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 – The economic damage inflicted upon the economy by means of the COVID-19 pandemic has left many experiencing financial difficulties, even in the wake of attempts by many states to re-open their economies to prevent the spread of the disease. Unemployment has been rampant, and as a result, bills are becoming harder to pay for many Americans.

Reports indicate that more and more people are, in particular, falling behind on ‘mortgage payments;’ 6.1 percent of April 2020 mortgage payments nationally were 30 days late, up from 3.6 percent the month before. Las Vegas is not immune, and is in fact one of the more worse off regions of the country in this regard.

Part of the reason for Las Vegas’ mortgage issues is its current high level of unemployment; in April 2020 it was a whopping 34 percent, up from just 3.9 percent in February. The cause of skyrocketing unemployment was due to Nevada Governor Steve Sisolak issuing a mandate that all non-essential state businesses close in light of the pandemic. Recently, attempts have been made to re-open businesses, but a resurgence of COVID-19 cases have made this problematic, slowing the state’s economic recovery and preventing job re-growth.

A foreclosure moratorium, issued by Governor Sisolak in March, is due to finally end in September, adding more pressure to families that are experiencing money problems. However, there are hopes that millions of dollars in federal coronavirus relief funds can help keep unemployed Nevadans in their homes while reducing the financial burden on lenders who have not been receiving mortgage payments throughout the pandemic.

Despite the current financial strain on homeowners, the amount of delinquent payments have yet to reach the low levels they did during the mid-2000’s recession. In addition, the housing market has not suffered the same level of damage, and is bouncing back faster than analysts have predicted.

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 infamous “Underground House” of Las Vegas, a “doomsday bunker” built in 1978 by Avon cosmetics executive and subterranean living enthusiast Jerry Henderson, made headlines last year when it was put on the market. The one-of-a-kind dwelling, located 26 feet under the soil of Southern Nevada, is still on the market for a whopping $18 million, according to recent reports.

Originally costing $10 million to construct, the 5,000-square-foot underground house – situated within a 15,000-square-foot steel-reinforced concrete bunker – is an elegant construct that features numerous amenities, including a pool, terraces, and a waterfall. The look and feel of the home itself remains to this day distinctly influenced by the design aesthetic of the era it was made in- the 1970’s. There is also a generator and a 1,000-gallon water tank.

Everything isn’t all below the ground, however; included in the $18 million asking price is a 2,300 square-foot, two-bedroom house located above-ground that serves as a gateway to entering the underground house. Also included are all of the property’s existing furnishings and one year of caretaking.

The house’s current owners – who have remained un-named, instead selling the property via Stephan LaForge of Berkshire Hathaway – note that the novelty of the house’s unique design, combined with the difficulty of replicating it elsewhere, make the $18 million price tag completely justifiable.

“The coronavirus might draw out the eccentric billionaire buyer who wants to hide out the situation in a bunker in Las Vegas,” LaForge said. “Just to dig the hole today would cost $1.5 million.”

Previously, the property sold in 1990 for $1.3 million after Henderson passed away, and again in 2005 for $2 million. The current owners whom are unknown bought it in 2014 for $1,150,000, and have had it on the market for over 500 days. The underground house has two bedrooms and three baths, a vintage 1970’s-style kitchen, a large living room with beamed ceilings, a stone fireplace and a theater. Natural lighting patterns are automatically maintained to simulate the passage of daytime into night, and a faux “backyard” is accessible via sliding glass doors and features artificial grass, trees, swimming pool, a fountain, BBQ, and a small cottage.

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 arrival of the Raiders NFL team to the Las Vegas region has sparked numerous aspects of the local economy, creating jobs and attracting businesses and even fans that have deemed it necessary to transplant themselves to the new city of their beloved team. But the latest news is that the team’s new Henderson-based headquarters and practice facility has had an interesting effect of essentially doubling the sales of nearby high-end homes during the first quarter of 2020, many in the $1 million range.

This has been dubbed in some real estate circles as “The Raider Effect.”

In addition of existing homes costing in the $1 million range in the area surrounding the Raiders’ Henderson headquarters jumping up to twice their normal levels so far this year, sales of residences in general – both new and existing, at all price points – have increased as well.

According to recent reports, 32 homes costing $1 million or more were sold in the first quarter of 2020, spread out among Seven Hills, Anthem Country Club, and Southern Highlands, all of which are situated within the corridor surrounding the Raiders’ $75 million headquarters. In contrast, that same region only saw 17 sales of such financial magnitude in the first quarter of 2019.

Obviously, not every home sale in the area is influenced by die-hard sports fans wanting to be in the vicinity of the NFL team’s new base of operations – opening in late 2020 – but it does reflect how much the Raiders’ headquarters has contributed to the overall growth of the Henderson region, leading to an increase of retail, jobs, and construction that has brought new residents from all walks of life seeking homes.

And of course, some of those homes were likely purchased by Raiders players themselves as they begin the process of uprooting themselves from their previous home of Oakland, California, where the team had previously been playing for the majority of its existence. The Raiders will be playing out of the newly-constructed Allegiant Stadium, scheduled to open in July 2020, although the currently ongoing coronavirus pandemic may cause potential delays to that plan.

Photo: Billboard on the Las Vegas Strip announcing that the Oakland Raiders NFL team are moving to Las Vegas in 2020. Photo credit: Steve Bruckmann, December, 2018, Shutterstock.com, 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 – Despite two on-site workers testing positive for coronavirus – which causes the respiratory disease COVID-19 – it was announced this week that work would continue on the new home of the Las Vegas Raiders NFL team, Allegiant Stadium. The $2 billion, 65,000-seat venue is expected to be completed in July 2020 in time for the 2020 NFL season, currently scheduled for August 16.

Most recently, a worker for the Mortenson-McCarthy construction company tested positive last week for COVID-19, but the company noted that strict social distancing guidelines at the worksite prevented the infected worker from coming into contact with others, minimizing chances of the disease spreading further. A previous worker had tested positive for COVID-19 in March.

Mortenson-McCarthy representatives relayed their “heightened concern” for the safety of their workers, and have made adjustments to their labor volume and the timing of shipment deliveries to increase the precautions taken at the worksite.

Much of Nevada is currently under a stay-at-home order issued by Governor Steve Sisolak, with only businesses deemed to be “essential” allowed to remain open. Construction projects, which have been included in the “essential business” category, are still allowed to continue, but nonetheless a number of projects have been cancelled or postponed until the pandemic has subsided. Also, some contractors have reported delayed shipment of materials needed for their projects from China and Italy, areas of the globe where the coronavirus has hit the hardest.

Allegiant Stadium isn’t the only active construction site in Las Vegas with workers testing positive for COVID-19; recently, four workers at the Resorts World construction site and a worker at the Circa site have also tested positive for the disease.

In the wake of the ongoing pandemic, the Nevada Occupational Safety and Human Administration (NV OSHA) recently sent safety guidelines to construction companies state-wide, documenting precautions and procedures to ongoing projects to adhere to.

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, the growing construction happening in Las Vegas in an effort to meet the demands of housing needs is having a rather predictable effect upon the price of the land this housing is sitting upon; that is, that price is going up.

In 2019, investors paid a median price of approximately $383,840 per acre of land for development in Southern Nevada, which represents an amount twice that from the depths of the mid-2000’s recession, reports say. Experts attribute this increase to numerous factors, including a skyrocketing economy and job market and a resulting influx of new hires into the region. Developers have scrambled to meet the growing demand for housing, erecting new homes, condos, and apartment complexes as quickly as they are able.

And of course, demand sets the price, and land owners acted accordingly, raising the rates per-acre significantly. But this follows with the history of Las Vegas, with land prices rising and falling in accordance with the economy and real estate market at any given time. For example, land prices dropped greatly during the recession, whereas they were quite lofty beforehand.

However high land prices are currently, they are not yet at their pre-recession peak; in 2007, when building in Vegas was in a frenzied state, an acre of land fetched as much as a median price of $835,180 per acre.

It also remains to be seen what effect the ongoing Coronavirus pandemic will have upon land prices in Las Vegas – and nationwide – as construction slows amid a mass population quarantine and temporary business closures dictated by local and federal government. But even if land prices do drop in the here and now, it’s a sure thing that they will eventually bounce back – and perhaps climb even higher – once the virus clears and becomes a thing of the past. However, some experts predict the Coronavirus could become seasonal such as the flu increasing the need for a vaccine even further..

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, home prices in Las Vegas, already in a constant state of increase, have finally managed to surpass pre-recession housing bubble-era prices after over 13 years of recovery, when not adjusted for inflation.

The median sales price of a single-family home set a record last month when it hit an all-time peak of $316,000, $1,000 more than the previous all-time record established in 2006, before the burst of the housing bubble lead to a deep recession that almost decimated the housing market in Southern Nevada for over a decade.

That amount, however, still manages to lag behind pre-recession peak prices when inflation is taken into account, reports say, which shows how pricey property had gotten in the region before the economy went south. When adjusted for inflation in 2020 dollars, the 2006 peak price would translate to approximately $400,500, which represents an additional $84,500 above today’s market.

Median home prices in Las Vegas have increased 6.7 percent from the same period one year earlier. In addition, February 2020 was an especially busy month for sales, with 2,471 houses sold, with represents an increase of 25.7 percent from February 2019. This represents good news for the market, as sales had previously leveled off in the region due to concerns regarding affordability began affecting the market overall.

Despite the fact that home prices still lag behind their pre-recession peak when inflation is taken into account, this new financial milestone is important given the fact that the recovery of the Las Vegas real estate market in particular lagged behind much of the rest of the United States after it began to recover from the recession.

Essentially, the real estate market in Las Vegas has finally come “full circle” and, given its continued positive momentum, it may only be a matter of time before more records are set.

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.

LAS VEGAS, NV – Short term rentals were recently approved for operation in Henderson, Nevada, with the Community Development manager laying out a series of rules and legal guidelines that participating residences must abide by in order to operate on these services.

Short term rentals have been steadily gaining in popularity over the years as a cheap and convenient way for landlords to accommodate guests with short-term lodging and tourism-related activities by essentially renting out their home to relative strangers. Much like ride-sharing services such as Uber and Lyft and the drivers they employ, AirBNB, VRBO, Booking.com, do not own any real estate listings, nor do they host events; instead, the services acts as a broker, receiving commissions from each booking.

Initially approved by the City of Henderson in mid-July of 2019; previously, short-term rentals where only allowed in commercial-tourist zoning areas, such as Lake Las Vegas. However, Henderson officials changed their stance on the issue after the City of Las Vegas made regulations governing short-term rentals far stricter. Seeing a potential money-making opportunity for Henderson – it’s estimated that the city could make as much as $370,000 annually with the introduction of Airbnb into the community – officials approved the move, albeit with a series of regulations of their own attached.

According to the City of Henderson, Short term rentals are allowed to operate in residential areas within the limits of Henderson as long as they adhere to the following set of rules:

1. The local Homeowners Association (HOA) approves, and the homeowner proves compliance with HOA rules.
2. The owner of the property must take a class at the College of Southern Nevada (Cost: $250. Duration: 2 days in-class or 2 weeks online).
3. Pay the City of Henderson an annual fee of $820.
4. Pay a 13 percent monthly lodging tax.
5. Install noise monitoring systems both inside and outside the home (via a company like Noise Aware).
6. Notify all neighbors within 200 feet of the property (via certified mail) that the home is going to be an Airbnb.

Rentals can range from a complete home, a single bedroom, or even just crashing on someone’s house in a pull-out sofa bed. The allure of allowing short term rentals within Henderson is obvious when it comes to a cash-flow standpoint; the services have been generating significant revenue in other regions of Nevada for some time now. For example, in 2019 Nevada Airbnb hosts ‘as a whole’ earned $53.5 million from Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day, according to figures released by the company. In addition, Clark County Airbnb guest usage generated $36 million in a period spanning from May 25 to Sept. 2 that same year.

Another reason for Henderson’s approval of is a potential remedy for the ongoing issue of the unauthorized renting of homes in the area; in addition, officials have announced that they will be working with an outside company that will monitor rental websites – utilizing advanced compliance software – for local homeowners who are violating rental ordnances; those who do may face fines of $500 a day that the property is rented. Instances of holding a party or wedding, or operating with a suspended license, will also incur a $500 a day fine.

Clearly, Short term rentals are growing in popularity and government officials of Henderson – faced with the dollar amounts other areas of Nevada have seen an influx of recently in conjunction with the short-term lodging service – found it was in the city’s best interests to get in on the action themselves.

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, developer Jonathan Fore is set to build a new luxury apartment complex in Las Vegas after having the project recently received the approval it needs to go forward from Clark County commissioners.

Fore is also responsible for the construction of Lotus, an apartment complex located on Spring Mountain Road, adjacent to Valley View Boulevard several years ago. The developer noted that the proposed new complex – dubbed The Pearl – will be a 170-unit building spread out over seven floods, and will be situated nearby the Lotus on the opposite side of Valley View Boulevard.

The first three floors of the building would be comprised of a private parking garage and over 11,000 square feet of retail space at the ground floor, according to documents filed with Clark County. The complex would be on a 2-acre plot of land, and apartments would range from 690 to 1,382 square feet, with rents in the neighborhood of $1,550 to $2,500 per month.

Las Vegas has seen a large number of apartment complexes built there in recent years as the economy has bred rapid job growth and a subsequent influx of new residents from other states looking to take advantage of that fact, as well as Vegas’ overall lower cost of living when compared to many other regions of the United States. Apartment construction in Vegas has been mostly in the suburbs, due to the relative ease and affordability of doing so when compared to other areas of Southern Nevada.

Fore announced that he hopes to hold the groundbreaking for The Pearl in August of this year, and is eyeing a construction completion date of summer 2022. Fore also noted that adding a new apartment complex in Chinatown would be a boon to both prospective future tenants and local businesses, as there are many retail, dining, and entertainment options nearby.

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 recent influx of high-profile professional sporting teams to Las Vegas – including the Raiders NFL team in 2020 – has created a unique atmosphere in the region for real estate salespeople; the idea of wealthy athletes looking to transplant themselves into their new home town, and looking to do it in (expensive) style, can make for good career ideas.

Realtors have been looking forward to the very real possibility of high-paid members of numerous sporting teams seeking to purchase multi-million-dollar homes in the Las Vegas area, even going so far as attending recent seminars giving insight on dealing with athletes and their unique – and at times, difficult – housing needs.

While some athletes are looking to spend millions of dollars on a fancy home, others – who may not have many years left on their contracts or are not as high-paid as others – are looking for something a bit easier to do away with once their time in Southern Nevada is up.

Nonetheless, the recent exodus of high-profile sports teams to Vegas has the potential to make Realtors serious money; reports indicate that with the Raiders taking up permanent residence in Vegas come their 2020 season, demand from players – already used to jet-setting lifestyles – for luxury homes and condos in proximity to the famed Las Vegas Strip will be high. Even the lowest-paid NFL player makes the league minimum of $500,000, so there will likely be money to burn on the part of the Raiders players once they arrive.

In addition, with the ongoing construction of the team’s corporate headquarters and practice facility in Henderson, the entire Raiders management and support staff will be making the move to Vegas as well, opening up even more high-cost housing needs that Realtors will need to satisfy. Raiders quarterback Derek Carr, coach Jon Gruden, and president Marc Badain, have all already purchased homes near the team’s Henderson practice facility, and more are sure to come in the months ahead.

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, Las Vegas new home construction and sales have displayed its strongest quarter of activity since 2007, with developers currently on-track this year to equal their 2018 performance.

2,500 net sales of newly-built homes in the Las Vegas region were reported from the start of July throughout the end of September, which represents an increase of 8.5 percent over the same period one year ago. The previous high-water mark for sales was 2,760 in 2007, which was just prior to the burst of the housing bubble.

Factors that have been figuring into this continuing upward trend have been an influx of affordable homes into the marketplace – something which had been addressing home shortages and/or had been driving prices up until recently – not to mention assistance from lenders, who have lowered interest rates on loans to below four percent, down from five percent or more just one year ago. 

With more people still moving to the Southern Nevada region due to the skyrocketing economy and the influx of new businesses – and with them, jobs – it’s not at all surprising that new homes have been selling like they have. Moreover, reports say, the lowered interest rates, combined with increasing inventory, are helping to create a more stable, sustainable marketplace; until recently, dwindling supply had been driving home prices continuously upward, raising concerns about affordability. 

Sales of existing homes have also been healthy recently, with their prices approaching – but remaining well under – the prices of new homes; currently, the median sales price of an existing home has been about $299,000, as opposed to newly-built homes, which are fetching closer to $390,000 on the open market. Both of those numbers, respectively, are still well under the national average when compared to many other major marketplaces, such as New York or California.

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.