LAS VEGAS, NV – While the national housing market has showed distinct signs of slowing down after mid-pandemic buying frenzies fueled by low mortgage rates dominated the industry, the high sales rate of new luxury homes in Las Vegas appears to remain red-hot in 2022, with the market already showing a distinct increase when compared to the same period of time in 2021.

Reports show that 235 homes costing $1 million or more have closed during the first six months of 2022 in Las Vegas so far, which represents a 16 jump over the number of luxury homes closed on during first six months of 2021.

These numbers show a dramatic jump in sales of new luxury homes in Vegas when compared to prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. For example, in the first six months of 2017, 52 luxury homes were sold in the region, 87 in 2018, and 123 in 2019; sales only dipped slightly to 115 in 2020 due to the pandemic.

Some of those record-breaking figures for 2022 can be attributed to the rising cost of construction supplies brought about by COVID-19-related supply chain issues, which in-turn contributes to the rising costs of home-building overall.

And despite record-breaking sales of luxury homes in the Southern Nevada region continuing unabated so far this year, developers report they are seeing some high-priced buyers being a tad more cautious about how exactly they spend their hard-earned dollars in the face of the 40-year high inflation that is bombarding the country.

However, even the recently-rising interest rates on home mortgages that have slowed the real estate industry as a whole have not significantly impacted the Vegas luxury marketplace, according to Blue Heron CEO and founder Tyler Jones, a developer of high-end homes in the region.

“These are people that aren’t as affected by interest rate changes,” Jones said. “If you’re going to buy a multimillion-dollar home, and interest rates go up a point, that’s not going to stop you from buying the home.”

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

LAS VEGAS, NV – Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, Las Vegas residents saw their rents increase by what some would consider to be unsustainable degrees; the subsequent increase in gas prices and inflation – which, as of June, hit a whopping 9.1 percent – have only served to put additional financial stress upon not only Southern Nevada residents, but people nationwide.

Currently, the local average Vegas rent is $1,480 a month, which is still $140 cheaper national average of $1,620; nonetheless, it still represents a steep increase over previous years, when the average rent jumped 23 percent year-over-year from 2019 to 2020, and then an additional 11 percent in 2021.

However, experts are predicting that as 2022 continues, rents should finally start to stabilize as local Vegas residents’ leases come up for renewal, offering them a slight respite from the economic onslaught so many Americans are dealing with on a daily basis.

According to Nevada State Apartment Association (NVSAA) Executive Director Susy Vasquez, the skyrocketing rents that have plagued so many Vegas inhabitants should start to calm down as the year progresses, with an additional increase of only approximately 5.5 percent expected by the close of 2022.

“Currently, the apartment market appears to be normalizing and stabilizing,” she said. “We are not going to be experiencing that year-over-year rent growth that we have been seeing in the double digits. We’re going to be experiencing more single-digit rent growth moving forward.”

While the economic chaos and uncertainty seen during the pandemic may be waning, Vasquez says new headwinds in the economy could impact the rental market. That includes inflation’s impact on driving up mortgage rates, and consequently, slowing home sales.

While rising home mortgage rates and house prices are driving up demand for rental units from those who are currently priced out of homeownership, local and state lawmakers are working with developers to fast-track construction on new housing; this goes hand-in-hand with the 7,440 units currently under construction in Clark County, which is expected to reduce the demand for rentals and drive lease prices down.

“They really are looking to minimize the amount of time that it takes to get those shovels into the ground, not only with affordable housing, but any housing development,” Vasquez said. “I think they’re looking more at land areas that they have, and looking to see what they can put on that land in a quick amount of time in order to relieve the pressure of supply.”

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 months and months of an infamously tight inventory driving up prices in the ultra-competitive Las Vegas residential real estate marketplace, that slim inventory is finally showing some signs of growing due to a number of contributing factors, including rising interest rates on home mortgages cooling the market somewhat for the time being.

Previously, Las Vegas has been inundated with constant bidding wars between homebuyers, with some even being willing to purchase a property sight unseen in order to get an edge; low inventory, combined with historically-low interest rates on home loans, were seen as the main driving factors of the home buying frenzy.

However – due to rate increases on the part of the Federal Reserve to combat skyrocketing national inflation – the interest rate on a standard 30-year fixed-rate mortgage is currently hovering near the 6 percent mark; this is a big increase compared to the same point in time one year prior, when rates averaged just 2.93 percent.

According to Jennifer Graff, founder of New Home Experts Las Vegas with Coldwell Banker, now that money is growing more expensive to borrow, it’s little surprise that the demand for housing is starting to show signs of dropping, leading to increases in overall home inventory in Vegas.

“About $480,000 right now is essentially the median home price for here in Las Vegas,” Graff said. “So when you take into account, when we talked back in January, to when we’re speaking today…that payment for your average conventional loan is up almost $1,000 for that $480,000 home.”

Experts say that at the tail end of 2021, a monthly mortgage payment of $2,500 could get you a home worth $517,000; however, with interest rates currently being what they are, that same monthly payment could only get you a home valued at $400,000.

However, Graff noted that Las Vegas will always remain a hot real estate market, and she expects that the current economic woes facing the nation will do little more in Southern Nevada than stabilize the market.

“We have about 5,600 homes on the market right now,” she said. “That is almost double from 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 – Amid skyrocketing rents in Las Vegas driving very real cost-of-living concerns, two new affordable housing apartment complexes – both being constructed by the same developer – are set to open soon, allowing families and individuals on a budget a way to put a roof over their heads.

Decatur Commons Family and Decatur Commons Senior – neighboring buildings located at Decatur Boulevard and U.S. Highway 95 near Meadows Mall that are being developed by Nevada HAND will offer 480 residential units between them both when the $110 million project is completed.

Nevada HAND President and CEO Audra Hamernik noted on Friday that development on both apartment complexes will be finished by August; tenants have already started to rent and move into units in February, she said.

Las Vegas has a very real need for more affordable housing options for its residents; high demand, limited inventory, and rapidly-rising prices have created a serious issue for many families looking for a place to live that fits within their budgets, already stretched thin by record-breaking national inflation. However, Hamernik said the company is doing whatever it can to cater to families priced out of the typical Vegas real estate market.

Currently, the average rent for a home in the region was $1,847 in May, representing a 18.8 percent increase from the same period of time one year prior; however, as per Hamernik, the average rent of a unit in one of Nevada HAND’s properties is just $733 per month.

Hamernik said that Nevada HAND receives constant contact from Las Vegas residents looking for affordable housing options; the company currently has a portfolio in the city spanning 4,700 units, but vacancies are rare due to the highly-competitive pricing.

“The demand is just outpacing our supply,” she said.

For more information on the coming Decatur Commons Family and Decatur Commons Senior communities visit https://www.nevadahand.org or call them at (702) 739-3345.

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 – Experts are reporting this week that mortgage rates – which have been skyrocketing since the new year after hitting historic lows during the COVID-19 pandemic – have unexpectedly dropped, giving beleaguered prospective homebuyers a modicum of leverage but also signaling potential bad news for state of the U.S. economy.

The average rate of a 30-year fixed mortgage, which was 5.81 percent one week ago, dropped this week to 5.70 percent. While that decrease will give some homebuyers some breathing room in terms of interest on a home loan, it also signals just how much rates have climbed, since at the same point in time one year ago, that rate was a mere 2.98 percent.

Nonetheless, according to Freddie Mac’s chief economist Sam Khater, this is a sign that the housing market – long thought to be heading in an unsustainable direction – may finally be starting to stabilize in the face of an ongoing national surge in inflation, which is straining the finances of most buyers. However, Khater noted, it could also be a grim sign that the country may also be on the verge of a recession.

“The rapid rise in mortgage rates has finally paused, largely due to the countervailing forces of high inflation and the increasing possibility of an economic recession,” he said. “This pause in rate activity should help the housing market rebalance from the breakneck growth of a seller’s market to a more normal pace of home price appreciation.”

But in the meantime, the lowering rates – combined with a cooling market may give buyers the upper hand, at least in the short-term, according to real estate agent Lilly Rockwell.

“It’s fabulous. Finally. Tons of choices, very little competition,” she said. “It’s crazy how quickly the tables have turned!”

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 depths of the COVID-19 pandemic the housing market unexpectedly started to boom, propelled by record-low interest rates on home mortgages and buyers enticed by acquiring homes with cheap money. But as demand continued to increase, home prices began to swell, with buyers taking solace in the fact that interest rates nonetheless remained very affordable.

Unfortunately, this is no longer the case, as an attempt to lower out-of-control inflation and prevent a potential recession, the Federal Reserve has begun increasing their interest rates. This, sadly, has correspondingly caused a significant jump in the cost of home loans as well, and combined with record home prices – the median price of a single-family home in Vegas in May 2022 was $482,000 – has caused the market to slow as some buyers are now finding themselves priced out.

With demand decreasing due to financial concerns, sellers – who have been consistently raising their asking prices for months, breaking records each and every time – have finally begun showing signs of relenting, and as a result Vegas-area listings are now slowly starting to appear with newly-applied discounts.

Reports show that sellers of a southwest Las Vegas Valley home for sale recently shaved $25,000 off their asking price; last Thursday, a Henderson home saw a $31,000 decrease; and a northwest valley area home has had a total of $110,000 in price cuts since it was first listed.

In fact, in May 2022, 13.7 percent of active listings in Las Vegas had a price cut, as opposed to the 11.5 percent average across the United States, reports say; while listings overall continue to climb in price, May represented the third month in a row where active listings showed price cuts, with Zillow economist Nicole Bachaud saying that the overall marketplace may be showing distinct signs of much-needed stabilization.

“Sellers are finally being challenged to price their homes competitively, after a period in which buyers seemed willing to meet almost any asking price, and in many cases bid over list price to beat out other interested buyers,” she said. “It’s absolutely true that there is an affordability crisis in the housing market, but low mortgage rates had kept monthly payments in check even while prices rose at a record pace.”

Housing markets – especially in Las Vegas – can often turn on a dime, but the current developments may be indicating that sellers may not be able to overprice anymore, opening up the potential for renewed affordability; time will tell if this ends up being true or not.

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 – Following the Federal Reserve’s hike of 75 basis points to its key benchmark rate in an attempt to lower crippling inflation gripping the United States and head off a possible recession, interest rates for home mortgages have been steadily increasing after having hit record lows during the COVID-19 pandemic; that factor, combined with inflation and skyrocketing home prices, have caused a recent slowdown in home sales nationally.

The current interest rate on a standard 30-year fixed-rate mortgage hit an average of 5.78 percent this week; this is up from 5.23 percent just last week, and a big increase compared to the same point in time one year prior, when rates averaged just 2.93 percent.

Currently, interest on home loans is at its highest point since 2008, causing Americans that are already hurting financially due to whopping retail, grocery, and gas prices to rethink the possibility of buying a home in the here and now, according to National Association of REALTORS Senior Economist and Director of Forecasting Nadia Evangelou.

“These rising mortgage rates hurt affordability and decrease the purchasing power of many buyers,” she said. “In addition to increasing the amount buyers will pay to borrow for their mortgage, higher interest rates lower their purchasing power since a larger portion of their monthly payment will be put toward interest.”

Due to the Fed’s decision to raise basis points by the highest amount in 28 years – in addition to several other hikes planned throughout the rest of the year – more buyers are adjusting their shopping budgets for homes, as rising interest rates lower their respective buying power. In January, the average buyer could have afforded a $360,000 home with a $1,400 monthly mortgage payment; now, with the most recent interest increase, that same $1,400 monthly payment would only procure a home worth $270,000.

With interest rates now at 5.78 percent and climbing, buyers’ money is not only worth less, but they will also be paying more over the course of the loan itself; at last week’s 5.23 percent interest rate, the monthly payment on a $300,000 loan – excluding taxes and insurance – would have been $1,653. However, with rates now being 5.78 percent, the monthly payment on the same loan would now be $1,756, which represents an additional $1,236 per year.

But all is not bleak- experts are saying that the high interest increases may simply be a case of over-correction on the part of lenders, and if the Fed’s basis point increase indeed proves to be successful in curbing inflation, mortgage rates could start to come down once again, especially amid a slowdown in demand for home loans, which have decreased 16 percent year-over-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 – With inflation still hurting most Americans in the wallet and prices in the housing market skyrocketing nationwide, a new report indicates that among the major metro cities where costs are increasing the most, Las Vegas is now currently ranked number two in terms of rising rents, leading to concerns over affordability despite signs that the market may be starting to stabilize.

Among the 15 major metros covered in the report where rents are rising the fastest, residents of the Las Vegas-Henderson-Paradise area are experiencing one of the highest percentage rent increases from pre-pandemic 2019 to 2022, as per a study released by San Francisco-based rental software firm Stessa Inc.

Southern Nevada is ranked number 2 in terms of rent increases, with the median rent in 2022 currently $1,485, which represents a jump of 24.8 percent when compared to the median rent in 2019, which was $1,190.

The Las Vegas region comes in closely behind the Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, California metro area, which took the number 1 spot with its 2022 median rent increasing 25.3 percent to $1,830, compared to $1,461 in 2019.

The main factors driving the rent increases in Southern Nevada include limited inventory, coupled with a rapidly-recovering post-pandemic economy that has driven fierce competition among prospective tenants, leading to many – especially those with a degree of affluence – paying for rentals well above the initial asking price, according to the Stessa report.

With rising real estate prices, 70 percent of the growth of the rental market since 2009 has come from higher-income earners who might otherwise have bought a home,” they said. “And as more high earners enter or stay in the rental market, builders and developers are incentivized to provide more luxury units, which means less new stock to meet the needs of low and middle-income earners.”

Nationally, median rents rose 12.5 percent in 2022 to $1,445, up from $1,284 in 2019.

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 the luxury home market in Las Vegas going strong and showing no signs of slowing down as affluent residents from neighboring states continue to transplant themselves into the region, the number of $1 million and higher homes sales in Southern Nevada in the month of March has set an all-time record.

According to reports, there were an incredible 196 homes in Las Vegas with an asking price of $1 million and higher sold in March, with the priciest being a residence in Summerlin that sold for $11.4 million and featured a $35,000 tub in its master bedroom.

The buyer of the expensive Summerlin home – located at 44 Hawk Ridge Drive, – has chosen to remain anonymous, driving a great deal of speculation about their identity. Construction of the residence commenced in 2018 and lasted until 2021, at which time it was listed on the market for $11.9 million, eventually closing for $11.4 million according to property records from Clark County.

The two-story home features an eight-car air-conditioned garage, swimming pool and the aforementioned $35,000 tub in the master bedroom. The home measures 10,609 square feet with four bedrooms and five-and-half baths.

No buyer’s agent was used, and the mysterious buyer utilized an out-of-state attorney for the transaction.

The home was previously owned by former Red Rock Resorts president Richard Haskins, who had passed away after a July 4, 2020 water accident in Michigan; Mike and Linda Huhn then bought the residence, which was still approximately 75 percent into its construction, and sank an additional $2 million into its completion before listing it.

At one point there was speculation that the buyer of the property was then-NFL Green Bay Packers wide receiver Davante Adams, who was said to be buying a home in Summerlin after being traded to the Las Vegas Raiders. However, in a local interview, Mike Huhn said that he was unaware of who had purchased his home, and could only say that the attorney representing them was located in New York.

“It would be pretty cool if [Adams] did buy it,” Huhn said. “Whoever moved in, moved in a week after we left. We’re still curious and, hopefully, we’ll find out sooner than later.”

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 growing number of homebuyers in the Southern Nevada region are paying for their purchases in cold, hard cash as opposed to taking out mortgages, a recent report says, which could be fueled by several factors, including investment and the arrival of affluent transplants from neighboring states.

The Las Vegas Realtors group report released last Wednesday indicates that 32 percent of all property transactions that took place during March 2022 – which includes existing homes, condominiums and townhomes – were paid for in full with cash, which is an increase of 8 percent over the same period of time one year prior.

Experts say there are numerous factors that could be contributing to the increase in cash real estate purchases in Southern Nevada as of late, such as an increase in investors sinking their money into the market. In addition, there has been an influx of new, wealthy residents to the region from neighboring markets such as California, where homes overall are far pricier; after selling of their old homes, these new transplants to Nevada are flush with cash and ready to take advantage of the comparatively lower home prices.

The median price for an exiting home in Las Vegas in March was $460,000 – yet another record amount – and the median price for a condominium or townhome was $270,000; compare that amount to the median home price in Los Angeles, which came in at an astonishing $935,640. With those numbers in mind, it’s no wonder that California homeowners are cashing out and fleeing for neighboring states such as Nevada with a lower cost of living.

However, this bump in cash sales, while significant, is nonetheless still less then Vegas’ peak rate which in 2013 following the recession, where the number of cash-based transactions hit a whopping 60 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 – In an attempt to address the ongoing need for affordable housing options for Las Vegas’ senior population, two developers based out of Denver, Colorado are finalizing plans to develop a new senior-living facility in Southern Nevada, with the groundbreaking planned for the very near future.

MorningStar Senior Living and Confluent Senior are planning on developing a new project located near the intersection of Alta Drive and Hualapai Way – dubbed MorningStar at The Canyons – which will be comprised of a new 196,000 square-foot building with 168 apartment units spread out over four stories.

The units will be broken up into 95 independent-living units, with an additional 49 assisted-living units and 24 memory-care units reserved for seniors that require additional assistance in their day-to-day lives, reports say.

Assisted Living units feature around-the-clock support from on-site Care Managers with the activities of daily living, according to the developer’s website; memory care units are for seniors that are experiencing memory loss and other cognitive functions.

The project will be constructed upon a site approximately 3.7 acres in size that the developers purchased in February for over $7.4 million, with the groundbreaking ceremony slated to take place in the summer of 2022.

According to the developer’s website, the grand opening for the facility is expected to be held in the second quarter of 2024.

MorningStar at The Canyons will offer numerous attractive amenities for its senior tenants, including an outdoor bar, pool and hot tub, in addition to a movie theater, a gym, indoor and outdoor dining venues, and a clubroom terrace with views of the famed Las Vegas Strip.

This project marks the first collaboration between MorningStar Senior Living and Confluent Senior on a development project in the state of Nevada, 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 – Recently, a Canadian real estate developer preformed a ceremonial groundbreaking on an upcoming Las Vegas-based warehouse project that, upon completion, will come in at over 250,000 square feet in size.

Ryan Beedie, who regularly travels to and spends time in Vegas – estimates that he’s been to the city as many as 200 times and counting – which influenced his decision to develop his very first-ever U.S. based project there, he said.

Last Monday, Beedie broke ground on the upcoming Pioneer Business Center, a two-building warehouse complex in the southwest valley that, upon completion which is expected by the end of 2022, will offer 261,751 square-feet of space.

Despite this being his very first construction project in Vegas, Beedie is no stranger to the local real estate marketplace, already boasting the ownership of industrial buildings and condominium towers in the northern region of the city.

Once Pioneer Business Center is completed and ready to open for business, Beedie notes he plans on selling the warehouse’s 26 units to individual buyers, as opposed to the more common practice of leasing them to tenants or selling the complex to a new landlord.

Beedie referred to this plan as his “niche in the market,” stating that it should appeal to companies put off by steadily rising rental rates in Southern Nevada; the developer has already lined up buyers for six units and counting, he said.

What should prove to be especially appealing about Beedie’s plan to sell space instead of renting it out is that for-sale warehouse space normally targets companies seeking in excess of 50,000 square feet. In contrast, Beedie will be offering smaller spaces for sale, which should interest smaller companies that don’t require the extra space; units in Pioneer Business Center, just north of Sunset Road between Tenaya Way and Buffalo Drive, will range in size from 7,791 to 13,186 square feet.

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.