Category Archive : Real Estate

LAS VEGAS, NV – The Biden Administration’s Treasury Department is looking to crack down on all-cash real estate transactions by enacting more stringent reporting requirements, which is intended to curb money laundering activity. This is pertinent to Las Vegas, as the city is slated to be included in the initial batch of U.S. cities that the regulation will pertain to if it comes to pass.

The Treasury Department noted that the regulation is intended to essentially plug what they say is a “vulnerability” in the American real estate market. At the moment, title insurance companies in only 12 metropolitan areas in the entire country are mandated to report individuals who purchase real estate in all-cash transactions through shell companies if the amount is higher than $300,000.

Himamauli Das, acting director of Treasury’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network, said that the regulation will crack down on bad actors’ use of the American real estate market to launder money made through illegal acts.

“Increasing transparency in the real estate sector will curb the ability of corrupt officials and criminals to launder the proceeds of their ill-gotten gains through the U.S. real estate market,” Das said. “The regulation will strengthen U.S. national security and help protect the integrity of the U.S. financial system.”

If passed, the regulation would initially expand reporting requirements to apply to an additional 12 metropolitan areas: Las Vegas, Boston; Chicago, Dallas-Fort Worth, Honolulu, Los Angeles, Miami, New York City, San Antonio, San Diego, San Francisco, and Seattle.

Corrupt government officials – in addition to other criminal elements – from around the world have reportedly been utilizing the American real estate marketplace to launder proceeds from criminal activity

The U.S. real estate market has long been viewed as a stable way station for corrupt government officials around the globe and other illicit actors looking to launder proceeds from criminal activity by utilizing shell companies to buy property in the United States.

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 Stockton, California-based developer has announced that a new 265-unit apartment complex is set to open in Henderson’s Cadence community in 2022, which is anticipated to help address the near-ravenous demand for affordable housing options in Las Vegas during the past year.

A.G. Spanos Companies, founded by billionaire Alex Spanos in 1960, is a builder of multifamily residences, commercial buildings and communities, and is considered to be one of the biggest apartment developers in the United States; the company is currently led by Chairman and CEO Dean Spanos, owner of the Los Angeles Chargers football team.

In a press release, Spanos announced that the new apartment complex they are currently developing is expected to begin letting tenants begin their occupancy in the third quarter of next year.

The project, which will consist of 265 units ranging in size from 617 to 1,320 square feet, will feature a variety of amenities for tenants, including a 10,000-square-foot clubhouse and private parking garages situated in all of the buildings located in the complex.

Spanos has constructed over 200,000 multi-family housing and master planned communities with fifty years of operational experience. Their mission, as stated on their website, is “to enhance the communities where we build and develop projects that endure.”

In Las Vegas alone, the company has built over 22,000 apartment units from the 1970s through the 1990s.

Spanos representatives noted that the new apartment complex is being constructed on a plot of land located within Cadence, a master-planned community in Henderson that is currently being developed by the LandWell Company. Cadence is being developed on a plot of land 2,200 acres in size and is located off of Lake Mead Parkway east of Boulder Highway.

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 – Once you’ve unpacked your last box and organized your belongings in your new home, the most strenuous part of your relocation is finished. However, your move is not quite complete until you handle some essential tasks that will help you settle comfortably. Use this list of practical steps after you arrive in your new living environment:

Making Home Improvements

First, thoroughly inspect your new property to see if there are any necessary repairs or improvements you should tackle.

1. Look for repairs and improvements you can DIY, such as painting the walls, replacing faucets, and changing out cabinet hardware.
2. Consider hiring a professional to clean your furniture. Search for “professional furniture cleaning near me” and read reviews to find a trustworthy cleaner.
3. Tend to your property’s curb appeal. Making upgrades to your landscaping, pressure washing and painting the siding, painting the front door, and other minor projects can make a big difference.
4. Boost the security of your household and property by installing a smart security system.

Knocking Out the Necessities

Make sure you get these essential tasks out of the way soon after arriving at your new home:

1. Find a DMV office nearby to update your license and registration.
2. Register your new address with the post office, and confirm that your mail is being forwarded to the correct location.
3. Make a list of all the local contacts you need handy should an emergency occur.
4. Learn about state and local taxes and other costs of living so you can prepare a budget.

Settling Into the Community

Finally, it’s time to get to know your neighborhood and community so that you can truly settle in!

1. Help your child transition smoothly into their new school routine.
2. Meet the neighbors. Throwing a housewarming party and taking gifts door to door are a couple of the surest methods!
3. Pick up a local newspaper or magazine to learn about your new community.
4. Make a plan for trying out as many local restaurants and coffee shops as you can in the first month.

If you’re like most people after a move, you want to settle into your new home and community as soon as possible. The tips and resources above will help you do just that. After tackling home repairs and improvements, taking care of administrative tasks, and exploring your neighborhood and city, you’ll be primed to comfortably kick off your new chapter.

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 long-gestating Fontainebleau resort project – located on the northern part of the famed Las Vegas Strip and originally scheduled to open in 2009 – has finally commenced on construction after it was re-acquired by its original developer following changing hands several times over the years.

Jeffrey Soffer, chairman and CEO of Florida-based Fontainebleau Development, is still surprised that another developer didn’t finish what he began in the 12 years since he put the brakes on the nearly-3,800-room, $2 billion development due to lack of funding, despite it already being 75 percent completed.

“I saw the articles over the years that it should be torn down, crazy stuff like that,” Soffer said in a recent interview. “The building itself was very well-built as a physical structure. It’s in pristine shape.”

However, this week Soffer was involved in the groundbreaking ceremony with numerous local dignitaries and politicians, such as Nevada Governor Steve Sisolak and various Clark County officials. After a prolonged delay, the Fontainebleau is finally on-track to be completed and open for business by the fourth quarter of 2023, with Soffer declaring that he will finally “finish what I started.”

Soffer reacquired the Las Vegas project in February in partnership with Koch Real Estate Investments.

The Fontainebleau will mostly adhere to the original vision that was laid out for it back when the project was first envisioned in 2007, and will consist of a 67-story tower containing 3,780 hotel rooms and suites, 550,000 square feet of convention and meeting space, a casino, restaurants and other amenities. Once completed, the project will provide approximately 6,000 full-time employees, which will greatly add to Las Vegas’ blossoming job market.

Parts of the original design that are being jettisoned include condominium units and a significant reduction of the originally planned 245,000 square feet of retail space. In addition, a 20,000-square-foot attraction on Fontainebleau’s roof – originally slated to open upon completion of the project – will instead debut within the next two years, Soffer 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 – The Russell Apartments, a 241-unit garden-style apartment community in West Las Vegas, has been purchased by a California-based firm that is making its first foray into the Southern Nevada real estate marketplace.

SB Real Estate Partners reportedly paid $67 million for The Russell Apartments, which was 98 percent leased at the time of the sale. SB has announced that they intend to invest an additional $2 million for renovations and upgrades into the property, located at 9620 West Russell Road, with plans to re-brand it as “Portola on Russell.”

Planned renovations to the property include improvements to apartment interiors, common areas, and the facility’s exterior.

The Russell Apartments features one, two, and three-bedroom apartments, in addition to an array of upper-scale amenities, such as a resort-style pool area with a pool-side cabana, barbecue grills, lounge seating areas, a fitness center, dog park, playground, sand volleyball court and a putting green.

SB Real Estate Partners have stated that upon completion of the proposed renovations, the apartment community will be able to compete with higher-end rental complexes in the Las Vegas valley, while offering a lower-than-average price point for rent.

As California residents have been fleeing the state due to ever-increasing taxes and unsustainable living costs, Southern Nevada has seen new additions to its population on a regular basis due to it’s much more reasonable living expenses when compared to its neighboring state to the west.

In addition, the prominence of remote working during the COVID-19 pandemic – especially when it comes to the tech industry – has also been driving up Nevada’s population as well in the past year, and due to these realities, SB Real Estate Partners noted that it was time for them invest in the Las Vegas real estate marketplace.

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 – Vegas, long thought of as one of the most cost-effective and affordable places to live in the United States, will likely hold onto that distinction for quite some time to come. However, at least one aspect of that impressive reputation has been starting to unravel in recent months, with a report indicating that Southern Nevada’s ultra-competitive home prices are now increasing faster than the national average, leading to many being priced out of the market.

The dependence that Las Vegas has on tourism as one of the main driving forces of its economy has always resulted in an ebb-and-low over the years, and the region’s housing market has been just as vulnerable to those variations in activity.

Over the past 20 years, real estate has hit extreme lows and highs, and currently Las Vegas is in the midst of yet another high, thanks mainly to a rapidly-recovering economy, low inventory, and very low borrowing costs that have enabled home buyers to get the very most for their money.

Similar circumstances have taken hold across the country – home prices have increased nationwide overall – but currently there is nowhere it is quite as acute as it currently is in Las Vegas, according to a new report.

The recently-released S&P CoreLogic Case-Shiller index show home values in Nevada increasing at rates far outpacing the national average; prices in Southern Nevada were up 23.8 percent year over year in August, which represents a much bigger overall jump than the national average of 19.8 percent.

In contrast, August 2020 home prices in Nevada had only increased 4.7 percent year over year, whereas the national average was 5.8 percent, the index notes.

Of course, it should be pointed out that home prices in times of economic hardship have also tended to hit Nevada harder than many other parts of the country as well. During the mid-2000’s recession, home prices in Las Vegas had plunged almost 33 percent year over year; nationally, however, the worst drop by home prices was seen in early 2009, which was just shy of 13 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 – Less than one year after purchasing the property, legendary KISS rock-and-roller Gene Simmons has listed his luxury home overlooking the Las Vegas Strip for $15 million, which is over $4 million than what he originally paid for it back in May of this year.

Simmons had previously purchased the two-story, six-bedroom, 10,871 square-foot residence at 7 Talus Court, in Henderson for $8.2 million, with the 72 year-old rocker – also known on-stage as “The Demon” – also purchasing the adjacent .48-acre parcel of land for $2.6 million, for a total of $10.8 million.

Of course, the fact that Simmons is already selling the property – so closely after having plunked down a significant amount of dough to acquire it to begin with – begs the obvious question of “why?” However, the answer – which Simmons recently gave during an interview with the Wall Street Journal – is actually more mundane than one would have expected.

“They’re not fans of 115-degree weather,” Simmons said of his wife, model Shannon Tweed, and their two adult children. “How many houses do you need anyway?”

County records show the property has six bedrooms, six full baths, two half-baths, a pool, 3,963 square feet on the first floor, 3,882 on the second floor, a finished basement of 3,026 square feet and basement garage of 2,284 square feet. However, the home has remained largely unused since the purchase.

In a separate interview with the NY Post in March, Simmons noted that he was also parting with his long-time Los Angeles home in favor of a “quieter life” in the form of a 12,000 square-foot mansion in Lake Tahoe, isolated from the public on an extensive four acres of land.

“We are moving out of LA for a number of reasons: one of which are the tour buses. After a certain point, we have had enough of that, even though we appreciate the attention,” Simmons said. “I’m done. There are earthquakes, fires and pandemics every year. Even though there is nice sunshine, I’m done.”

Simmons also noted that that California has become “inhabitable” due to its insanely-high tax rates.

Editors Note: Photo shown is Simmons and his wife Shannon Tweed arriving at the 2011 American Music Awards at the Nokia Theatre in downtown Los Angeles. File photo: E Jaguar PS, Shutter Stock, licensed.

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 – Ely at The Curve, a 456-unit apartment complex located in the Spring Valley suburb of Las Vegas, has been purchased by Chicago-based LaSalle Investment Management from previous owners, The Calida Group, for $155.6 million.

Ely at The Curve, which offers easy access to not only the Las Vegas Strip, the greater Las Vegas Valley, and Downtown Las Vegas, but also several office and retail complexes, making it an ideal place to live for those looking for an apartment that is close to both business and entertainment options.

Situated at 6355 South Riley Street, Ely at The Curve was originally constructed in 2010 and offers one and two-bedroom apartments that come in at an average size of 945 square feet. The units offer a variety of attractive amenities for tenants, including walk-in closets, stainless steel dishwashers and high ceilings with crown molding.

In addition, there are two swimming pools, private cabanas, a clubhouse with coffee bar, a fitness center, and an outdoor lounge with fireplace. Ely at The Curve is located in a prime location in the Las Vegas Valley and looks to be an attractive option for professionals who have moved to the city amid the remote-work craze born out of the COVID-19 pandemic.

With the Las Vegas economy rebounding faster-than-anticipated after the end of mandatory business lockdowns, rental units in the heart of the city have proven to be an attractive – and highly-sought after option for those looking for new transplants to Southern Nevada.

Investors have been extremely active in the Las Vegas marketplace recently, with a number of high profile apartment sales having taken place as of late. In April, an unnamed buyer purchased three properties for $182 million from Tower 16 Capital Partners; in July, The Bascom Group also purchased three-properties for $72 million; and in August, TruAmerica Multifamily purchased Vida, a 252-unit building located near the Las Vegas Strip.

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 – Infill housing – the insertion of additional housing units into an already-approved subdivision or neighborhood – has been increasing in the Southern Nevada real estate marketplace, with the newest example being Casa Bella, a housing development currently being built in the Las Vegas Valley.

The new development, with is under development in the middle of the valley near Boulder Highway and U.S. Highway 95 on the east side, will be made up of energy-efficient homes that will range in size from 1,500 square feet to 2,500 square feet, and can feature as many as five bedrooms.

Since it is considered infill housing, the 70-lot project is being constructed on an 8-acre vacant plot of land located in an established community comprised of older homes. As a result, the architectural style may clash with the established neighborhood, although the developer is confident that the modern features – and especially the affordability – of the new homes will mean that buyers will likely not mind this aesthetic issue, or the project’s vicinity to a busy expressway.

As opposed to the median price of an existing home in Las Vegas, which is $406,000 as of September, the homes in Casa Bella start at an extremely attractive $290,000, and will feature amenities such as covered front porches and granite kitchen countertops.

Already, half the homes in the community have been sold, the developer says, which is clearly supporting the recent new – and still rare, but gaining in popularity – trend in Vegas of building small housing developments in areas of the Valley where the land is still relatively cheap, which could go a long way to addressing affordability concerns expressed recently by many buyers in response to rising home prices.

However, the concept of infill housing still faces steep challenges, as the remaining land for development in the Las Vegas Valley is finite and deceasing all the time, causing some to lobby for the release of additional federal lands in Southern Nevada where new homes could be built.

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 – TruAmerica Multifamily, a Los Angeles-based multifamily investment firm that specializes in the acquisition and renovation of large class B apartment properties across the United States, recently announced the acquisition of several rental properties across the country, including a garden-style community in Las Vegas, Nevada.

TruAmerica stated that they have “increased their footprint” in Las Vegas; Tampa, Florida; and Salt Lake City, Utah, with Co-Chief Investment Officer Matthew Ferrari referring to these regions as being “among the most fundamentally sound multifamily markets in the U.S. exhibiting solid wage, population and employment growth.”

“Much of this is due in large part to the migration of corporations and families that follow them to these lower-cost-of-living states,” he said.

The purchases among these three states, TruAmerica announced, come to a total of $209 million, and account for a combined total of approximately 1,000 apartment homes, with Nevada, Florida, and Utah now representing about 25 percent of TruAmerica’s entire real estate portfolio. The company has plans to invest heavily in these properties – especially Nevada, which has experienced skyrocketing growth in its local economy and real estate market as of late – with improvements currently in the works to interiors, exteriors and amenity spaces.

Since its founding in 2013 by real estate investor Robert E. Hart, TruAmerica has acquired and/or manages a portfolio of more than 45,000 apartment units valued at roughly $10 billion, located in California, Washington, Oregon, Colorado, Arizona, Nevada, Utah, Maryland, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, Massachusetts, Tennessee and Texas.

TruAmerica largely focuses on investing in and renovating older mid-level or “Class B” garden style and midrise apartment communities. In its first years of existence, TruAmerica focused on investments in major metro areas throughout the western U.S., with Las Vegas counting among the earliest cities that the company has put extensive amounts of money into.

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 – Home prices in Las Vegas set yet another record in September, all while several experts have noted that the skyrocketing real estate prices in the Southern Nevada region are finally showing signs of beginning to stabilize.

The median sales price of previously owned single-family homes, which accounts for the majority of the home sales in Las Vegas, hit a record $406,500 in September, which represents a 0.4 percent increase from August and a whopping 20.5 percent jump from the same period of time last year, reports say.

3,209 houses were purchased in September, which is a virtually identical number from August but a 1.9 percent decrease from September 2020. Inventory of available homes on the market increased slightly last month, but still hovered at levels well below what was available last year.

At the end of September, 3,463 single-family houses were on the market without offers, representing an increase of 6.4 percent from August but a decrease of 27.8 percent from September 2020.

The real estate market in Las Vegas has essentially been supercharged over the past year, with the city bouncing back far quicker than anticipated after the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in lost jobs due to extended lockdowns of businesses.

A fast-recovering economy, low-cost home loans, high demand and low inventory have resulted in rapidly accelerating housing prices – with intense competition often driving buyers to pay more than the asking price – that had some worrying about affordability issues, with the median sales price having increased by over $100,000 since January 2020.

However, experts have also noted that while records are still being set, increases have been gradually slowing going up by smaller and smaller amounts but recognizing that pricing trends seen before the pandemic may soon become the norm, especially as developers work diligently to address demand for affordable housing and rental options.

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 estate of Tony Hsieh has put the late Zappos CEO’s 1970’s-style Las Vegas estate on the market for a whopping $2 million, following the recent news that much of his Las Vegas real estate empire has been listed on the open market by his family, totaling nearly 100 properties throughout the downtown area.

Hsieh had passed away in November at the age of 46 due to injuries suffered in a Connecticut house fire and had no will before his death, reports say.

For two decades, Hsieh – who was worth hundreds of millions of dollars at the time of his death – headed up retail giant Zappos before selling it to Amazon in 2009 for over $1 billion; he later retired as CEO in August 2020. He is also credited for having pledged $350 million to the renovation and revitalization of Downtown Las Vegas.

Scotch 80s, the neighborhood where Hsieh’s former estate is located, was originally developed in the 1950’s and 60’s, and was known for its elaborate luxury homes.

Hsieh first purchased the 14,336 square-foot Scotch 80s residence in 2012 for $1.5 million shortly after his Amazon sale. The estate – originally constructed in 1977 – 1250 Shadow Lane still retains its original charm and design aesthetic, and features seven bedrooms, 15 bathrooms, and is noted for its huge, open-design living spaces and dormitory-style bedrooms. In addition, it also boasts an apartment situated above the garage and several additional bedrooms in a separate carriage house.

Hsieh clearly had no issues entertaining guests in the estate’s large in-ground pool and golf putting green, or wowing them with the home’s many amenities, such as crystal chandeliers, large columns, fleur de lys embellishments, delicate stained-glass windows, and gold leafing.

In addition to his Las Vegas estate, Hsieh also spent a great deal of time living in a 240-foot Airstream trailer he had developed, located in Las Vegas’ downtown, as well as Park City, Utah, luxury home.

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.