Category Archive : Real Estate

LAS VEGAS, NV – Representatives of the Las Vegas hotel industry sent an appeal to Congress this week, asking for financial assistance and commercial debt relief in order to help ward off an “unprecedented wave” of foreclosures due to financial issues born out of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to reports.  

In July, reports indicate that approximately one-fourth of Las Vegas hotels were a month late – or more – on their mortgage loan payments, which represents the highest level of financial distress to ever befall the city’s hospitality industry. Compare that figure to the fourth quarter of 2019, when just over one percent of hotels were in that same predicament, said analysis firm Trepp.

On Tuesday, over 4,000 hotel owners – including 20 from Nevada – signed a letter that was sent to Congress, calling for passage of the Helping Open Properties Endeavor (HOPE) Act, which was drafted in-part to help protect owners of commercial real estate from foreclosures as a result of fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic. The bill specifically targets businesses that hold commercial mortgage-backed securities loans.

Hotels across the country have suffered during the pandemic, as travel has slowed to a standstill in order to help curb the spread of the disease; however, Las Vegas in particular has suffered more than most due to its reliance on tourism, and even with Nevada in the process of opening its economy once again, the economic damage has been done. And with tourism levels not yet returning to normal, it’s clear that outside help is sorely needed if many of these hotels are to survive.

Casino resorts on the Las Vegas Strip generate the majority of their revenue from gambling activities; however, smaller hotels that do not have gambling on premises would benefit the most from the passage of the HOPE Act. We will be sure to report here if Congress responds to the hotel industry letter.

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, despite an eviction moratorium and numerous sources of governmental financial assistance being made to local residents, September – when the moratorium is due to expire – could see a record-number of people in Las Vegas removed from their homes and apartments, as months of unpaid rent will finally take their toll.

Due to the current financial crisis and widespread unemployment that is still hitting Southern Nevada due to the COVID-19 pandemic – a crisis that the region is recovering from, but not fast enough – the high number of renters that call Vegas home are facing a very real possibility that they may be homeless in the near future, especially with the $600 federal unemployment benefits having expired at the end of July.

Reports indicate that roughly ten percent of the population of Clark County – approximately 249,700 people – may be out on the streets when the eviction freeze ends. This is an unfortunate situation no matter how you look at it, and one that is unprecedented in the modern era.

Of course, one has to look at this from the perspective of landlords as well, considering the fact that a tenant that is unable to pay rent – through no fault of their own – translates to monthly income that the landlord is no longer receiving. And things just got harder for them, as a recent new state law now gives courts the ability to delay an eviction for 30 days in an attempt to mediate the situation between the landlord and their tenant.

While this new law represents a stay of execution for tenants, it also represents more frustration for landlords, many of whom have felt unfairly treated throughout the pandemic by essentially being forced to house individuals that are unable to – or simply refuse to, in some instances – pay them.

Nationwide, the COVID-19 pandemic has led to high levels of unemployment, and evictions across the country are looming for as many as 30 to 40 million people in the next few months if things do not improve. However, experts are reporting that Las Vegas could be one of the harder-hit areas due to its reliance on tourism, which has been greatly curtailed by the pandemic.

Currently, Las Vegas’ unemployment rate is hovering at about 18 percent, down from a high of 34 percent at the height of the pandemic; in February, prior to COVID-19, it was just 3.9 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 – Local developer Edward Homes recently broke ground on a new housing project located in Las Vegas’ 1,200-acre Providence community, the last new-home development slated to be constructed at that location. The new housing tract, called Brownstones at Providence, is planned to add 30 new townhouses on a 3-acre plot of land, and is expected to start framing the new units in approximately a month. The project, the last new addition to the Providence community according to reports, has already had 10 signed sales contracts by buyers of the townhouses.

Providence is a master-planned community located in the northwest valley of Southern Nevada near the 215 Beltway and Hualapai Way. Its origins can be traced back prior to the mid-2000’s recession, a period of time where developers consistently bought up large plots of land to construct housing developments, which was a very profitable venture before the recession hit. Developed by the Focus Property Group, Providence first began to sell homes in the community in 2006, at the height of the region’s real estate boom.

Edward Homes noted that the low supply of homes on the Las Vegas real estate market was the driving force behind the decision to proceed with the construction of Brownstones at Providence, citing the strong demand for new housing despite the impact of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

June 2020 saw approximately 1,230 sales contracts signed with homebuilders in Southern Nevada, the highest amount since February. Meanwhile, pre-existing home sales in July numbered over 4,000, the largest amount of homes sold in Las Vegas since 2017.

The fact that buyers are able to lock in very low interest rates on loans these days – as low as 3 percent – has also helped to sustain the demand for housing, regardless of the financial difficulties that many residents are experiencing.

Construction for the Brownstones at Providence project is expected to be completed by the end of summer 2021.

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, Las Vegas’ ongoing real estate rebound from COVID-19 has hit yet another milestone, with the industry setting an all-new record in the month of July 2020 and cementing it as one of the more notable aspects of the region’s recovering economy, damaged as it has been by the pandemic.

Realtors have revealed that July saw the largest amount of homes sold in Las Vegas since 2017, with over 4,000 pre-existing residences changing hands. That is indeed impressive, especially given how far the market had come since the mid-2000s recession, and how far it had dropped again thanks to COVID.

Local realtors have been quoted as saying that the local housing market is currently “on fire,” citing the non-stop demand coupled with historically low interest rates – some as low as 3 or even 2.5 percent – and a limited supply as the contributing factors to local real estate managing to weather the storm and come back faster than estimated after COVID played havoc with Nevada’s economy. Interest rates are expected to remain low for the remainder of 2020, reports say.

Therefore, individuals and families that have managed to remain employed throughout the pandemic – or who had adequate financial resources already in place – have been taking advantage of the opportunities presented to purchase homes in large numbers.

Also, the median single-family Las Vegas home price in July was $330,000, an increase of approximately 9 percent from the same period last year. Again, this is despite the current pandemic, which is still making its presence felt in Nevada and across the country.

In addition, ongoing forbearance and moratorium decrees that have been enabling people to remain in their homes despite the financial difficulties they have been experiencing have resulted in Las Vegas’ lowest amount of foreclosures and short sales ever, preventing another mid-2000’s-style catastrophe to strike the Southern Nevada housing marketplace. Federal homeowner and renter assistance has also played a part, reports say.

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 – Plans for a new apartment complex in Henderson were recently announced by a Las Vegas-based developer to be constructed on a 19-acre plot of land at the southeast corner of Galleria Drive and Boulder Highway, according to reports.

Tru Development Company noted that the complex, dubbed The Apex at Galleria (stylized as “theAPEX @galleria”), will be a 336-unit apartment complex with and 3.8 acres of retail development available for sale, ground lease, or build to suit as well.

Tru is teaming up with MultiGreen Properties to bring the project to life, according to Tim Deters, President and CEO of TRU Development.

“TRU Development Company is excited to be partnering with MultiGreen Properties on our first project collaboration in southern Nevada,” he said. “We are honored to have the opportunity to expand the multifamily offerings in the Las Vegas Valley and create a community centered around technology, sustainability, and wellness. We look forward to bringing our vision to fruition and welcoming residents in 2021.”

The apartments at The Apex at Galleria will be available for lease in March of 2021, and heralds what the developer is calling a series of “Apex” branded communities to be built throughout the state of Nevada, according to Randy Norton, Founder and Chairman of the Board at MultiGreen.

“We are excited to be working with TRU in the State of Nevada as we continue to grow and design theAPEX brand,” he said. “Our goal is to build thousands of newly constructed APEX- branded units together, all of which will be attainable, sustainable, and tech-enabled residences.”

Tru most recently is responsible for the construction of the Kaktus Life rental project off Cactus Avenue and Interstate 15, a 4-story complex. It also has plans for a southwest valley apartment building in the works, adjacent to the Meadows mall. Ground on Apex at Galleria is expected to be broken at some point in the fourth quarter of 2020.

Editors note: The photo used in this story, a rendering of the new apartment complex in Henderson, is credited to TRU Development, Nevada Business Magazine, Nevada Business Journal and Press Release Wire.

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 – After the housing market in Las Vegas came to a virtual standstill amid the chaos of the COVID-19 pandemic, initial reports indicated that the market was bouncing back at a higher than anticipated pace; more recent reports indicate this is still the case, with sales reaching their highest point yet since the advent of the pandemic.

When COVID-19 first hit the region, Southern Nevada’s housing market practically collapsed due to the economic devastation, with sellers drying up and cancellations of pending sales running rampant. However, the lows, while bad, never quite hit the points that experts first predicted, and efforts on the part of sellers – including virtual walk-throughs and online forms, among other methods of maintaining social distancing – have enabled business to improve over the past month.

June saw a major improvement in the number of sales contracts signed, with 1,230 people signing on the dotted line, which is the highest number reported since February when the pandemic had just started making its presence felt in the United States. In addition, June also saw just 208 sales cancellations, which represents a drop of 43 percent of the cancellations that occurred in May; obviously this is also a good indication of recovery for home builders.

Also, despite the rocky road for builders during the past few months, a saving grace came in the form of home price stability; prices on new homes did not lower significantly, and sellers did not provide many significant incentives in an attempt to attract sellers, citing that demand was still present and that sales would bounce back eventually.

The resale market also has continued to improve recently, with 2,460 homes selling in June for a median price of $325,000, representing a 45 percent jump from the previous month. Clearly, the basic need for home ownership will eventually outweigh concerns over a pandemic as long as proper precautions are taken.

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 recent report, retail in Las Vegas has been especially burdened with hardship amid the ongoing – and currently resurging – coronavirus pandemic. In addition to heavy job losses, approximately 75,000 square feet of retail space has been put back on the open market due to business closures, with an additional 500,000 square feet potentially on the chopping block after several major chains announced closures.

Many of the impending vacancies revolve around the upcoming end of the moratorium issued by Nevada Governor Steve Sisolak, forbidding commercial and residential evictions due to coronavirus-related issues. While the moratorium on residential evictions has been extended until September, its commercial equivalent ended on July 1, allowing landlords to begin charging late fees, initiate lockouts, or start eviction actions for non-payment of rent.

In contrast to the woes suffered by retail, the rental and sales of industrial space – in particular, warehouse and distribution space – actually increased throughout the pandemic, with the second quarter of 2020 seeing over two-million square feet of industrial space change hands. Other types of industrial space that rely more on small businesses, however, suffered losses and are waiting for the economy to recover to see if leases increase once again.

Office space continued to be acquired throughout the pandemic, reports say, although not to an impressive degree, with just 10,000 square feet being leased; however, considering the degree of job losses in the second quarter, any leasing activity is seen as a positive, experts say.

The hospitality industry also suffered losses during state-mandated shutdown orders intended to slow the spread of the pandemic; given that Las Vegas’ economy relies heavily on tourism, it remains to be seen what impact this will have on Vegas’ recovery going forward, assuming the current resurgence of the coronavirus – which occurred when the state began a phased reopening – can be brought back under control.

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 COVID-19 pandemic has touched all Nevadans particularly hard resulting economic hardship in one form or another for the vast majority of residents. With Governor Steve Sisolak’s moratorium against residential evictions due to end in September, many people are scrambling to secure funds to stay in their homes as landlords dealing with unfortunate tenants unable to meet their rent are about to be forced into making a very difficult decision.

In order to provide a measure of relief for many involved in the current financial crisis, State Senator Catherine Cortez Masto recently announced that help is available for Nevada residents in the form of $30 million in CARES Act funding allocated by Governor Sisolak to residential rental assistance and an additional $20 million towards commercial rental assistance.

The CARES Act funding, an addition to several other forms of assistance – both via the government and select not-for-profits – is available to Nevada residents who are experiencing financial insolvency due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, be it a loss of employment or major reduction in income due to a decrease in work.

Among the various programs and organizations that can help Nevada residents make up their rent deficits is the Nevada Housing Division’s CARES Housing Assistance Program, which not only offers funding to people unable to make their rental or mortgage payments, but also to landlords and property owners who are currently not receiving payments from tenants due to COVID-19.

In addition, up to three months of rental assistance can be provided to qualified city residents by the City of Las Vegas Housing Assistance Program, payable directly to the landlord; the city of North Las Vegas is offering both short-term and long-term rental assistance to lower-income households to eligible individuals and families; and various charities in Northern Nevada are offering housing assistance, including Catholic Charities, the Nevada Rural Housing Authority and the Reno Housing Authority.

Finally, the Legal Aid of Southern Nevada is offering an online FAQ that residents can consult to find out how the end of the residential moratorium will affect them, as well as information about further housing assistance that are out there that they may be able to utilize.

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 economic distress that the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has been putting on Las Vegas has not had a corresponding effect upon its real estate industry, as several Southern Nevada communities are ranked within the top 30 nationally in terms of builder’s home sales for 2020.

Summerlin ranked the highest nationally, coming in at number four with 642 homes sold by builders in the first quarter of the year. Meanwhile, 467 homes in Valley Vista, located in North Las Vegas, enabled that region to place sixth in the country; Henderson’s Cadence community ranks 14^th, with developers having sold 356 homes; Inspirada, also in Henderson, tied for 25^th with 280 homes sold; and Skye Canyon, located in the upper northwest valley, took 27^th place with 275 homes sold.

The sales of the areas in question are made up of recently-signed sales contracts and do not include cancellations.

The Las Vegas real estate market – much like every industry in Nevada and nationwide – was hit hard by the arrival of the COVID-19 pandemic, which lead to shutdowns of businesses and government-mandated stay-at-home orders that caused widespread economic chaos and record-breaking unemployment.

Real estate was predicted to take an especially big hit from the pandemic, but agents did their best to buck that trend by adapting to the challenges posed by COVID; with homes still in demand, they evolved their business model to include virtual home walkthroughs and online paperwork to adhere to social distancing and safety guidelines, and as a result the Vegas real estate industry didn’t suffer quite as much damage as was initially predicted.

As COVID cases have diminished and the economy of Las Vegas has started to re-open, home sales have surged faster than expected, with some developers actually outpacing their sales bookings compared to the same point of time last 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 – The former chairman and CEO of MGM Resorts International, Jim Murren, has put his Las Vegas mansion – dubbed “Skyspace” – up for sale to the tune of $10.5 million, according to recent reports.

Skyspace is a 13,000 square-foot home situated on 1.5 acres within the Summerlin community and golf club, offering views of the Las Vegas Strip via a series of wall-to-wall windows. It has four bedrooms, a separate one-bedroom guest house, and was constructed a decade ago based on designs by well-known Los Angeles-based firm Marmol Radziner.

The mansion was created with a reverence for art and philosophy; there are several corner spaces that allow for solitary reflection, indoor bamboo and pine trees, and a Zen garden outside the main bedroom laden with multiple pathways that could take upwards of 45 minutes to traverse. The house also contains numerous amenities, including an indoor basketball court, movie theater, wine cellar, pool, spa, and a huge open-concept kitchen.

But the highlight is a large art installation from where the home derives its name- “Skyspace.” A “sensory experience,” it utilizes high-tech equipment to create the illusion of being in space by making use of natural light provided at both sunrise and sunset. The equipment for this experience is not part of the home’s $10.5 million asking price, but is available for purchase separately, reports say.

Mr. Murren, who resigned from MGM in February 2020, has stated that he and his wife are planning on remaining in Las Vegas but simply wanted to downsize to a home more suitable for their needs, as apparently Skyspace afforded them more space than was necessary.

The $10.5 million asking price for Skyspace ranks as one of the priciest ever in Las Vegas; currently, the most expensive is a mansion – also located in Summerlin – that was purchased by famed magician David Copperfield for $17.55 million in 2016.

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 impact of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, house prices and sales totals in Las Vegas continued to break records in June, illustrating that the real estate industry is in the process of a very real comeback as Nevada’s economy slowly continues to reopen.

Las Vegas house prices hit a record high with the median price of a previously-owned single-family home hitting $350,000, representing a jump of 3.2 percent from the previous month and 6.9 percent from the same period of time last year.

In addition, the number of homes sold in June was also robust, with 2,464 changing hands; this represents a whopping 44.7 percent increase from May but still a drop of 15.1 percent from June 2019, showing that the pandemic is still taking a toll on overall sales numbers.

Nonetheless, despite sales activity remaining below 2019 levels, this activity represents a significant recovery for the industry as a whole.

Although, there could be just one fly in the ointment- as Las Vegas has been easing stay-at-home orders originally intended to curb the spread of the COVID-19, there have been reports of increased numbers of residents testing positive for the disease. If this surge is not contained or controlled, it could possibly lead to another round of quarantine orders and mandatory business closures. Hopefully, this will not be the case.

In addition, despite Nevada reopening its businesses and entertainment venues, it will take time to truly access the overall damage done to Las Vegas’ economy and job market, even if it indeed manages to avoid further COVID-related restrictions.

Regardless, it appears that the pandemic’s impact upon the housing market, while very real, was still less severe than experts had been warning. The industry evolving to adapt to the “new normal” helped to negate the impact to some degree, with agents resorting to virtual home tours and online paperwork to minimize contact with clients and maintain their sales.

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.