is compliance with ordinances passed by many local municipalities dictating that businesses deemed as “nonessential” temporarily close to reduce the spread of coronavirus. But while refraining from acquiring new properties, Zillow will still be selling homes already in their inventory.

In addition, numerous other flippers, both present in Vegas or with a web presence – including Opendoor of San Francisco – is reporting a pause from buying homes in the Southern Nevada region as well while quarantine measures are in effect.

According to experts, the Las Vegas real estate scene stands to be hurt more than average due to the effects of the pandemic for a number of reasons, not the least of which being its massive tourism industry; due to travel restriction measures and temporary business and retail closures – and no certain timetable yet for their re-opening – tourism in Vegas is completely off the table for the time being. This, unfortunately, is causing economic havoc in a city that was previously skyrocketing back to the top after recovering from the mid-2000s recession.

Real estate sales are expected to take a large dip while the coronavirus scare persists, but experts are also predicting a fast turnaround of Las Vegas’ fortunes once again when the pandemic eventually levels off. It’s simply a matter of riding out the storm until it subsides.

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

LAS VEGAS, NV – According to recent reports, the Las Vegas Raiders’ practice facility – which is still currently under construction – was sold by team officials last week for the hefty sum of $191 million. But where will the Raiders practice then, you might ask? Why at that very same facility, since right after the sale Raiders officials leased the facility right back, a growing and popular trend in Las Vegas real estate known as a “leaseback.”

A form of flipping – buying a property, building upon it or renovating existing structures, and then selling it for a profit – the leaseback takes the concept to the next level by having property owners sell a building, only to rent it right back for whatever use they may need it for. The practice has generated billions of dollars in revenue in Vegas in recent months, and apparently the Raiders are the latest entity to get in on the action… and they’re not even officially residents of the city yet.

The Raiders sold their Henderson-based headquarters and practice center – which is still being built – to Mesirow Financial of Chicago in February 21, and then immediately entered into a lease agreement with Mesirow for 29 years, with the option of extending that lease for a total of 70 years, divided up into seven separate ten-year options, according to Clark County records.

The rent the Raiders will be paying to Mesirow is not currently known.

Leasebacks are common occurrences in many industries in Las Vegas, including fitness centers, fast-foot restaurants, and casino hotels; the advantages are many, including a large influx of cash up-front to the seller and the opportunity to establish a lock in long-term lease. For the buyer, the advantage is that they have an instant renter for their property, as opposed to acquiring it and then having it sit vacant – and not generating a dime in revenue – while they search for a tenant. However, leasebacks have their potential pitfalls as well, especially if the seller has financial issues or closes their doors for business; but regardless, leasebacks are growing in popularity in Vegas, as the benefits often far outweigh any potential issues that might come down the line.

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.