LAS VEGAS, NV – As the death and devastation brought on by the ongoing Los Angeles wildfires continues unabated in neighboring California – with countless unfortunate residents displaced from thousands of homes at this point – a real estate industry expert is anticipating the tragedy to begin impacting the housing market in the Las Vegas Valley, an area already dealing with a significant housing crisis of its own.

Many Los Angeles residents who have lost their homes due to the out-of-control fires may be considering looking to relocate to Southern Nevada, on either a temporary or permanent basis, according to the Director and Associate Professor of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) Lied Center for Real Estate, Shawn McCoy.

McCoy’s contention that Vegas could be expecting a mass migration of displaced Los Angelinos is based on a previous study conducted by UNLV in 2018 on a series of Colorado wildfires that took place between 2000 and 2012 that destroyed a total of approximately 360,000 homes.

Nevada Department of Motor Vehicles data says that Los Angeles residents make up the majority of out-of-state transplants into the Las Vegas Valley – 43 percent, to be exact – with nearly 158,000 of them opting to relocate to Southern Nevada between 2019 and 2024, the largest number of newcomers out of any other state in the country.

The chief reason cited for the constant influx of Californians into Nevada over the years has been affordability – the cost of living in L.A. is infamously expensive – and that trend is expected to grow as displaced Golden State residents flee to Nevada as the wildfires continue, which McCoy said could also seriously impact an already highly-competitive local rental market.

We may certainly see the fires in L.A. place upward pressure on rent locally in Las Vegas, both as a result of displaced L.A. households whose homes were damaged, but also from two other important groups,” he said. “Households near the wildfires but that were not directly affected by the fires may now hold a heightened awareness or concern of potential future fires and act on that heightened awareness by moving out. This may be especially true given research which shows that about 18 percent of the housing stock in the Palisades is multifamily housing.”

In addition, the valley could also see an increase of arrivals from those who had been thinking of moving to Los Angeles from out-of-state, but are now experiencing second thoughts by the abundance of destructive wildfires.

Think, for example, about households currently outside of L.A. or even the state of California who were in the process of considering a move to L.A.,” McCoy said. “These fires may change these households’ perception of L.A. fire risk and instead of moving to L.A. to rent, they may instead turn to other cities including Las Vegas.”

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 – Amid the ongoing wildfires that have already reportedly destroyed over 10,000 structures in Southern California – as well as taking into account the rising number of natural disasters that have rocked numerous regions throughout the nation – there has been an increased number of Google searches on the part of people who have been seeking out areas to potentially live in that are deemed safe in that regard.

A new study has ranked Las Vegas, Nevada as the number one safest major metropolitan area in the United States in which to live when it comes to the number and severity of natural disasters it experiences.  

Las Vegas’ ranking as the city with the least number of natural disasters in the country – as shown in the U.S. Disaster Avoidance Map – is influenced by a number of factors, including its unique geographic advantages, robust infrastructure, and booming local economy.

The devastation brought about by hurricanes, wildfires, earthquakes, and floods are unheard of in Southern Nevada – partly because it is situated far from coastlines and out of major tornado pathways –not only places Vegas far ahead of most other major metros ranked in the study, but it also results in the city having one of the lowest insurance claim rates in the entire country.

Overall, the U.S. has seen a rise in its number of natural disasters in recent years – which experts attribute to issues such as climate change and growing populations in high-risk areas – including the ongoing Palisades Fire in California, a disastrous calamity that comes on the heels of previous wildfires that caused massive damage to the state in 2023.

In addition, Hurricane Idalia in 2023 caused over $12 billion in damage in Florida in 2023, and multiple states – including Vermont, Kentucky, and Texas – have been forced to contend with major flooding events in recent years.

As a result of the aforementioned events – as well as many more not mentioned here – numerous Americans are starting to re-think where they choose to call home, and for many, Las Vegas will be at the top of their list.

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 – Southern Nevada real estate experts are discussing their opinions on how the industry may potentially shift and evolve over the course of the next four years, and many are predicting a boom in the number of luxury housing purchases in Las Vegas under the incoming administration.

Managing Director of RCLCO Real Estate Consulting, Gregg Logan, noted that Trump’s return to the White House could have serious impacts upon the housing market, due to his ties to real estate and the policies he implemented during his previous tenure as President that were deemed to be friendly to businesses. Trump’s calls for less regulation could prove to be a benefit as well, although other policies he supported in the past show that not all the changes he may implement could be beneficial, Logan said.

Trump’s potential influence on the real estate market is a mixed bag of potential influences. In Trump’s first term, the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 temporarily boosted GDP growth, led to a short-term increase in corporate profits and spurred a rise in consumer spending and business investment,” he said. “But this disproportionately benefited the wealthy and corporations, with only modest wage gains for most workers. Meanwhile the tax cuts substantially increased the federal deficit, raising concerns about long-term fiscal sustainability. This time around his policy’s influences on inflation, a growing federal deficit and a tighter immigration policy could similarly lead to mixed results for the economy, overall, and real estate in particular, making adaptability essential for industry stakeholders.”

In addition to commercial real estate tax breaks and easing regulations governing the construction industry – which may very well stimulate the expansion of businesses and investments – Logan said that Trump’s proposed tax cuts favoring the wealthy will most likely result in a sharp increase in the number of luxury properties purchased during his admin, both in Las Vegas and nationwide.

Potential tax breaks for high-income individuals could increase demand for luxury properties, as wealthy investors may pursue high-end real estate assets,” he said. “If Trump’s tax policies favor high-net-worth individuals, luxury markets could experience a surge in activity.”

However, Logan said that Trump’s proposed tariffs on imported goods, along with tighter immigration policies, could potentially result in higher construction costs, a lower pool of workers and, consequently, the need for higher wages to supplement the workforce.

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

LAS VEGAS, NV – One of the major hot-button topics that may affect the outcome of the 2024 presidential election on Tuesday is said to be the housing crisis currently plaguing the Las Vegas Valley – and the affordability concerns that are driving it – due to a growing lack of land available for new development, experts say.

According to John Tuman, Executive Associate Dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Professor of Political Science at University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV), Latinos, who make up a rapidly-growing demographic in Nevada – 30 percent of residents currently identify as such, with the group estimated to contribute 20 percent of the state’s total votes in the upcoming election – have expressed concern inflation, rent, and housing affordability, with those factors said to be influencing their voting.

Normally, Latinos tend overall to vote Democrat, but recent polls indicate that former President Donald Trump has been making progress with this demographic while campaigning this year as opposed to his opponent, current Vice-President Kamala Harris, Tuman said.

There’s been a lot of debate about whether or not Trump has made inroads with Latinos nationally,” he said. “I think there is evidence that he has, but it’s very sensitive to the states that you’re looking at. Latinos as a group are not monolithic and the demographic composition of different Latino population varies across different states. And so I always try to caution, not to generalize for example from what we’re seeing in Florida or even in South Texas to Nevada.”

However, affordability concerns when it comes to housing isn’t confined to Latinos, Tuman said; indeed, people from all walks of life are expressing the same fears, with the recent number of Californians fleeing the high taxes in their home state for the lower cost of living in Nevada subsequently eating up housing inventory and driving up prices as a result.

We’ve had an influx of people from California who took equity out of their homes and then have driven up new home prices and also existing home prices in different parts of the Las Vegas metropolitan area,” Tuman said.

In addition, research suggests that in as soon as eight years, the valley could exhaust its supply of land for development unless the Bureau of Land Management – a federal agency that controls much of the land in Nevada – speeds up the process of releasing more land for housing construction, a process that they have been heavily criticized for due to their lack of urgency in doing so thus far.

The stance of both candidates on this topic this Tuesday represents a yet another huge factor when it comes to influencing the votes of Southern Nevada residents, with both stating they are in favor of releasing more federal land in the state for housing development.

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 – While still generally far more affordable than most other areas of the country, the cost of living in Las Vegas has come under scrutiny recently amid surges in both house prices and rent, but a new survey released by real estate company Redfin indicates that a recent increase in the number of housing units available on the market has led to a corresponding decrease in the amount of money that tenants are paying their landlords each month.

While not all renters are experiencing a drop in what they pay, many reportedly are; when Las Vegas Valley resident Erin Bernot was queried in a local media report, she noted that while her monthly payment had recently risen by nearly 20 percent – prompting her to move to a more affordable place – some friends of hers had experienced a significant drop.

I have been pretty much priced out. If I wanted to do another year lease, they wanted to raise it over 19 percent,” Bernot said, then relating the good deal her friend was offered in contrast to her own.

When he renewed his lease over on Flamingo (Road) here, they dropped his rent like $150,” she said.

Real Estate Advisor Ana Jaramillo, when asked for her assessment of the current situation in Southern Nevada, said that the entire region is an intricately intertwined financial ecosystem, with all aspects of it feeding into and influencing one another.

Ultimately, however, she said that increases in available housing supply have resulted in a recent downward trend in terms of rental prices.

The rental market affects the housing market as a whole. It’s all kind of intertwined,” Jaramillo said. “We have a lot of houses on the market right now to rent. So therefore, the prices of those rental properties have gone down.”

The median rent price for homes and apartments in the Las Vegas Valley in September was $1,475, which represents a 1.5 percent drop from August, according to a recently-published a study by Redfin; nationally, that drop was just 0.5 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 – While Las Vegas has always been a hotbed of real estate activity, a new report indicates the city currently boasts the highest levels of growth in terms of new home listings out of the entire nation.

According to residential real estate brokerage and mortgage origination services company Redfin, in August of 2024, the number of new home listings in Sin City jumped an impressive 12.8 percent year-over-year, which represents the biggest increase out of any metro area in the United States.

However, Redfin did not note the overall number of listings that this encompassed, just the percentage of the increase from one year to the next.

The growth of new listings in Vegas beat out competing cities such as San Diego, California, which saw an 11.7 percent increase, and Sacramento, California, with an 9.5 increase.

In contrast, Atlanta, Georgia, saw its number of new home listings decrease the most nationally, with a whopping drop of 19.4 percent year-over-year.

As for what is driving the large increase of new home listings in Las Vegas, experts point to numerous factors influencing the real estate market, such as a growing number of residential transplants from neighboring California – most likely escaping high living costs and heavy tax burdens – as well as lowering interest rates on home mortgages following the Federal Reserve’s recent rate cuts.

The continued upward trajectory of Vegas’ real estate industry is also being driven by the arrival of new professional sports teams – such as the Raiders NFL team – as well as significant investments on the part of Hollywood bigwigs such as Sony, which is establishing a new studio in Summerlin.

“Everyone is coming here,” Perry said. “I’ve had a lot of cash buyers come in, and a lot of Californians are coming because prices are so high they can sell their property and pay cash here and have a big nest egg because everything in Las Vegas is cheaper.”

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 affluent SouthShore Lake Las Vegas master-planned community will be welcoming a prestigious new neighborhood early in 2025: La Cova, which according to developer Tri Pointe Homes is a luxury waterfront resort-style community whose homes will boast a luxurious European design aesthetic, right in the heart of Nevada.

Mike Woodley, President of Woodley Architectural Group – the firm that helped to design the community’s unique look and feel – noted that the guard-gated La Cova will be comprised of 42 residences spread out amongst three enclaves on adjacent peninsulas.

We were careful to contextualize the homes to the existing SouthShore neighborhood,” Woodley said. “These homes belong on this side of the lake in the exclusive SouthShore community. Our designs have the spirit of Old-World architecture but with cleaner lines and a bit more modern aesthetic.”

A total of 38 homes will be located along the shore of Lake Las Vegas, with the remaining four near the community’s edge, adjacent to the SouthShore Country Club golf course.

La Cova’s planning stage lasted two years while honing every possible detail of the community, said Tri Pointe Homes Division President Klif Andrews, right down to ensuring optimal, breathtaking views of the lake and surrounding mountain vistas.

It’s the first time we’ve done a professionally preplanned community, and I think that is exciting,” Andrews said. “Designing floor plans to fit certain homesites maximizes the views and creates an opportunity for a more custom experience. Each home will be one-of-a-kind.”

The homes on-offer in La Cova range in size from 3,200 square-feet to over 4,400 square-feet, with prices starting at $2 million and up. Designs blend modern-style Tuscan and Mediterranean influences and feature large windows for maximum visibility and backyards with lush, resort-style courtyards.

In addition, there will be numerous high-end amenities available for these homes, such as detached casitas, workout rooms, executive offices, club rooms and upper-level balconies. Also, boating, paddle boarding, and many other sport and recreation options are available via the development’s waterfront location.

La Cova is going to be unlike any other place,” Andrews said. “The way we connect homes to the water, it’s like having your own private luxury resort. It gives buyers a rare opportunity to purchase something incredibly unique for our market.”

Tri Pointe Homes is currently offering tours of model houses in the La Cova community, which is still under development.

LAS VEGAS, NV – After a number of borrowing rate increases over the past several years instituted in an attempt to combat skyrocketing inflation and prevent a potential national recession, the Federal Reserve is finally expected to implement their first rate cut in four years on Wednesday, with experts anticipating that the move will begin to lower the historically-high interest on mortgage loans.

Other decreases due to Wednesday’s expected cut are to be seen with auto loans, credit cards – the nation debt for which recently hit $1.1 trillion, the highest level in U.S. history – and business loans.

The rate cut, which is anticipated to be by either a quarter point or half percentage point – and more cuts are currently in the pipeline – should make it easier for individuals and families who have been holding off on buying a home due to high borrowing costs to finally land a mortgage that they can afford. The last time the Fed instituted a cut – way back in 2020 – interest rates were at 5.25 to 5.5 percent, which at the time was the highest point they had reached in 23 years.

In contrast, over the past four years interest rates for mortgages peaked at a whopping 7.8 percent in October 2023; as of September 2024, rates have dropped to approximately 6.2 percent.

Experts say that, with the news of the Fed’s anticipated rate cut announcement on Wednesday, now is a good time for people to begin taking a close look at their financial situation, as some interest rates will decrease automatically, creating some measure of relief for cash-strapped citizens.

While the federal funds rate does not directly set mortgage rates, experts note that the two tend to go hand-in-hand and as continued cuts come to pass, borrowing rates should continue to fall. As that occurs, consumers are encouraged to consider refinancing existing home mortgages and those shopping for a home should step up their efforts amid the lowered borrowing costs.

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 presidential campaign of Kamala Harris released an ad this week detailing her plan to address the housing shortage and lower home costs in the United States, should she be successful in her bid to be elected to the White House in November.

The advertisement – targeting residents in swing states including Nevada, where the median home price as of July was $480,000 – first details the struggle of the family of the Democratic nominee for president to save and purchase their first home when she was a child.

From there, the advertisement then proceeds to recap the plan that Harris revealed last week in North Carolina that calls for a $40 billion housing initiative fund for local municipalities throughout the country, the construction of three million new homes, and tax incentives for residential developers that target first-time homebuyers.

In addition, Harris’ plan also aims to provide “first-generation” homebuyers – defied as “any individual whose parents or guardians never owned a home during the homebuyer’s lifetime and whose spouse has not owned a home in the last three years” – with down payment assistance in the amount of $25,000, as well as a $10,000 tax credit for first-time buyers.

The Research Director of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas’ Lied Center for Real Estate, Nicholas Irwin, noted that Harris’ proposal, if implemented properly, could be effective in addressing the housing crisis that the state is currently experiencing, which currently has the sixth-lowest homeownership rate and 11th-highest median rent in the country.

I’m a big, big proponent, like most people in the real estate space, of building more housing as best we can,” he said, while pointing out the fact that about 80 percent of the land in Nevada is federally-owned. “We don’t have the option to just go build. Federal agencies are not disposing of [it’s land] perhaps as quickly as we would like, especially when it comes to addressing our affordable housing needs.”

However, the Executive Director of the Nevada Housing Coalition, Maurice Page – while also acknowledging the potential in Harris’ plan – expressed worry that it could ultimately inflate housing costs down the line.

These will definitely create some amount of inflationary pressure, because you’re putting more money in a certain group’s hands, the first-time homeowners,” he said. “But if you pair a demand-side policy like that with supply-side, getting more houses online, hopefully it will dampen that effect.”

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 – New rules governing the United States real estate industry are going into effect this week that could potentially make the process of buying and selling a house – both in Las Vegas and nationwide – more difficult and complicated than before.

Now, before a prospective buyer can even receive a tour of a home that they are interested in, they will need to have a written contract in place with a real estate agent.

Previously, individuals selling homes typically offered a blanket commission to the buyer’s real estate agent when listing their home for sale on a multiple listing service (MLS). However, going forward this will no longer be permitted due to new rules that are going into effect as a result of federal class-action lawsuits against the National Association of Realtors (NAR).

A buyer will still have the option of negotiating compensation offers directly from the seller, but if they are turned down, the buyer would be responsible for paying for the services of the seller’s agent.

These changes are a result of a settlement the NAR reached in their lawsuit – along with a $418 million payout – which alleged that artificially inflated real estate agent commissions were being forced upon sellers across the nation upon the sale of their homes.

Going forward, as mentioned earlier in this article, agents who are representing clients with homes advertised on a MLS and their prospective buyers will need to have a contract in place for even a tour of a listed home to take place, which some sellers say may add a layer of confusion and difficulty to the buying process.

However, real estate experts are saying that at the end of the day, it is not expected that the market will see significant slowdown due to the new rules being implemented, aside from adding more steps to the homebuying process.

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 group of frustrated homeowners in Las Vegas have filed a lawsuit in an attempt to stop the construction of a gigantic Mormon temple in their neighborhood, claiming that the Las Vegas City Council misinterpreted building restrictions when granting approval to the project; the angry residents are requesting that a judge overturn the council’s decision.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints temple is slated to take the form of a 216-foot tall, 87,000 square-foot structure that the plaintiffs are saying would disrupt the neighborhood’s character by “dwarfing” all the other buildings and homes in the area, as well as creating light pollution, traffic congestion, and overall disruption in an otherwise quiet area.

We’re talking about a three-story office building that’s going to be lit up 24/7,” resident Brinton Marsden said to local media. “It’s going to stick out like a sore thumb in the middle of a rural setting.”

We have no streetlights, no curbs, no gutters, and no sidewalks, and that’s what we like,” said fellow resident Erin DeLoe. “This structure will be as tall as the Durango Casino.”

The attorney representing the plaintiffs, Evan Schwab, said that the city council abused its authority when they granted approval to the temple project, and alleged that the church’s law firm had made monetary donations to specific council members prior to the vote, creating very real conflicts of interest.

Las Vegas City Council abused its discretion and the findings/rulings,” Schwab says in court documents. “The City of Las Vegas’ decision was not supported by substantial evidence.”

Local residents had conducted protests leading up to the council’s vote; at one of them, they flew a balloon at a height of 216 feet to give a visual representation of the staggering height of the temple once it is complete.

However, the project has its share of supporters as well; local resident Lindsay Nielson, herself a Mormon, said that the church will be a “positive addition to the community” and will “adhere to all regulations” once it is complete.

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 – Former Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Derek Carr has just put his lavish Southern Highlands mansion on the market for nearly $9 million, following his signing with another NFL team, the New Orleans Saints, last year.

Carr’s mansion, which was built in 2020 and boasts seven bedrooms and nine bathrooms, was listed this week for $8,990,000. The residence comes in at 9,628 square-feet and is located in a gated community that charges a $72 monthly homeowners association fee.

The home has a sleek, modern design aesthetic, with an open layout, tall ceilings, hardwood flooring, and oversized picture windows. The living room has a modern floating fireplace and a sculptural chandelier, and the kitchen has a seated center island, stainless steel appliances, marble countertops, and a pantry. There is also a stone-walled den and large office on the first floor as well.

52 Olympia Canyon Way, Las Vegas – $8,990,000.00

The mansion also has numerous high-end amenities, including a private balcony attached to the primary suite by a wall of sliding-glass windows, as well as walk-in closet, sitting area, and a spa-inspired bathroom with a soaking tub. There is also a guesthouse, a caretaker’s house, sports court, full gym with a golf simulator, and an eight-car garage.

The spacious backyard features a large lawn, two pools, and a patio area with a built-in outdoor barbecue.

Carr, who joined the Raiders in 2014 when they were still based out of Oakland, California, helped the team reach the playoffs during the 2016 season. However, after his performance was deemed below expectations during the 2022 season, Carr lost his starting job and agreed with Raiders leadership to be released following the conclusion of the season. Then, in March 2023, Carr signed with the New Orleans Saints for a four-year contract worth upwards of $150 million.

See full listing details for 52 Olympia Canyon Way, Las Vegas

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.