LAS VEGAS, NV – Serving as a testament to how hard-hit Las Vegas new home sales were in the third quarter of 2022 due to rising interest rates on home mortgage loans, sales showed a distinct surge during the third quarter of 2023, serving as a sign that things are improving in the Southern Nevada housing market. 

According to Andrew Smith, President of Las Vegas-based Home Builders Research, the third quarter of 2023 saw 2,383 net sales of new homes – not taking into consideration cancellations – as opposed to the third quarter of 2022, when there were only 1,385 net sales. 

Last year during the third quarter, home sales were slow,” Smith said. “Builders have adjusted their strategies. They have the ability to use in-house financing to offer incentives for new home sales. They can work with buyers on the loans in the way that resales can’t because they own the lending. They also are helped by a lack of resale inventory.” 

Clearly, experts say, developers have adjusted to the higher interest rates that impacted buyers especially hard during that period of time in 2022; while interest rates are still precariously high, both buyers and builders have had time to come to grips with them and adjust accordingly. 

Sales are also being helped by the fact that mortgage rates have been seeing some minute drops as of late, with buyer and builder confidence both being bolstered by the fact that expectations are beginning to build that the Federal Reserve may no longer be raising interest rates to combat inflation going forward. 

In the middle of this week, the interest rate on the average 30-year fixed-rate home mortgage loan dropped to 7.4 percent; while this does provide some degree of relief considering that rate had risen above 8 percent in the middle of October, it’s still the highest it’s been in over 20 years.  

Still, experts are predicting that interest rates will continue to drop and may reach as low as 6 percent by spring; this will represent a vast improvement, despite the fact that rates will still be twice as high as they were in 2021 when mortgage interest rates were at record-breaking lows. 

It is anticipated that if interest rates do indeed reach 6 percent, home sales will surge even more in 2024, both in Las Vegas and nationwide. 

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 new report, the prices of homes in the Las Vegas valley experienced a small increase during the month of October – which is usually the opposite of established norms during the fall season – while both sales and the number of listings currently on the market slowed slightly. 

As per industry group Las Vegas Realtors, in October the median price of an existing single-family home that was sold in Southern Nevada was $449,000, representing a 2.6 percent increase from September and an 18.3 percent increase year-over-year.  

One of the main factors that experts cite for the rise in home prices during what is normally considered an off season can be attributed to the lower number of listings currently available in the Valley, which is pushing the average list price for a home up. 

The number of available home listings last month was down 38 percent when compared to October 2022 and down 0.9 percent from September 2023, as per the Multiple Listings Service.  In addition, the number of homes sold in October also decreased from September by 6.7 percent and 1.5 percent year-over-year.  

All told, $922 million in homes traded hands in the Las Vegas Valley last month. 

Due to these and other issues currently impacting the industry – including record high inflation and increased interest rates instituted by the Federal Reserve to get that financial malady under control – Las Vegas Realtors President Lee Barrett noted that the real estate scene in Southern Nevada is going to be experiencing a few tough months. 

The historically tight housing supply we’ve been dealing with this year, along with the cyclical patterns we see almost every year around this time, seem to be propping up prices,” Barrett said. “We usually see home prices and sales cool down a bit along with the weather as we head into the fall and winter. We’ll see how these traditional trends play out this year. Higher interest rates and a smaller housing supply are playing a bigger role than in past years.” 

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 sale of Decatur 215, a 126,678-square-foot shopping center in Las Vegas, was announced by owner Brixton Capital on October 30, who sold the property in a 1031 exchange to a private investor for $36.3 million, with the deal reportedly brokered by Lucescu Realty on behalf of the buyer. 

Brixton Capital had previously purchased Decatur 215 from Kimco Realty five years ago for $28.6 million; after acquiring the property, Brixton overhauled and renovated the parking lot, repaving it and restriping the parking spots. 

Construction on Decatur 215 was originally finished in 2013, at which time the retail shopping center opened its doors for tenants. It is situated on a 16.2-acre plot of land and is comprised of eight buildings, all of which were fully leased at the time of its sale.

Decatur 215 – located in The Springs neighborhood at the southeast corner of North Decatur Boulevard and West Tropical Parkway – features a wide variety of retail tenants, including such well-known brands as Target, Petco, ULTA Beauty, Hobby Lobby, Blaze Pizza, and many others. The shopping center’s proximity to Route 95 also provides easy and fast access to and from downtown Las Vegas.  

The sale of Decatur 215 isn’t Brixton Capital’s only high-profile real estate deal in 2023; earlier this year, the New York-based real estate investment firm also purchased a 143,217-square-foot retail center located in Stockton, California in an off-market transaction that was arranged by Hanley Investment Group. 

Despite numerous issues brought about by the nation’s ongoing struggles with inflation and the continued fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic, the retail sector in Las Vegas has not only shown signs of resiliency, but of continued growth as well. As per a new report by Marcus and Millichap, the city experienced a 3 percent population growth between 2021 and the first quarter of 2023, resulting in the creation of approximately 50,000 new households. Job growth in retail has also been steady, with the number of employees in the metro area increasing by 3,500 during the first five months of this 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 – After skyrocketing for a significant amount of time and raising affordability concerns in the city, a new Zillow report indicates that rental rates in Las Vegas have decreased for the second month in a row, showing that the marketplace is beginning to achieve a level of stability.  

The average rental price in September for a two-bedroom apartment in Las Vegas was $1,808 – a figure that Zillow determined by calculating the weighted nationwide average – which represents a 0.2 percent drop from August, and a 1.4 percent drop from September 2022. 

Currently, rental rates in Las Vegas are at their lowest point since October 2022; however, this situation does not echo developments in the rental market nationwide. According to the consumer price index (CPI) – utilized by the federal government to gauge inflation – rents across the country are still on the rise, and experts have stated that high rental rates have been one of the last key metrics that have kept inflation at its current exuberant level. 

Overall rental rates in the country were up 0.2 percent in September, although senior economist Orphe Divounguy stated that such increase is not entirely accurate to the CPI, nor indicative of actual market conditions, due to many new tenants signing 12-month or longer rental agreements.  

With that being the case, current conditions may take approximately a year to start reflecting in the CPI, Divounguy said, and the real numbers indicate that stability is slowly returning to the rental market across the country, as well as in Las Vegas. 

Although the consumer price index showed an uptick in rent prices in September, annual rent inflation continues to moderate and is likely to continue to move in the right direction,” he said. “This is because rent inflation tends to be most responsive to labor market tightness. Wage growth is moderating.” 

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 real estate sales figures for Las Vegas in the month of September are in, and the median sales price of an existing single-family home in Southern Nevada was $450,000, which is the exact same price it was one year ago in September of 2022. 

The coincidences don’t stop there; the median sales price for condominiums and townhouses in Las Vegas was $270,000 in September, which is once again the same exact price year-over-year. 

These prices were reported by Las Vegas Realtors, and according to the group’s president, Lee Barrett, it’s an example of a degree of stability in the current local housing market that he envisions continuing for the foreseeable future. 

We should probably get used to the current housing market since it’s not likely to change much anytime soon,” he said in a statement. 

Bartlett noted that since March 2022, the Federal Reserve has increased interest rates 11 times in an effort to curb skyrocketing inflation; however, those rate increases have not had much effect upon the Las Vegas real estate market, he said. 

Hopefully, some of our national experts are right in predicting that interest rates could begin to come down a bit sometime next year,” Bartlett said. “Even at current rates and with our very tight housing supply, owning a home here in Southern Nevada is a better deal than renting for most people, especially when you consider that homeownership is still one of the best ways to build wealth and financial stability over time.” 

Las Vegas Realtors reports that available housing options are not remaining on the open Las Vegas market for any significant amount of time, with 85.7 percent of homes and 86.3 percent of condos and townhouses that were sold in September only having been available on the open market for a period of time spanning 60 days or less. 

At the end of September, there were 4,066 homes available on the market without any offers, which represents a 49.9 percent decrease year-over-year; as for condos and townhouses, 1,035 were available at the end of the month without offers. 

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 – During the mid-2000s recession, numerous families lost their homes to the dreaded malady of foreclosure. And while the housing market has obviously improved significantly since those days, experts are noting that the number of foreclosures nationwide is starting on an upward trajectory once again, with Las Vegas being considered as currently having the highest number of them. 

However, it’s not time to panic just yet, as the current level of foreclosures aren’t even close to approaching those seen during the recession; however, a new report from Attom Data does provide some sobering insight into the current state of the real estate industry, with both Las Vegas and Nevada as a whole placing prominently in it. 

According to Attom Data’s real estate market data analysis, approximately one in every 2,200 homes in Nevada is currently in a state of foreclosure, which is currently the highest rate out of any other state in the country. 

Las Vegas itself ranks 4th in the country among metropolitan areas with over 200,000 residents, with about one in 1,800 homes in foreclosure; the city also ranks first among metropolitan areas with over one million inhabitants. 

However, real estate experts are not sounding the alarm yet, because this is a situation that was anticipated for numerous reasons, the main being that pandemic-era mortgage moratoriums are no longer in effect after a sustained period of time when they were in force following COVID-19 related job losses.  

Current issues caused by the economy and inflation are also contributing to families having difficulty meeting their monthly home payments. 

However, experts note that there is indeed a light at the end of the tunnel, as the Federal Reserve appears to be almost done with the rate hikes they’ve been imposing in order to curb inflation and avoid a potential recession. With that being the case, it is most likely that mortgage rates will start to decrease back to more affordable levels, which should prove to be a large boon to the housing market.  

In the meantime, if you are having difficulty making your housing payments, foreclosure may not be your first option; it is recommended that you look into any programs that your local government or municipality may offer to assist you. 

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 commonplace in many other cities, visitors to the famed Las Vegas Strip will take note of the general lack of individual, freestanding retail storefronts lining the four-mile stretch of roadway; instead, the majority of stores are located either within casino hotels or enclosed malls.  

However, one New York-based developer is looking to change that via two street-facing retail projects, with one recently opened and another currently under construction. 

Developer Eli Gindi – whose family founded and owns the Century 21 retail chain – is behind the under-construction “door on the street” retail property dubbed BLVD located at 3743 South Las Vegas Boulevard. Upon completion, this property will utilize 300,000-square-feet of space to deliver two stories of street-facing retail space, with a 100,000-square-foot rooftop overlooking the Strip offering dining and “hang out” area options for patrons. 

Meanwhile, Project 63 at Harmon Avenue and Las Vegas Boulevard is already open for business, offering up 186,000-square-feet of street-facing retail space right next to the upscale The Shops at Crystals, an enclosed mall owned by the Simon Property Group. 

The move to developing street-facing retail on the Strip shows how the area has evolved over the years, with a major sporting component being added to its impressive gambling and entertainment options. With new venues opening nearby – such as the Golden Knights hockey team’s T-Mobile Arena and the NFL Raiders‘ Allegiant Stadium – more and more sports fans are being lured to Las Vegas and, subsequently, the stores nearby their favorite team’s events that they came there to see. 

Additional sporting attractions – including an upcoming stadium for the Oakland Athletics baseball team, as well as the city hosting a Formula 1 race in November – should prove to continue to draw fans to the Las Vegas, resulting in even further retail expansion in and around the 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 – According to new data compiled by Construction Coverage – a group that provides in-depth reviews of solutions for the construction and real estate industry – the Las Vegas Valley had the second-lowest number of millennial home buyers throughout the United States in 2022, signifying that the demographic is having a particularly difficult time obtaining housing in Southern Nevada. 

As per the report, approximately 49 percent of home buyers in Las Vegas during 2022 were millennials, with the average age ranging between 25 and 44 years old, placing the city second-to-last among major metropolitan areas with the lowest number of home buyers from that generation.  

The lowest on the list was Tucson, Arizona, with 44.9 percent. In contrast, the major metro area with the highest number of millennial home buyers was San Jose, California, with 74.4 percent. 

Construction Coverage’s study was based on information gleaned from the Federal Financial Institution’s Examination Council, and its author, Jonathan Jones, said that the hurdles faced by millennials in Las Vegas come down to a matter of dollars and cents. 

While there are certainly several factors that can influence the housing market, price typically has an oversized influence,” he said. “From January 2021 to December 2022, the Las Vegas-Henderson-Paradise metropolitan area saw the median home sale price increase by 40.4 percent, outpacing the national median by 6.6 percentage points.” 

Millennials inherently have less home equity than older generations, and the rapid increase in home prices in the Las Vegas area likely priced out many millennial homebuyers,” Jones added. 

The median price for an existing single-family home sold in Las Vegas in August was $447,435, which is only a very slight decrease from the $450,000 that represented the median price in July; year-over-year, August’s prices were down only 0.6 percent.  

While these numbers represent a certain degree of stability returning to the Las Vegas real estate market after years of skyrocketing prices, homes nonetheless are remaining out of reach for many millennials, who are being hit especially hard by skyrocketing inflation rates throughout the nation. 

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

LAS VEGAS, NV – With high mortgage rates, decreased sales, and complications due to a currently-high inflation rate, the real estate market can be incredibly complex and competitive to navigate, and Las Vegas, Nevada is no exception to that rule. So, local experts have pitched in to offer some tips on house buying in Southern Nevada, a market which is still proving to be a hotbed of sales activity despite the financial trials and tribulations being experienced across the country. 

First and foremost, a prospective buyer should always make sure to select a qualified realtor to aid them in their search for a home; buying and selling properties without the aid of one throughout the course of the transaction is NOT recommended. 

Looking up reviews of realtors on reputable real estate websites is a good idea, and conducting plenty of research to make sure you’re finding the right person for the job is essential when it comes to the largest purchase you’re ever likely to make in your lifetime. 

Next, you should establish a budget that is both clear and realistic, taking into account how much you can realistically afford; this may narrow the options available to you, but it also helps you to avoid getting into a serious financial bind down the road. When determining a budget, a buyer should take into account numerous financial aspects, including their income, debt, any possible future expenses, and the currently high level of interest rates on home loans. 

High interest rates on mortgages have resulted in a bit of a slowdown in the Las Vegas real estate market due to the fact that many current homeowners are locked into lower interest rate loans and are loathe to sell. This has placed a limit on the amount of available housing inventory at the moment which is presenting budget challenges to buyers, with more and more of them remaining in the rental market for the time being while waiting for conditions to improve. 

However, experts recommend that for those with the financial means to do so, there are indeed a growing number of home buying options available to them in Southern Nevada – especially in the suburbs – and potential refinancing options could be available in the future if and when interest rates drop to a more manageable level. 

Home buying these days may be more difficult than it used to be, but with effort, financial savvy, due diligence, and the right realtor by your side, it’s still an achievable dream for many. 

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 – Las Vegas has always been associated with a degree of opulence, and apparently that’s never been truer than it is now as developers have been working overtime to meet the recent increased demand for luxury apartments within the city.

Tim Deters, president of Tru Development, said that the recent boom in demand for luxury rentals is directly connected to the increasing Las Vegas employment market, combined with the relatively low cost of living when compared to neighboring states. These two factors, he said, contribute to people having the extra cash on-hand needed to enjoy the finer things in life.

We’ve had a tremendous amount of new jobs here and affordable living,” Deters said. “So it allows people to spend more money on discretionary areas like their living. Then, we’ve also seen a huge influx of residents coming in from California.”

Tru Development is a Las Vegas-based service that specializes in nearly all aspects of real estate, including retail, commercial, and residential, with Deters noting that local developers are continuously raising the bar in terms of the high-end perks and touches that people expect out of their luxury accommodations.

I believe we developed one of the first of what I would call true luxury projects called Kaktus Life over in the Southern Highlands,” he said. “The amenities, the interior finishes. I think those are the two key areas. We all keep raising the standard. Clubhouses are getting bigger. Pools are getting bigger.”

Currently, the average rent in Las Vegas is $1430 per month, according to the Nevada State Apartment Association; however, a recent report indicated that many residents would be willing to pay that for the right assortment of luxury trappings and perks.

According to Deters, prices for rent jumped approximately 25 percent after the end of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, those prices are slowly starting to come down, which is helping to drive the increased demand for high-end apartments, as people are starting to get more bang for their buck once again. 

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 addition to delays in the pre-approval process on the part of Clark County and early regulations that were considered overreaching and burdensome by many, the latest hurdle that applicants for short term rentals in the Las Vegas area are encountering is difficulties in obtaining insurance. 

According to Las Vegas insurance broker Tiffany VanTuyl, Clark County’s short-term rental regulations are utilizing uncommon and confusing terminology when it comes to insurance requirements which are causing issues for her clients who are attempting to submit applications. 

The problems, VanTuyl noted, are due to the regulations that specifically state the following: “Evidence of general liability insurance in the amount of at least five hundred thousand dollars per occurrence that indicates the property is used for transient lodging.” 

The complication is with the term “transient lodging,” which VanTuyl said is not utilized in her industry and is causing a roadblock for her clients who are attempting to obtain coverage. 

No insurance company that I’m familiar with uses that term,” she said. “They use either ‘short term rentals’ or ‘seasonal lodging.’ Every company uses different terminology, so it’s not a cookie cutter coverage.” 

VanTuyl stated that she has reached out to Clark County officials about the issue, but claimed that they have been dragging their feet on assisting her with a resolution, frustrating her clients who have already experienced problems with the short-term application process. 

They did say that they wanted it to say a specific terminology and I’ve sent documents from the underwriting department of two different companies, and they have not responded yet,” she said. 

Louis Koorndyk, co-founder of the Greater Las Vegas Short Term Rental Association. said that he has also been experiencing complaints from renters who have attempted to contact the county over the confusing terminology and have often received conflicting information in response. 

Whoever picked up the line at Clark County will say it absolutely has to say, ‘transient lodging,’ it cannot say seasonal,” Koorndyk said. “Then somebody else will make that exact same phone call and get different information, ‘yes, it may say seasonal.’ So, we have this confusion going on.” 

Clark County officials approved approximately 1,200 short-term rental pre-applications in May, allowing those individuals to proceed with the process of acquiring a full rental license. 

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 holding steady for several months, the prices of homes in Las Vegas finally began to rise in April, even as sales of homes continued to dip amid rising inflation and high rates on home mortgage loans.

According to a new report released by Las Vegas Realtors, in April the median price for an existing single-family home in Southern Nevada was $430,000, which represents a 1.2 percent increase from March, at which time the median price was $425,000.

Despite the price finally rising after several months of meaning flat, that number nonetheless remains well below the same period of time in April 2022, when the median price was $475,000.

When it comes to condominiums and townhomes, April’s medium price was $270,000, which is a 3.8 percent increase over March but still down 1.8 percent year-over-year.

Lee Barrett of Las Vegas Realtors said that Southern Nevada is beginning to experience what many cities across the country are: a recent downturn in the housing market after several years of rising prices and prosperity. However, the uptick in prices in April indicates that the market is on the verge of bouncing back yet again.

“With local home and condo prices rising slightly from the previous month, this may be another indication that we are either at or maybe even past the bottom of this cycle,” Barrett said. “Until April, local home prices hadn’t really changed since December. It had been more than four years since local home prices stayed flat for that long.”

Approximately 2,500 existing homes, townhomes, and condominiums were sold in Las Vegas in April; that number represents a 34.6 percent decrease for homes year-over-year, and a 31.1 percent decrease for condos and townhomes.

There were 3,737 single family homes listed for sale in Southern Nevada without any offers at the end of April, an increase of 53.1 percent from the same period of time one year prior. Meanwhile, there were 964 condos and townhomes without any offers, which is a 90 percent year-over-year increase.

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.